Understanding UNESCO in order to play an active role

Click here to read Part I

(Part 2 of a series on The Training of UNESCO Sec-Gen in the Era of Terrorism)

Home and school are working together from the moment the children wake up in the morning. Then the "basic needs of man" learned in Social Studies get activated as the child dresses up, takes his breakfast, leaves home and rides to school. And so, parents must begin the day with the family prayer of "Father, we thank thee for the night and for the pleasant morning light…" Everyone then will become aware of the birds and the breeze also waking up to greet God’s gift of a new day.

UNESCO, the body of intellectuals addressing man’s needs

There is no ready-made ‘model’ of a Commission. In reality, there are three main types of Commissions: Governmental Commissions, which function as a unit in a ministry or ministerial department; Autonomous Commissions, which enjoy complete freedom from the government authorities of their countries; and Semi-Autonomous Commissions, which occupy a place midway between the other two categories. They are separate from official structures but are linked to a ministry or inter-ministerial body.

The Thai UNACOM or UNESCO National Commission is an example of the first category being part of her Ministry of Education and closely linked to the Prime Minister’s concern in national education. The Philippine UNACOM, on the other hand, belongs to the third category. It has its own charter but is linked to the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Most Commissions have inter-ministerial status which gives them latitude to work directly with all government bodies. Our UNACOM includes the DFA Secretary as its chairman, as well as both the Senate Chairman and Congressional Chairman of their respective Education Committees in ex-officio status. Of the President’s cabinet, the secretaries of the Department of Education, and the Department of Science & Technology are involved for the required political advocacy of UNESCO’s major concern in education and science. However, usually it is the deputy secretaries who represent them in the monthly meetings of the Education and Science Committees.

The UNACOM or our Philippine UNESCO national commissioners

The members of the five committees of the Philippine UNACOM are: Committee on Education – Senator Renato Cayetano, Congressman Edmundo Reyes, SEAMEO-INNOTECH Executive Director Erlinda Pefianco, CHED Chairperson Ester Garcia; TESDA DG Lucita Lazo; DepEd BEE Director Teresita Inciong; DepEd BSE Director Dr. Carolina Guerrero; former DECS Schools Division Superintendent and Arellano Dean of Arts & Sciences Mariquita Mendoza; and Assumption College President Sr. Luz Emmanuel Soriano.

Committee on Science and Technology – Delfin Ganapin Jr., director of Philippine Environment Foundation, who successfully raised huge money grants from USAID through a debt-for-nature swap mechanism; Ateneo President Fr. Bienvenido Nebres; Science & Technology Foundation Executive Director Leticia Zerda; Dr. Miguel Fortes, UNESCO chair in Integrated Management for Sustainable Development in Coastal Regions; Narda Camacho, environment crusader, always on the go, helping clear Metro Manila of garbage with her unique Linis-Ganda cart boys (1,000), junk dealers (500) and Balikatan women volunteers; and Presidential Assistant Virgilio Peña.

Committee on Science and Human Sciences – Florentino Hornedo, professor of Philippine Literature, Cultural History, Philosophy, Education and Anthropology; Philippine Social Science Executive Director Virginia Miralao is a Cornell graduate, who in the last 30 years did research work covering the fields of family planning, health, agrarian reform, and rural development, as well as population studies and gender issues; Lawyer and Philippine STAR columnist Atty. Jose Sison; National Commission for Women Chairperson Aurora de Dios; author of Philippine history coffeetable books Felice Sta. Maria, and Dr. Jose David-Lapuz, a Rizal specialist.

More luminaries in the Communication and Culture Committees

In the absence of a Department of Communication, prominent writers, journalists and various media personalities make up the Communication Committee. Directors of the National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and highly respected culture specialists make up the Culture Committee.

Committee on Communication – Asian Institute of Journalism President Florangel Braid; Inquirer writer Adrian Cristobal; nephew of Ruben, Eric Canoy is Radio Mindanao Network president; Movie & Television Censorship Chairman Alejandro Roces; IBC-13 Chairman Cerge Remonde; PROBE President Cecilia Lazaro, Robert Garon, management consultant and businessman, counselor and media man, addiction therapist, writer and author of several books; Norma Japitana, journalist with an extensive background in socio-political research specializing in political situations; and Spears Linkages Director Gil Santos.

Committee on Culture – Sec. Leticia Shahani, a diplomat who did her post-graduate studies in Columbia University and University of Paris; Lisa Macuja-Elizalde, frequently awarded ballerina who had extensive training in Kirov Ballet in Russia; National Museum Director Corazon Alvina; NCCA Committee Head Felipe de Leon Jr.; Repertory VP Joy Virata; Folk Arts President Rosario Limcaoco; Virginia Moreno; Metropolitan Museum President Victorino Manalo; PWU Dean of Music Francisco Feliciano; Philippine Heritage Society founder member Ana Maria Harper; a Zontian involved in protecting women and youth, Joanne Andrada is a Philippine STAR columnist; Pablo Trillana is a Michigan and Harvard-trained lawyer often associated with Philippine historical and cultural commissions; and ABS-CBN President Gabriel Lopez.

