Corporate body

UNESCO. Division of International Development of Social Sciences

• UNESCO. Division du développement international des sciences sociales

• SS/IDS

1955 - 1984

From 1950 to 1952, there was a unit for Aid to International Scientific Collaboration within UNESCO’s Department of Social Sciences. The aim was to encourage the development of social sciences and their applications in every part of the world. Early efforts culminated in the creation of the UNESCO Institute for Social Sciences in Cologne, Germany, in 1951 and the establishment of the International Social Science Council in 1952. The UNESCO Secretariat unit was expanded to the Division of International Scientific Collaboration in 1953, and then renamed the Division of International Development of Social Sciences in 1955. The programme of UNESCO in the Social Sciences at this time was said to have two distinct but complementary aims: 1) to develop international organizations suited to carry out studies of social problems at an international level; and 2) to encourage the use of social science methods for practical solution of a number of these problems. The Division of International Development of Social Sciences was concerned with the first aim, and the Division of Applied Social Sciences was concerned with the second aim. The work of the Division of International Development of Social Sciences was organized around three principal tasks: cooperating with international social science organizations and institutions, including national bodies in member states; acting as a Clearing House for information and advisory services, including financing the publication of the International Social Science Bulletin/Journal (ISSJ, published since 1949); and, the improvement of social science documentation and terminology. By the early 1960s, the Division was also working on Participation Programme and Technical Assistance requests, as well as programme activities on the teaching of social sciences and the development of social science research methods and techniques. The latter activity was eventually expanded so that a Division for Social Science Methods and Analysis was created in the early 1970s. The Division’s work for this period also concentrated on the preparation and publication of the two volumes of Main Trends of Research in the Social and Human Sciences that appeared in 1970 (Part One) and 1978 (Part Two).

The Secretariat as a whole was reorganized in 1975-1976 and the Sector for Social Sciences, Humanities and Culture was dissolved and in its place a Sector for Social Sciences and their Applications and a Sector for Culture and Communication were created. At this time, the Division “held responsibility for two rather distinct parts of the program: fully international and regional projects, incuding relations with the professional associations, FLACSO, the Vienna Center and certain other institutions and documentation and information activities, including the Social Science Documentation Centre with its DARE Data Bank, the ISSJ and projects in terminology and primary data fields” (Lengyel, 1986). The Division of International Development of Social Sciences (SS/IDS) remained steady until 1984 when the Sector was renamed the Sector of Social and Human Sciences and the Division was dissolved. Activities on research, training and international co-operation in the social and human sciences were distributed between all divisions in the Sector as well as to field offices in the Programme and Budget for 1986-1987.

In 1990, the Unit for the Institutional Development of the Social and Human Sciences (SHS/IST) was reintroduced directly in the Office of the Assistant Director-General. The Unit was: “responsible for fostering international co-operation with a view to the development of knowledge and, more specifically, for promoting the improvement of training and research programmes in Member States; improving and enhancing co-operation among specialized networks representative of the international intellectual and scientific community; and promoting information and documentation in the social and human sciences. In particular, it will have the task of developing co-operation with the relevant NGOs, especially ICPHS and ISSC” (UNESCO, 1990). The Unit became the Division of International Development of Social and Human Sciences (SHS/IDS) in 1993. When the Sector as a whole was reorganized in 1994, it was replaced by the new Division of Social Science, Research and Policy (SHS/SRP).

The Division of International Development of Social and Human Sciences and its predecessors and successors had the following heads: Kazimierz Szczerba-Likiernik, [Acting 1950-1956], 1957-1961; Georgi Skorov, 1961-1963; Samy Friedman, 1963-1967; Anatoli Glinkine, 1968-1972; Vladimir V. Mshvenieradze, 1972-1978; Ruben Santos Cuyugan, 1980-1984; and, Ali Kazancigil, 1990-1994.

Created after review by Chief Archivist, AWT, 5-8-2015. Revised with addition of 1986 Lengyel source, AWT, 24-08-2015.

-Lengyel, Peter. (1986). International social science: the Unesco experience. New Brunswick, N.J.; Oxford, UK, Transaction Books.
-UNESCO. (1994). The Social and Human Sciences Sector. 22 April 1994. DG/Note/94/20. UNESCO Archives, AG 6 Secretariat Documents.
-UNESCO. (1990). Reforms with a view to implementing the new Medium-term Plan adopted by the General Conference at its twenty-fifth session. 28 February 1990. DG/NOTE/90/2. Available online in UNESDOC, accessed 4-03-2015 : http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0021/002189/218944eo.pdf
-UNESCO. (1985). Restructuration du Secrétariat. 27 juillet 1985. DG/Note/85/18. Archives de l’UNESCO, AG 6 Documents du Secrétariat.
-UNESCO. (1976). Création du Secteur des sciences sociales et de leurs applications et du Secteur de la culture et de la communication. 16 mars 1976. DG/NOTE/76/3. Archives de l’UNESCO, AG 6 Documents du Secrétariat.
-UNESCO. General Conference, 23rd Session. (1986). Approved Programme and budget for 1986-1987. 23 C/5 Approved. Available online in UNESDOC, accessed 25-03-2015: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0006/000685/068579eb.pdf
-UNESCO. General Conference, 11th Session. (1960). Proposed Programme and Budget for 1961-1962. 11 C/5. Available online in UNESDOC, accessed 25-03-2015: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0016/001605/160500eb.pdf
-UNESCO. General Conference, 8th Session. (1954). Proposed Programme and Budget for 1955 and 1956. 8 C/5. Available online in UNESDOC, accessed 25-03-2015: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0016/001607/160777eb.pdf
-UNESCO Archives, AG 6: Secretariat Documents, Staff Lists.