A UNESCO Chair is a team within a higher education or research institution that partners with UNESCO on a project to advance knowledge and practice in an area of common priority. A UNITWIN Network is a partnership between UNESCO and a network of higher education or research institutions (at least three institutions in different countries, at least two of which must be located in the Global South) which pool their competencies and resources around particular theme(s).
Become a UNESCO Chair or UNITWIN Network
The UNESCO Chairs and UNITWIN Networks programme seeks to foster international cooperation and knowledge sharing between higher education institutions.
Each UNESCO Chair or UNITWIN Network has a formal ‘Lead’ academic who must be a Professor within the higher education establishment. The UKNC works closely with Chair Leads, calling on them to provide policy advice.
The Accreditation Process
Download and read the UKNC Chairs and UNITWIN Network documentation available in our 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 explain the application process in more detail.
Please note that the full application process to become a UNESCO Chair or UNITWIN Network can take several years, and not all applications are successful. There is also a limit on the number of applications the UK submits to UNESCO each year. In this respect, we recommend you making initial contact with us as soon as possible.
