In 1984 when the UNESCO Centre was created, Catalonia's international relations were not yet considered a priority by the Catalan Government or Catalan civil society. The UNESCO Centre aimed to contribute to opening up Catalan culture and language areas to international life and to be as present as possible in UNESCO.

The UNESCO Centre of Catalonia began modestly but grew until it became a new international model of organisations that have official relations with UNESCO. The Catalan experience has been observed and copied on all continents and the Centre's ability to develop UNESCO's programmes as part of a joint initiative between Paris and Barcelona is greatly admired.

Today, Catalonia's international relations and presence in organisations belonging to the United Nations system are a priority for the Catalan Government and Catalan civil society.