The UNESCO National Commission of the Philippines was created on 26 May 1951 through
Republic Act No. 621 as ammended by R.A. 892, R.A. 3489 and P.D. 223 which attaches
the commission to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). It is headed by the DFA
Secretary as Chairman. It has been mandated primarily to advise the Government of the
Philippines on matters relating to UNESCO and appropriate ways and means by which educational
, scientific and cultural developments could best benefit the country. It serves as a
liaison body between the Government and UNESCO, and as such, has been contributing to
the furtherance of UNESCO's major programmes and activities. Its creation was indicative
of the coutry's strong endorsement of UNESCO's main goals of human and sustainable development
and building a culture of peace through its fields of competence: education, science and technology
, social and human sciences, culture and communications.
The Commission has 45 members appointed by the President of the Philippines. they are fully
informed about the various programmes, projects and activities embodied in UNESCO's bienial
programme and budget, as well as those contained in the Organization's Medium-Term Strategy.
They participate actively in the monitoring of programmes, related projects and activities
being undertaken within the country so that successes and failures in their implementation
within the context of national development become the springboards for recommending the revision
of existing programmes and the introduction of new ones considered more relevant and responsive
to the changing needs of the country.
The Commission has an Executive, Committee, Programme Area Committee and Sub-Committees necessary
for the effective and efficient performance of its powers and duties as the public interes may
The Executive Committee is headed by the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Commission with 9 elected
members reprsenting the five areas of UNESCO competence.
the commission's secretariat
In the process of executing these functions, the Commission's Secretariat headed by a Secretary-General
appointed by the President, servers as the technical arm of the Commission in charge of ensuring that
information from all sources within the country and from UNESCO are placed within reach of the
Commission members. The mechanism for doing this through a network of working committees, one each in
education, science and technology, social sciences, culture and communication. The committees, consisting
of interested and competent men and women coming from the government and non-government agencies/institutions,
are dynamically involved in planning, implementing, monitoring and evaluating projectsand action programmes
within their respective areas.
As a permanent Secretariat with sufficient authority and "financial means to carry out efficiently the
functions specifiend in the Charter and to increase its participation in the activities of the Organization,
" the Office has a personnel complement of fourteen (14), eleven of whom are regular and three are casual employees.
In order to carry out the provisions of the law, an amount determined by the Naional Commission of the Philippines
is presented to Congress for appropriation from the funds of the National Treasury upon recommendation by the Department
of Budget and Management, and approval by Congress.
The Commission has taken on a more progressive and active thrust in its work based on the major programmes of UNESCO.
The UNESCO work in the Philippines is implemented within the framework of the Organization or dovetailed with its broad
programmes and at the same time, geared t the development programmes of the Philippine Government.
In the area of education, the major thrust of UNESCO for the decade is Towards Lifelong Education for all with basic
education as priority.
The sciences in the service of development consist of integrating activities in the
natural and human sciences.
In science and technology, the focus is on the strengthening of international scientific
programmes, and the science and technology potential of the country, while promoting
and increasing women participation in all programme activities in the basic as well as
in the applied sciences.
The programme thrusts of the Committee on Social and Human Sciences are on women,
education, tolerance and the building of a culture of peace and the promotion of
UNESCO's programme on the Management of Social Transformation (MOST).
In culture, the promotion of UNESCO projects in the enhancement of the cultural
environment, the preservation and restoration of natural and historical heritages
and the recognition, respect and protection of the cultural minorities, and creativity
are main areas of concern.
UNESCO's priorities in Communication continue to be the promotion of the free flow of
ideas by word or image, freedom of the press, media pluralism and independence,
and the development of community-based media to meet the needs of population groups
living in the most disadvantaged rural and urban areas.
Under the supervision of the Commission, the project TAMBULI which has set up 5
community merdia and training centers in selected areas in the country is now
preparing to implement Phase II of the project which intends to establish 8 to 10 more
community media centers and a Foundation for the sustainability of the project.
Transdisciplinary projects include Environment and Population Education and the Culture
Peace program, follow-up activities on the Beijing Conference on Women.
representation in UNESCO paris
The Commission is represented in the UNESCO headquarters in Paris by its permanent
delegation to UNESCO headed by the permanent delegate. When the Philippines is elected
a member of the Executive Board, its representative attends the meeting of the Board, the
highest policy and decision making body of the Organization as representative of the
country during a term of 4 years.
For more information, contact:
UNESCO National Commission of the Philippines
Department of Foreign Affairs
2330 Roxas Blvd., Pasay City
Tel. Nos. 834-3447 or 834-3418
Fax No. 831-8873
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