UNESCO
The constitution of the United Nations Educational, Scientifi c and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) was adopted by
20 countries at the London Conference in November 1945 and entered into effect on November 4, 1946. The Organization
currently has 191 Member States and six Associate Members.
The main objective of UNESCO is to contribute to peace and security in the world by promoting collaboration among
nations through education, science, culture and communication in order to foster universal respect for justice, the rule of
law, and the human rights and fundamental freedoms that are affi rmed for the peoples of the world, without distinction of
race, sex, language or religion, by the Charter of the United Nations.
To fulfi ll its mandate, UNESCO performs fi ve principal functions: 1) prospective studies on education, science, culture and
communication for tomorrow’s world; 2) the advancement, transfer and sharing of knowledge through research, training
and teaching activities; 3) standard−setting actions for the preparation and adoption of internal instruments and statutory
recommendations; 4) expertise through technical co−operation to Member States for their development policies and
projects; and 5) the exchange of specialized information.
UNESCO is headquartered in Paris, France.
The UNESCO Institute for Statistics
The UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) is the statistical offi ce of UNESCO and is the UN depository for global statistics
in the fi elds of education, science and technology, culture and communication.
UIS was established in 1999. It was created to improve UNESCO’s statistical programme and to develop and deliver the
timely, accurate and policy−relevant statistics needed in today’s increasingly complex and rapidly changing social, political
and economic environments.
UIS is based in Montreal, Canada.
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
The OECD is a unique forum where the governments of 30 democracies work together to address the economic, social
and environmental challenges of globalisation. The OECD is also at the forefront of efforts to understand and to help
governments respond to new developments and concerns, such as corporate governance, the information economy and the
challenges of an ageing population. The Organisation provides a setting where governments can compare policy experiences,
seek answers to common problems, identify good practice and work to co−ordinate domestic and international policies.
The OECD member countries are: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France,
Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand,
Norway, Poland, Portugal, the Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the
United States. The Commission of the European Communities takes part in the work of the OECD.
OECD Publishing disseminates widely the results of the Organisation’s statistics gathering and research on economic, social
and environmental issues, as well as the conventions, guidelines and standards agreed by its members.
Photo credit: Panos Publications Ltd.
Copyright UNESCO−UIS/OECD 2005
Permission to reproduce a portion of this work for non−commercial purposes or classroom use should be obtained through the
Centre français d’exploitation du droit de copie (CFC), 20, rue des Grands−Augustins, 75006 Paris, France, tel. (33−1) 44 07 47 70,
fax (33−1) 46 34 67 19, for every country except the United States. In the United States, permission should be obtained through the
Copyright Clearance Center, Customer Service, (508) 750−8400, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, USA, or CCC Online
(www.copyright.com). All other applications for permission to reproduce or translate all or part of this book should be made to OECD
Publications. Email:
[email protected] or UNESCO Publishing, Editorial and Rights Division, 1, rue Miollis, 75732 Paris CEDEX 15,
France. Fax: (33−1) 45 68 57 39. Tel. (33−1) 45 68 49 92. Email:
[email protected]
The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the
part of UNESCO and OECD concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or the delimitation of its frontiers or
boundaries.
© UNESCO-UIS/OECD 2005
02-WEI2005-Historique.indd 202-WEI2005-Historique.indd 2 29/09/05 22:27:1629/09/05 22:27:16