UNESCO Bangkok

As the only UN agency specifically mandated with the responsibility for promoting creativity and safeguarding the world’s diverse cultural heritage, UNESCO has a unique role to play among inter-governmental organs in demonstrating that development has a human face which is specific to each region of the world and special to each community. In a time of unprecedented economic and social change, UNESCO must take the lead to ensure that the Asia-Pacific region’s diverse histories, cultures and habitants are not only preserved, but also tapped as a well-spring of innovation and development, thus being imbued with renewed relevance.

Since 1961, UNESCO Bangkok has had a dual role as both the Asia and Pacific Regional Bureau for Education and as a Cluster Office in the Asia-Pacific region.

As a regional bureau for education, UNESCO Bangkok provides technical expertise and assistance, and it serves advisory, knowledge production and sharing, and monitoring and evaluation functions to assist the Asia-Pacific Member States, UNESCO field offices, and the antenna office in the area of education.

As a cluster office, UNESCO Bangkok helps to implement all UNESCO programmes (education, sciences, culture, and communication and information) in Thailand, Myanmar, Lao PDR, Singapore, and indirectly in Viet Nam and Cambodia, in cooperation with the country offices and the antenna office.

ICHCAP

International Information and Networking Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region under the auspices of UNESCO

The International Information and Networking Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region under the auspices of UNESCO (ICHCAP) was established as a UNESCO Category 2 centre in 2011. Working within the framework of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, we operate information and networking programs to support UNESCO’s strategic plans among the forty-eight Member States of the Asia-Pacific region, with the ultimate goal of promoting the 2030 UN Sustainable Development Goals through intangible cultural heritage. We believe that safeguarding intangible cultural heritage is necessary to promote cultural diversity and sustainable development in the region.

ICHCAP aims to promote intangible cultural heritage (ICH) by safeguarding activities of individuals, communities, organizations, institutions, and countries through the management and effective sharing of information and cultural data focusing on ICH. We establish networks among communities, groups, and individuals to help transmit and share ICH. Furthermore, ICHCAP’s promotion of the value of ICH and raising public awareness about cultural assets, domains of knowledge, and practices relevant to ICH safeguarding shape conducive conditions for the protection of living heritage. In recent years, promotional activities for the visibility of ICH safeguarding have sparked greater public interest and contributed to the inter-generational transmission of living heritage, garnering improved participation from the youth.

APCEIU

Asia-Pacific Centre of Education for International Understanding under the auspices of UNESCO

The Asia-Pacific Centre of Education for International Understanding (APCEIU) was established in 2000 as a UNESCO Category 2 centre to promote education for a Culture of Peace. APCEIU is working in close collaboration with UNESCO Offices, National Commissions of Member States, related educational institutes, and civil society to promote global citizenship education (GCED) under the framework of education for international understanding (EIU) toward a Culture of Peace.

APCEIU has devoted itself to strengthening GCED/EIU capacities by pursuing its philosophy and policies through training teachers and teacher trainers; research and policy development; developing educational materials and programs; organizing different levels of workshops and conferences; and strengthening the network of teachers, educators, experts, civil society leaders, and other stakeholders.

List of Instructors