UNESCO is a member of the United Nations Sustainable Development Group, a coalition of UN
agencies and organizations aimed at fulfilling the Sustainable Development Goals. It has 193
member states and 12 associate members, as well as partners in the non-governmental,
intergovernmental and private sector. Headquartered in Paris, France, UNESCO has 53 regional
field offices and 199 national commissions that facilitate its global mandate.
UNESCO was founded in 1945 as the successor to the Nations’ International Committee on
Intellectual Cooperation. UNESCO’s founding mission, which was shaped by the Second World
War, is to advance peace, sustainable development and human rights by facilitating collaboration
and dialogue among nations. It pursues this objective through five major programmed areas:
education, natural sciences, social/human sciences, culture and communication/information.
UNESCO sponsors projects that improve literacy, provide technical training and education,
advance science, protect independent media and press freedom, preserve regional and cultural
history, and promote cultural diversity.
As a focal point for world culture and science, UNESCO’s activities have broadened over the
years; it assists in the translation and dissemination of world literature, helps establish and secure
World Heritage Sites of cultural and natural importance, works to bridge the worldwide digital
divide, and creates inclusive knowledge societies through information and communication.
UNESCO has launched several initiatives and global movements, such as Education For All, to
further advance its core objectives.
What is USFUCA
US Associations and Clubs for UNESCO are groups of volunteers of different ages and socio-professional status who become activists in the service of UNESCO’s ideals.
Established under the aegis of the National Commissions for UNESCO, these entities are
grouped into national, regional and international networks, for the purpose of acting in
UNESCO’s fields of competence at the grass root level.
More than 75 years after the founding of the first UNESCO Association in 1947 in Japan, the
movement has some 4,000 Associations and Clubs for UNESCO in nearly 80 countries around
the world.
The activities carried out by the Associations and Clubs are varied and depend, very often, on the
interests of their members and also on the financial resources and means of action available.
Irrespective of their nature and scope, these initiatives foster the dissemination of UNESCO’s
principles and objectives in civil society. These entities therefore make it possible to publicize
the values represented by the Organization in local communities. In the light of civil society’s
growing role in public policy-making, the Clubs movement can play a key part in educating
citizens, and can contribute to dialogue between cultures and generations for sustainable
development.
At the national level, UNESCO Clubs are coordinated by the US Federation of UNESCO Clubs and
Associations. At the international level, the World Federation of UNESCO Clubs and
Associations (WFUCA), as an international NGO maintaining official relations with UNESCO,
is responsible for informing, coordinating and mobilizing its members, with UNESCO’s support
and cooperation.
Clubs for UNESCO have three main functions: training, information and action. They take up a
position on global problems with local repercussions and thus contribute to the process of
reflection on social priorities.
Our Vision
Our vision mission encompasses three main goals and engages people of all ages, especially the
youth- improvement of the inner ecosystem, enhancement of inner creativity through arts and
crafts and lastly, encouragement of inner peace on a global level.
Our Mission
These programs are two days long and available both in-person and virtually, and recorded sessions are made available online post-event. Programs are offered free of charge, and we anticipate serving 3000 teens and young adults around the world with this program, including 1000 residents of Frederick County.
Participants can also serve in internship and volunteer opportunities throughout the year at UNESCO BMW to gain hands-on work experience by supporting our programs year-round. Hood College is our primary program partner for this program. Hood College provides lecturers and experts to present on relevant topics and offers their facilities free of charge.
In addition to Hood College, we partner with other entities to provide speakers and experts depending on the relevant topics such as Sahaja Yoga Meditation. Younger generations in the 21st century are facing almost unthinkable challenges related to climate change, economic hardships, and global socio-political threats that can and often do adversely impact their state of mental wellness and personal resiliency.
UNESCO BMW seeks to empower our young people to make the global community healthier, stronger, and stable through marketable job skills and self-esteem building. We help people help themselves.