Officers of Americans for UNESCO

Americans for UNESCO has recently elected a new slate of officers. The full slate of AU officers consists of:

President                                            Mary Futrell

Senior Vice-President                   Ray Wanner

Vice-President                                 Susie Rauch

Vice-President                                 Emily Vargas-Baron

Vice President/Treasurer            Richard Nobbe

Secretary                                             Laura Engel

More on the 40th Anniversary Celebrations

Also as part of the effort to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the World Heritage Convention...

 

On Monday the Smithsonian and UNESCO announced the launch of a joint project called "Protection, Preservation and Prosperity: Stories of World Heritage."

 

The project highlights 10 World Heritage sites around the world and features a new website and a mobile app, along with an educational curriculum and poster-based exhibition.

 

You can check it out right here! 

World Heritage Passport

As part of the 40th Anniversary Celebration of UNESCO's World Heritage Program, the National Park Service has coordinated the release of a new National Park Service passport specifically aimed at U.S. World Heritage sites.

 

Some of you may be familiar with the National Park Service passport program, which promotes travel to our nations park sites and recognizes travellers who do.

 

Tying World Heritage sites in the U.S. to the NPS Passport idea was an idea that came out of our UNESCO Commission - and the National Park Service really followed through on it.

 

Check out the whole story here!

Call for proposals for presentations

The U.S. National Committee of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) is hosting it's 16th Annual International Scientific Symposium next May in Savannah, GA.

 

Between now November 15th, organizers are accepting proposals for presentations to be made at the conference. If you have an abstract that you'd like to submit, go here!

 

The State of World Heritage in the United States

The World Heritage flag

Along with several other partners, The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation convened a conference of U.S. World Heritage program stakeholders in Charlottesville, VA this past June.

 

The gathering produced some excellent ideas and recommendations for how the tap the potential of the World Heritage program in the U.S.. You can read the report from the conference, which was just released, here.

  

America's World Heritage

In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention, the National Park Service has produced a short film on all the World Heritage sites in the U.S. These stunning images remind us why these sites were deemed to have truly global significance, connecting them to a world-wide network of such iconic places as the Pyramids, the Taj Mahal and the Great Wall of China. Enjoy!

Cultural Heritage Event

Rutgers University's program in Cultural Heritage and Preservation is convening a conference on Cultural Preservation in the 21st Century this October 12 - October 14. The meeting has been recognized by UNESCO as an official World Heritage 40th Anniversary Event. If you are interested in attending or would like to find out more - go here.

 

The conference will feature a poster competition - if you'd like to get in on that action - go here! The deadline for that is Wed 8/15!

Fall 2012 Laura Bush Travelling Fellowship Deadline Approaching

Do you know any U.S. students who are planning to do a short-term research project overseas relating to education, natural science, social science, communications, or culture?

If so, please let them know about the Laura W. Bush Travelling Fellowship. This program named in honor of our former First Lady is designed to help young Americans conduct short term research projects abroad relating to the sectors of UNESCO's mandate.

The next application deadline is Monday 9/24/12. Find out more here.

2011 U.S. National Commission for UNESCO Annual Meeting

The 2012 U.S. National Commission for UNESCO Annual meeting has been tentatively set for Monday 11/26/12 in Washington, DC.

The Commission will again be accepting the hospitality of George Washington University, as it did last year.

A Call to Action: Forest Whitaker encourages youth to speak out

http://www.planwithyouth.org

Forest Whitaker, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Peace and Reconciliation and a co-founder of the International Institute for Peace, sends an inspirational message to youth everywhere, encouraging their participation in the online discussions for the upcoming Policy Forum on 'Engaging Youth in Planning Education for Social Transformation'. This virtual, pre-forum dialogue is important becauseit will shape the discussions at the event in Paris, ensuring that voices of youth are included in the Policy Forum's Agenda for Action.