UNESCO Nairobi was created in 1965 to serve as a regional hub for Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) in Sub-Sahara Africa. 

Since UNESCO reformed the field network in 2011, the office covers are: Comoros, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Rwanda, Seychelles, Tanzania, Somalia, South Sudan and Uganda. 

In addition, UNESCO Nairobi host and coordinate UNESCO Institute of Statistics (UIS), Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), Intergovernmental Council of the International Hydrological Programme(IHP) and The Programme on Man and the Biosphere (MAB) to enhance its capacity to deliver intellectual and humanist response to globalization and emergencies, and with the extraction and transfer of knowledge needed to influence sustainable development of a member state’s legal, policy and implementation frameworks.