UNESCO in the UK

16/11/2025

16/11/2025

16/11/2025

16/11/2025

16/11/2025

16/11/2025

🎉 UNESCO turns 80 - and it all began here in the UK. Happy Birthday!

Today marks 80 years since UNESCO was founded on 16 November 1945, when representatives of 44 nations met in London to establish a new treaty built on a transformative idea: that lasting peace must be founded on education, science, culture, and intercultural dialogue, not just on political or military agreements 🕊️

To celebrate, watch the original 1945 video of Ellen Wilkinson MP opening the founding conference of UNESCO. 👇 Her words set the moral direction of UNESCO for the next eight decades - and still inspire us today.

Fast forward 80 years, and the UK is now home to over 60 UNESCO designations, including World Heritage Sites, Biosphere Reserves, Global Geoparks, Creative Cities, Learning Cities, UNESCO Chairs, and global programmes across education, science and culture. These places and programmes:

🍃 🏛️ Safeguard culture, nature and heritage
👩‍🔬 Advance education, science and cooperation on 21st-century challenges
🔬 Support world-leading research across a vast mandate
🏘️ Strengthen communities and local identity
🤝 Build trust and cooperation internationally

Together, they cover around 15% of the UK’s land area and generate over £151m in annual additional benefit - all while embodying UNESCO’s founding vision.

📖 Download our UNESCO 80th Anniversary Factsheet:https://unesco.org.uk/site/assets/files/25444/unesco_at_80_-_factsheet_-_november_2025.pdf

👉 Find out more: https://unesco.org.uk/news/unesco-at-80

UNESCO remains as vital as ever, and the UK’s global networks, experts, and UNESCO designations continue to demonstrate how peace can be built from local places through knowledge, culture, science, and cooperation.