The UNESCO Medium-Term Strategy for 2002-2007

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The Director General's introduction states:

"Overall, the Medium-Term Strategy is formulated around a single unifying theme – UNESCO contributing to peace and human development in an era of globalization through education, the sciences, culture and communication. Thus, it seeks to create a link between UNESCO’s mandate and role on the one hand and globalization with a human face on the other hand. The Strategy unifies the four main programme areas with a common purpose and defines – for the first time – a limited number of strategic objectives, a total of 12 for the entire Organization and three for each programme. Around these strategic objectives are built two cross-cutting themes, which are and must be intrinsic to all programmes and which will stay with us for the next six years: the eradication of poverty, especially extreme poverty; and the contribution of information and communication technologies to education, science, culture and information and the building of knowledge societies. These themes are also an entry point to foster much more than hitherto intersectoriality, at Headquarters and in the field. Another substantive innovation built into the present Strategy is the mainstreaming of areas, previously designated as priority areas, namely Africa, the least developed countries, women and youth. This implies that all sectors and programmes must address their needs and requirements. Equally, there will be special focus on the excluded and most vulnerable segments of society throughout all UNESCO’s efforts.

"The Strategy outlines:

– three main strategic thrusts around which UNESCO’s action will develop over the next six years, namely:

- developing and promoting universal principles and norms based on shared values,
- promoting pluralism through recognition and safeguarding of diversity, together with the observance of human rights, and
- promoting empowerment and participation in the emerging knowledge society through equitable access, capacity-building and knowledge-sharing;

– the major strategic objectives and sub-objectives for the Organization’s efforts emphasizing its comparative advantage in relation to other institutions of the system and its specific role as an intergovernmental organization, an entity for international intellectual cooperation and a provider of services to Member States;
– for each strategic objective the outcomes expected to be attained by the end of 2007, facilitating the introduction and application of results-based programming, management and monitoring – a new feature for UNESCO."

The strategic Ojectives for the Sciences are:

- Promoting principles and ethical norms to guide scientific and technological development and social transformation,
- Improving human security by better management of the environment and social change, and
- Enhancing scientific, technical and human capacities to participate in the emerging knowledge societies

The Strategic Objectives for Communication and information are:

- Promoting the free flow of ideas and universal access to information,
- Promoting the expression of pluralism and cultural diversity in the media and world information networks, and
- Access for all to information and communication technologies, especially in the public domain.