The current Commission was formally re-established by Rt Hon Hilary Benn MP, Secretary of State for International Development, on 31st March 2004.

In a statement in 2005, Hilary Benn wrote:

"I was delighted to relaunch last year the UK National Commission for UNESCO. The Commission has an important role in improving UK input into all aspects of UNESCO policy-making and debate, and in helping build a more effective UNESCO.

There is a particularly important job to be done this year in helping UNESCO galvanise global efforts to meet the education Millennium Development Goals, including giving all children access to primary education by 2015.

The UNESCO Commissions are a unique feature of the UN system and are, above all, valuable because the experts in many of the sectors over which UNESCO has competence are outside the traditional domain of government. This is particularly true of science and culture. The Commission has already begun excellent work in improving UK input to UNESCO's science and culture policies.

I look forward to working in partnership with the Commission in the years to come."

In 2006, the UK Commission held its inaugural Annual Conference at the University of Nottingham. Hilary Benn was the after dinner keynote speaker at the event.