United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

Education and international cooperation

UNESCO works with member states and partners on international cooperation in education, science, culture and information. Its tools include standards, research, practical guidance and support for policies and programmes. This broad mandate includes education quality, scientific cooperation, heritage and access to reliable information.

The organization’s headquarters is in Paris, France. Its global work also involves field offices, national commissions and specialized institutes and centres. Its health-related contribution is primarily through knowledge, education and institutional support, connecting learners’ well-being with the conditions required for participation and success in education.

Sources: [1], [2].

Health and well-being in learning environments

UNESCO helps education systems address the physical and mental well-being of learners. Its programme includes comprehensive sexuality education, HIV-related education and support for skills that help young people make informed decisions. It provides guidance and works with countries to strengthen policies, curricula and teaching capacity.

The same work addresses violence, bullying, stigma and discrimination in educational settings. Safe and inclusive learning environments are part of the health and education agenda, alongside attention to learners who face exclusion. Programme resources connect health information with rights, relationships and the practical circumstances of children and adolescents.

UNESCO also supports school health and nutrition within education planning. This recognizes that health, nutrition and learning influence one another and that education authorities need workable ways to coordinate with other sectors. Technical resources and capacity development help translate these connections into national and school-level action.

Sources: [3].

Coordination on school health and nutrition

UNESCO chairs the Inter-Agency Group on School Health and Nutrition, launched in 2019. The partnership includes WHO, UNICEF, WFP, FAO, the World Bank Group and other organizations. It supports coordinated guidance and longer-term planning across education, health, nutrition and social protection.

The group brings together agencies with different roles, including research, standards and programme implementation. Its work aims to help education systems move from isolated interventions toward sustained attention to learners’ health and well-being. Participation in this group provides a documented organizational connection with other health and development bodies.

A retained historical UN Global Mobility Programme member list names UNESCO; it does not establish present membership.

Sources: [4], [5].

Sources

1. UNESCO: organizational identity and mandate
2. UNESCO: headquarters in Paris
3. UNESCO: health and education programme
4. UNESCO: Inter-Agency Group on School Health and Nutrition
5. UN Global Mobility Programme: retained historical member list