Article 1
Introductory provisions

1.  The Statutes of the Slovak Commission for UNESCO (hereafter referred to as the "Statutes") shall govern the scope and composition of the Slovak Commission for  
     UNESCO (hereafter referred to as the "Commission"), and cooperation with legal and natural persons whose activities relate to the activities of the Slovak Republic in  
     UNESCO.
2.  The Commission is an advisory body to the Government of the Slovak Republic in matters relating the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation 
     and the Slovak Republic's relations with that organisation.
3.  The Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic shall be responsible for material and administrative-and-organisational arrangements for the 
     Commission's work.
 
Article 2
Scope
 
The Commission shall perform the function of a national commission for UNESCO in accordance with Article VII of the UNESCO Constitution and the Charter of national commissions for UNESCO, in particular it shall:

          a)   at a national level, initiate and coordinate cooperation among all relevant entities concerning in matters concerning UNESCO,
          b)   initiate and assess the preparation of projects covering matters related to UNESCO,
          c)   raise awareness of UNESCO activities among all entities of the Slovak Republic, including civil society and the private sector,
          d)   mobilise, enrol and cooperate with experts from the relevant ministries, interested institutions and organisations, academia, non-governmental organisations,
                individuals and the private sector,
          e)   monitor decisions taken by the UNESCO expert bodies, cooperating with international actors, and oversee the fulfilment of Slovakia's commitments arising from 
                conventions binding upon the Slovak Republic,
          f)    facilitate the involvement of the Slovak Republic, its institutions and individuals in the preparation, planning, implementation and use of UNESCO programmes,
                notably in the areas of education, science and research, youth, the environment, tourism and cultural heritage protection, culture and cultural diversity, digital
                technologies, communication and information technology, freedom of speech protection, humanities, 
         g)    contribute to technical preparation of the Slovak Republic for meetings of the General Conference, the Executive Board, intergovernmental committees of
                UNESCO and other conferences and activities organised by UNESCO and its specialised bodies,
         h)    establish advisory bodies to the Commission,
          i)    cooperate with the Slovak Republic's candidates to UNESCO subsidiary bodies,
          j)    take the auspice, in justified cases, over projects relating to UNESCO,
         k)    establish partnerships with non-governmental organisations operating in the areas where UNESCO is active and strengthen cooperation with civil society,
          l)    develop partnerships with donors as a means of actively seeking out-of-budget sources of funding from the private sector,
        m)    cooperate with the Permanent Representative of the Slovak Republic to UNESCO and operate autonomously at national level in UNESCO while respecting the
                mandate and authority of Permanent Representative of the Slovak Republic to UNESCO,
         n)    cooperate with other national commissions,
         o)    report to the Government of the Slovak Republic on an annual basis,
         p)    send the activity report to UNESCO Secretariat in compliance with the duties and responsibilities of national commissions.
 
 Article 3
Commission composition
 
The Commission is an operational body and carries its duties and responsibilities on an ongoing basis daily. It has a maximum of 21 members and its Secretary-General is responsible for the Commission's activities and represents its externally.
 

1.     Members of the Commission are as follows:
       a) representatives of the ministries with briefs relating to UNESCO,
       b) representatives of institutions, non-governmental organisations and individuals whose activities relate to UNESCO.
2.     Members of the Commission shall be appointed and recalled by the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic. The term of the 
       Commission is four years.
3.     Under Article 3.1.a the members of the Commission shall be appointed and recalled on the basis of a motion by Minister of the ministry involved in 
       implementing the UNESCO programme.
4.    The list of entities that have their representative on the Commission in accordance with Article 3.1.b is approved and updated by the Minister of Foreign
      and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic on the basis of proposals by the relevant ministries and interested institutions.
5.     In his capacity as the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic, the Minister is the chairman of the Commission.

Article 4
 
The legal and natural persons whose activities relate to the duties and responsibilities of the Slovak Republic in UNESCO and are expected to work with the Commission, notably those represented on:

            a) the Expert Advisory Board,
            b) the Commission Partners Forum,
            c) the Committees for intergovernmental and international UNESCO programmes (hereinafter referred to as "Committees"),
            d) the UNESCO Information and Publication Centre.

