The official founding ceremony of the UNESCO Centre of Catalonia was held on 12 December 1984. The initial articles of association were registered at the Catalan Government's Directorate General for Law and Legal Entities of the Ministry of Justice on 25 February 1985 and were updated on 6 September 1996.

The Centre's working structure is organised around departments, areas and services. The departments generate thought and projects on linguistic diversity, religious diversity and dialogue, human rights and cultural diversity, education, heritage and sustainability. The content produced by the departments is given projection and visibility by four areas; the Consultancy, the Learning Centre, the Observatory and the coordination of the UNESCO Civil Network in Catalonia. The services provide support for the development of programmes.