UNESCO Headquarters in Paris

UNESCO management, like that of other multilateral agencies, is concerned that the organization maintains a fair balance of staff from its member nations. It uses a formula to calculate the approximate number of staff members it should have from each nation. In the case of the United States, it has estimated that there should be between 46 and 76 citizens on its staff. As of March, 2006 there were 32. Thus UNESCO might reasonably add a number of Americans to its staff!

A first place to start is the UNESCO Employment page. It not only provides information on job openings, but also provides a wealth of general information for those interested in a career with UNESCO.

The State Department has made placing U.S. citizens in UNESCO positions a priority. The Permanent Mission of the United States to UNESCO maintains a webpage on UNESCO employment opportunities. The secretariat of the U.S. National Commission for UNESCO also maintains a webpage on employment (which includes information on Fellowship programs). The National Commission newsletter, which is published quarterly, identifies especially interesting posts that become available at its publication date. It is suggested that U.S. citizens interested in applying for such positions inform either the staff of the U.S. National Commission for UNESCO or the staff of the U.S. Mission to UNESCO in Paris. They might be helpful in providing information to the applicants, and in supporting the application.

The Department of State maintains a website for U.S Citizens:

Employment Opportunities in the UN and Other Organizations.

Currently it contains in addition to selected international vacancy announcements of particular interest to the Department of State:

• The UN Common System of Salaries, Allowances and Benefits [Booklet; PDF:162 KB]

• Employment Opportunities for U.S. Citizens in International Organizations (brochure)

• Fact Sheet: UN Employment

• United Nations and Other International Organizations: Postal Addresses, Internet Sites, and Contacts

Click here for some more thoughts on getting a job with UNESCO. Of course, contact us at Americans for UNESCO if we can be of help.

The Association of Former Staff Members of UNESCO maintains a website, and publishes an online newsletter. It might be a useful vehicle for networking with and for learning about UNESCO from those who have worked there in the past.