Network Meeting for UNESCO Category 2 Centers in Korea

The UNESCO Category 2 Centers in Korea gathered in Chungju on 10 March and hosted by International Centre of Martial Arts for Youth Development and Engagement (ICM).

UNESCO Category 2 Centers are international organizations established in accordance with an agreement between the government of a member state and UNESCO. It provides expertise in the implementation of UNESCO projects in the fields of education, science, culture, humanities and social sciences, and communication, to strengthen the capacity of member countries. The five Category 2 centers located in Korea include the Asia-Pacific Center of Education for International Understanding (APCEIU)), the International Information and Networking Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region (ICHCAP), the International Centre of Martial Arts for Youth Development and Engagement (ICM), the International Centre for Water Security and Sustainable Management (i-WSSM), and the International Centre for Documentary Heritage (ICDH). The Global Research and Training Centre for Internationally Designated Areas (GCIDA) and the International Centre for the Interpretation and Presentation of the World Heritage Sites (WHIPIC) are preparing to be established in Korea additionally, which were approved at the fortieth General Assembly of UNESCO last year.

The centers attended the meeting shared this year’s business plans and current issues, and sought opportunities for joint projects that could exert synergy based on the expertise of each organization. In addition, the UNESCO Category 2 Centers Council was formed to pledge to cross-disciplinary convergence cooperation. When the council is formed, it is expected that human resources and useful information will be actively exchanged as a driving force for more full-scale cooperation.

Keum Gi Hyung, Director-General of ICHCAP, who served as the first secretariat of the Council, expressed his expectation that “through productive and pragmatic solidarity, Category 2 Centers with the same purposes will develop together and raise their status in the international arena.”