* Towards Knowledge Societies (The First UNESCO World Report)
* "Communication: from information society to knowledge societies" (The UNESCO Courier, Oct. 2003)
* Knowledge Societies and Culture
* Infosheet (PDF Format)
"The World Program for Human Rights Education (from 2005 onwards) aims at encouraging the development of sustainable national strategies and programs in human rights education.This international trend highlights a consensus that the education system plays a vital role in fostering respect, participation, equality and non-discrimination in our societies.
It is important to bear in mind, however, that international programs can only support – and not substitute for – committed, vigorous and concerted national action. United Nations programs acquire real value only if national and local actors take responsibility for implementing them in their communities, and use them as mobilization and advocacy tools.
©Permament Delegation of the U.S. to UNESCOAt the Closing Plenary Session of the Fulbright New Century Scholar (NCS) Symposium at UNESCO in Paris, Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs, Dina Habib Powell announced the creation of two new U.S. initiatives: an International Fulbright Science and Technology Award, and an International Fusion Arts Exchange Program. Both programs will enable young people from different countries to come together for academic exchange at American universities.
The closing plenary session was hosted by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the U.S. Permanent Mission to UNESCO. The Fulbright New Century Scholars program is sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the United States Department of State.
Dina Powell reminded her audience that:
“The U.S. recently worked within UNESCO and the OECD to develop guidelines for quality provision in cross border higher education, helping to share information and build capacity to promote international educational exchanges”,
before announcing:
“So we decided to create a new International Fulbright Science and Technology Award, which will bring outstanding international students to our country to study for Ph.D.'s in science and technology. "
She added:
“The arts create common understanding that transcends language and borders. Music is especially effective in this role and speaks very powerfully to young people. Since one of our primary goals is to reach young people internationally, what better way to do this, we thought, than through an exchange in music?
So I am absolutely delighted today to announce, here at UNESCO, the creation of a new international exchange, the Fusion Arts Exchange, that will allow young people from different countries to learn about, compose and perform popular music together. We will bring university students from countries with especially rich musical traditions-such India, South Africa, Mali, Brazil, and Ireland just to name a few-with American students, to study and work together at a U.S. university with a world-renowned music study program and facilities. They will look at international and U.S. musical traditions and composition, learn about careers and economic development opportunities for their societies in music-related fields, and have the chance to compose and perform together and develop on-going collaborations.”
Check out the series of UNESCO thematic publication on education! The objective of these newsletters, briefs, journals, and bulletins is to provide a forum for disseminating newsworthy information on Education activities, experiences, best practices, etc… to facilitate the work of practitioners and education advocates. Reports marked by (*) are also available in selected languages.
Highlights country (Thailand) and regional news on Adolescent Reproductive and Sexual Health (ARSH) resources.
International Review of EducationInternational journal on the comparative theory and practice of formal and non-formal education.
Information and Communication Technologies in Education Newsletter:
Provides the latest information on educational planning and management.
A scholarly publication dealing with major problems and trends in contemporary higher education.
Provides information on the work of UNESCO in the field of social and human sciences. It is available both in printed and electronic form.
Informative newsletter of the UNESCO Office for Education in Latin America and the Caribbean.
* Remembering Jack Fobes
* Tributes to John Fobes by Koïchiro Matsuura and Paul Schafer
* Jack Fobes: Lien-Link Memorial Articles
* Dr. Zvi Bekerman, Truman Institute and Melton Center, Hebrew UniversityComment: This event, organized by a UNESCO chair, illustrates how UNESCO can catalyze action to promote peace with very little expense drawn from its own budget.
Some things on integration and its pedagogies: Research findings in the Palestinian Jewish bilingual integrated schools in Israel
* Dr. Gabriel Salomon, Center for Research on Peace Education, University of Haifa
The challenge facing environmental and peace education: Sustaining the change
The Governments of the States Parties to this Constitution on behalf of their peoples declare:
That since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defenses of peace must be constructed;
That ignorance of each other's ways and lives has been a common cause, throughout the history of mankind, of that suspicion and mistrust between the peoples of the world through which their differences have all too often broken into war;UNESCO Constitution
* Peace is reverence for life.
