Public school administrators are quick to deny any sort of relationship between IB and the UN. But why? If IB supports the UN Charter and the educational philosophy of UNESCO in addition to receiving annual funding from the UN, what is the point of the denials?
From the Salt Lake Tribune: Paul Campbell, head of outreach for IB North America, said he's heard allegations about IB being anti-American before. He said, however, IB is neither anti-American nor connected to the U.N. Click HERE for article
It would seem that once again, IB has managed to influence the media by getting articles which reflect negatively on its program, removed from the Internet.
There's no nice way to put this. Mr. Campbell may have had a memory lapse. Not only is IB connected to the UN, it is officially recognized as an NGO (non-governmental organization) affiliated with the UN and has signed on to UNESCO's "Peace Education" initiative through the year 2010. Click HERE for document.
The IB in partnership with governments and inter-governmental organizations
UNESCO The IB has been recognized as a NGO of UNESCO since 1970 and currently has the status of "formal consultative relations as a network" with UNESCO. IB representatives participate regularly in UNESCO meetings and comment on UNESCO proposals in education. Some projects have received UNESCO funding—see Cambodia and Nigeria in the list of partnerships (126 kb, PDF) and exchanges with governments and inter-governmental organizations (IGOs).
So there you have it. IB partners with and has received funding from UNESCO. We invite readers to review IBO's infamous Myths vs. Facts document and decide for yourselves whether IBO is a bit confused about the definitions of myths vs. facts.
Note the reference to the UNESCO Manifesto 2000 in the Peace Education agreement. Who are some of the "signers" of this idealistic manifesto attempting to elicit world SOLIDARITY? Russia, Venezuela; but noticeably absent is the U.S.A. - Click HERE for Press Release.
The ties are undeniable. But IB will continue to try to obfuscate its very cozy UNESCO relationship very the simple FACT that it is objectionable to many Americans.
IBO Director Walker Blames Bush for UN Failures
Speaking of palling around, did you hear about the time former IBO Director General George Walker met with Kofi Annan (yes, the same UN Food for Oil Scandal Kofi Annan) to ask for money for an IB school in Baghdad? TruthAboutIB.com CANNOT make this stuff up, folks. Click HERE for the document which comes directly from the IBO's own website:
"I am not going to talk about the IB, you will be very relieved to hear! ...[snip]..... The lunch was held in the United Nations headquarters where the chairman was a very senior official in fact he was in charge of the UN's peace keeping operations and after lunch he showed me around the building allowing me to stand, I remember, on the podium of the General Assembly, on the very spot from which so many famous people have addressed the world. He also insisted on showing me the lounge outside the General Assembly where, he said, the real work of quiet and careful diplomacy took place over a cup of coffee or a glass of wine.
He was a kind, gentle and clearly very astute man, a Ghanaian, and I expect by now you have guessed that his name was Kofi Annan. A few years later he became the UN's Secretary General and he is now in his second term of office and generally reckoned to be the most successful person ever to hold that challenging post. It is particularly sad, then, that it should be under Kofi Annan's leadership that the UN has been so abused, to the point where its future is seriously at risk. It is right to criticize the politicians?the combination of Bush, Blair, Chirac, Putin and Schröder has proved more than the UN can handle but I am also going to suggest that the diplomats must take some of the blame for the fiasco of the Security Council's handling of the Iraq crisis."
- George Walker, former IBO Director General
Two excellent articles by Mr. Tom DeWeese on the subject: