UNESCO is launching a set of new partnership videos “UNESCO in your region” showcasing UNESCO’s programmes in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Arab Region, and Asia and the Pacific.
As we set out our thinking for the new Medium Term Strategy for the next 8 Years, it’s critically important for us to illustrate the relevance of UNESCO’s action on the ground to the 2030 Agenda. Partnership for the goals is at the heart of that agenda. At the end of the day, UNESCO’s donors and other partners are engaging with UNESCO because they are stakeholders in our programme and share our commitment and vision to achieve the SDG’s before 2030
Watch "UNESCO in your region"
UNESCO in Africa
UNESCO in the Arab Region
UNESCO in Asia and the Pacific
UNESCO in Latin America and the Caribbean
Partners are scaling up their engagement with UNESCO
The volume of resources committed to UNESCO by its partners in 2018-2019 was up by 51% compared to the previous two year programme, and amounted to USD 839 million. The top 10 donors including countries providing support through UNESCO for other Member States were Sweden, the EU, Italy, UAE, Norway, the World Bank, Japan, UNDP, Switzerland and the Republic of Korea. In the first 8 months of 2020, there has similarly been an increase in commitments from partners of 34% compared to the same period of the previous year. Much of this increase is linked to targeted support from key donors like the Global Partnership for Education and the European Union in support of UNESCO’s response to COVID-19.
UNESCO cannot act alone
In a rapidly changing global environment, UNESCO cannot act alone, and in addressing the challenges linked to the 2030, UNESCO works very closely with its unique network of UNESCO family partners. UNESCO’s “extended family” including UNESCO Clubs, UNESCO Chairs and UNITWIN Network, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassadors, the UNEVOC Network, UNESCO category 2 Institutes and Centres and UNESCO intergovernmental programmes and their membership bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise to UNESCO’s programme, and are an important dimension of UNESCO’s comparative advantage for other potential partners. At country level, UNESCO National Commissions are UNESCO’s privileged partners for outreach, engagement and amplifying messages about UNESCO’s vision and mission.
UNESCO is also forging new alliances for the SDG’s with and within the United Nations Development System (UNDS) and reaching out to key constituencies like young people, cities and business. Non-governmental organizations with their specialized knowledge and capacity to act swiftly at global, regional and local levels, and offer platforms for strong civil engagement are critically important partners for UNESCO. UNESCO also engages pro-actively with a wide range of other intergovernmental organizations with global and regional mandates with whom it holds shared values and objectives.
Advocating for common causes through multi-stakeholder partnerships
Partners can also engage with UNESCO through issue based multi-stakeholder partnerships and coalitions set up by UNESCO to shift mindsets and advocate for common causes. Initiatives such as the the Global Education Coalition have widened the range of UNESCO’s partners, attracting new private partners, and reenergizing relationships with traditional partners. Other recent global coalitions established by UNESCO –like the OER Dynamic Coalition, the ResiliArt Movement, the Global Alliance for Partnerships on Media and Information Literacy are now decisively paving the way for such reinforced international cooperation among public and private stakeholders.
The challenges are immense. Time is short. Let’s work together for our shared humanity!
For more information: https://en.unesco.org/partnerships