* Peace is the most precious possession of humanity.
* Peace is more than the end of armed conflict.
* Peace is a mode of behaviour.
* Peace is a deep-rooted commitment to the principles of liberty, justice, equality and solidarity among all human beings.
* Peace is also a harmonious partnership of humankind with the environment.
* Today, on the eve of the twenty-first century, peace is within our reach.
The 2006 UNIVERSITY TWINNING and networking scheme “UNITWIN” directory is now available online. It is an important networking tool for one of UNESCO’s major education networks.Over the last fourteen years the UNITWIN Program has developed into a truly worldwide, inter-university co-operation scheme based on interdisciplinarity, intersectoriality and networking. It has since become one of the major intersectorial Programs and an integral part of activities developed by UNESCO various Sectors, services and Field Offices.
Today 584 UNESCO Chairs and 66 UNITWIN Networks have been in the Program involving over 700 institutions in 124 countries. It contains full information on each of reporting Chairs and Networks covering 70 disciplines and identifies the contact persons, partners, events and publications for each one.
Download
UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs Program, Ten Years of Action: Case studies (2005)
Procedures for the UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs Program
Guidelines for Submission of Project Proposals
The International Convention against Doping in Sport; safeguarding traditional sports and games; boosting physical education and sport at school; and sport and human values are among topics that UNESCO will present at the 5th World Forum on Sport, Education and Culture, 22 to 24 October at the International Conference Centre in Beijing. Organized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games (BOCOG) in partnership with UNESCO, the Forum will elaborate on the theme of “Sport and a World of Harmony.” About 800 participants coming from every continent are expected to attend.
Serhiy Bubka, UNESCO Champion for Sport, will address the first plenary session on “Cultural and educational perspectives of the Olympic Games.”
Olympism and multiculturalism, sport and social harmony and the future of the Olympic movement are some of the issues that participants will debate during the sessions. They will also review the preparation of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and visit Olympic sites.
The conference is open to representatives of organizations, both governmental and non-governmental, concerned with sport, education and culture, representatives of the United Nations system and universities as well as of the Olympic family, particularly National Olympic Committees, International Sports Federations, Olympic Games Organizing Committees, Applicant Cities and Olympic sponsors. Cultural organizations and the media are also invited.
This Forum follows on the one held in June 2004 in Barcelona (Spain) as part of the 2004 Universal Forum of Cultures.
Check out UNESCO and Indigenous Peoples: Partnership to Promote Cultural Diversity!
* UNESCO's Antipoverty Portal
* Commemorative Activities at UNESCO
* Interview with Monique Ilboudo (Burkina Faso): "Poverty is disregard for human rights"
* Poverty in SHS Views 14 [ PDF ]
In our increasingly diverse societies, it is essential to ensure harmonious interaction among people and groups with plural and varied cultural identities as well as their willingness to live together. Therefore the fostering of dialogue among cultures and peoples, can only occur on the basis of the recognition of and respect for cultural diversity. In this context, UNESCO advocates for inclusive and participatory policies as a guarantee of social cohesion, the vitality of civil society and peace.
Roads of Dialogue
The concept of “roads” or “routes” has been at the heart of many of the Organizations’s intercultural dialogue projects. Roads are itineraries by which individual travelers or communities have conveyed their ideas and customs across continents and oceans. From the Silk Route to the Slave Route to the Iron Roads in Africa, history has shown us that routes are venues for the exchange of cultural experience, ideas, values and goods through art, trade and migrations.
