08/10/2026
🤝 Strengthening UNESCO–NGO cooperation
Yesterday, 7 October, the Committee on Non-Governmental Partners (NGP) of the UNESCO Executive Board convened at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, as part of the 225th session of the UNESCO Executive Board.
The meeting was chaired by Ambassador Simona-Mirela Miculescu, marking the beginning of her new mandate for the next two years. In her remarks, she highlighted that NGOs can serve as bridges between UNESCO’s universal principles and the realities of communities on the ground, making partnership not simply an addition to multilateral action, but a condition for its success. Her vision of an NGP that is “less of a committee that guards gates and more of a committee that builds bridges” is a powerful invitation to strengthen dialogue, trust and cooperation between UNESCO and its NGO community.
On behalf of the NGO-UNESCO Liaison Committee and in her capacity as Chairperson of the International Conference of NGOs, Svetlomira Stoyanova took the floor during the NGP Committee, addressing Member States and NGO representatives on the continued development of the UNESCO–NGO partnership.
In her intervention, Svetlomira highlighted the progress made in strengthening the diversity and meaningful participation of civil society within UNESCO, including through greater engagement with underrepresented regions, youth participation, and cooperation around education and the culture of peace. She also underlined the importance of building on the foundations established in recent years and continuing to make the partnership between UNESCO and its NGO community stronger, more meaningful and more impactful.
The meeting also provided an opportunity to welcome the continued development of UNESCO’s network of NGO partners, including the positive consideration of OMEP’s (OMEP-France) recommendation to move to Associate status.
As we approach the International Conference of NGOs later this year, these discussions are particularly important. They provide an opportunity for the NGO community and UNESCO to reflect together on how to further strengthen this partnership and ensure that civil society voices continue to contribute meaningfully to UNESCO’s work.
We were pleased to have Nick Newland-Ešner, Associated Country Women of the World (ACWW) and Cyril Noirtin, Rotary International, representing the Ngo-Unesco Liaison Committee at this important meeting.
We are grateful for Member States, UNESCO colleagues, NGO representatives who contributed to the discussion and Ambassador Simona-Mirela Miculescu for her leadership and for highlighting the vital role of civil society in shaping the future of multilateralism. We look forward to continuing this important dialogue.
