The Egyptian National Commission and UNESCO

According to the organization's website, UNESCO has been partnered with The Egyptian National Commision for a variety of projects. The Egyptian Commission co-operates with Arab National Commissions through the regular exchange of information, publications and training of staff members. "The National Commission also collaborates with the UNESCO Field Offices in Cairo, Egypt, in the implementation of program activities and in the organization of seminars and training courses," the website stated.


To narrow in on a specific example of how The Egyptain National Commision has partnered with UNESCO, I will focus on their joint collaboration with the Entrepreneurship Education (EPE) in the Arab Region. In 1974 Egypt embarked on a wide restructuring reform of its economy, ending decades of public sector domination. The necessary changes took much longer and was more difficult than expected, and it is actually still in process. "One major area of the reform focused on reviving the entrepreneurial spirit and promoting the establishment and development of small and medium enterprises (SMEs)," states the article "Entrepreneurship Education in the Arab States" (73).

Entrepreneurship Education (EPE) in the Arab States is a joint project between UNESCO and

StratREAL Foundation which includes two main components. In summary, it collects

successful experiences of EPE from different countries of the region and provides technical support for the development of strategic plans to facilitate the incorporation of the concept of EPE in education systems. The report was prepared through an analytical process, in co-ordination with the Egyptian National Commission for UNESCO. Data were collected through an extensive review of related documents, as well as through interviews with "staff members of the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Higher Education, the Social Fund for Development, the ILO Sub-regional Office in Cairo and academics," the article explained (74).

In summary, UNESCO and The Egyptian National Commision have joined at many points in history to facilitate change in different areas of humanitarian efforts in the Arab Region. The program I focused on in this blog, EPE in education systems, is a great example of the values for global equality that UNESCO holds.  

"UNESCO.ORG.|Egypt." United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2010. <http://www.unesco.org/nac/geoportal.php?country=EG&language=E>.

"Entrepreneurship Education in the Arab States." Web. 29 Oct. 2010. http://www.unevoc.unesco.org