UNESCO In the Spotlight: Education and Culture

The World Heritage Convention at Work: Successes and Failures

2012-02-02T14:13:00.002-05:00

UNESCO Director General Bokova's Statement on US funding cut

2012-02-02T14:02:00.001-05:00

Statement by the Director-General of UNESCO on Withholding of Funds by the United States. Text available here: http://www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/about-us/who-we-are/director-general/news-single-view/news/statement_by_the_director_general_of_unesco_on_withholding_of_funds_by_the_united_states/

Launch of a UNESCO-United States-Brazil project for teaching respect in schools

2012-02-01T11:28:00.002-05:00

The “Teaching Respect for All,” project born of cooperation between UNESCO, the United States and Brazil, was launched on 18 January at UNESCO Headquarters. This launch is the first step in a process expected to last close to three years with the aim of developing curricula that promote learning to live together in school.

Coordinated by UNESCO, funded from U.S. State Department extra budgetary contributions, the “Teaching Respect for All” project recognizes the key role of schools in combatting racial and ethnic discrimination.

Launched in the presence of the Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, the Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs, Department of State, Esther Brimmer, and Executive Secretary of the Secretariat on Policies of Promotion of Racial Equality in Brazil, Mário Theodoro Lisbôa, this event brought together government representatives, experts and practitioners from different parts of the world. Students at Tallwood High School in Virginia Beach (USA) and Bagunçaço, an educational centre for young people in Salvador de Bahia (Brazil), were to take part in this session via videoconference, which will allow them to interact with the other participants.

Cahokia: The good news and the bad

2012-01-24T19:29:00.000-05:00

Cahokia's Monks Mound lay at the heart of the sprawling ancient city.

Cahokia as it was at its appogee

The December 23, 2011 issue of Science magazine has three news articles by Andres Lawler dealing with Cahokia, a World Heritage site located in the United States.

"America's Lost City"
"Does North America Hold the Roots of Mesoamerican Civilization?"
"Preserving History, One Hill at a Time"

I have found that very few of my graduate students even know of Cahokia and its mounds which form one of the most important pre-Columbian sites in the western hemisphere. Located near St. Louis, the site is now being further studied and was even more important than was realized when it was first accepted as a world heritage site.:

The excavations to date suggest that Cahokia was part of a large urban complex, one organized differently from other cities. “This was a metropolitan area,” perhaps home to as many as 50,000 people, “and you were a day's walk or canoe ride from one end to the other,” says Thomas Emerson of the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, who directs the Illinois State Archaeological Survey (ISAS). The reach of this metropolis extended for hundreds of kilometers: Other researchers are finding settlements as far north as Wisconsin, apparently established by Cahokians.

The nature of this society's organization and beliefs, as well as the reasons for its abrupt demise around 1300 C.E., remain hotly debated.

Indeed it has been suggested that "(a)ncient settlements in what is now Louisiana may have laid the foundation not only for the great city of Cahokia but perhaps also for Mesoamerican civilization."

Archaeologists are now racing to study the sites related to the Cahokia culture and hoping to preserve them in the face of increasing urban development:

Nearby, in the most densely settled area of ancient East St. Louis, a highway and bridge project provides funding—$2.5 million in 2011—for digs but little time for publication. In nearby Wood River, thousands of samples and artifacts that will require years of analysis are piling up in a lab in a downtown basement. “We don't have time to do more than gather,” says Thomas Emerson, who directs the Illinois transportation archaeological program. “We need people to dig.”

Meanwhile, in Louisiana, where North America's most ancient mounds date back to the Middle Archaic period around 3500 B.C.E., there is little funding for digs, and most mounds, such as at Frenchman's Bend near Monroe, are on private property. (Recently retired, former state archaeologist Joseph) Saunders has spent the past 2 decades chatting up owners, encouraging them to feel a sense of pride that would prevent wanton—but legal—destruction of the sites. His strategy has paid off, for example at a Middle Archaic site called Hedgepeth, where a landowning family donated 4 hectares to the Archaeological Conservancy. But an unknown number of other mounds have been bulldozed. Saunders's “retirement is a huge blow,” says Washington University in St. Louis archaeologist Tristram R. Kidder.

