UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation. It seeks to build peace through international cooperation in the three areas mentioned. UNESCO's programs contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) defined in Agenda 2030, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2015.
Political and economic arrangements of governments are not enough to secure the lasting and sincere support of the peoples. Peace must be founded upon dialogue and mutual understanding. Peace must be built upon the intellectual and moral solidarity of humanity.
In this spirit, UNESCO develops educational tools to help people live as global citizens free of hate and intolerance. UNESCO works so that each child and citizen has access to quality education. By promoting cultural heritage and the equal dignity of all cultures, UNESCO strengthens bonds among nations. UNESCO fosters scientific programs and policies as platforms for development and cooperation. UNESCO stands up for freedom of expression, as a fundamental right and a key condition for democracy and development. Serving as a laboratory of ideas, UNESCO helps countries adopt international standards and manages programs that foster the free flow of ideas and knowledge sharing.
UNESCO's founding vision was born in response to a world war that was marked by racist and anti-Semitic violence. Seventy years on and many liberation struggles later, UNESCO’s mandate is as relevant as ever. Cultural diversity is under attack and new forms of intolerance, rejection of scientific facts and threats to freedom of expression challenge peace and human rights. In response, UNESCO's duty remains to reaffirm the humanist missions of education, science and culture.
UNESCO was created as an agency of the United Nations (UN) in order to respond to the firm belief of nations that political and economic agreements are not enough to build a lasting peace. Peace must be established on the basis of humanity's moral and intellectual solidarity.
UNESCO is the only UN agency to have a global network of national cooperating bodies known as National Commissions for UNESCO. National Commissions make part of the overall constitutional architecture of the Organization.
The Lesotho National Commission for UNESCO (LNCU) was established in 1971 as a government commission existing as a unit within the Ministry of Education, receiving its budget for operations and staff salaries from the Ministry. Since its establishment, the Ministry of Education has housed the National Commission.
The role of the National Commission is to promote the involvement of interested bodies, authorities, groups and individuals, at the governmental and non-governmental level in UNESCO’s activities, In order to enable Lesotho to achieve the goals of UNESCO in its five fields of competence, namely:
Education; Natural Sciences; Social and Human Sciences Culture; Communication and Information.
To represent and make UNESCO visible in Lesotho and make Basotho aware of its goals and ideals.; To harness the intellectual capacities and resources to UNESCO activities; To demonstrate the benefits of belonging to UNESCO.
Accountability; Commitment to Excellence; Inclusiveness; Quality and Excellence.
On 1 January 2016, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development - adopted by world leaders in September 2015 at a historic UN Summit - officially came into force. Over the next fifteen years, with these new Goals that universally apply to all, countries will mobilize efforts to end all forms of poverty, fight inequalities and tackle climate change, while ensuring that no one is left behind.
SDGs, also known as Global Goals, build on the success of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and aim to go further to end all forms of poverty. The new Goals are unique in that they call for action by all countries, poor, rich and middle-income to promote prosperity while protecting the planet. They recognize that ending poverty must go hand-in-hand with strategies that build economic growth and addresses a range of social needs including education, health, social protection and job opportunities while tackling climate change and environmental protection.
