Following on from the work of the UNESCO Chair, the UNESCO Centre was established formally in February 2001 and was marked by the visit of the Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura and the Northern Ireland Minister for Further and Higher Education, Dr Séan Farren. The Centre is a recognised research centre within the University and has received significant funding from a variety of international bodies which has allowed the centre to complete an impressive body of work, both research and development, and allows them to continue to do so today.