Close the Moscow Bureau UNESCO

The United Nations on Education, Science and Culture (UNESCO) in the second half of 2015 will close its bureau in Moscow.

This was announced by RIA Novosti by a constant representative of Russia under UNESCO Eleanor Mitrofanov. “UNESCO is in a difficult financial situation, so a decision was made to close the office in Moscow right now,” she said.

Mitrofanova noted that it is supposed to “expand the activities of the International Institute of Information Technology of UNESCO” in Moscow, and that “perhaps its director will be endowed with the authority, except for his direct duties, a representative of UNESCO in Russia”.

UNESCO was created in 1945, at present its members are 195 states. The USSR joined UNESCO in 1954, UNESCO Bureau in Moscow opened in 1994.

In 2002, the field of activity of the Moscow Bureau was expanded both technically and geographically: in addition to the Russian Federation, its activities apply to Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus and the Republic of Moldova. UNESCO Bureau in Moscow is the only cluster office of the organization in Europe and North America.