Enhancing the role and capacity of

Transcription

1 Enhancing the role and capacity of National Commissions for UNESCO By National Commissions Section Division of Relations with Member States and National Commissions Sector for External Relations and Cooperation UNESCO, Paris, October Message of Mr Ahmed Sayyad, Assistant Director-General for External Relations and Cooperation As a unique network within the United Nations system, National Commissions for UNESCO facilitate contacts between the Member States and the Organization, assist in their country s participation in UNESCO s work, help enhance UNESCO s visibility and contribute to wider partnerships with civil society. They are constituent elements of the Organization and contribute significantly to the pursuit of UNESCO s objectives and to the conceptualization, implementation and delivery of its programmes at the regional, sub-regional and national levels. During the biennium, longstanding relations and close collaboration between UNESCO and National Commissions have been further developed thanks to the efforts from all sides. The Secretariat, at Headquarters and in the field, and the Member States have been working together to associate the National Commissions with the Organization s work and programmes, implement capacity-building activities and enhance their exchanges and networking. National Commissions participated in force in the Director-General s regional consultations on the preparation of the draft Medium-Term Strategy for ( C/) and the Draft Programme and Budget for ( C/5) in 2006, benefited from numerous training seminars and workshops at interregional, regional and national levels in 2006 and 2007, and carried out diverse projects and activities throughout the biennium using the allocations of UNESCO s regular budget, extrabudgetary resources as well as the Participation Programme. The National Commissions Section (NAC) continued its role within the Secretariat as lead in maintaining UNESCO s vigorous relations with National Commissions. Now part of the Division of Relations with Member States and National Commissions, Sector for External Relations and Cooperation (ERC/RSC), it Mr Ahmed Sayyad, Assistant Director-General for External Relations and Cooperation has developed closer interaction with regional sections in charge of relations with Member States, the Participation Programme Section as well as other ERC units (such as the Section for Non- Governmental Organizations, the UNESCO Clubs and New Partnerships Section, the Fellowships Programme Section, the Section for Multilateral and Private Funding Sources and the Section for Bilateral Government Funding Sources), in carrying out its Action Plan for capacitybuilding and other activities for National Commissions. In the context of the new Medium-Term Strategy for and the UNESCO and UN reforms, the Director-General sent a new circular letter (CL/81) to Member States governments, inviting them to further empower their National Commissions in order to help UNESCO to succeed in this process. I am sure that through joint efforts, National Commissions will be more operational to effectively carry out the duties and responsibilities for which Member States and UNESCO count on them so heavily. 2. UNESCO s statements on National Commissions Opening Address of Mr Koïchiro Matsuura, Director- General of UNESCO, on the occasion of the Interregional Information Seminar for New Secretaries-General of National Commissions, Paris, 26 February 2007 National Commissions are a real treasure trove of UNESCO. Through their close relationship with governments, as well as their unique ties with the intellectual community and civil society, they provide a rich and resourceful network. National Commissions help to promote UNESCO s ideals and objectives at the heart of Member States. Your support is crucial to getting our work done.

