United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural OrganizationSri Lanka joined UNESCO on November 14, 1949.
The country’s efforts towards peace have been supported by UNESCO, and peace education is an important aspect of collaboration with the Organization.
Recent cooperation has involved activities for rebuilding schools, reconstructing libraries and assessing damage caused to World Heritage sites – Sri Lanka has seven - in areas affected by the tsunami of 2004.
Sri Lanka has been an active participant in the development of the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System (IOTWS).
Sri Lanka reached gender parity in primary education in 1998.
Hurulu, Sinharaja, Kanneliya-Dediyagala-Nakiyadeniya and Bundala Biosphere Reserves are part of UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme.
A national meeting on “Promoting citizen participation in media” was held on 10 January 2007 in Colombo. It concluded a project promoting proactive citizen journalism, conducted by the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA), backed by UNESCO.