Our Expertise
UNESCO San José is responsible for working in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama around the Organization's five thematic areas: education, natural sciences, social and human sciences, culture, and communication & information.
It is only together that we will achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals!
Promoting Natural Sciences
We work to promote science as a common good, based on the principles of Open Science and a human rights-based approach to sustainable development with a particular focus on bridging STEM gaps.
We support countries in fostering cooperation and strengthening science for sustainability to address global challenges and develop inclusive and evidence-based STI policies. We promote science diplomacy and open science.
Main lines of action
Water Resource Conservation
At UNESCO San José we contribute to strengthening water security and improving knowledge, applying the principles of ecohydrology to contribute to sustainable water management.
We are aware that the economic, socio-cultural and environmental dimensions of water security are fundamental to advance SDG 6, based on increased scientific knowledge and science-based decision making.
We work on capacity building to improve management and governance by sharing knowledge and experiences on groundwater management in the region with an emphasis on transboundary waters.
The following programmes are carried out in this area:
Safeguarding UNESCO sites
We support the alliance between cultures and the environment, reconnecting humans with nature, preserving the harmony of healthy ecosystems, and strengthening solidarity and equity between generations.
The MAB Programme's vision of living in harmony with nature, on a healthy planet, for healthy people, is at the heart of transforming of development, society and the relationship with the planet in the wake of Covid-19 and other global crises.
Protection of cultural heritage
Cultural heritage is the legacy we have received from our ancestors and which we want to leave to future generations.
Tangible heritage refers to monuments and collections of objects. On the other hand, living heritage includes oral expressions, values, rituals, festive events and craft knowledge.
At the UNESCO Office in San José, we work to protect these cultural expressions, which help to preserve the identity of peoples and the roots of societies.
Strengthening creative economies
The creative economy refers to the set of economic activities based on knowledge, creativity, tradition and innovation, as well as technology, cultural heritage and the diversity of cultural expressions.
The creative economy encompasses the creative and cultural industries: all those activities that offer goods and services that, regardless of their commercial value, convey cultural content. Creativity is a renewable, sustainable and unlimited resource that can be found anywhere in the world, offering enormous opportunities to enhance inclusive economic development.
Promoting gender equality
We focus our actions on the prevention of violence affecting young people and especially women. In this sense, we work from a focus on the management of social transformations led by youth.
In addition, we work on the role of sport for peace and development and empowerment for the achievement of the 2030 Agenda, with special attention to gender equality. Target populations are addressed from an intersectionality approach.
Promoting communication
Freedom of expression is a fundamental human right for democracy, access to justice and the promotion of diversity. In this line we work on media development by supporting community media in the region and democratising information. Support focuses on building the capacities of community media in the region.
The groups provide tools for strengthening resilience and risk management in the face of digital attacks. In addition, cooperation agreements have been signed to establish dialogue mechanisms with the aim of reducing the number of attacks on journalists and strengthening the safety of the press.