2 These developments [(in One UN country programming)] hold both considerable opportunities and challenges for National Commissions. The latter will no longer have UNESCO as their sole interlocutor. National Commissions will now need to integrate themselves much more proactively in national structures, working to determine the government s priorities. For its part, the Secretariat will do all it can to promote and integrate your valuable knowledge and expertise into common country processes. Foreword by Mr Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO, for the publication of the Handbook for National Commissions for UNESCO, Paris, September 2007 Today, 60 years after the launching of this institution, National Commissions are more important than ever, at a time when UNESCO and the United Nations as a whole are moving forward to improve and reform. They are crucial to forging partnerships with civil society, local authorities, the academic community, the private sector and other core stakeholders. They are vitally important to enhancing the visibility of the Organization and protecting its image. They are also actively helping to strengthen UNESCO s action in the field, as well as in UN common country programming exercises. UNESCO is committed to furthering its fruitful cooperation with National Commissions and will count on the latter s firm support to fulfill its duties and attain its major objectives. Strong, capable and active National Commissions are in the best interest of both Member States and UNESCO. Together with the Member States, my Secretariat colleagues and I will do our utmost to help enhance the operational capacities of the Commissions. Closing Address by Mr Marcio Barbosa, Deputy Director- General of UNESCO, on the occasion of the Interregional Information Seminar for New Secretaries-General of National Commissions, Paris, 2 March 2007 In a rapidly changing context, and faced with new challenges, UNESCO must redefine its tasks and enhance its relevance at the global and grass roots level. Once again, National Commissions are the key actors, with whom we must work closely, and upon whom we shall rely. Over the past four and a half days you have dealt with a broad range of issues, and exchanged many ideas and experiences. I trust that you will now leave with a much clearer idea of where UNESCO is going, what Member States can do, and how National Commissions may best play their role. Let us work together for a better future of the Organization, and the world as a whole.. Summary of results for Regional consultations and quadrennial conferences In the framework of the preparation of UNESCO s draft C/ and draft C/5, productive regional consultations were held with National Commissions in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (27-1 May 2006), Hanoi, Viet Nam (6-9 June 2006), Luanda, Angola (1-17 June 2006), Athens, Greece (25-28 June 2006) and Montego Bay, Jamaica (-6 July 2006). 178 out of 192 National Commissions in the world participated in this broad process. These statutory gatherings of National Commissions, with the presence of field office directors as well as Headquarters sectors and services representatives, constituted one of the biggest events in the biennium and provided the occasion for National Commissions to effectively participate in the elaboration, execution and evaluation of UNESCO s programmes and decentralization process. On these occasions, National Commissions of Arab States and the Africa region held their quadrennial conferences while Commissions of the other three regions had special sessions and discussions with regard to the visibility of UNESCO in Member States, interface and cooperation between National Commissions and field offices/unesco institutes, the use of UNESCO s name, acronym, logo and Internet domain names, cooperation with extrabudgetary funding sources, UNESCO staff recruitment and geographical distribution, and regional and subregional cooperation among National Commissions. These sessions were very useful for information sharing and networking. They helped to ensure the continued central role played by National Commissions in programme planning and implementation of UNESCO Regional Consultation for Arab States and Quadrennial Conference, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, 27-1 May Regional Consultation for Asia and the Pacific, Hanoi, Viet Nam, 6-9 June Regional Consultation for Africa and Quadrennial Conference, Luanda, Angola, 1-17 June Regional Consultation for Latin America and the Caribbean, Montego Bay, Jamaica, -6 July Regional Consultation for Europe and North America, Athens, Greece, June

3 Training seminars and workshops With a view to updating the knowledge staff members on issues relating to UNESCO s working methods and programmes, 1 training events were or are being held throughout the biennium at interregional, subregional and national levels (see below list) with at least one more in planning. They are focusing on UNESCO and UN reforms, UNESCO s new strategy and programmes, partnerships with civil society, the Participation Programme, the communication policy and tools, extrabudgetary funding sources, use of UNESCO s name and logo. In addition, missions were undertaken by the Chair of the Presidents Steering Group, the Hon. Margaret Austin, at the request of the Director-General, to the Pacific National Commissions and to work with Brunei and Singapore on the constitution of their new National Commission. 1 Name of training seminars/ workshops Venue and dates Training Seminar for National Commissions for UNESCO of the South East Europe Region Thessaloniki, Greece, January 2006 Workshop on strengthening cooperation between National Commissions and Intergovernmental Scientific Programmes Berlin, Germany, 0 January-1 February Training workshop for staff members and partners of the Yemen National Commission Sana a, Yemen, April 2006 Training workshop for new staff of the Moroccan National Commission Rabat, Morocco, 0 June 2006 Interregional information seminar for new SG Paris, France, 26 February-2 March 2007 in English-speaking Africa Banjul, Gambia, 7-9 May 2007 in Asia Consultation and Training seminar for National Commissions of Pacific Member States Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 21-2 May 2007 Apia, Samoa, June in Arab States Training seminar for Secretaries- General of Caribbean National Commissions and Cluster Meeting in Preparation for the th General Conference in French-speaking Africa in Europe and North America in Latin America Sharm-el-Sheikh, Egypt, June 2007 Curaçao, Netherland Antilles, -5 July 2007 Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, 22-2 November 2007 Bratislava, Slovakia, November 2007 Montevideo, Uruguay, -6 December Paris, France, 26 February 2 March Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 21 2 May Berlin, Germany, 0 January 1 February Curaçao, Netherland Antilles, -5 July Apia, Samoa, 1 21 june Banjul, Gambia, 7 9 May Sharm-el-Sheikh, Egypt, June Certificate of Achievement delivered to the participants

