This consultation is now closed. |
Welcome to the UNESCO Partnership Strategy 2026-2029 discussion room!
We are thrilled to have you join this important conversation. UNESCO’s new Partnership Strategy (2026–2029) will build on our mandate to leverage diverse, high-impact partnerships in service of the new Programme and Budget (43 C/5).
Building on the launch events already conducted, we invite you to share your thoughts on five key questions. The discussion room will be open until 31 July.
After the consultation closes, we will compile the key insights into a synthesis that will become an integral part of the knowledge base for finalizing the strategy.
Thank you for your participation and valuable contributions!
The guiding questions for discussion:
Comments (20)
Dear colleagues,
On behalf of BSP, thank you all for your active engagement, thoughtful insights, and generous contributions to the SparkBlue consultations on UNESCO’s new Partnership Strategy.
Over the past weeks, we have heard from a wide range of voices across sectors, field offices, central services, Category 1 Institutes, and NatComs. Your feedback – whether on improving internal capacities, rethinking partner engagement approaches, or ensuring operational clarity – has been immensely valuable in strengthening the Strategy as both a high-level vision and a practical tool for the entire Organization.
A few recurring and cross-cutting themes that emerged include:
Stronger internal coordination and the need for accessible communication tools and partnership intelligence systems, especially to connect field and HQ teams;
Clearer implementation modalities, with proposals to establish KPIs, internal incentives, and regular knowledge-sharing formats such as webinars;
A call for differentiated approaches to partnerships – valuing both large-scale investments and catalytic small contributions, and better leveraging non-financial contributions such as technical expertise or in-kind support;
The need to equip field offices and small units with the tools, guidance, and staffing required to pursue and manage high-impact partnerships;
Recognition of UNESCO’s unique value proposition, particularly in relation to normative mandates, designated sites, and networks – and how this can be better communicated through compelling storytelling and structured dialogues;
And a shared emphasis on financial sustainability, coherence between regular and voluntary funding, and smarter engagement with non-traditional donors, including subnational actors, MDBs, and philanthropic institutions.
Your inputs will directly inform the revised Strategy being finalized for submission to the Executive Board. We are especially grateful for the examples shared to practical suggestions on how to simplify internal processes and capture lessons across regions.
This consultation is part of a wider commitment to inclusivity and transparency. As we move forward with implementation, we will continue to rely on your support, insights, and collaboration to ensure the Strategy delivers on its ambitions.
Thank you again for your time and commitment – and for helping shape a more effective, coordinated, and impactful UNESCO approach to partnerships.
Dear colleagues,
I will be your moderator for this first week. I am excited to get your thoughts and insights to help shape the next four-year UNESCO Partnership Strategy! The approach to designing the new strategy is a collaborative one, and here’s a chance for you to share your reflections on UNESCO and the future of partnerships.
Feel free to jump in and respond to any or all of the questions, and share your views — just remember to include the question you are responding to in your comment. And don’t worry about the language, you can choose whichever one you’re most comfortable with! Just click the language button in the top right corner, and the platform will take care of the rest. Several of you have shared written comments to us already - we encourage you to upload these documents to the platform so other colleagues can see them, like your contributions, and support our joint efforts. Remember that you can post anonymously!
We are looking forward to a vibrant and engaging discussion together!
All the best,
Edna
Thanks for the space for discussion and opportunity to share thoughts! Sharing my initial thoughts:
2. Looking ahead to 2026-2029, what bold shifts should UNESCO make
3. Relatively untapped potential for partnerships
4. What is needed internally for colleagues for effective strategic partnerships
5. What does an effective and future-fit partnership look like, and value proposition to differentiate UNESCO
Thank you for your rich and thoughtful contribution – this is exactly the kind of detailed, forward-looking input we were hoping to receive through the SparkBlue Platform.
You’ve raised a number of important points, including the need to clarify the types of resources referenced in the strategy, to articulate more distinct approaches for different stakeholder groups, and to reinforce country-level engagement through UNCTs and national systems. These align closely with ongoing discussions, and we will reflect them as we initiate the drafting of the strategy.
Your suggestions on digital engagement tools, agile financing models, and stronger use of economic evidence are especially valuable – and echo feedback from other sectors and partners. We fully agree that leveraging our existing networks, improving internal processes, and enabling flexible, scalable partnerships are key to positioning UNESCO more strategically within the wider UN ecosystem.
