Welcome
Statement by Minister of State Müntefering on Germany’s election to the UNESCO Executive Board
Germany has just been elected to the UNESCO Executive Board and will once again play an active part in shaping UNESCO’s programme work in the coming four years. The priorities for its activities in the Executive Board will include achieving the 2030 Agenda’s Sustainable Development Goal on education (SDG 4), promoting human rights and freedom of expression, and preserving cultural and natural heritage in line with technical progress. Following the announcement of the election results, Minister of State Michelle Müntefering issued the following statement today (20 November):
With its election to the UNESCO Executive Board, Germany will once again take on responsibility in a further important UN institution. Along with our partners in UNESCO, we will endeavour to strengthen multilateralism, as UNESCO plays a crucial role in protecting cultural diversity and enhancing access to culture and education around the world.
Background information
UNESCO’s 193 Member States elected the new countries on the organisation’s most important decision-making committee, the 58-member Executive Board, at the General Conference in Paris today. Every two years, elections are held on around half of the seats. Along with 30 other new members, Germany has been elected for a four-year term. The last time Germany was a member of the Executive Board was from 2013 to 2017. Since then, it has been an observer at the board. Germany is the third largest financial contributor to UNESCO.