4 Capacity-building activities through the Participation Programme More than US$1,000,000 have been approved under the Participation Programme for for allocation to National Commissions to equip their offices, celebrate the 60 th anniversary of UNESCO and/or anniversaries of the founding of the Commissions, train their staff, publish their newsletters and activities reports (see below table). 72 out of 19 National Commissions benefited from this funding. ERC also provides support for travel to the General Conference for many National Commissions, covering a National Commission representative s related costs. Participation Programme activities for enhancing National Commissions ( ) Region Amount allocated (US$) Africa 89,500 Latin America and the Caribbean 206,000 Asia and the Pacific 162,000 Arab States 107,500 Europe and North America 16,000 TOTAL 1,001, Moroccan National Commission: Celebration of the 50th anniversary, Rabat, Morocco, Netherlands Antilles National Commission Year Report Training Workshop of Yemen National Commission, Sana a, Yemen, April National Commission of the Central African Republic: PP request for equipment 2 Informal meetings and subregional networkings At the initiative and the Secretariat, networking of groups has been further strengthened in this biennium. This networking takes different forms and exists at different levels, such as informal meetings organized during the Executive Board and the General Conference, work of the Presidents Steering Group, and meetings of the 1 Secretaries-General of National Commissions in East Asia, South East Europe, the Nordic countries, the Gulf countries, the Pacific, the Caribbean, and many other clusters «Euro-Arabe Dialogue», September 2006, Rabat, Morocco. Seminar jointly organized by the French and Moroccan National Commissions for experts and partners from both regions. 2. Meeting of Presidents and Secretaries-General for UNESCO with the Director-General at the rd session of the General Conference, UNESCO, Paris. Meeting of Secretaries-General for UNESCO in East Asia (Shenyang, China, - August 2007)