The Great African Animal Migration in Danger

2012-01-24T16:52:00.001-05:00

The television program 60 minutes broadcast a section on the great migration which makes the round trip between the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, a World Heritage Site, and the Maasai Maru National Park in Kenya, a tentatively listed candidate for a World Heritage Site. Millions of animals make the migration each year, the last large scale migration of large animals in the world.

The main artery of the region across which the migration takes place is the Mara River. The program describes the threat that this river will begin to dry up for a part of each year due to the changes in land use in its catchment area. If it were to do so, it is estimated that hundreds of thousands of animals involved in the migration would die and the migration would no longer be possible.

Were the animal populations to plummet, the entire ecology of these two national parks would be irrevocably harmed.

The program also describes the difficult lives of native peoples in the region who are unwilling to give up their hopes for better lives to save national parks that they have never seen. They are intransigent before the efforts to keep them from clearing and farming wild areas.

It also shows a successful effort by an non-profit organization to encourage Maasai people in a region of some 400 square miles to sustainably manage their livestock and grazing areas.

One wonders whether the world heritage represented by these parks can be saved for much longer, and whether there is anything that UNESCO and the community supporting UNESCO's World Heritage Convention can to to help.

From the news of October 29, 1958

2011-12-17T12:20:00.000-05:00

I quote from the New York Times:

Pope John XXIII, while an official observer of the Holy See at the United Nations Educational, Social and Cultural Organization, said in a 1952 sermon in Paris that Roman Catholics throughout the world should participate in the work of "this promising institution."

Contribute to UNESCO in this crisis

2011-12-05T08:48:00.001-05:00

The United States Government is withholding its contributions to UNESCO as the result of a decades old provision of the law. That means about one-quarter of the funding for the 1012-2013 project that was just approved will not be available.

UNESCO's mission is to promote a new humanism in the defense of peace. It seeks to promote international understanding. Its tools are directed towards education, the promotion of science, culture and communications.

UNESCO has created a new site to accept public donations in this financial crisis.

Donations can be made online at: http://www.unesco.org/donate

More selected press coverage / U.S. Withholding funds

2011-12-04T22:50:00.001-05:00

I previously posted links to several articles and opinion pieces (here and here) on the vote to admit UNESCO to membership in UNESCO and the consequent legal requirement to withhold U.S. contributions to the Organization. Here are some more:

"Don’t punish UNESCO," Irina Bokova (Director General of UNESCO), The Washington Post, October 23, 2011
"For the U.S., a forced withdrawal from UNESCO," Timothy Wirth (President of the United Nations Foundation), The Washington Post, October 24, 2011
"Fact sheet on the PLO's bid for UNESCO membership," Institute for Middle East Understanding, October 31, 2011
"Unesco Accepts Palestinians as Full Members," Steven Erlanger and Scott Sayare, The New York Times, October 31, 2011

Editorial: Repeal or Revise the anti-Palestine Legislation

2011-12-04T14:36:00.001-05:00

The law which now requires U.S. funds to be withheld from UNESCO should be repealed or revised because it is outdated, ineffective, unnecessary, counterproductive, unclear, and potentially unenforceable. Its application to UNESCO has diminished U.S. diplomatic effectiveness, will in fact hurt the Israeli interests it was designed to protect, and -- most important -- will hurt a lot of innocent people. Readers are encouraged to contact their representatives in Congress and call for the law's repeal or revision.

The General Conference of UNESCO voted to invite Palestine to become a member state of the Organization on October 31, 2011. The actual membership is to take effect when Palestine submits its accession papers.

