UN
EDUCATIONAL SCIENTIFIC AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATION
 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.
STRUCTURE
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 require.
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.
FINANCIAL RESOURCES
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.
CURRENT ACTIVITIES
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 THE 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
Website: http://www.ops.gov.ph/unacom/
Tel. Nos. 834-3447 or 834-3418
Fax No. 831-8873
Email: unacom@ops.gov.ph |
