The Korean National Commission for UNESCO (KNCU) has launched this year’s Increasing Capacities of National Commissions (ICoN) Programme and Website Development Project, with support from the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Korea. This year KNCU is implementing Joint Projects with two National Commissions in the Asia-Pacific region through the ICoN Programme, and is collaborating with four National Commissions in the Central American and Caribbean regions for the Website Development Project.

• Increasing Capacities of National Commissions Programme

KNCU has carried out the ICoN Programme since 2011 with the aim of supporting fellow National Commissions in the Asia-Pacific region to enhance their human, operational and networking capacities by helping them implement much needed projects of their choice. This year KNCU is partnering with the Bhutan and the Cook Islands National Commissions to implement Joint Projects.

A nominated participant from each partnering National Commission participated in a Study Visit in Korea from 9-20 March. During their stay, the project coordinators experienced the daily workings of KNCU and learned about its operations, while also developing their Joint Projects. The National Commissions will be implementing these projects in their respective countries until the end of November. During this time, KNCU will provide technical and financial support, allowing the participating National Commissions to successfully carry out the projects.

Bhutan’s Joint Project is titled “Global Citizenship Education for International Understanding for a Peaceful and Sustainable World: National Capacity Building Workshop for Educators in the Field.”, and the Cook Islands’ Joint Project is titled “Establishment of a Living Human Treasures System for the Cook Islands”.

• Website Development Project

This year, KNCU is cooperating with four National Commissions in the Caribbean region – Guatemala, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, and Trinidad and Tobago – to assist them in developing their own websites and to help build the capacities required to manage them. After creating a website template for each participating National Commission, KNCU, in partnership with the Jamaican National Commission for UNESCO, will hold a training workshop in Kingston, Jamaica in August. The workshop is intended to help participants increase their website management capacities, ensuring long-term sustainable and active website utilization.

Since launching the Project in 2013, KNCU has successfully worked with a number of National Commissions. Last year, KNCU collaborated with six National Commissions in the Caribbean region - Aruba, Curaçao, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Sint Maarten. In 2013, KNCU implemented the project in the Pacific region.

Please visit the below websites that were created as part of the 2014 Website Development Project:

Aruba: www.unesco-aruba.org

Curaçao: www.natcomcuracao.org

Jamaica: www.jncunesco.gov.jm (on-line soon)

Sint Maarten: www.unesco.sx

Saint Kitts and Nevis: www.sknunesco.com

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines: www.svgncunesco.com

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