The Online meeting with National Commissions for UNESCO dedicated to the cooperation with Associations and Clubs for UNESCO and the Participation Programme gathered some 126 representatives of National Commissions, Clubs movement, Permanent Delegations and members of the Secretariat.

In his introductory speech, Mr Matoko, Assistant Director-General for Priority Africa and External Relations, emphasized that Associations and Clubs for UNESCO, made up mainly of young people, play an important role in bringing a fresh and creative approach to promoting UNESCO’s ideals and raising its profile at the country level. For over 7 decades they have supported UNESCO’s mission and today number more than 4000 entities in 77 countries.

 It was highlighted that Associations and Clubs are standing out within the UNESCO Family in Member States, being the only network for which National Commissions have overall authority and responsibility in their respective countries according to the provisions of the Regulatory Framework regarding Associations and Clubs for UNESCO. As noted by Mr Matoko, this meeting marked the beginning of an important dialogue that will be continued by a series of regional capacity-building webinars on cooperation with Associations and Clubs, with enhanced participation of members of the Clubs movement themselves. The calendar of these activities will be shared with National Commissions shortly. 

An introductory presentation on the current state and prospects of cooperation with Associations and Clubs for UNESCO was made by Ms Assel Utegenova, Deputy Coordinator of the National Commissions Unit, who gave an overview of key figures, legal framework and main actions implemented and planned by the Secretariat with respect to the Clubs movement during the current biennium. The presentation also highlighted activities undertaken by the Clubs movement, in coordination with National Commissions, in the context of COVID-19.

The introductory presentation was followed by the spotlight presentations made by National Commissions from each of the five regions. National Commissions of Cameroon, Kazakhstan, Egypt, Romania, Jamaica and Lebanon shared their Clubs-related good practices and initiatives with the network of National Commissions. 

The meeting was also an occasion to share information on the Participation Programme and to address some essential questions regarding the terms and conditions to be met for becoming eligible for the programme. 

The subsequent questions and answers session, moderated by the Chief of the National Commissions Unit, Mr Fuad Pashayev, was an opportunity to have an in-depth look into the issues raised by National Commissions of China, Federated States of Micronesia, Iran, Portugal, the Republic of Korea and many others.

A final report of the Online meeting is available here.