Our History

The outbreak of the Second World War and the subsequent destruction of books, cultural heritage and education systems, saw endeavours to foster a spirit of international cooperation.

The origins of the Conference of Allied Ministers (CAME), and therefore of UNESCO, emerged during the summer of 1942 in the offices of Rab Butler MP, the UK Minister of Education, and Malcolm Robertson, Chairman of the British Council. Taking advantage of the many governments-in-exile in London, they convened a meeting of the Allied Educational Ministers for collaboration on educational questions affecting the Allied countries of Europe.

CAME convened in London in November 1942, bringing together a group of men and women who viewed education and culture as vital elements for healing the world from the horrors of war and building a more peaceful future. Governments in exile including Belgium, Czechoslovakia, France Greece, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Yugoslavia, Great Britain, Luxembourg, United States, the Soviet Union, Australia, Canada, China, India, New Zealand, and South Africa attended the many meetings between 1942 and 1945.

The United Nations Conference for the Establishment of an Education and Cultural Organisation was convened in London from 1-16 November 1945, with 44 governments represented.

UK Delegates included the Rt. Hon Ellen Wilkinson, Minister of Education, Arthur Creech Jones MP and David Hardman MP, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Education. Julian Huxley became the first Director-General of UNESCO.

“Today, the peoples of the world are ‘islands shouting at each other over seas of misunderstanding’. They do not understand each other’s history, each other’s ways of living, each other’s way of thinking. The better they understand each other, the more they will realise how much they have in common and why and how they differ, and the less prone they will be to take up arms against each other. ‘Know thyself’, said the old proverb. ‘Know your neighbour’, we say today. And the whole world is our neighbour”

Clement Attlee, Conference for the Establishment of UNESCO, November 1945.

The United Kingdom Government ratified the UNESCO Constitution on 8th February 1946. The ratification document was signed by the UK Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Ernest Bevin MP. To celebrate the 75th anniversary of UNESCO's founding, the UKNC and DCMS, along with the National Archives and UNESCO Archives, digitised all Member States' ratification documents.

UNESCO’s constitution established action through two levels: governments and National Commissions.

Based on the notion that political agreements were not enough to create a long and enduring peace, it was up to National Commissions to work with the people of their respective country. The Commissions were seen as essential bridges between UNESCO, national governments and civil society, helping to shape UNESCO’s programmes and advise on relevant policies.

Jacquetta Hawkes (1910-1996) was the first Principal and Secretary of the UK National Commission for UNESCO from 1946-1949. Jacquetta was heavily involved in preparations for the first UNESCO conference in Mexico City in 1947. After leaving the UK National Commission for UNESCO, Jacquetta became the principal archaeologist in the festival of Britain and became a successful writer.

The Constitution of UNESCO came into force with its 20th ratification on 4 November 1946. The Organisation defined its mission as:

“to contribute to peace and security by promoting collaboration among nations through education, science and culture in order to further universal respect for justice, for the rule of law and for the human rights and fundamental freedoms which are affirmed for the peoples of the world, without distinction of race, sex, language or religion, by the Charter of the United Nations.”

The UK was one of 12 UNESCO Member States to establish the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN). The Convention was signed in 1953 and came into force in 1954.

Western and Soviet scientists continued to collaborate throughout the Cold War era and CERN’s constitution stipulates that all research must be scientific, not military, and all results must be made public. Now the largest physics laboratory in the world, engaging over 10,000 researchers from 100 countries, CERN has pioneered scientific discoveries and made a remarkable contribution to international communication through the language of science.

UNESCO passed Convention Against Discrimination in Education which provides the cornerstone for international standards in education.

The building of the Aswan Dam led to an archaeological emergency with ancient temples, monuments, and artifacts at risk from flooding and destruction. The governments of Egypt and Sudan appealed to UNESCO for help.

The result was an unprecedented campaign to save irreplaceable ancient culture in the Nubia region – stretching along 200 miles of the Nile and 100 miles into Sudan. UNESCO launched its appeal on 8 March 1960. An impressive list of high profile political, diplomatic and royal figures were members of a group of patrons, including Sir Julian Huxley, the first Director-General of UNESCO.

The international campaign lasted twenty years, saw the successful rescue and relocation of 20 monuments and contributed to the establishment of the 1972 World Heritage Convention which still forms the bedrock of international efforts to recognise and protect our cultural heritage.

The UK provided funding and resources for the campaign and Sir Mortimer Wheeler, Professor of Archaeology at London University, joined UNESCO’s committee of distinguished experts to advise the global project.