A principal objective of a dialogue is to bridge the gap in knowledge about other civilizations, cultures and societies to undertake concrete activities, inspired and driven by dialogue, especially in the areas of education, cultural diversity and heritage, the sciences and communication and media.* Comments from the Acting Executive Director
* Greece hosts UNESCO Director General’s Region I Consultations with National Commissions
* Mrs. Laura Bush hosts the first-ever White House Conference on Global Literacy
* UNESCO Education Sector begins instituting management reforms
* Update on Overall Review Committee for Programmes II (Natural Sciences) and III (Social and Human Sciences)
* U.S. National Committee for the International Hydrological Program Agrees to host 2007 Regional Biannual Meeting
* UNESCO Chair at Cornell University assists in hosting networking event at UN-HABITAT Forum
* World Heritage Committee meets in Lithuania; Action Taken on Everglades
* Young Professionals Program opened for 2007
* UNESCO Job Vacancies
I assume that we all agree that our work must be guided by the democratic principles upon which UNESCO was founded 60 years ago: universality, diversity, justice, dignity, tolerance, respect for human rights and the rule of law—all essential ingredients for world peace.
I hope that we also agree that our work should be guided by the World Summit Outcome Document so that we do not duplicate work being done by other UN organizations.
As we look at the six overarching objectives proposed for the Medium Term Strategy, we see that “championing education for all” is at the top of the list. This is as it should be, for education is the top priority for all of us. Education plays a fundamental role in economic development, in the prevention of disease, and in promoting democracy and human dignity. Because UNESCO is the lead agency within the UN system for education, it is our duty and responsibility to help countries provide quality education to their citizens.
Regarding education, we would like to see an emphasis on five strategic program areas: literacy; civic education; teacher training; health education, especially HIV-AIDS; and higher education. We would also like to see an emphasis on gender parity.......
UNESCO has much to contribute in the area of culture. Given UNESCO’s commitment to cultural diversity, the United States urges UNESCO to promote genuine cultural diversity through programs that foster a free and open exchange of cultural expressions and products across the globe. Any program or policy that uses UNESCO’s name to hinder cultural exchange would run counter to the vision of the founders of this organization and counter to its intended mandate.
No UNESCO cultural program is more identified with UNESCO than the World Heritage program. The United States hopes that the somewhat overdue management audit of the World Heritage Center will be completed in time to inform the Medium Term Strategy.
I find it curious that the last of the overarching objectives in the draft Medium Term Strategy is “fostering mutual understanding, reconciliation and peace.” This is truly an intersectoral objective that lies at the heart of UNESCO’s work. This is a pre-eminent reason why UNESCO was established. This is why we still look to UNESCO to propose ideas to address the hatred, misunderstandings, and conflicts that still plague us sixty years after the Organization’s founding. This is an area where UNESCO’s role as a kind of UN “think tank” needs to be brought fully to bear......
As far as the budget is concerned, the comparative budget document distributed by the Secretariat shows that, thanks to the return of the United States, UNESCO’s budget rose from $544.4 million for the 2002-2003 biennium to $610 million for the 2004-2005 biennium. This large increase should be kept in mind as we discuss issues relating to the budget.
Mr. Director General, we do want to work with you, because we know how difficult it is to transform an intergovernmental organization like UNESCO into a revitalized, results-oriented institution. In order to be successful in this monumental task, we must all work together, with courage and persistence, as there are many pitfalls along the way that can derail the process of reform. This challenge is not for the faint-hearted, but fortunately we know that you, Mr. Director General, understand that despite all obstacles, UNESCO must continue to go down the path of reform if it is to become a more effective, influential, and respected member of the UN family.
In fact, since our return to UNESCO three years ago, the United States has observed that real progress has been made in a number of areas. Take literacy for example, an issue many countries have been working on for a long time. UNESCO can now support their efforts with an excellent literacy initiative that has the potential to improve the lives of millions of people, particularly women. Moreover, Mrs. Bush’s literacy conference has helped UNESCO gain heightened public recognition of its role as the UN’s lead agency for the Decade of Literacy. Mrs. Bush’s conference was designed to strengthen the international community’s political will that plays an essential part in the battle against illiteracy.......
The United States will actively support UNESCO’s regional meetings, as well as related programs in teacher training, gender parity, HIV-AIDS prevention, and reading materials and textbooks that emphasize tolerance and civic participation. UNESCO’s renewed focus on its educational initiatives, including its EFA Global Action Plan, sends a strong message to the international community that UNESCO has rededicated itself to its number one priority, education.
In order to achieve its goals, however, UNESCO’s Education Sector must have the skills, expertise, and resources that it needs, particularly in the field offices. We are confident that the new management plan will enable the Sector to strengthen the coherence of its programs, and will enhance accountability........
In both the public and private sectors, successful organizations constantly search for better and more cost-effective ways to conduct their business. In our view, the biggest challenge facing UNESCO is not the lack of resources, but the continued need for significant management and administrative reform. More funds for ineffective programs will simply produce more ineffective programs, and that will not help those countries and individuals that really need and deserve our assistance.
As we have said numerous times, UNESCO must focus on its priorities, and take full advantage of its multi-disciplinary organizational structure. Current programs should be evaluated to see if they are relevant and effective, and new initiatives supported only when it is clear that they are essential for the work of the organization. Furthermore, any new program should include a sunset clause that will automatically lead to the termination of that program unless there is a persuasive reason to have it renewed.
It seems clear that UNESCO should do whatever it can to encourage these growing tendencies toward making instructional materials and scholarly publications freely available on-line. These trends could have a major positive impact on the quality of tertiary education in developing countries. In some cases achieving wider access may require the modification of existing copyright law, but in many cases the need to change the law may be avoided by encouraging scholars and publishers to use more creative forms of licensing, which allow royalty-free re-use and distribution for non-commercial and educational purposes. UNESCO could be very helpful in disseminating information to its member nations about the availability of free on-line resources, and it could help to educate scholars and publishers about the new forms of licensing that are emerging to facilitate access.
Children in a Congo Refugee Camp• Increasing the protection of migrants through participation with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), as well as several NGOs, in an international campaign to encourage States to adhere to the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families;
• Improving national policies of the sending, transit and receiving countries, through promoting research and providing training for policy makers so that there is better management of the impact that migration has on societies;
• Promoting the value of and respect for cultural diversity in multicultural societies and improving the balance between policies that favor diversity and those that favor social integration, by developing initiatives that advocate consideration of the Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities (1992), and the UNESCO Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity;
• Supporting capacity-building, permanence and effectiveness of migrants’ networks as a means of promoting intellectual contribution – as against the current brain drain – through the use of new information and communication technologies; and
• Contributing to the global fight against human trafficking and the exploitation of migrants.
Several events will be organized at UNESCO Headquarters on 17 October to mark International Day for the Eradication of Poverty: at 5 p.m., at UNESCO in Room XII, a short film will be shown, following which an exhibition of photographs illustrating exemplary projects from around the world will be opened. The exhibition will run until 26 October in the Miró Room at UNESCO Headquarters. The current issue of SHS Views, the magazine of UNESCO’s Social and Human Sciences Sector, devotes several pages to the programme against poverty, which brings together all Sectors of the Organization. The issue also includes an interview with Monique Ilboudo, Burkina Faso’s Minister for the Promotion of Human Rights, who calls for the same recognition of economic, social and cultural rights to be given to political and civil rights, in order to overcome poverty.
See also
* UNESCO Anti-Poverty Portal
* Info-sheet on Eradication of Poverty
UNESCO will participate in SOCCEREX 2006, Business Convention for Football, which will be held 26-28 November 2006 in Dubai and marks the tenth anniversary of SOCCEREX. Sport is a universal language with an unparalleled ability to bring people together. For this reason, it is an important instrument for achieving human and social development and for promoting harmonious relations between countries. The growing number of organizations in the private sector showing interest in cooperating with UNESCO in the domain of physical education and Sport (PES) is remarkable. SOCCEREX, “the business convention for football worldwide”, is showing great interest in promoting the goals and objectives of UNESCO in the field of physical education and sport and especially in actions towards raising the profile of PES on the global level.
The cooperation proposed by SOCCEREX is founded on three principles: to help develop a greater visibility for UNESCO’s actions in the sports milieu, to facilitate cooperation with other actors in the private sector, and to help mobilise extra-budgetary resources with these parties.
