Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defenses of peace must be constructed.
UNESCO's motto
November 4, 1946 marks the kick-off of UNESCO's anniversary celebrations as it is the day the Constitution came into force. UNESCO was created in order to respond to the firm belief of nations, forged by two world wars in less than a generation that political and economic agreements are not enough to build a lasting peace. Peace must be established on the basis of humanity's moral and intellectual solidarity.
UNESCO's main mission, as initially defined in its Constitution, was to establish the conditions of peaceful coexistence between nations. This mission was equivalent to an experiment in social engineering on a global scale, which consisted of working out and disseminating a new worldview based on a revised vision of humankind.
November 16, 1945: Ellen WILKINSON, Minister of Education of Great Britain, reads the Constitution of UNESCO
Representatives from 44 states are in the room