The insights on disability inclusion, OPDs, and South-South cooperation are particularly timely and appreciated – these will be considered closely in refining the strategy’s framing and implementation tools.
Please continue to engage through this space – we will keep posting updates and opportunities to co-develop specific elements of the strategy. Thank you again for your engagement and constructive suggestions. We look forward to continuing this dialogue as we refine our Partnership Strategy for 2026–2029.
Edna Muratagic Thank you Edna, attaching some example datasets available at the UNINFO I mentioned in my comments. These are data visualization i made early last year so data might be outdated, but these are publically available data to Member States through UNINFO as reported by entities' country offices. Also might be a good source to identify from the list of contributing partners of all UN entities what has been priority areas for diverse types of donors. Although perhaps through internal M&E there maybe better overview with more comprehensive data
Hello many thanks for this opportunity to feed in
2. Looking ahead to 2026-2029, what bold shifts should UNESCO make
To develop to be more evidence inform and evidence led, working with a range to partners to develop the evidence base, evaluation and research to underpin the role of culture as a public good drawing not only on the work of UNESCO but other partners and stakeholders how to enhance and strengthen the evidence base around culture together and not siloed, learning what works and what doesn't work. This would help unlock other sources of funding such as Development Banks.
Thank you for this thoughtful input, Ian!
You’ve raised an important point on the need to be more evidence-informed and collaborative in how we build and communicate the value of culture as a public good. The draft Partnership Strategy indeed encourages a stronger role for evidence generation and learning - particularly through more strategic engagement with our broad assets of networks. As you rightly note, this can also help us engage actors like development banks who increasingly prioritize data-driven impact.
Your suggestion to co-develop and share evidence with partners—not in silos—is well taken, and aligns with our aim to foster co-creation and mutual accountability in partnerships.
We encourage you to share examples or ideas on how UNESCO could strengthen this kind of evidence ecosystem across our mandate - whether through new collaborations, joint evaluations, or tapping into innovative financing linked to impact metrics.
Thanks again for your contribution and we look forward to continuing the exchange!
Hi Julien Pellaux Edna Muratagic - my initial comments on the outline is that it's great, the key pillars and objectives make perfect sense to me. In terms of bold moves, looking ahead to 2026-2029, we should focus on the budgetary ressource we can leverage for comms and visibility : FIRST there should be a specific resource BUDGETIZED in partnership agreements - we keep talking about it, but after at least 15 years we have never been able to really include it, either as a minimum percentage (between 0,5 / 1%, included in the PSC) or a specific budget line for each project. it is not dealt at the proper level. SECOND this budget should be CENTRALIZED - what happens today is that for each project, when sectors include a budget line on comms (which is already a real progress), some consultant is recruited and spends full time to create comms content, most of the time in a dispersed manner, it is rarely connected or coordinated with corporate comms, and not always very effective for that matter. in worst case scenario, the partner takes care of comms aspects, and spends extra money on external comms agencies, as we have seen recently. this contributes to the dispersion of ressources and the dilution of the visibility. the partner buys the brand, and goes away with it. If we pooled the ressources together, to have a full time comms officer in BSP, liaising with a full time comms officer in CPE, that would solve 90% of our problems, limit dilution of information, and limit dispersion of ressource. THIRD 3) on strategic partnerships, when the ressources are bigger, these comms budget should go preferably on the field, at project implementation level, to create impactful content. these bigger partnership would open the door for better brand engagement, and brand recognition, at corporate level.
Dear Matthieu,
Thank you very much for your thoughtful and pointed reflections. Your proposal to embed dedicated communication budgets directly into partnership agreements—and to systematize and centralize such efforts—resonates strongly with the feedback we’ve heard from across the Organization. You're absolutely right that too often communication is either treated as an afterthought or fragmented across projects, leading to missed opportunities for stronger branding, storytelling, and coherence. You’re also spot on that larger-scale partnerships need field-based communications capacity to drive visibility and impact where it matters most.
Let’s continue this exchange—your input is both timely and actionable!
Good day to everyone and thank you for including us in this discussion.
An emphasis on communications and the need for specific budgeting is important. A partnership without proper visibility is a missed opportunity to highlight impact, strengthen accountability, and build trust with stakeholders. Clear communications planning and budget allocation from the outset—along with assigning the appropriate expertise and staff—not only ensure timely and consistent messaging aligned with programme goals and donor expectations, but also help maintain and strengthen UNESCO’s visibility throughout implementation.
