Institutes and Centres for Communication and Information
UNESCO's actions to build inclusive knowledge societies are being complemented by the work of Institutes and Centres. These entities funded by Member States carry out activities which contribute to the achievement of UNESCO's strategic programme objectives.
Through capacity-building, knowledge sharing and research, they provide a valuable contribution to the implementation of UNESCO's Communication and Information Programme for the benefits of Member States.
Though they are not legally part of the Organization, these Institutes and Centre are associated with UNESCO through formal arrangements.
Requests for the establishment of these Institutes and Centres emanate from Member States. The Executive Board then examines the individual application alongside a feasibility study, before forwarding recommendations to the General Conference which decides on their establishment.
Centres complying with the 2019 Strategy adopted by the UNESCO General Conference at its 40th session, are defined as Category 2 Institutes and Centres under the auspices of UNESCO.
The following Category 2 Centres contribute to the implementation of programmes under the Communication and Information Sector:
International Centre for Documentary Heritage (ICDH)
Location: Cheongju City, Republic of Korea
The Centre aims to provide a central hub for research, education, training and policy development in the area of documentary heritage, and bring an international perspective to developing solutions to challenges in preservation and access. It works to raise awareness about the critical importance of documentary heritage for maintaining civilization and safeguarding culture worldwide; and facilitates the implementation of the 2015 Recommendation concerning the Preservation of, and Access to, Documentary Heritage including in Digital Form.
Website: International Centre for Documentary Heritage
UNESCO contact: Ms Philip Shin, Loaned Expert, Communication and Information Sector
International Research Centre on Artificial Intelligence (IRCAI)
Location: Ljubljana, Slovenia
The Centre functions as a network of institutions and experts across the world, and as a clearinghouse for global AI projects. It strives to foster open and transparent dialogue on AI with the aim of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To advance sustained reflection on AI and the SDGs, IRCAI has established expert committees for each SDG, including in relation to education, assistive technologies, waste management, climate change, circular economy, and measurement of SDG indicators.
Website: International Research Centre on Artificial Intelligence
UNESCO contact: Mr Prateek Sibal, Programme Specialist, Communication and Information Sector
Regional Centre for Library and Information Systems and Current Research Information Systems (IZUM)
Location: Maribor, Slovenia
The Institute of Information Science (IZUM) is engaged in the development and operation of the Co-operative Online Bibliographic System and Services (COBISS), which represents the core of the library information system in Slovenia and in six other countries of the region, linked in the COBISS network (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia). It also coordinates the development of standards and ensures software development to meet the corresponding requirements.
Website: The Institute of Information Science (IZUM)
UNESCO contact: Mr Bhanu Neupane, Programme Specialist, Communication and Information Sector
Regional Centre for Information and Communication Technology (RCICT)
Location: Manama, Bahrain
The Centre contributes to the development of the Arab region, by harnessing the power of ICTs for creating capacity in knowledge sharing and acquisition, through the establishment of a knowledge hub for the six Member States of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Yemen. It serves as a laboratory of ideas and clearing house on ICTs for knowledge sharing, and also provides capacity-building and research in this field.
Website: Regional Centre for Information and Communication Technology
UNESCO contact: Ms Zeynep Varoglu, Programme Specialist, Communication and Information Sector
Regional Centre of Studies for the Development of the Information Society (CETIC)
Location: São Paulo, Brazil
The Centre supports Latin America and Portuguese-speaking African countries with studies on the progress and impact of building inclusive knowledge societies through information and communication. This is achieved by means of research undertaken on the use and impact of ICTs in education, science and culture. In addition to its capacity-building activities, the Centre also works as a clearing house in a number of fields related to ICTs and their impact.
Website: Regional Centre of Studies for the Development of the Information Society - Cetic.br
UNESCO contact: Mr Davide Storti, Programme Specialist, Communication and Information Sector
Vigdis International Centre for Multilingualism and Intercultural Understanding
Place: Reykjavík, Iceland
The Centre works to promote multilingualism in order to further understanding, exchange and respect between cultures; and raises awareness of the importance of language as a core element of the cultural heritage of humanity. It promotes translation and translation studies to foster cultural diversity and intercultural understanding; and contributes to preservation of languages and to worldwide monitoring of the implementation of language policies and language planning.
Website: Vigdís International Centre for Multilingualism and Intercultural Understanding
UNESCO contact: Mr Bhanu Neupane, Programme Specialist, Communication and Information Sector