A geography lesson and the decentralization reform of UNESCO

The three-year old Montessori preschooler works out geography lessons from the general to particular sequence using puzzle maps of the world, the continents and his country. When he "makes the world", he first breaks up the two pieces of North and South America on one hemisphere, then the four pieces of Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia on the other hemisphere. Then, he puts them together. Antarctica pieces are at the bottom of each of the hemispheres. By the time he turns four years old, he would be working on the Puzzle Map of Asia. Thus, I found the new cluster of countries by UNESCO quite familiar.

For instance, the Philippines as part of Asia belongs to the Indonesia, Malaysia cluster with its office in Jakarta headed by Stephen Hill.

Asia and Pacific are divided into Central and South West Asia with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyztan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan under the Almaty office; and, Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan and Turkmenistan with head office in Tehran; South Asia is composed of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka under the New Delhi office; East and Southeast Asia is managed by the cluster office in Beijing and Bangkok. It covers China, DPR Korea, Japan, Mongolia and Republic of Korea in East Asia. Southeast Asia is made up of Cambodia, PDR Lao, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. This geographic division is the basis of decentralization whereby the decreased budget of UNESCO is shared by regional projects and programs.

UNESCO Is not a funding agency

UNESCO appropriates budgets for three types of programs: The regular program, the participation program, and the extra-budgetary program. The Regular Programme is financed by contributions from the Member States. UNESCO functions rather like an enormous association in which each member is expected to pay its dues as the mark of belonging to the association. Each State pays in proportion to its resources, size and number of inhabitants.

The Participation Programme arouses the unanimous interest of the National Commissions because it is open to all Member States without exception. Requests emanating from the least developed countries and new Member States are considered with special attention. Requests for projects other than national ones have to be supported by at least two Member States other than the State submitting the request.

For this biennium, regional projects are encouraged within US$35,000. The deadline for submission of requests is mid-February. The same is true of requests concerning the commemoration of anniversaries of eminent personalities and historical events in which the General Conference decides to associate UNESCO. Our Paris Ambassador Hector Villaroel and our permanent delegate in UNESCO advises that UNACOM must limit projects to only eight or nine per year. Each committee, therefore, must focus on two projects at least. The Participation Programme specifies that the list of requests has to be drawn up by allocating an order of priority for each of them. It is mandatory to indicate the project commencement and termination dates.

Frequently overlooked are the financial reports, supporting documents and evaluation reports pertaining to funds granted in earlier budgetary periods which have to be submitted.

The illegal use of the UNESCO name and logo

During my recent training in UNESCO, Paris as a new Secretary-General for the Philippine UNACOM, one of the sensitive issues brought up by my colleagues is the legal and proper use of the name UNESCO and its logo, namely the building façade with the six letters of UNESCO depicted as its pillars.

Madame Mary Louise Kearney, Executive Director of the Bureau for External Relations and Cooperation, Division of National Commissions and New Partnerships (ERC/NCP), repeatedly emphasized that no club may use the UNESCO logo to promote its personal ambitions disregarding UNESCO’s mandates to help mankind through non-political means. It was observed that youth groups would invoke the name to raise funds for their own private interests. Coca-Cola and Toyota, for instance, may be persuaded by them to finance their social gatherings or even travels to foreign countries in the name of "peace", "culture" or similar UNESCO passwords.

The UNESCO Clubs, Centers and Associations such as the ASP Net are composed of groups of either students or young professionals who share a firm belief in the ideals of UNESCO and in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Today, there are 5000 UNESCO associations in 120 countries operating under the auspices of the UNESCO National Commissions. The three main functions of UNESCO clubs are training, dissemination of information and action. Action is the essential condition for the existence of a UNESCO Club – the other functions do not take on their full value unless they lead to action.

The UNESCO-ASPNet (Associated School Project Network) of the Philippines acknowledged by Paris is headed by Professor Rene Romero of Philippine Normal University (PNU) who has just concluded the World Heritage Education Project, 2nd Southeast Asian Sub-Regional workshop in Vigan. Twenty-one Asian participants worked with 61 local schoolteachers last December.

How can you be part of the new UNESCO partnership

Depending on the age and interests of your Club’s members, its regional location, its financial resources and means of action, your group must share two common characteristics – non-profit-making nature and faithfulness to the spirit of UNESCO.

Your activities should include the study of basic documents, such as the Constitution of UNESCO, the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, etc. Participation in the International Years (Year of Tolerance, Literacy, Family, Senior Citizen, etc.) proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly and UNESCO is also advised. Literacy, nature conservation and preservation of cultural heritage should be promoted by organizing work and study camps. A periodical newsletter of information documents should be produced to be translated or adapted into the local languages.

(For more information, please e-mail at obmci@meridian telekoms.com)