Thank you for your valuable contribution from the field perspective, dear Husamaldeen—and for underlining so clearly what’s at stake when communication is not properly resourced. You’ve captured it perfectly: visibility is not just a “nice to have,” it’s central to demonstrating impact, securing trust, and reinforcing accountability.
We fully agree that assigning adequate resources—financial and human—at the outset of a partnership is essential. One of the strategy’s key objectives is to improve partner engagement and storytelling, and your point about aligning communication with programme goals and donor expectations speaks directly to that ambition. We are exploring ways to encourage sectors and field offices to integrate comms planning into the early design stages, and to provide clearer internal guidance and support going forward.
We truly appreciate your engagement—thank you for helping us get this right.
🟦 Update: Consultation Extended! 🟦
Dear colleagues,
I am pleased to share that this consultation space on the draft UNESCO Partnership Strategy 2026–2029 will remain open for one additional week!
This extension is in response to requests enabling everyone a bit more time to contribute. We warmly encourage you to share any remaining thoughts, ideas, or examples that can help shape a strategy that reflects the collective experience and ambition of our global UNESCO community.
Thank you again for your active participation!
All the best,
Edna
Dear Edna and colleagues, thank you for giving us this great opportunity, and please find below inputs from the Santiago Regional Office:
4. Internal needs for effective partnerships
3. Untapped partnership potential
5. UNESCO’s unique value proposition
Dear Laetitia,
Many thanks for these insightful and constructive reflections from the Santiago Office! Your contribution helps bring to life the practical potential of the draft Partnership Strategy, especially in connecting high-level vision with operational needs in the field.
Your points on the value of multistakeholder coalitions are well taken. Showcasing such initiatives as replicable models of inclusive, high-impact partnerships will indeed be key to the strategy’s implementation. We will look into how to better reflect these types of reference cases and cross-regional learning opportunities.
The need for targeted support to field offices, particularly in terms of guidance, partner intelligence tools, and access to streamlined procedures, has been echoed in several consultations. We also appreciate your emphasis on impact investing and blended finance as growing but underleveraged areas.
On your points regarding investment cases and structured dialogues: yes, this is a central ambition of the strategy. It’s encouraging to hear that field-led efforts like the Greening Education Partnership in Brazil are already aligning with this vision. We hope the strategy will help provide more systematic support for such initiatives, including through guidance and templates that can be adapted regionally.
Finally, your suggestion to better leverage UNESCO’s data as a strategic asset is timely and aligns with ongoing efforts to improve the visibility of our impact. This could be a strong element of the proposed implementation follow-up—particularly as we work toward strengthening our value proposition and accountability to partners.
Thanks again for this valuable input, which we will take into consideration as we finalize the strategy and develop the tools needed to support its rollout.
Dear Edna, thanks for your follow-up. Here is some specific comments or additions on the non financial contributions and also on capacity of staff and experience sharing through webinars:
"To strengthen the Partnership Strategy 2026–2029, it is important to provide a clearer and more operational definition of non-financial contributions. These should include in-kind donations such as laptops, tablets, and educational materials for schools, as well as specialized equipment for cultural heritage conservation, like digital archiving tools or museum display materials. Equally important are in-kind services, including technical expertise, legal or IT support, and logistical assistance such as transportation or the provision of venues. The strategy should outline a standardized process for the receipt, due diligence, documentation, and dispatch of such contributions to ensure transparency and maximize their programmatic impact.
Additionally, under section VI.5 on internal capacities, the strategy would benefit from the introduction of regular knowledge-sharing webinars coordinated by HQ, regional bureaus, or leading field offices. These sessions could focus on private sector engagement practices, donor strategy updates, due diligence requirements, or successful partnership case studies, allowing UNESCO teams across the organization to build and align their expertise. These initiatives would contribute to a culture of continuous learning and better equip staff to pursue strategic and high-impact partnerships."
Dear Nour,
Many thanks for your detailed and forward-looking suggestions — your contribution brings real operational depth to the consultation.
Your recommendation to provide a clearer, more actionable definition of non-financial contributions is very well taken. The examples you provide—from in-kind donations like equipment and materials, to services such as legal, IT, or logistical support—underscore the diverse forms of value that partners can offer. We agree that ensuring a transparent, standardized process for managing such contributions is essential, and this is something we will look to further clarify as part of the strategy’s implementation phase, particularly through guidance and tools.
