Press Room

UNESCO’s General Conference taking place in Paris from 9 to 24 November, marks the 75^th anniversary of the Organization (12 November). During the General Conference, UNESCO’s 193 Member States are expected to take landmark decision, including the adoption of global recommendations: one on the ethics of artificial intelligence, another on open science. During the event, UNESCO will also publish the new World Futures of Education Report and host a Global Education Meeting (10 November).

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UNESCO

8 November, 6 to 8 pm: Press opening of the 75^th anniversary exhibition: “The Adventure of UNESCO”

- Featuring archival images and period documents, the exhibition will be the largest retrospective ever produced on the history of the Organization, its actions and major stages in its history. The opening is reserved for members of the press
- Badges and press kits for the entire General Conference will be available to accredited journalists in attendance.
- Entrance to the exhibition opening: 7 Place de Fontenoy, 75007 Paris.

UNESCO

9 November :
- Late morning: Election of the President of the General Conference
- 3 pm: Election of the Director-General of UNESCO
- Opening of general policy debate, plenary session

UNESCO

10 November, 1.30 to 6 pm

Launch of the Futures of Education report (1.30 to 2.30pm)
Global Education Meeting (2.30 to 6pm), with the participation of Heads of State, ministers and education experts.

12 November from 4 pm:

Official ceremony celebrating the 75^th anniversary of UNESCO with the participation of numerous Heads of State and Government, as well as international artists. More information here.
Access to the Plenary Hall will be limited to respect sanitary gauges and security, additional accreditation will be required to access the ceremony (request accreditation here).
The entire ceremony will be streamed to a second room and to the press room for the benefit of all reporters present.
UNESCO will make images of the ceremony available and a press pool will be set up. More information to follow.

17 November, 1 to 5 pm:

Celebration of the 50^th anniversary of the Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme in the presence of celebrated British primatologist Jane Goodall and Brazilian photographer Sebastião Salgado.

22 November, 3 pm :

Investiture of the Director-General
24 November, 10 am : Plenary session
- Decision on the Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence, aiming to establish an ethical foundation for the development of artificial intelligence at the global level.
- Decision on the Recommendation on Open Science, to facilitate international cooperation and universal access to scientific knowledge.

The General Conference is composed of representatives of all the Organization’s Member States. Each State has one vote, regardless of its size and the amount it contributes to the budget. The General Conference meets every two years with the participation as observers of non-Member States, intergovernmental organizations, NGOs and foundations. The General Conference determines UNESCO's general policy and direction. It adopts the Organization’s programme and budget for the following two years, elects members of the Executive Board, and appoints the Director-General for a term of four years. The working languages of the General Conference are Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish. UNESCO has a staff of 2,180 working in 53 offices and institutes around the world.