About Us

Who we are and what we do

About Us

Federation of Clubs, Centers and Associations for UNESCO (WFUCA)

Since the first UNESCO Club was founded in Japan in 1947, Clubs, Centers, and Associations for UNESCO have been invaluable partners of the Organization.

Members of the movement, all of whom are volunteers, include people of all ages and nationalities from diverse backgrounds. They share a commitment to UNESCO’s ideals and work to translate them into tangible actions at the grassroots level. As such, they are well positioned to present civil society perspectives to decision-makers. Over the decades, the UNESCO Clubs movement has witnessed and contributed to a wide range of developments across UNESCO’s fields of competence.

By 2010, the movement comprised approximately 3,800 UNESCO associations, centers, and clubs in more than 80 countries worldwide.

At the international level, the World Federation of UNESCO Clubs, Centers and Associations (WFUCA) is responsible for informing, coordinating, and mobilizing its members, with the support and cooperation of UNESCO.

In light of the growing role of civil society in shaping public policy, the movement plays a key role in educating citizens and fostering dialogue among cultures and generations for sustainable development.

Key Areas of Support

Support to NGOs and Associations registered with WFUCA: We provide timely information about events and opportunities to collaborate with the United Nations.
Intergovernmental Support: We support the NGO Committee, which meets twice a year to review NGO accreditation to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
Participation in Assemblies: Through civil society organizations (CSOs), we facilitate NGO participation in intergovernmental processes held at United Nations headquarters and beyond. Each year, approximately 7,000 NGO representatives participate in these events in New York alone.
Technical Assistance: With the support of the United Nations Development Account, we carry out capacity-building activities for civil society organizations.

Objectives

Promote the ideals, objectives, and programs of UNESCO, and strengthen and encourage the development of UNESCO clubs, centers, and associations.
Foster international understanding and education, particularly with a view to the effective exercise of human rights, the endogenous development of peoples, and the construction of a more equitable global economic and social order.
Advance mutual understanding among cultures and peoples worldwide.
Encourage active public participation in UNESCO’s work, especially at the grassroots level.
Promote the use of science and technology for peaceful purposes and for the well-being of humanity, particularly in developing countries.
Promote, in all societies, the right of every individual to a cultural identity.

Mission

WFUCA’s mission is to promote, across North America, Latin America, Central America, and the Caribbean, the development of UNESCO Clubs within four main categories:

School-based clubs, whose members include students and teaching staff from educational institutions.
University clubs, operating within universities and higher education institutions.
Community clubs, composed of members with recognized legal status, including distinguished individuals from cultural sectors and public institutions.
Civil society clubs, formed by legally established organizations that promote education and bring together professionals, business leaders, and community representatives.

Vision

UNESCO WFUCA Clubs in North America, Latin America, Central America, and the Caribbean address global challenges with local impact, contributing to reflection on social priorities. This movement highlights the increasingly important role of civil society worldwide and the influence citizens can have on socio-economic decision-making.

WFUCA operates through three main functions: training, information, and action.

Given the growing role of civil society in shaping public policies, the UNESCO WFUCA Club movement is a key factor in citizen education. It also contributes to dialogue between cultures and generations in support of sustainable development.

Development

UNESCO WFUCA Clubs in the region act on global issues with local implications, encouraging reflection on social priorities. This reinforces the relevance of civil society and its capacity to influence socio-economic decisions.

WFUCA’s core functions remain: training, information, and action, strengthening participation and awareness in communities.

Peace

Peace is a fundamental right of all human beings. Like freedom, it is a shared responsibility of nations and organizations, which must promote it through concrete actions and programs that ensure and uphold this right.

Culture

We generate, respect, and promote initiatives that preserve and disseminate the cultural heritage of different social groups.

Non-Governmental Organizations

"The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization may make appropriate arrangements for consultation and cooperation with international non-governmental organizations concerned with matters within its competence, and may invite them to undertake specific tasks."
(Constitution of UNESCO)

WFUCA contributes to the coordination of international cooperation in the fields of education, science, culture, and communication. It strengthens ties between nations and societies and mobilizes the public to ensure that every child and citizen:

Has access to quality education, a fundamental human right and a key pillar of sustainable development.
Can grow and live in a culturally diverse environment that promotes dialogue, where heritage serves as a bridge between generations and peoples.
Can fully benefit from scientific and technological advances.
Can enjoy full freedom of expression, which is the foundation of democracy, development, and human dignity.

WFUCA’s mission and messages are increasingly relevant in today’s globalized world, where interconnection and diversity should be seen as opportunities to build peace in the minds of men and women.

Beyond its regional work, WFUCA collaborates with the UNESCO World Federation based in New Delhi, India, founded by George Cristophides, along with international leadership including President Denhira Betangar (India), President Pradeep Kaphale (Nepal), and representatives and ambassadors affiliated with the Economic and Social Council framework of UNESCO across different continents.

Legal Nature

UNESCO WFUCA is a civil society organization with legal, financial, and operational autonomy. It maintains an institutional relationship of cooperation within the framework of the UNESCO Associations and Clubs movement, but it is not part of UNESCO’s organic or administrative structure headquartered in Paris, France, nor does it act as UNESCO’s official, diplomatic, or governmental representative. UNESCO itself presents WFUCA as a global network linked to its values and includes it in its official list of partner NGOs.

Its activities are carried out in the fields of education, science, culture, and communication, in alignment with the principles promoted by UNESCO, while fully preserving the operational and governance independence of each regional federation or affiliated entity. From a regulatory standpoint, formal cooperation with UNESCO does not mean being part of its institutional structure; rather, it reflects a recognized relationship of cooperation documented in official instruments and reference materials.