SHEET 7- THE ROLE OF A
UNESCO NATIONAL COMMISSION, A RELAY FOR YOUR ACTION
Imagine a network
of people and organizations in which you can meet and work with others who share your
passion for a cause, whether it be protection of the environment, academic freedom, the
rights of women, preservation of the world's cultural heritage, or one of many other
topics of urgent concern in the world. Give
this network a national secretariat of skilled staff and resources to support your work. Connect it to an international network that gives
you access to the leading authorities and activists in your field and in interconnected
fields. Then connect these networks to national commissions in 183 countries of the world.
Link them all to an international governmental organization with membership in the United
Nations family, an annual budget of over $500 million, and a mission to promote a culture
of peace.
THE CANADIAN COMMISSION FOR UNESCO
Such a network
already exists in Canada. It is called the Canadian Commission for UNESCO
(CCU). Like the UNESCO National Commissions
in other countries, the CCU's role is to catalyze the participation of Canadian
organizations and committed individuals in UNESCO's mandate areas: education, science,
culture and communications. UNESCO is the
only member of the United Nations family to have National Commissions performing this role
in each of its member states.
Inspired by UNESCO's vision of a durable culture of peace built on the
intellectual and moral solidarity of humankind, the CCU actively advances the following
principles: the promotion of culture and democracy through the sharing of ideas and
knowledge; justice and equality for all; freedom of thought, expression and communication;
the promotion of tolerance; access to education and information; the affirmation of
specific cultures and identities as integral parts of the richness of humanity; a respect
for indigenous cultures; and the preservation of the world's heritage and natural
environment.
In order to
implement this vision, the CCU
operates as an autonomous forum of consultation and reflection through which governments
in Canada and individuals and organizations in Canadian society can share information on
matters of education, science, culture, communication and information. We make recommendations on these issues, advise
the government of Canada on its relations with UNESCO, foster partnerships in areas of
mutual interest, and promote the implementation of UNESCO's programmes.
The CCU has a complex and extensive network of members and
partners. Among our I80 members are
non-governmental organizations, professional associations, institutions and individuals as
well as federal government departments and agencies, and intergovernmental bodies
representing provinces and territories. Non-governmental
participation in the Commission's activities comes from many fields of Canadian society. Examples are the Canadian Teachers' Federation,
the Centrale de 1'enseignement du Que6bec, the Association of Universities and Colleges of
Canada, the Royal Society of Canada, TVOntario, the Humanities and Social Sciences
Federation of Canada, the Banff Centre for the Arts, the Canadian Conference of the Arts,
the International Freedom of Expression Exchange, the Canadian Human Rights Commission,
the North-South Institute, Match International, and ICOMOS Canada.
The CCU is an
autonomous organization under the aegis of the Canada Council. The Commission benefits from the Council's
arm's-length relationship with government. Our
independent status makes us an ideal forum in which representatives of governments and
organizations in civil society can work together on issues of common concern. The Commission's structure is designed to promote
wide-ranging participation from a variety of disciplines.
We believe that our transdisciplinary approach stimulates a richer dialogue
among our members and allows a more flexible response to issues of particular relevance to
the governments and citizens of Canada. Effective
responses to the issues within UNESCO's fields of interest increasingly require the
collaboration of social and natural scientists, human rights activists, educators,
artists, and those responsible for public policy.
The Executive
Committee is the principal philosophical
focus and heart of the Commission. It
periodically identifies a roster of issues of concern to UNESCO and Canada, drawing on
input from the Annual General Meeting of the Commission, suggestions and concerns from our
non governmental members and partners, and the expressed priorities of Canadian
governments. It passes this roster of issues
to the Priorities and Planning Committee, which identifies the most pressing issues and
establishes priorities among those demands. The
Priorities and Planning Committee then creates Trans-disciplinary Working Committees to
tackle these chosen themes. These latter
committees are best seen as Issue Response Teams, not necessarily long-lasting, though
some may be. They bring concentrated
attention to bear on the most pressing issues, drawing for their membership on the vast
pool of resources and information that exists on the Sectoral Commissions. The Sectoral Commissions are thriving networks of
individuals and organizations with common interests and concerns, able to funnel expertise
and knowledge into the Trans-disciplina-y Working Committees as required.
The Commission, in short, is its membership. We are a network of networks, synergistically
bringing great resources of expertise and knowledge to bear on crucial issues, assisted in
this by the staff of the Secretariat. Our
historical arm's length relationship with government, the richness of our networks running
though many sectors of society, the vast expertise of our membership, the nobility of UNESCO's ethical
mission and the scope of our concerns confer a breadth that gives us a role far different
from special-interest lobbyists namely the moderate and insightful voice of the Canadian
community.
HAVE YOU EVER
THOUGHT of the number of networks you belong to as a reader, as a student, as a citizen? Have you ever thought of making your voice heard? If you belong formally to a network do you know to
which kind of international organizations it belongs?
Do you prefer to work on your own? Have
you ever thought of joining forces with others who work along the same principle?
See the list of
"Partners for a Culture of Peace"
Yamoussoulcro
Declaration for Peace, http://www.unesco.org/opi/eng/unescopress/97-238e.htm
United Nations
Decade for Human Rights Education: towards a culture of peace General Assembly resolution
50/1173 of 22 December 1995, http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu4/gares/50gal73.htm
Culture of Peace
General Assembly resolution 51/101 of 12 December 1996
Declaration of International Year for a Culture of Peace gopher://gopher.un.org/00/ga/recs/52/RES52-15.EN