As the members of the General Conference had been warned, that action triggered two parts of U.S. law (US Code - Title 22: Foreign Relations and Intercourse / 22 USC 287 - Sec. 287e. Authorization of appropriations; payment of expenses):

Pub. L. 101-246, title IV, Sec. 414, Feb. 16, 1990, 104 Stat. 70, provided that: "(a) Prohibition. - No funds authorized to be appropriated by this Act or any other Act shall be available for the United Nations or any specialized agency thereof which accords the Palestine Liberation Organization the same standing as member states. "(b) Transfer or Reprogramming. - Funds subject to the prohibition contained in subsection (a) which would be available for the United Nations or any specialized agency thereof (but for that prohibition) are authorized to remain available until expended and may be reprogrammed or transferred to any other account of the Department of State or the Agency for International Development to carry out the general purposes for which such funds were authorized."
Pub. L. 103-236, title IV, Sec. 410, Apr. 30, 1994, 108 Stat. 454, provided that: "The United States shall not make any voluntary or assessed contribution - "(1) to any affiliated organization of the United Nations which grants full membership as a state to any organization or group that does not have the internationally recognized attributes of statehood, or "(2) to the United Nations, if the United Nations grants full membership as a state in the United Nations to any organization or group that does not have the internationally recognized attributes of statehood, during any period in which such membership is effective."

The first provision is found in the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1990 and 1991 and the second in the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1994 and 1995. Those are unusual in that they do not provide the President the ability to wave the provisions if he determines doing so would be in the national interest.

The U.S. Government has announced that it is consequently withholding contributions to UNESCO. Both assessed contributions and voluntary contributions are being withheld. The United States remains a member state of UNESCO, and has in fact been newly elected to its Executive Board. If the United States continues to withhold all contributions until the next meeting of the UNESCO General Conference, it will not be allowed to vote in that conference.

Here are some reasons that the law should be revised or repealed.

The legislation is outdated: Since these provisions became law, the role of the Palestine Liberation Organization has changed, the Palestine National Authority has come into being, the Oslo accords and the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement have been signed, and Palestine is reported to be recognized as a state by 127 UN member states. The United States and the other members of the Quartet are maintaining that a two state solution should be negotiated to settle the Israel-Palestine issues.

The law is ineffective: It was intended to deny Palestinians membership in UN agencies until or unless a peace settlement was reached with Israel. UNESCO's General Conference voted membership for Palestine in full knowledge of the law. Several other UN agencies have constitutions that grant automatic membership on request from any national already a member of any UN agency. It seems likely that other UN agencies would also elect Palestine to membership if they received such a formal request.

The law is unnecessary: The Congress has the power of the purse and can vote to withhold funding from any UN agency as part of the annual appropriations legislation. Even without this law Congress has the power both to warn UN agencies of the consequences of admitting specific organizations or states to membership and withholding funds from agencies that do so in spite of the warnings. When the Palestinian membership was coming to the General Conference, letters were in fact sent from the House of Representatives to UNESCO informing the Secretariat and permanent representatives of member states to UNESCO that key committees would oppose funding UNESCO if it admitted Palestine.

The law is counterproductive: As Representative Keith Ellison has pointed out, UNESCO activities "include core U.S. interests like literacy education for the Afghan National Police, supporting a free press in countries like Iraq, Tunisia and Egypt, and promoting Holocaust education in the Middle East." Some of these activities will be stopped specifically because already promised voluntary contributions for their support must now be withheld. (See also "Cutting Off Unesco, U.S. May Endanger Programs in Iraq and Afghanistan")

The meaning of the law is unclear: Does the United States withhold contributions forever from UNESCO now that it has voted to accept Palestine as a member state? Does the United States continue to withhold funding from UNESCO even if a peace treaty is successfully concluded and Palestine is successful in meeting all of the internationally recognized standards of statehood. If existing member states of UN agencies for some reason no longer meet all of those standards but are not ejected from membership, must the United States withhold funding from those agencies.

