United States Mission to UNESCO

Forest Whitaker at UNESCO's 2011 Youth Forum

The U.S. Mission works with the Social and Human Sciences (SHS) sector and member states to focus SHS efforts on education and capacity development in order to better assist countries addressing ethical questions and formulating social policy research on issues within UNESCO's mandate.

The United States was actively involved in the development of the Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights, which was adopted by UNESCO at the 2005 General Conference. During negotiations, the U.S. worked to ensure that the declaration included respect for the life of human beings and that its bioethical principles are focused on biomedical issues.