Article 5
Expert Advisory Board
 

1. The Expert Advisory Board is a subsidiary body of the Commission. The Board shall meet as required, at least four times a year. The Board shall discuss and address the Commission's operational tasks and act on its behalf in all matters for which it has been empowered by the Commission. The Board shall prepare meetings of the Commission Partners Forum, submit proposals for the Slovak Republic's participation in UNESCO General Conference, UNESCO Executive Board and other meetings and events of UNESCO, submit proposals for the Commission taking the auspice over events in the Slovak Republic and granting financial support.  It shall recommend the Slovak Republic's candidates to UNESCO advisory bodies, as well as involvement of the Slovak Republic in the individual programmes of UNESCO. The Board shall propose candidates for nominations for the UNESCO prize.
2. The Expert Advisory Board comprises experts of the Slovak Republic on UNESCO committees, the Permanent Delegation of the Slovak Republic to UNESCO, experts of intergovernmental and international UNESCO programmes, representatives of Slovenska akademia vied (the Slovak Academy of Sciences), Slovenska akademia podohospodarskych vied (the Slovak Academy of Agricultural Sciences), Univerzitna kniznica v Bratislave (University Library in Bratislava), Tlacova agentura Slovenskej Republiky (the News Agency of the Slovak Republic), representatives from the area of work with youth, youth representatives, and others.
3. Members of the Expert Advisory Board shall be appointed for a term of four years and recalled by the Chairman of the Commission upon the proposal of the Commission.

  
 Article 6
Commission Partners Forum
 

1. The Commission Partners Forum is the assembly of all representatives of national entities active in the field of the UNESCO scope. The Forum shall be convened by the Commission Secretary-General. It usually meets once a year.
2. The Forum shall discuss proposals for cooperation, propose projects, call for topics and themes, and serve as a platform for discussing all activities carried out by the Commission. It does not have decision-making powers.

  
 Article 7
Committees
 
Committees are technical advisory bodies of the Commission dealing with the implementation of the UNESCO programmes in the Slovak Republic.
 

1. They shall participate in the work of the UNESCO intergovernmental committees, and if interested  or if they have achieved outstanding expert results, Committee members shall run for positions of members in the relevant UNESCO technical committees.
2. They shall comprise experts who have expressed interest in working in the given committee. Upon the authorisation by the Commission, members of new committees shall be proposed by a renowned expert in the corresponding UNESCO field of work.
3. Committee members shall elect one of their number as the chairman of the committee, who at the same time shall also become a member of the Commission. The term of committees shall be four years. Activities and structure of the committees shall be governed by their respective internal rules in accordance with the rules of the relevant UNESCO international committees.

  
 Article 8
UNESCO Information and Publication Centre
 

1. The Centre is the national coordinator of UNESCO clubs and UNESCO associated schools in the Slovak Republic.
2. The Head of the Centre is a member of the Commission

  
Article 9
Commission Secretariat
 
The Secretariat of the Commission is an executive professional body of the Commission, which provides for the work of the Commission in administrative and organisational terms. The Commission Secretariat is a part of the organisational structure of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic.

    1. The status, principles of work and management of the Commission Secretariat shall be governed by the internal rules of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs 
        of the Slovak Republic.
    2. The Commission Secretariat is headed by the Secretary-General.
 
 
Article 10
Secretary-General
    
 Article 11
Decision making in the Commission
 
The Commissions shall adopt decisions by a simple majority of Commission Members votes. Details shall be laid down by the Commission Organisational Rules.
 
Article 12
Common and transitional provisions

1.   At the first meeting of the Commission, the Commission Members shall approve the Commission Organisational Rules and the Commission Secretariat shall submit 
      these rules to the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic for his approval.
2.  The Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic shall appoint new organisational units of the Commission in accordance with the Statutes as of 1 
     October 2016.3. 
3.  All the existing organisational units of the Commission shall be repealed upon the Statutes coming into force.
4. The Statutes approved by the Government of the Slovak Republic in its Resolution No. 6 of 12 January 1993 shall be repealed on 30 September 2016.

 Article 13
Entry into force
 
The Statutes shall enter into force on 1 October 2016.