The 16th of November is known as the Day when UNESCO was established. On this day back in 1945, after the end of the World War II, the Constitution of UNESCO was adopted. UNESCO is a United Nations specialized agency in the fields of education, science and culture.

Today, UNESCO is the most representative international organization that unites 195 member countries.

 Ukraine joined UNESCO in 1954 and since that time has been actively involved in its activities.

 For four times Ukraine was elected to the governing body of the Organization – the Executive Board,  last time for the period until the end of 2017.

Under the conditions of the illegal occupation by Russia of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, the main priority of Ukraine in UNESCO today is to use every opportunity to raise awareness of the international community to the pressing problems in the temporarily occupied peninsula. For the last three years and a half on the initiative of the Ukrainian delegation the UNESCO Executive Board has adopted eight consecutive decisions “Follow-up of the situation in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea (Ukraine)”, which, in particular envisage establishing of an efficient mechanism for monitoring of the situation on the peninsula in UNESCO’s fields of competence.

Seven Ukrainian sites are inscribed into the UNESCO World Heritage List. Such gems of culture and architecture as well as of nature as Saint-Sophia Cathedral and Related Monastic Buildings, Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra in Kyiv, the Ensemble of the Historic Centre of L'viv as well as Ancient City of Tauric Chersonese and its Chora, Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of Carpathians among them.

The Representative List of the Intangible Heritage of Humanity includes the Ukrainian decorative ornamental painting – Petrykivka.

UNESCO Associated Schools Project Network brings together educational institutions from different regions of Ukraine. They implement projects within UNESCO's program activities.

As part of the UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs Programme there are UNESCO chairs in Ukraine launched at the higher educational and scientific institutions. They provide opportunities for international scientific cooperation in the UNESCO’s fields of competence.

Two Ukrainian cities – Melitopol and Nikopol – participate in the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities. Lviv is the UNESCO City of Literature and a member of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network.

At the 39th session of the UNESCO General Conference last November the center of the category 2 under the auspices of UNESCO was established in Ukraine at the Junior Academy of Sciences to expand the opportunities for international scientific cooperation among young people.

Ukraine will continue its efficient work in line with the UNESCO program activities.