5 Launching of the Brunei Darussalam National Commission for UNESCO Two years after the country s membership in UNESCO, the Brunei National Commission was officially inaugurated on 28 May 2007 in Bandar Seri Begawan, which brought the total number to 19. The National Commission is tasked to advise the Brunei government on policies of UNESCO, encourage active participation from all sectors and disseminate information on its objectives, underlined the Minister of Education of Brunei Darussalam and Chairperson of the Commission, Honorable Pehin Orang Kaya seri Lela Dato Seri Setia Haji Awang Abdul Rhman bin Dato Setia Haji Mohamed Taib, in his inaugural speech. On this occasion, UNESCO was represented by Mr Qunli Han, Deputy Director of Jakarta Office. The Director-General of UNESCO, Mr Koïchiro Matsuura, and the Assistant Director-General for External Relations and Cooperation, Mr Ahmed Sayyad, sent their personal congratulations. Celebration of the 60th anniversary of UNESCO and anniversaries of the establishment UNESCO s 60 th anniversary was widely celebrated throughout the biennium. Many National Commissions organized special events (e.g. roundtables, forums, workshops, exhibitions) for this purpose, often in conjunction with the celebration of anniversaries of the founding of their National Commission. These cele bra tions involved various partners, intellectual communities, media representatives and other stakeholders and helped to promote the ideals and actions of UNESCO and raise its visibility at country level. Gift to UNESCO by Mali National Commission to mark the 60th anniversary of the Organization Cooperation with NGOs and other Civil Society partners During the biennium, the strengthening of cooperation between the National Commissions and civil society, especially the NGOs, appeared increasingly necessary. NAC s actions and activities aimed at fulfilling that goal. This cooperation was thoroughly discussed at the Open Forums organized during the 175th and 176th sessions of the Executive Board. Many National Commissions underlined the progress made towards strengthening cooperation with NGOs. Among those who took the floor were representatives of Canada, Venezuela, France, Switzerland and Lebanon. Once again, the National Commissions and NGOs networks will be called upon during the th session of the General Conference, at the International Forum on Civil Society, open to all their partners. One of the short-term objectives will be to link the National Commissions and NGOs at the national level. It is an essential condition towards the establishment of a fruitful cooperation between both networks, with a view to fulfilling UNESCO s objectives. Moreover, cooperation between the National Commissions and other partners of civil society and programme networks such as Parliamentarians, local authorities, UNESCO Clubs, Associated Schools, UNESCO Chairs and the private sector have been thoroughly discussed during the training seminars at Headquarters and in the Field, in order to increase their awareness and strengthen their action in that respect. Official visits to National Commissions Whenever the Director-General visits a Member State, he meets personally with the National Commission in every possible case, and is also oftentimes accompanied by the Chairperson or Secretary-General throughout his visit. Likewise the Deputy Director-General and Assistant Directors-General pay frequent visits to the National Commissions. The Deputy Assistant Director-General for External Relations and Cooperation and Director of the Division of Relations with Member States and National Commissions has also sought to visit whenever possible, representing the Director-General, at annual meetings or on the occasion of the celebration anniversaries. In addition to the required notification, the Division encourages all UNESCO Secretariat staff, when on mission in a Member State, to pay a call on the National Commission precisely for the reason of becoming acquainted both with Members of the Commission and with the Commission s priorities. Communication tools and publications More efforts have been made since the beginning of the biennium to improve communication and information exchange between the Secretariat of UNESCO and National Commissions through upgrading UNESCO s electronic database, improving its Portal/Website and launching new publications for National Commissions. A new updated version of the National Commission Database accessible to National Commissions since 2005 has been put online since this summer The user s guide on this information tool is being updated accordingly. The purpose of this update is to enable registered National Commissions to have direct access so as to update their own data and to obtain information about other National Commissions, including contact details, related status and structures, and most importantly new activities. In addition, an automatic every months will inform all National Commissions of new activities entered into the database to encourage National Commissions to contact each other on the items of common interest. As of August 2007, nearly 100 National Commissions are registered on the Database and are in a position to update their own pages. Those who have not registered are invited to contact us to be able to take advantage of this tool. 5

6 Portal/Website construction is another aspect on which progress has been made. The migration of the old version of the NAC Portal into a new version took place in early 2007 with regular uploading of information and data related to UNESCO s programme activities and documents/materials for National Commissions. The Secretariat developed The Master Website and produced a double CD-Rom Pack explaining this software. This userfriendly software for website creation and maintenance was conceived for the exclusive use. Through the joint efforts of Member States and the UNESCO Secretariat, 80 National Commissions (2%) now have their own website. The Practical Guide for National Commissions for UNESCO which was first published more then ten years ago has been updated with the participation and inputs of several National Commissions. The new version of this comprehensive guidebook entitled Handbook for National Commissions for UNESCO is being launched at the th session of the General Conference. As a useful working tool, it will help National Commissions staff to follow up major issues interesting both UNESCO and National Commissions in their daily work.. Excerpts of the Draft Medium-Term Strategy for ( C/) and the Draft Programme and Budget ( C/5) in relation to National Commissions C/ UNESCO cannot achieve its ambitious objectives alone. It is fortunate to have a vast and unparalleled range of constituencies, partners and networks that are eager to be involved in its work: governmental and non-governmental, public and private partners, which combine their competencies and resources around a single goal owing to the presence and approval of UNESCO. This is a considerable asset which has ensured the success of world summits convened by UNESCO, at which governments and civil society have found the means for conducting constructive dialogue. The network for UNESCO a constituent element of UNESCO and unique in the United Nations system has the capacity to facilitate contact and promote interface between Member States and the intellectual and professional communities in each country in order to forge broader alliances as well as to extend the outreach of UNESCO in each Member State. National Commissions contribute significantly to the pursuit of the Organization s objectives and the conceptualization, implementation and delivery of its programmes at the regional, subregional and national levels. UNESCO will continue to strengthen build the operational capacities and competencies of the National Commissions and to use them in programme delivery, communication, partnering and fund-raising mobilization and management of extrabudgetary resources, and enhance the networking and cooperation among them to empower their activities. Efforts will also be made to draw on their expertise in United Nations common country level programming exercises. Expected results at the end of the biennium Capacities strengthened. Programme delivered with direct involvement of National Commissions. Expertise integrated in United Nations common country programming exercises. Partners and partnerships mobilized to contribute to the strategic programme objectives of UNESCO. C/5 As constituent elements of UNESCO and a unique network within the United Nations system, the National Commissions for UNESCO actively contribute to the pursuit of UNESCO s objectives and the conceptualization, implementation and delivery of its programmes at the regional, subregional and country levels. UNESCO will continue to enhance its long-standing cooperation with them, also apted for the special circumstances of United Nations-wide reform. Acting as bodies for liaison, advice, information and programme implementation, they serve and assist both the Member States and UNESCO in numerous areas such as: intergovernmental programmes; UNESCO prizes; celebration of international days and anniversaries; preparation of and follow-up to major international events; 6