'Art is indivisible. There is no German Beethoven, only Beethoven, no Russian Dostoevski, only Dostoevski, no British Shakespeare, only Shakespeare. Great art is not for an age, but for all time. It is not for this or that side of the Iron Curtain, but for all men. On its banks some thousands of years ago the genius of man erected buildings, carved statues and inscribed records which are an important part of the cultural heritage not only of Egypt but of all man everywhere.’

Dr Horace King, 18 November 1960.

In 1972, UNESCO inscribes 12 sites to the World Heritage List, including the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador, the first to be announced. Over the following years, many more have joined the list, spanning all continents: Taj Mahal, Agra, India (1983); Angkor, Siem Reap, Cambodia (1992); The Acropolis, Athens, Greece (1987); Historic Centre of Rome, the Properties of the Holy See in that City Enjoying Extraterritorial Rights and San Paolo Fuori le Mura, Rome, Italy (1990).

North Devon and Beinn Eighe become the first UNESCO Biosphere Reserves to be formally established in the UK. Beinn Eighe is extended and renamed Wester Ross in 2016.

The UK government wanted UNESCO to undertake a series of reforms. At the time, the UK’s Ambassador to UNESCO, John Gordon, worked hard to negotiate a way forward that was achievable and would satisfy the UK government’s concerns, but on 5 December 1985, following the United States’ withdrawal, the UK resigned its membership of UNESCO.

“Walking down the corridor, followed by BBC television cameras, to hand in our notice of withdrawal to M’Bow [UNESCO Secretary General], was the saddest day of my diplomatic career.”

John Gordon, UK Ambassador to UNESCO 1984-5

Despite the UK not being a Member State of UNESCO at the time, six sites in the UK are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

The sites are the Giant’s Causeway and Causeway Coast, Durham Castle and Cathedral, Ironbridge Gorge, Studley Royal Park including the Ruins of Fountains Abbey, Stonehenge, Avebury, and Associated Sites, and the Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd.

Nelson Mandela and Frederik W De Klerk are the first laureates.

The UK re-joins UNESCO under the ‘new Labour’ government under Prime Minister Tony Blair. Overall responsibility for the UK’s relationship with UNESCO is placed within the newly formed Department for International Development.

Led by Professor Alan Smith, the UNESCO Chair for Pluralism, Human Rights and Democracy at Ulster University is set up following the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in April 1998. Professor Alan Smith is subsequently awarded an OBE for services to Education in the New Years Honours List 2020.

The North Pennines and North West Highlands become the first areas in the UK to be designated as UNESCO Global Geoparks.

The 18 June 1940 radio appeal, made from London by exiled French President Charles de Gaulle following the fall of France, and 1916 documentary film of the Battle of the Somme, become the UK’s first inscriptions onto the UNESCO Memory of the World Register.

To date, the UK has over 150 inscriptions on the National and International Memory of the World Registers.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were originally born at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro in 2012. The objective was to produce a set of universal goals that meet the urgent environmental, political and economic challenges facing our world. The 17 SDGs were finally formally established at the UN Summit in 2015.

The SDGs replaced the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which started a global effort in 2000 to tackle the indignity of poverty. The MDGs established measurable, universally agreed objectives for tackling extreme poverty and hunger, preventing deadly diseases, and expanding primary education to all children, among other development priorities.

The SDGs are unique in that they cover issues that affect us all. They reaffirm the UN’s international commitment to end poverty, permanently, everywhere. They are ambitious in making sure no one is left behind. More importantly, they involve us all to build a more sustainable, safer, more prosperous planet for all humanity.

The fund is the first of its kind and will support, train and provide legal support for journalists in the most dangerous parts of the world.

The election of the United Kingdom to the Executive Board of UNESCO took place at the 42^nd UNESCO General Conference in Paris. The vote meant that the United Kingdom had a seat on the UNESCO Executive Board for the first time since 2019.

The Executive Board comprises of 58 Member States and overseas the management of UNESCO. Having a place on the Board returned the UK to the heart of UNESCO to help achieve UK goals both for its designations and UK policy, including UN reform.

Following ratification at the 42nd General Conference in November 2023, UNESCO confirmed endorsement of the lifesaving charity’s 200th anniversary in 2024 as a mark of the RNLI’s international reach and recognition, and how it reflects the ideals, values and cultural diversity of UNESCO.

On 12 April, Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay, UK Minister for Arts and Heritage, met with UNESCO’s Director-General Audrey Azoulay to mark the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland’s ratification to the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage. The ratification became formally effective on 7 June 2024.

Created in 2003, UNESCO’s Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage recognizes traditional craftsmanship, oral traditions and expressions, performing arts, social practices, rituals and festive events, knowledge and practices related to nature and the universe.