The UK National Commission for UNESCO

The UK National Commission's inaugural Annual Conference successfully concluded on 17 June 2006. Over 200 attended the first Annual Conference since 1985 and took part in the presentations, discussion and consideration of the challenges and opportunities for the UK, UNESCO and the National Commission in the coming decade.

The Rt Hon. Hilary Benn was the after-dinner speaker in the pre-conference reception on 16 June and spoke passionately about his optimism in the achievement and future of the UK National Commission.

Press Coverage
Press Release
The Times Higher Education Supplement (16/6/2006) (jpeg, 92kb) (website)
Nottingham Evening Post (16/6/2006) (jpeg, 59kb)

Conference Documents
Conference Report (date posted: 03 October 2006)
Information Pack for Participants (download all) (pdf, 200kb) (date posted: 13 June 2006)
Download by section:
- Table of Contents (pdf, 5kb) (date posted: 12 June 2006)
- Conference Programme (pdf, 20kb) (date posted: 12 June 2006)
- Themed Break-out Groups (pdf, 142kb) (date posted: 12 June 2006)
- Biographies of Speakers and Panellists (pdf, 39kb) (date posted: 12 June 2006)
Themed Breakout Group sessions (word, 238kb) (download synopsis)

In Picture...

Professor Alec Boksenberg, Chair of UK National
Commission and Chair of Natural Sciences
Committee (left) and Professor Ivor Gaber,
Vice Chair of Communication & Information Committee (right)

The Rt Hon. Hilary Benn, Secretary of State for
International Development (left) and H.E. Tim Craddock,
Ambassador and UK Permanent Delegate to UNESCO (right)

Conference participants at dinner

Conference participants listened to speech by Hilary Benn

The Rt Hon. Hilary Benn as after-dinner speaker, and receiving a presentation from Matthew Cooper,
a student from Largymore Primary School in Northern Ireland.

Left two: Matthew Cooper made presentations to Jim Kulikowski (UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Extermal Relations and Cooperation; and to H.E Tim Craddock. Right, Jagdish Gundara (UNESCO Chairholder at the Institute of Education) and Winsom Gordon (UNESCO Division for Higher Education)

Panel Discussion: "Challenges and Opportunities"
(from left to right)
Dr David Gaimster (Society of Antiquaries & Culture Committee), Ms Sian Healey (BBC & Communications & Information Committee), Prudence Mutowo (UNESCO-L'OREAL Fellow, University of Nottingham), Professor W. John Morgan (UNESCO Chair, University of Nottingham), Dr Nick Burnett (UNESCO, EFA GMR Team), Professor Mark Bray (UNESCO, International Institute of Educational Planning), Mrs Winsome Gordon (UNESCO, Division of Higher Education), Professor Sir Roger Elliott (IGSU & Natural Science Committee)