The law may not be enforceable. The Congress ratified the accession document to UNESCO which I am told has the force of a treaty. In joining UNESCO, the United States agreed to abide by its Constitution (which was largely an American creation) and that Constitution requires member states to pay their assessed contributions; the obligation to pay overdue contributions does not go away even if a member state withdraws from the Organization. The United States is a signatory to other UNESCO Conventions which have been ratified by the Congress, such as the World Heritage Convention which also requires funding from member states. Thus, if the U.S. Government is taken to court it may have to stop withholding assessed contributions in spite of the law cited above. I have been informed that those concerns actually resulted in the United States not withholding contributions from UNESCO when it was proposed to do so during the 1970s.

Final Comments: As the law applies to UNESCO

The United States Government is forced by this law to act like the kid who takes his ball home when he is not elected captain of the football team. Diplomats of other countries see this "poison pill" of a law as a bullying tactic by the United States. They not only see it as anti-democratic but as politicizing UNESCO debates that should not be politicized. As a result, the influence of U.S. diplomats in UNESCO governance and other international forums is weakened.

Perhaps surprisingly, while the law was intended to protect Israel, Israel may suffer from its application. The United States has been the most important defender of Israel's interests in UNESCO as well as in other UN venues. U.S. influence is greater as the respect accorded to our diplomats and their tactics is greater. As the threat of withdrawing funding is disliked so our influence is decreased and thus our influence in protecting Israeli interests from unfair attacks by other member states.

In my mind, the most important reason for restoring funding to UNESCO is that if we do not do so, innocent people will suffer. Kids who would have gotten to school because of UNESCO's influence will remain uneducated. People who could have been saved from the threat of flood or tsunami by UNESCO programs will not be saved because UNESCO didn't have the resources we had promised. Reporters who might have been saved from coercive governments by the influence of UNESCO in favor of freedom of the press and freedom of speech will lose some of that protection; the public will lose information that those reporters could have provided. People who might have found work in UNESCO promoted cultural industries will lose that opportunity. People who might have been saved from the impact of unethical behavior by scientists will not receive the protection that might have been offered by the UNESCO ethics programs. People who might have been better served by their governments because of the influence of UNESCO's Management of Social Transitions (MOST) program will lose that opportunity.

Indeed, those of us who enjoy the Olympics may enjoy them a little less as UNESCO has less money to support the international convention against doping in sport. Those of us who enjoy visiting museums may enjoy them a little less as UNESCO has less money to support conventions to protect museum-quality artifacts and to support museum quality. Those of us who enjoy visiting sites such as the pyramids of Egypt, the Taj Majal, or the rose red city at the end of time (Petra, Jordan) may enjoy them less as UNESCO has fewer resources to advocate for their preservation and their appropriate presentation to visitors.

Recommendation

I will refrain from recommending to the Congress and the State Department how to deal with these laws. Those bodies are well able to deal with the specific issues of legislative reform.

For the readers of this blog, I recommend that you contact your Representative and your Senators and ask that they work to restore U.S. funding to UNESCO and that they reform the law to deal with the problems raised in the paragraphs above.

Here is the message I sent to my Representative in the House and to my Senators:

Recently the General Conference of UNESCO voted to offer membership in the Organization to Palestine. In response to the possibility of Palestine joining the Organization, the purpose of which is to build the defenses of peace in the minds of men, the United States is withholding all contributions to UNESCO, apparently permanently. This is due to clauses in the Foreign Assistance Authorization Acts for Fiscal 1990 and 1991, 1994-1995.

That action has cost the United States soft power in the United Nations system. It has created a financial crisis in UNESCO. It is threatening programs in Iraq and Afghanistan funded by U.S. voluntary contributions and implemented by UNESCO, programs important to our interests in those countries. In two years, that action will cost the United States its votes in the next General Conference. In the long run it will have a negative impact on programs promoting education, science, the preservation of cultural heritage, and freedom of the press.

Perhaps even worse, if Palestine follows through on announced plans and obtains membership in other UN organizations, the old clause in the Authorization will require the United States to withhold funding from such agencies as the International Atomic Energy Agency, the World Intellectual Property Organization, the International Telecommunications Union, the World Health Organization, and the Food and Agriculture Organization.

