Higher education in Asian countries and the role of international ...

5.1 United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
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UNESCO, acronym for United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, is a
specialized agency of the United Nations Organization (UNO), it was created in 1946 to promote
international collaboration in education, science, and culture. Its headquarters are in Paris,
France. Akin to her mother Organization UNO, UNESCO has been working to achieve one point
agenda “freedom from fear”, a world free from all types of panics: fear of ignorance, fear of
scientific nescience, fear of social unawareness, fear of cultural insensitivity and fear of
information blindness and half knowledge. According to UNESCO the ultimate outcomes of its
actions will be a freedom from war and poverty (Bubtana, 2005).
5.1.1 A glance at UNESCO
20 th century is marked with the unprecedented developments on the global scenario. These
developments brought major changes on international level with far-reaching consequences.
Among them is the emergence of international organizations on global horizon with international
agenda, such type of developments have no precedence in human history.
The history of the birth of UNESCO is based on the need to secure the future by foreseeing the
challenges and by planning for future demands in the present. Its history is not just that of an
institution, but of a whole era which the Organization has reflected in its programs, declarations
and resolutions_ in other words world history is woven into the institutional life of UNESCO.
(Federico Mayor, DG UNESCO 1995)
5.1.1.1 Background
UNESCO is the heir of International Institution of Intellectual Co-operation so it born long
before it appeared on the world horizon. The League of Nations was formed at the end of the
First World War (1914-1918). The aim of this organization was to serve as permanent machinery
for international co-operation in political and other domains (Hajnal P. , 1983). In its very first
session, The League of Nations, in November 1920 discussed the emerging needs to institute
intellectual co-operation (Valderrama, 1995). On 21 st September 1921 the Assembly of the
League of Nations adopted a resolution that resulted in the existence of International
Commission of Intellectual Co-operation (CICI) as a consultative organ of the League of Nations
with stated objectives of “international collaboration to ensure the advancement of civilization in