NGOs and Foundations

The establishment of an official partnership is a mutual commitment to cooperate and work together in the Organization’s fields of competence, while embracing and upholding UNESCO’s ideals and values. It is often the recognition of an already established relationship, including a record of effective cooperation and/or prior identification of synergies between UNESCO and the organization concerned.

In addition to the bilateral cooperation between each NGO and UNESCO, the Directives also provide for collective cooperation mechanisms, which allow official NGO partners to contribute collectively to UNESCO's programme and to interact with each other through the International Conference of NGOs and the NGO-UNESCO Liaison Committee.

The International Conference of Non-Governmental Organizations is a key platform for meeting and dialogue among NGOs. It enables official NGO partners to meet every two years (usually in December) to review the state of cooperation with UNESCO, to conduct collective consultations on the main lines of UNESCO's programme, and to facilitate cooperation between NGOs having common interests.

The International Conference elects its Chairperson (elected in a personal capacity). It also elects the members of the NGO-UNESCO Liaison Committee (see below). The Chairperson of the International Conference also presides the Liaison Committee.

The NGO-UNESCO Liaison Committee is elected by the International Conference of NGOs and works between meetings of the International Conference, to represent the interests of all NGO partners vis-à-vis UNESCO and to ensure the coordination of collective activities involving NGOs. It is chaired by the Chairperson of the International Conference and composed of 10 NGO partners (4 with associate status and 6 with consultative status), with at least one partner from each region.

Among its main tasks, the Committee organizes, in cooperation with the UNESCO Secretariat, international forums of NGOs in official partnership with UNESCO on a priority issue of the Organization.

The Committee is currently chaired by Mr Nick Newland (from Associated Country Women of the World (ACWW)), Chairperson of the International Conference of NGOs, and is composed of the following NGOs for the 2022-2024 period:

• Arab Institute for Human Rights (AIHR) – based in Tunisia
• Arterial Network – based in Côte d’Ivoire
• China Education Association for International Exchange (CEAIE) – based in China
• International Association for Exchange of Students for Technical Experience (IAESTE) – based in Luxembourg
• International Council of Associations for Science Education (ICASE) – based in Ireland
• International Council of Sport Science and Physical Education (ICSSPE) – based in Germany
• International Music Council (IMC) – based in France
• Latin American Campaign for the Right to Education (CLADE) – based in Brazil
• Rotary International – based in the United States of America
• Sozopol Foundation – based in Bulgaria.

For more information on the NGO-UNESCO Liaison Committee and its workplans consult its website.

Statutory Framework

Directives concerning UNESCO’s partnership with non-governmental organizations

Foundations are also major contributors to UNESCO’s programme, both in terms of the range of shared programmatic priorities and the volume of their financial commitments to UNESCO. This commitment is based on their shared value partnerships strategies, which are fully aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. 

Together UNESCO and its partner foundations are scaling up sustained and mutually beneficial cooperation in the different regions of the world. These partnerships combine expertise, know how, networking, joint advocacy and financial resources. Through its partnerships with Foundations in pursuit of high impact and sustainable solutions, UNESCO is also able to leverage precious technical expertise and innovation capacity for the benefit of its Member States.

Foundations which are already collaborating with UNESCO may enter in official relations with UNESCO under the framework of the Directives concerning UNESCO’s relations with foundations and similar institutions, intended to foster the widest possible assistance in the preparation and execution of UNESCO’s programme. Currently, UNESCO enjoys official relations with 33 foundations.

Statutory Framework

Directives concerning UNESCO’s relations with foundations and similar institutions

Requests for official partnership (NGOs) or official relations (Foundations) may be submitted at any time, accompanied by the application form (EN, FR) duly filled, and the following documentation (in English or French, or accompanied by a translation in any of these languages):

• a cover letter addressed to the UNESCO Director-General;

• a copy of the instrument of legal recognition of the application organization/institution;

• a copy of the statutes of the organization/institution (by-laws, charter, constitution, or articles of association);

• a copy of its detailed financial statement for the last financial year;

• a copy of the latest activity report(s) covering a period of at least the two years prior to submitting the application;

• a complete list of members by country and by category (as provided in the applicant organization’s statutes or by-laws).

Applications shall be submitted through the following dedicated mailbox: csp.applications@unesco.org. Incomplete requests, as well as requests not fulfilling essential criteria, may not be considered.

IMPORTANT: Complete applications received through a calendar year will be considered during the first semester of the following calendar year. The applicant organization/institution will be officially informed of the final decision upon completion of the whole process.

Depending on the functioning and legal status of the applicant organization or institution, applications will be reviewed based on the criteria established in either the Directives concerning UNESCO’s partnership with non-governmental organizations or the Directives concerning official relations with foundations and similar institutions, as applicable.

In order to be considered for the establishment of an official relationship with UNESCO (official partnership or official relations), among other criteria, applicant organizations and institutions must be non-governmental, non-profitmaking and must have recognized legal status. Moreover, they must pursue goals that are in conformity with UNESCO’s ideals and with the ethical principles recognized by the international community, and they must be engaged in activities in a spirit of cooperation, tolerance, and solidarity, in the interest of humankind and with respect for cultural identities.

Provided that an applicant NGO or institution fulfills all the essential criteria established in the relevant Directives, the evaluation of its request will be guided by the following considerations:

• the extent of the joint activities implemented in recent years by the NGO/institution and the UNESCO Secretariat, as well as the applicant organization's existing cooperation with National Commissions for UNESCO;

• the potential for future cooperation and synergies between the applicant organization and UNESCO;

• impact of the applicant organization’s action in the field.

NB: The establishment of official relations is usually considered following a record of effective and regular cooperation with UNESCO and/or prior identification of synergies.

Additionally, in the case of national and local NGOs as well as foundations and similar non-governmental institutions, the eventual establishment of an official partnership or official relations also involves consultations with the National Commission for UNESCO of the Member State on whose territory the organization or institution concerned has its headquarters. 

Before applying for official partnership or official relations, interested organizations/institutions are strongly encouraged to carefully read the relevant Directives and make sure their organization/institution fulfils all the necessary criteria.