UNESCO’s will be discussing their key objectives:
*To promote sport activities in a spirit of fair play, mutual respect, fairness, and good sportsmanship;
*To promote human rights and transmit values of tolerance, non-violence, equity inclusiveness and peace;
*To help achieve ‘quality physical education for all’ in formal and informal education systems;
*To preserve cultural identity and encourage cultural diversity through traditional sports and games;
*To guarantee the participation of women and people with disabilities in sport;
*To raise awareness to the health benefits of sport;
*To disseminate information on the risks of drug abuse, particularly of doping in sport.
As part of Soccerex, an exhibition of the works of the renowned Makis Warlamis is being planned, to highlight the importance of the secular link between culture and sport.
UNESCO designs and helps implementing projects worldwide aimed at addressing the following issues: traditional sports and games, quality physical education, women and sport, anti-doping, sport and HIV/AIDS.
Also of related interest:
*Our previous article on UNESCO and Sports: "Winning at Any Cost?", The September 2006 UNESCO-Courier issue
*The UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for Physical Education and Sport
*Sport for the Development of Peace: UNESCO and SHS
*International Charter for Physical Education and Sport
The book includes excerpts from a speech made by Alva Myrdal, first director of the UNESCO Social and Human Sciences Sector and later Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, on the occasion of UNESCO’s 25th anniversary. It also reflects and commemorates many other distinguished women, who have been associated with UNESCO, in different capacities, including:The full participation of women in social, cultural and economic development, and in democratic processes at all levels, is a moral imperative, a matter of human rights and justice, and a political exigency of the highest order.
Koïchiro Matsuura
Director-General of UNESCO
• Indira Gandhi, Member of the Executive Board, and Prime Minister of India (1966-77);Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, President of Liberia (the first democratically elected African woman president) spoke at UNESCO on the occasion of the International Women’s Day (8 March 2006). She considered the progress made by women, but noted:
• Maria de Lourdes Pintasilgo, Member of the Executive Board, and Prime Minister of Portugal (1979-80);
• Sophie N’Kanza, fi rst women Assistant Director-General for Social and Human Sciences in UNESCO and Minister of Social Affairs from the Democratic Republic of the Congo;
• Gabriela Mistral, Nobel Literature Prize Laureate (1945), Chile; involved with the International Committee of Intellectual Cooperation, predecessor of UNESCO in the League of Nations;
• Jeanne Hersch, first director of UNESCO’s Philosophy Section and renowned Swiss philosopher;
• Maria Montessori, Member of the Board of the UNESCO Institute for Education in Hamburg and renowned Italian educationalist.
These gains notwithstanding, women, in many parts of the world, have remained virtually excluded from the mainstream of decision making, while at the same time their tireless efforts to gain access to resources and opportunities continue to be undermined by the reluctance of their societies to show a demonstrated commitmentEmily Vargas-Baron just wrote me, about this book:
towards the goal of equality. … Women leaders will be expected to demonstrate at all times a willingness to break with the past, a commitment to serve and a determination to never relent in pursuing truth, justice, good governance and the rule of law.
This is a remarkable book! I just read the chapters written by women from Colombia, the US, and the Kyrgyz Republic (I recommend the latter especially for a window on UNESCO and the Soviet transition strains in Central Asia). Incredible stories and I have just begun... I would like to get a hard copy of this book. It is unblushingly supportive of UNESCO and its programs but as it does so, it reveals the roles of UNESCO, both current and potential, as well as the terrible strains in our world and the importance of women's eyes and action.
How do we adequately prepare students to be lifelong learners with the skills necessary to compete in a rapidly changing world?
The 2006 Information Literacy Summit
Monday, October 16, 2006, 8:30-2:30
National Education Association
1201 16th St. NW
Auditorium (Lower Level)
Washington, DC 20036
An international panel of experts in design, marketing and handicraft production have gathered across four regions in Asia to judge a record number of entries for the 2006 UNESCO Seal of Excellence in Handicrafts (referred to as the SEAL). 129 submissions were received from Southeast Asia.
Twenty-seven awards* were granted for the Southeast Asia region. Products will be displayed at the Bangkok International Gift fair between 17th and 22nd of October at Impact Exhibition Centre Hall.