7 use of UNESCO s name and logo; nomination of national experts to UNESCO events; decentralization; partnerships; fundraising; visibility of UNESCO; the Participation Programme and the Fellowships Programme; UNESCO Clubs and Centres; NGOs and civil society partners; UNESCO Chairs and Associated Schools; candidates for vacant posts in the Secretariat. Assistance will be provided to National Commissions with a view to building capacities, strengthening interfaces and cooperation with the UNESCO field network and United Nations country teams, engaging in advocacy on behalf of UNESCO and through public information activities, forming partnerships with NGOs, other civil society actors and the private sector and mobilizing resources. Conceptualization and implementation of programmes at regional and subregional levels National Commissions participation in the C/ and the C/5 consultative preparatory process is indispensable. Regional consultations on the preparation of the draft Programme and Budget for (5 C/5) as well as quadrennial conferences (in Asia and the Pacific, Europe and North America, and Latin America and the Caribbean), statutory in character, will be organized concurrently in 2008 in the most cost-effective manner. Emphasis will be placed on securing the inputs from National Commissions and other stakeholders, including intellectual communities and civil society representatives, and on strengthening networking of and cooperation among National Commissions at regional and subregional levels. Capacity-building The basic competences and operational capacities of National Commissions will be strengthened through the biennial interregional information seminar for newly appointed Secretaries- General as well as sub regional and regional training workshops for other staff. Discussion topics will be chosen according to the needs and training methods and will be adapted to promote exchange of experiences and sharing of good practices. Some capacity-building resources are available for National Commissions in need through the Participation Programme for ICT equipment and for staff training support. Building capacity for an implementation of national policies in UNESCO s fields of competence will be encouraged and supported, whenever possible. Advocacy and communication services Efforts will be pursued to advocate the role of National Commissions at various levels and through different channels, and to help develop public information activities and media relations. Publications and electronic materials for National Commissions will be updated as necessary. The communication tools and services such as the online portal and the database on National Commissions will be continuously improved and updated. Expected results at the end of the biennium Effective contribution to the preparation, implementation and evaluation of UNESCO s programmes secured; Cooperation between National Commissions and UNESCO field offices strengthened within the framework of the decentralization strategy and the United Nations reform arrangements. UNESCO/Michel Ravassard, p. photo No 1 and p. photo No 2 UNESCO/Ph. Savah Msadek, p. 5 (2nd photo) October Composed and printed by UNESCO (ERC-2007/WS/6) 7

8 Contact: National Commissions Section (ERC/RSC/NAC) UNESCO 7, place de Fontenoy 7552 Paris 07 SP France Tel.: + (0) Fax: + (0) natcom@unesco.org Website: