The UNESCO Secretariat is ultimately responsible for granting UNESCO Patronage for activities and events taking place in the UK that have an international scope. The UK National Commission for UNESCO is able to grant UNESCO Patronage for activities in the UK that operate at a national level. However, please note that UK applicants for international UNESCO Patronage must still formally apply through the UK National Commission for UNESCO.
Receive UNESCO Patronage
UNESCO Patronage is the organisation’s highest form of support for, and endorsement of, activities and events. UNESCO Patronage is a powerful endorsement and has the potential to raise awareness of the event or activity and promote it to a wider audience.
An activity or event considered for UNESCO Patronage can take many forms - a talk, conference, exhibition, festival, or symposium with international outreach. However, it must relate to one or more of the organisation’s core programme areas of Education, Science, Culture, and Communication & Information. Scroll down to see some of the events and activities that have received UNESCO Patronage through the UKNC.
UNESCO Patronage is also limited in time; it may be granted to one-off or regularly repeated (i.e. an annual festival) events or activities however the latter case, a new request for authorisation is required for each repeated activity.
The Process
Download and read the UNESCO Patronage Request Form 2024 and other documentation in the Resource Centre or via the links below.
Make contact with the UK National Commission for UNESCO. We will answer any initial queries you have and provide further information on the application process before you submit the Request Form.
Not all applications to the UKNC for UNESCO Patronage at either the international or national level will be successful. In some instances, the UKNC will not endorse to UNESCO an application for UNESCO Patronage at an international level. Further, endorsement by the UKNC to UNESCO does not automatically grant the applicant UNESCO Patronage.
UNESCO Patronage is not granted for organisations, personalities, or activities of a commercial nature.
The UK National Commission for UNESCO and the UNESCO Secretariat are neither financially, nor legally responsible, for any event or activity endorsed through Patronage.