SEAL was established to encourage craft-workers to use traditional skills and materials. The SEAL looks to ensure the continuation of traditional knowledge and the preservation of cultural diversity in the region. Submissions are reviewed against six key criteria, incorporating excellence, innovation, authenticity, marketability, eco-friendliness and social responsibility. By recognizing such attributes in craftsmanship, the program aims to set quality standards, raise international awareness and strengthen market demand for Asian handicraft products.
* See press release for full details of winners.
Check out the 2006 Awarded Products!
More on SEAL, Craft News and Events
Photo: Textile Weaving in Laos © UNESCO Bangkok
On October 5th, thirty five teachers from all over Pakistan gathered to receive cash awards, medals and certificates for ’Best Teacher’ as part of commemorations for International Teachers’ Day last week. The 35 winners include 16 female teachers and 19 male teachers.
Within the framework of "Education For All" and "Quality Education" goals, as well as in support of strategies to safeguard cultural diversity, UNESCO is endeavouring to mainstream the arts, creativity and culture in educational systems throughout the world. Encouraging development of the arts by means of art education is one way of promoting cultural diversity. Young people are a natural target for action programmes aimed at bringing about democratization in art and culture. The teaching of artistic and cultural disciplines should therefore be encouraged: not only music and the plastic arts but also dance, theatre, poetry and the oral tradition.
For more information, visit:
The Literacy Project, a web-based resource for teachers, literacy organizations and anyone interested in the promotion of reading and education, was launched in conjunction with the start of the Frankfurt Book Fair on October 4th, 2006. The Literacy Project enables users to access and share literacy resources from around the world - from e-learning videos and books about literacy, to scholarly articles, reading groups, and literacy-related blogs. Visitors can also use the Google Maps function to search for literacy organizations around the globe. The site is available in both English and German.
The aim of this site reflects one of the key missions of UNESCO, and in particular of its Institute for Lifelong Learning: "to promote literacy, build capacity and enhance access to information about the issue", said Adama Ouane, Director, UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL).
Google has already invited academic communities all over the world to join the initiative. They can do that by uploading different educational projects, in video or written form.
© UNESCO/Studionada* Protecting cultural heritage (UNESCO's recent actions in Lebanon)
* Culture and post-conflict reconstruction
UNESCO will celebrate its 60th anniversary during 60 weeks until 4 November 2006, by devoting each week to one specific theme. Among the 60 themes identified, 16 are dedicated to education, and 16 to culture.
As stated in our previous posting, last week was dedicated to non-formal education. The highlight of October 9th-14th, 2006 will be science education.
>>More on Education Thematic Weeks
You may also want to check out the profile of 100 Famous Thinkers on Education form around the world in the publication PROSPECTS: Quarterly review of comparative education
While education will be celebrated for one more week mid-October, this month will mainly focus on the Culture Sector. Starting tomorrow, October 2nd, 2006, Post-conflict Reconstruction will be under the spotlight, followed by the ”Dialogue among civilizations” week from October 16th-21st, and the “Arts Eduaction” week from October 23rd-28th, 2006.
As part of the 60 weeks of celebrations of the organization’s 60th anniversary, UNESCO has been devoting each week to a specific theme. Non-Formal education was the highlight of the week September 25th through 30th, 2006. Click here to review the infosheet on this topic.In order to reach the Dakar goal for reducing illiteracy by 2015, UNESCO has been organizing a number of non-formal education-related workshops, symposiums and conferences. More
UNESCO has also initiated a array of projects to promote non-formal education based on the needs of specific types of countries and regions. Selected projects include:
*Basic Trades for Small Island Nations: This initiative targets the improvement of the qualifications of semi literate workers in conconstruction sector across the South Pacific Countries.
*Hope and solidarity through ballgames: This project aims to reach underprivileged and excluded children and to ensure their reinsertion in society, through athletic, cultural and playful activities.
UNESCO has also published a series of handbooks and multimedia materials in order to reach out non-formal educators and provide them with guidance to alternative approaches, tools and an overview of good practices. This was namely the purpose of the following support materials:
*Handbook for Literacy and Non-formal Education Facilitators in Africa
*Synergies between Formal and Non-formal Education: An Overview of Good Practices