On the point regarding internal capacities and knowledge-sharing: absolutely. The idea of regular webinars or learning exchanges—whether coordinated by HQ, regional bureaus, or leading field offices—resonates strongly with the feedback received across consultations. A structured, recurring format to share partnership insights, donor engagement strategies, and lessons from the field will be a valuable way to foster continuous learning and align approaches across the house.
Thank you again for helping to sharpen both the strategic framing and the operational feasibility of the Partnership Strategy. We greatly appreciate your engagement.
As a relatively small UNESCO Programme unit located far from UNESCO Headquarters (Trieste, Italy), TWAS welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the development of the Partnership Strategy 2026-2029. My comments below try to reflect both our strategic alignment with UNESCO's scientific priorities and our operational experiences as a relatively small unit within the broader UNESCO ecosystem. We emphasize the critical need for enhanced internal communication systems, streamlined administrative processes, and robust partnership databases to maximize the effectiveness of UNESCO's collaborative efforts, particularly with organizations serving the global South. Below I will try to point out some ideas, but please also consider that I joined UNESCO just recently, and I may say something that has been already implemented.
1. Strengthening Internal Communication and Coordination Mechanisms
As a UNESCO science office located far from Headquarters with relatively low visibility even within UNESCO itself, TWAS has experienced firsthand the challenges of fragmented internal communication. This disconnect can lead to missed opportunities for collaboration, duplicated efforts, and underutilization of existing partnerships and resources.
Recommendation: The Partnership Strategy should prioritize the development of robust internal communication systems that ensure all UNESCO units, regardless of size or geographic location, can work in unison.
This enhanced internal coordination would be particularly valuable for organizations like TWAS that operate at the intersection of multiple UNESCO priorities (science, education, Africa, gender equality) and could contribute more effectively to intersectoral collaboration if better connected to the broader UNESCO partnership ecosystem.
2. Development of Comprehensive Partnership Databases and Support Systems
The current lack of consistent, accessible databases for partnership information creates significant barriers to effective collaboration. Small offices often struggle to access comprehensive data about existing partnerships, potential collaborators, and available resources, limiting their ability to develop strategic initiatives and contribute to UNESCO's broader partnership objectives.
Recommendation: The Partnership Strategy should mandate the creation and maintenance of comprehensive, user-friendly partnership databases.
These systems should be designed with the needs of smaller offices in mind, providing intuitive interfaces and comprehensive support documentation to ensure accessibility regardless of technical capacity or administrative resources.
3. Streamlining Partnership Approval Processes
The current partnership approval process is often characterized by lengthy delays, unclear procedures, and excessive reliance on informal communication channels (hundreds of calls and emails). This creates particular challenges for smaller offices that may lack the administrative capacity to navigate complex bureaucratic processes while maintaining their core programmatic activities.
Recommendation: The Partnership Strategy should establish clear, efficient, and technology-enabled approval processes that include:
The implementation of such systems would significantly enhance the ability of smaller offices to develop and maintain strategic partnerships while reducing administrative burden and improving overall efficiency.
We look forward to continuing our contribution to the implementation of the Partnership Strategy once finalized. TWAS remains committed to supporting UNESCO's mission and objectives while advancing scientific excellence and cooperation in the global South.
Dear Marcelo,
Many thanks for your valuable contribution on behalf of TWAS - and welcome to UNESCO. I also only joined recently myself.
Your perspective as a smaller science unit located outside HQ is particularly important, and your recommendations resonate strongly with themes raised across several consultation tracks.
Your points on strengthening internal communication and coordination, especially for units with cross-cutting mandates, are well noted and will inform revisions to the implementation enablers. Similarly, the need for accessible, user-friendly partnership databases has been echoed elsewhere, and your emphasis on usability for smaller offices are well noted.
Your call to streamline partnership approval processes and reduce administrative burden aligns with wider feedback and will be considered in refining the strategy and its follow-up actions.
We deeply appreciate TWAS’s engagement and look forward to continued collaboration!
Dear All,
Thanks for the opportunity to comment on the new Partnerships Strategy and the questions as part of the consultation. Please find joint comments below on behalf of the UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs Programme:
Q1: What are your initial reflections on the draft outline and key messages for the Partnership Strategy? Do they capture the right priorities, and is anything missing or needing more emphasis?
