UNESCO Institutes and Centers for Education

Today, seven Institutes and two Centers work as part of UNESCO’s Education Sector to assist countries in tackling education problems.

International Bureau of Education (IBE), Geneva, Switzerland.
Enhancing curriculum development and educational content.


International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP), Paris, France and Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Helping countries to design, plan and manage their education systems.


The UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL), former UNESCO Institute for Education, Hamburg, Germany
Promoting literacy, non-formal education, and adult and lifelong learning.


Institute for Information Technologies in Education (IITE), Moscow, Russian Federation.
Assisting countries to use information and communication technologies in education.


International Institute for Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean (IESALC), Caracas, Venezuela.
Developing and transforming higher education in the region.


International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa (IICBA), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Strengthening Africa’s educational institutions.


European Centre for Higher Education (CEPES), Bucharest, Romania.
Promoting cooperation and reform in higher education in Europe.


International Centre for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (UNEVOC), Bonn, Germany.
Improving education for the world of work.


UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), Montreal, Canada.
Providing the global and internationally comparable statistics that today’s world of education needs.


Institutes and Centres under the auspices of UNESCO

International Research and Training Centre for Rural education, Boading, China

Asia-Pacific Centre of Education for International Understanding, Inchon, Republic of Korea

Guidance, Counseling and Youth Development Centre for Africa, Lilongwe, Malawi

Regional Centre for Book Development in Latin America and the Caribbean, Bogotá, Colombia

Comment: There are no UNESCO Education Institutes nor Centers in the United States. Given this country's leadership in areas such as higher education and the applications of information and communications technology for development, perhaps there should be one or more!

UNESCO Institutes and Centers for Education

Today, seven Institutes and two Centers work as part of UNESCO’s Education Sector to assist countries in tackling education problems.

International Bureau of Education (IBE), Geneva, Switzerland.
Enhancing curriculum development and educational content.


International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP), Paris, France and Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Helping countries to design, plan and manage their education systems.


The UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL), former UNESCO Institute for Education, Hamburg, Germany
Promoting literacy, non-formal education, and adult and lifelong learning.


Institute for Information Technologies in Education (IITE), Moscow, Russian Federation.
Assisting countries to use information and communication technologies in education.


International Institute for Higher Education in Latin America and the Caribbean (IESALC), Caracas, Venezuela.
Developing and transforming higher education in the region.


International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa (IICBA), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Strengthening Africa’s educational institutions.


European Centre for Higher Education (CEPES), Bucharest, Romania.
Promoting cooperation and reform in higher education in Europe.


International Centre for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (UNEVOC), Bonn, Germany.
Improving education for the world of work.


UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), Montreal, Canada.
Providing the global and internationally comparable statistics that today’s world of education needs.


Institutes and Centres under the auspices of UNESCO

International Research and Training Centre for Rural education, Boading, China

Asia-Pacific Centre of Education for International Understanding, Inchon, Republic of Korea

Guidance, Counseling and Youth Development Centre for Africa, Lilongwe, Malawi

Regional Centre for Book Development in Latin America and the Caribbean, Bogotá, Colombia

Comment: There are no UNESCO Education Institutes nor Centers in the United States. Given this country's leadership in areas such as higher education and the applications of information and communications technology for development, perhaps there should be one or more!

Reorganization of NESCO's Education Sector

The Education Sector, UNESCO’s largest program sector, went through a major reform and reorganization in 2006. The restructuring was planned to achieve a more results-based and field-oriented structure. Significant structural changes took place at Headquarters with the number of program divisions reduced from six to four. Two divisions

* Coordination of United Nations Priorities, and
* Education Strategies and Field Support

were newly created. The other two divisions

* Basic Education and
* Higher Education

were streamlined and reorganized. A new decentralization framework was put in place that realigns accountability between Headquarters and the field for the Education Sector.

The Director General of UNESCO reports that these changes have resulted in a greater concentration of staff resources in support of EFA – the Education Sector’s priority program – at Headquarters and in the field, and will therefore provide the necessary support for the fulfillment of the EFA mandate. He also reports that the transfer of six posts to the Regional Bureaus for Education and two to cluster offices will reinforce the Sector’s capacity to deliver at regional and country levels. In 2008-2009, it is planned to further strengthen the Regional Bureaus for Education and possibly the cluster offices, depending on the approved budget scenario. In addition, roles and responsibilities are currently being defined in line with the new structure. The new Deputy Assistant Director General for ED Program Management has also taken up her functions as of the beginning of 2007. Recruitment is under way to fill the four other new positions.

Read:

* the February 2007 REPORT BY THE DIRECTOR-GENERAL ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE REFORM PROCESS to the Executive Board.

* last years report by the UK National Commission for UNESCO on the reform.

Reorganization of NESCO's Education Sector

The Education Sector, UNESCO’s largest program sector, went through a major reform and reorganization in 2006. The restructuring was planned to achieve a more results-based and field-oriented structure. Significant structural changes took place at Headquarters with the number of program divisions reduced from six to four. Two divisions

* Coordination of United Nations Priorities, and
* Education Strategies and Field Support

were newly created. The other two divisions

* Basic Education and
* Higher Education

were streamlined and reorganized. A new decentralization framework was put in place that realigns accountability between Headquarters and the field for the Education Sector.

The Director General of UNESCO reports that these changes have resulted in a greater concentration of staff resources in support of EFA – the Education Sector’s priority program – at Headquarters and in the field, and will therefore provide the necessary support for the fulfillment of the EFA mandate. He also reports that the transfer of six posts to the Regional Bureaus for Education and two to cluster offices will reinforce the Sector’s capacity to deliver at regional and country levels. In 2008-2009, it is planned to further strengthen the Regional Bureaus for Education and possibly the cluster offices, depending on the approved budget scenario. In addition, roles and responsibilities are currently being defined in line with the new structure. The new Deputy Assistant Director General for ED Program Management has also taken up her functions as of the beginning of 2007. Recruitment is under way to fill the four other new positions.

Read:

* the February 2007 REPORT BY THE DIRECTOR-GENERAL ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE REFORM PROCESS to the Executive Board.

* last years report by the UK National Commission for UNESCO on the reform.