The UNESCO Constitution Anniversary commemorates November 16, 1945, when representatives of 44 nations adopted the founding constitution of UNESCO in London, establishing its immortal mission: 'Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must be constructed.'
In the immediate aftermath of World War II, as humanity surveyed the cataclysmic ruins of totalitarianism, genocide, and total war, Allied ministers of education convened in London from November 1 to 16, 1945. British Prime Minister Clement Attlee and poet Archibald MacLeish helped draft the preamble of the UNESCO Constitution, signed on November 16, 1945. The founders recognized that political and economic treaties alone were insufficient to secure lasting world peace; peace must be founded upon the intellectual and moral solidarity of mankind. Since its entry into force in 1946, UNESCO has spearheaded global literacy campaigns, established the World Heritage Convention (1972) preserving over 1,100 natural and cultural treasures, protected endangered indigenous languages, defended scientific freedom, and championed open educational resources.