The draft document provides a useful overview of UNESCO’s collaboration opportunities and challenges in line with the C4 and C5. However, it should further emphasize strategic long-term engagement with new and non-traditional partners and UNESCO’s Networks, particularly by prioritizing:
· Their contributions to cross-cutting priorities, interdisciplinary approaches, and tangible outputs;
· The use of multistakeholder platforms;
· Dialogue across all UNESCO’s Networks, including ASPNet, Youth Networks, Geoparks, Biosphere Reserves, Heritages Sites, Creative Cities, and others.
The document should also recognize that UNESCO Chairs and UNITWIN Networks are central to UNESCO’s mission and identity as a knowledge-based organization and a laboratory of ideas. As key intellectual partners, they transcend disciplinary and geographic boundaries and bring together a vast range of expertise, institutions, and external collaborators. They are uniquely positioned to advance UNESCO’s work across sectors and regions, and to identify emerging issues for the future. UNESCO Chairs and UNITWIN Networks are deeply embedded in Member States, but also in the case of UNESCO Chairs they, by design, have international partnerships. UNESCO Chairs and UNITWIN Networks are aware of leading edge developments in their fields of research, teaching and policy engagement. They mobilize financial resources, and resources in kind, from their universities and research funding agencies to advance their work and to implement 4-year projects. They also add symbolic value, enhancing UNESCO’s visibility amongst academics and students across higher education.
The Chairs and Networks serve as think tanks in fields such as education for sustainable development, peacebuilding, bioethics, digital transformation, climate change, and cultural diversity. They also act as bridge builders between research and policy, and are instrumental in bringing technical expertise to UNESCO’s standard setting role, and to supporting Member States in implementing UNESCO’s normative instruments (e.g. 2023 Recommendation on Education for Peace, 2021 Recommendation on Open Science, 2019 OER Recommendation).
The Partnership Strategy would benefit from giving greater visibility to these expertise contributions and should reflect UNESCO’s 2019 Comprehensive Partnership Strategy (207 EX/11), which recognizes the UNITWIN/Chairs Programme as an integral part of UNESCO’s partnership ecosystem.
Q2: Looking ahead to 2026-2029, what bold shifts should UNESCO make in how it engages with partners to ensure we stay relevant, visible, and impactful across our mandate?
UNESCO should elaborate a joint monitoring and reporting platform for its Networks—particularly for the UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs Programme—to better track and make visible both financial and non-financial contributions (e.g. expertise, intellectual work, foresight, teaching, public engagement, policy impact at all levels, events, in-kind contributions).
Given UNESCO’s unique intellectual mandate, the non-financial, knowledge-based contributions of the Chairs and UNITWIN Networks must be fully recognized and documented. These partners frequently contribute to UNESCO initiatives while on sabbatical or using institutional funds, offering services such as:
· Expert technical and scientific advice;
· Research and knowledge production;
· Drafting and peer review;
· Responding to surveys and engagement with Sectors.
· Participation in events, advisory boards, and consultations.
In its public communications, as well as internally, UNESCO could also publicize and support the launch of new Chairs and Networks, giving greater visibility to their work, the thematic areas, and the strategic value they bring to UNESCO’s mandate and public image.
UNESCO should make it easier for experts to support UNESCO’s work and mission, including for example the orientation of new partners, and helping partners of UNESCO to connect with other partners.
Q3: Where do you see the greatest untapped potential for partnerships – whether in new sectors, networks, or funding models – that UNESCO has not yet fully explored?
UNESCO has an opportunity to leverage the impact of its Networks, particularly by regrouping or aligning interdisciplinary UNESCO Networks (e.g. Chairs, UNITWIN Networks, ASPNet, and others) to design new modalities of intersectoral and interdisciplinary cooperation, for example on certain programmes or thematic areas.
Such groupings could help streamline multilateralism, facilitate cross-sectoral programming, and enhance collaboration among actors from different domains and regions.
In addition, the UNITWIN Programme can attract new and non-traditional partners who may not be direct funders but are eager to contribute intellectually and programmatically, and could involved their own networks. These partners—academic institutions, researchers, NGOs, think tanks—can bring new ideas, tools, and audiences, especially in emerging areas like AI, ethics, foresight, and climate justice.
Research funding agencies, councils, and foundations that work in areas of UNESCO’s mandate may already be aligned with SDGs and welcome partnerships with UNESCO.
UN partners can also benefit from UNESCO Chairs, and the collaborations that UNESCO Chairs have with UN partners can be of benefit to UNESCO.
