This month marks the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) in London. As one of the UK’s 13 Creative Cities, we’re taking a look at at UNESCO’s origins, its importance on the international stage today, and the leading role the UK continues to play across its global programmes and networks.
Founded in London
Born directly from the lessons of the Second World War, UNESCO was created to build peace through international cooperation in education, science, culture, and communication. Meeting at the Institute of Civil Engineers in Westminster in November 1945, representatives of 44 nations agreed that lasting peace must be built not only through political and military means, but through understanding and collaboration among peoples. It was founded in London on 16 November 1945, when representatives of 44 nations met at the Institute of Civil Engineers to create a new organisation dedicated to building peace through education, science, culture and communication.
The idea had emerged three years earlier in wartime London, where the UK convened the Conference of Allied Ministers of Education (CAME) amid the Blitz and the presence of multiple governments-in-exile. Led initially by Rab Butler MP and British Council Chair Sir Malcolm Robertson, and later chaired at the 1945 founding conference by Ellen Wilkinson MP, this cross-party British initiative recognised that lasting peace required more than military victory – it required understanding between peoples.
Watch: The moment that UNESCO was declared by Education Minister Ellen Wilkinson in London on 16th November 1945
The UK ratified UNESCO’s Constitution in February 1946, and the Organisation came into force later that year.
Eighty years on, UNESCO remains a vital part of the international system, leading global efforts to promote quality education, protect cultural and natural heritage, advance scientific cooperation, safeguard freedom of expression, and promote ethical standards in emerging technologies. The UK continues to play an active role across all these areas, from its 60+ UNESCO sites and cities to its world-leading universities, experts, and institutions that contribute to UNESCO’s global agenda.
Speaking on the anniversary, Anna Nsubuga, UK Ambassador and Permanent Delegate to UNESCO, said: “As we mark 80 years of UNESCO, we are also honouring the extraordinary work being led today and over the last 80 years by the UK’s UNESCO sites, programmes, experts and practitioners. Their contributions, from safeguarding culture, nature and heritage to advancing science and promoting education, creativity and sustainability, are at the heart of the UK’s engagement with UNESCO. By sharing ideas, knowledge and innovation with partners across the globe, these networks not only showcase the UK’s strengths, but also build the trust, cooperation and long-term partnerships that UNESCO was created to inspire.”
Preparatory Commission of UNESCO, 1946, led by Ellen Wilkinson. Institution of Civil Engineers
James Bridge, Chief Executive and Secretary-General of the UK National Commission for UNESCO (UKNC), added: “UNESCO was founded in London amid the ruins of war, as nations came together to build peace through knowledge and understanding. Eighty years later, that vision is as important and inspiring as ever. The UK’s UNESCO network, from World Heritage Sites to Biospheres, Creative Cities, and UNESCO Chairs, shows how international cooperation can begin in local places, and how peace can be built not only between governments, but between individuals, communities and cultures.”
UNESCO in the UK Today
The UK is home to a diverse portfolio of UNESCO designations, places and networks that embody UNESCO’s global mission at a local level. There are over 60 UNESCO-designated sites and cities, including World Heritage Sites, Global Geoparks, Biosphere Reserves and Creative Cities. Collectively, these designations cover around 15% of the UK’s land area and are home to between nine and ten million residents.
Designations such as Learning Cities, UNESCO Associated Schools and UNESCO Chairs and UNITWIN networks and dozens of experts ensure that education, science and culture remain central to the UK’s global engagement, fostering international cooperation and knowledge sharing among institutions worldwide.
UNESCO status helps sites attract funding, tourism and partnerships, adding over £151 million in extra revenue each year. These places also strengthen local identity and pride, support education and volunteering, and foster international collaboration. They serve as custodians of cultural and natural heritage and as catalysts for cultural, environmental, social and economic renewal.
UNESCO designations serve as one of the UK’s most effective and values-driven instruments of international influence – rooted in local places, powered by global exchange, and built on mutual respect.
They illustrate that in a time of complex global competition, the UK’s enduring strength lies not only in what it can show the world, but in the partnerships it builds with it.
Read more in the UNESCO at 80 Factsheet or visit www.unesco.org.uk/news/unesco-at-80.