The Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO) is a Tunis-based specialized institution working under the umbrella of the League of Arab States. It is essentially concerned with the development and coordination of the activities related to education, culture and sciences in the Arab World. It was established by virtue of Article 3 of the Arab Cultural Unity Charter, and was officially announced in Cairo on July 25, 1970.

As stated in Article One of its Constitution, ALECSO was established with the aim of promoting Arab intellectual unity through education, culture and sciences, and enhancing the educational, cultural and scientific level in the Arab World so that it can positively contribute to universal civilization.

The purpose of establishing the organization, as stated in Article 1 of its constitution, is to enable intellectual unity among parts of the Arab world through education, culture and science, and to raise the cultural level so that it can fulfill its duty in pursuing global civilization and participating positively in it. Within the framework of this general goal, the Arab Organization for Education, Culture and Science undertakes a number of tasks, the most prominent of which is working to raise the level of human resources in the Arab countries and advancing the causes of educational, cultural, scientific, environmental and communication development therein, developing the Arabic language and Arab-Islamic culture inside and outside the Arab world, and building bridges of dialogue and cooperation between this culture and other cultures in the world.

ALECSO includes twenty-two member countries, and its organizational structure consists of the following elements:

1- Legislative structure:

It is represented by the General Conference (held once every two years) and the Executive Board (held at least three regular meetings during each financial session).

2- Executive structure:

It includes the Director General (elected by the General Conference for a period of four years, renewable once) and the Assistant Director General.

3- The technical and administrative structure includes:

Office of the Director General - Secretariat of the Executive Council and the General Conference - Department of Education - Department of Culture - Department of Science and Scientific Research - Department of Information and Communication - Department of Administrative and Financial Affairs.

4- External devices:

1. Institute of Arab Research and Studies (Cairo)
2. Institute of Arabic Manuscripts (Cairo)
3. Arabization Coordination Office (Rabat)
4. Khartoum International Institute of Arabic Language (Khartoum)
5. The Arab Center for Arabization, Translation, Writing and Publishing (Damascus).

Member states are linked to the general administration of the organization through the national committees for education, culture and science in these countries and through the permanent delegates to the organization in Tunisia.