General Conference
The General Conference is the highest political decision-making Body of UNESCO. It determines the policies and the main lines of work. It consists of the representatives of UNESCO Member States and meets regularly every two years. Each country has one vote, irrespective of its size or its contribution to the UNESCO budget. Its duty is to set up programmes and the budget of UNESCO. Apart from that, it also elects the members of the Executive Board and appoints the Director-General.
Executive Board
The Executive Board consists of 58 UNESCO Member States who are elected by the General Conference every four years. Member States are divided into 6 Electoral Groups (EG):
I. EG: 9 seats for the representatives of Western Europe and North America,
II. EG: 7 seats for the representatives of Eastern and Central Europe (Slovakia belongs to this EG),
III. EG: 10 seats for the representatives of the Caribbean and Latin America,
IV. EG: 12 seats for the representatives of Asia and the Pacific,
V(a). EG: 14 seats for the representatives of Africa,
V(b) EG: 6 seats for the representatives of Arab States.
The Executive Board ensures the overall management of UNESCO. It prepares the work for the General Conference and makes sure that the decisions which were already made are carried out properly. Its functions and responsibilities are primarily derived from the UNESCO Constitution and from the rules and directives laid down by the General Conference.
More information on this matter may be found here:
http://en.unesco.org/about-us/unescos-governing-bodies