It is also often the case that successful partnerships lead to further partnerships, for example some research centres are encouraged by UNESCO Chairs to apply to the UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs Programme.
More could be done by UNESCO Secretariat to advise and share knowledge between partners on fundraising, attracting and mobilizing funds for their work with UNESCO. UNESCO Chairs and UNTIWIN Networks themselves can develop and extend their own partnerships and networks (financial and non-financial) in support of UNESCO’s mandate.
Q4: What do you need (as staff member, manager, or partner liaison) to work more effectively on partnerships, and what would make our systems more enabling and strategic?
Managing an inter-sectoral programme is challenging because the Organization’s capacity to work with UNESCO Chairs depends very much on the interest, motivation and capacities in the Programme Sectors. The Executive Offices have a crucial role in facilitating existing and new partnerships with higher education institutions, UNESCO Chairs and UNITWIN Networks. It would be useful to be able to see which UNESCO colleagues or entities are working with which UNESCO Chairs and what they are working on. Likewise, colleagues, often find it difficult to get up-to-date information on relevant UNESCO Chairs and UNTIWIN Networks for their own work, even though there is an online searchable database on the UNITWIN website: https://www.unesco.org/en/unitwin
To strengthen UNESCO’s internal capacity to work effectively with Chairs and Networks, the Organization should consider the following enabling actions:
· Foster interdisciplinarity and cross-sectoral communication across UNESCO sectors and within the UNITWIN/Chairs Programme;
· Facilitate partnership modalities between traditional and non-traditional actors, including collaborations across different types of UNESCO networks;
· Attract new partners by better communicating the strengths and strategic potential of the Chairs and Networks;
· Offer regular trainings and updates for UNESCO staff and Chairs/Networks on evolving partnership approaches;
· Create an interactive internal and external platform to facilitate real-time exchange, visibility, and matchmaking between UNESCO staff and Chairs/Networks;
· Schedule regular check-ins with Chair thematic focal points to assess strategic alignment, identify capacity gaps, and support cross-pollination of ideas across the network.
Q5: What does an effective and future-fit partnership look like to you – and how can UNESCO differentiate its value proposition
UNESCO’s partnership model should reflect the dual value of financial and non-financial contributions—with the latter being particularly important in the case of the UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs Programme. The value of knowledge and ideas is priceless to UNESCO’s current and future programming.
The UNESCO-L’Oréal partnership model is a good example of how a structured, visible collaboration can be built on both financial resources and intellectual capital. Chairs and Networks provide UNESCO with strategic assets such as foresight, high-level expertise, capacity building, and policy support, while also amplifying the Organization’s visibility and credibility.
The Programme is already future-fit in its scale and diversity, although achieving geographical balance is still challenging due to the historical imbalances and asymmetries of higher education itself. As of July 2025, the Network includes:
UNESCO Chairs and UNITWIN Networks in figures (8 July 2025)
1052 UNESCO Chairs
44 UNITWIN Networks
1000 Institutions in 130 Member States
Distribution of Chairs and Networks by Sector
Intersectoral 10%
Education 28%
Natural Sciences 25%
Social and Human Sciences 23%
Culture 14%
Communication and Information 7%
Gender Equality 2%
IOC 1%
Useful links:
· Website of the Programme UNESCO Chairs and UNITWIN Networks | UNESCO
· Video link https://youtu.be/A3K8zo7MSAY
Webinars UNESCO Chairs Working Sessions and Seminars | UNESCO
'Transforming Knowledge for Just and Sustainable Futures':
https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000387435.locale=en
'Transforming Knowledge for Africa’s Future':
https://www.unesco.org/en/transforming-knowledge-africas-future
Thank you, Keith, for this comprehensive and thoughtful contribution on behalf of the UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs Programme.
Your insights strongly reinforce the need to better recognize the strategic role of UNESCO Chairs and UNITWIN Networks as integral intellectual partners in advancing the Organization’s mandate. Your points on fostering interdisciplinarity, improving internal coordination, and capturing non-financial contributions — such as expertise, foresight, and capacity building — are well noted and will inform the refinement of the Strategy.
We especially appreciate the emphasis on making networks more visible, streamlining collaboration, and enabling knowledge exchange across sectors and partners. These recommendations are well aligned with feedback received thus far.
Thank you again for your active engagement and commitment to strengthening UNESCO’s partnerships!