UNESCO is dedicated to scientific freedom, the highest quality standards, and international academic cooperation worldwide. A key aspect of its work is establishing universal norms and standards, particularly in relation to enhancing its contribution to sustainable development. UNESCO aims to make scientific findings accessible to everyone, empower individuals to engage with the concept of 'open science', and promote a peaceful, sustainable and liveable world through international cooperation.
UNESCO focuses particularly on promoting science initiatives in low-income countries, supporting the creation of research infrastructure, backing women and young researchers, and establishing a code of scientific ethics. For over 50 years, UNESCO has funded science programmes to advance the study of pressing societal and global challenges. UNESCO serves as an important platform for sharing sovereign data for research purposes in fields such as oceanology and freshwater research. UNESCO advises countries on reforming their scientific policies, presenting their progress in this regard in its regularly published Science Report. Since 2023, UNESCO has campaigned intensively to protect scientific freedom and the safety of researchers.
Focus of the German Commission for UNESCO
The German Commission for UNESCO acts as an intermediary between the German research sector and UNESCO's science programmes. The Commission also develops its own projects to advance UNESCO’s objectives in this area. Various national committees oversee programmes in oceanography, freshwater research, biosphere reserves, geoparks and the geosciences. The Commission coordinates closely with these committees and/or contributes to their programmes. As an intermediary, the Commission promotes the implementation of UNESCO's human rights law through expert dialogue. Among other things, it has contributed to the establishment of the inter- and transdisciplinary field of “sustainability science”, which is based on UNESCO guidelines. The Commission's activities focus on equitable scientific partnerships, open science, and the ethics of artificial intelligence and neurotechnology.
