In the field of freshwater, UNESCO leads 24 UN agencies in the production of the triennial World Water Development Report which assesses the state of the world’s freshwater resources.

The International Association of Hydrological Sciences and the World Water Council are also important partners of UNESCO in the field of freshwater.

In the ecological sciences, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), in particular the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), partners with UNESCO on biodiversity issues. An example of UNESCO-UNEP collaboration is the Great Apes Survival Project (GRASP). Another example is UNESCO’s collaboration with the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO)with respect to the International Assessment on Agricultural Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD). The Star Alliance figures among the Man and the Biosphere programme’s partners from the private sector.

In the Earth sciences, the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) partners with UNESCO in the International Geosciences Programme (IGCP) and in the context of the International Year of Planet Earth 2008 (IYPE).

L’Oréal is the Natural Sciences Sector’s major private-sector partner in the context of the L’Oréal-UNESCO Awards for Women in Science. Another private sector partner is Daimler-Chrysler in the context of the Mondialogo Engineering Award which invites young engineers from developed and developing countries to work together to prepare project proposals addressing the UN Millennium Development Goals, particularly the eradication of poverty and the promotion of environmentally sustainable development. The World Federation of Engineering Organizations is also an important partner for UNESCO in the field of engineering.

Other major partners in science for UNESCO include the International Council for Science (ICSU), the European organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), the Academy of Science for the Developing World (TWAS) and the International Brain Research Organization (IBRO) which is a major partner for the International Basic Sciences Programme.

In the field of science and technology policy, UNESCO collaborates with the African Union and the New Partnership for African Development and the UN agencies working in fields related to science including UNCTAD, UNIDO, IAEA, WIPO, FAO, UNDP and UNEP.

The Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) partners with UNESCO in, among other, renewable energy activities while the Committee for the Future of the Finnish Parliament is a partner of UNESCO in facilitating access to science and technology advice in parliaments both in developing and developed countries. The World Meteorological Organization is a major partner in the ocean sciences of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO.

The Open Initiative on the Use of Space Technologies to Support the Monitoring of UNESCO Natural and Cultural Heritage is a framework permanently open to new partners, space agencies and research institutions which brings space technology to developing countries for the conservation of the world’s cultural and natural heritage. Over 20 space agencies and over 10 academic institutions are participating in this initiative.