Ideally the clause should be repealed and decisions on the funding of these agencies made in the normal appropriations process. At a minimum, the clause should be amended to allow the President to waive the requirement to withhold funding when he determines that action is to the overall foreign policy advantage of the United States.

John Daly

The opinions expressed in this post are those of the author, and do not necessarily represent those of Americans for UNESCO.

The Press Covers U.S. Withholding UNESCO Funds

2011-12-03T01:42:00.001-05:00

The General Conference of UNESCO last month voted by a two-thirds majority to admit Palestine as a member state. The United States opposed the admission primarily on the basis that it would be counterproductive to the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. U.S. laws passed two decades ago required that the United States Government withhold its funding of any UN agency that admitted Palestine as a member state. Consequently, that funding which currently accounts for 22 percent of UNESCO's regular budget and several million dollars of voluntary contributions is being withheld. This is causing a financial crisis in the UNESCO Secretariat.

Here are links to a selection of articles in the media that deal with the situation:

"Reporters again turn State Dep’t briefing into moshpit, scorning US ‘impotence’ in the conflict," Philip Weiss, Mondoweiss, November 3, 2011
"Cutting Off Unesco, U.S. May Endanger Programs in Iraq and Afghanistan," Steven Erlanger, The New York Times, November 16, 2011
"US shouldn’t forfeit influence within UN," Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), The Hill, November 21, 2011
"UNESCO Science Braces for a Big Squeeze," Daniel Strain, Science, November 25, 2011
"UNESCO Promotes Peace, Not Conflict," Neil Ford, The Huffington Post, November 28, 2011
"US withdrawal of UNESCO funds puzzling," Kate Jenson, The Rice Thresher, December 1, 2011
"Without the U.S., UNESCO would be greatly diminished," Herbie Hancock, The Washington Post, December 2, 2011

UNESCO Creative Cities Meet

2011-12-02T14:43:00.001-05:00

The Indian Market at Santa Fe, New Mexico

Between November 16 and 18, representatives of cities in UNESCO's worldwide Creative Cities Network met in Seoul.

Among those attending were representatives from U.S. Creative Cities of Iowa City and Santa Fe. Representatives from Paducah, which is currently applying to be a UNESCO Creative City, also attended.

Jeanette Pilak

One of the major topics of concern during the meeting in Seoul related to UNESCO's loss of funding and subsequent effect on the Creative Cities network.

Jeanette Pilak sent in these excellent notes from the meeting, you can also read a more official (but slightly less interesting) version here.

UNESCO Continues to Look at Ramifications of U.S. Funding Loss

2011-12-02T14:05:00.001-05:00

UNESCO continues to deal with the recent loss of U.S. funding.

Science Magazine recently did a piece describing how the loss of US dollars may effect programs in UNESCO's science sector, which you can read here.

The AP also recently did a piece describing how the loss of U.S. funding may effect UNESCO programs in education, social sciences, and the developing world. You can read that one here.

More on the National Commission Meeting

2011-12-02T13:53:00.001-05:00

This past Monday 11/28 about 85 members of the U.S. National Commission for UNESCO and friends of the Commission met for our annual meeting in Washington, DC.

Participants met for about 5 hours with a few breaks and engaged in a lively discussion about a range of topics related to UNESCO and U.S. engagement with UNESCO.

The defunding issue was of course a hot topic and meeting participants shared their views about the current situation, as well as ideas about the future of U.S. activity with UNESCO.

The State Department offers apologies for the quality of the picture/sound, but you can actually watch a video recording from most of Monday's meeting here. You can also see photos from our meeting here.

Thank you very much again to everybody who participated on Monday (either remotely or in person), for those who traveled in from far away, and our hosts at George Washington University.

Gaza: UNESCO Protecting education in the border areas

2011-12-01T11:54:00.001-05:00

UNESCO is committed along with young people and teachers to keep schools opened in the border areas.

Traditional knowledge of the jaguar shamans of Yuruparí (Colombia)

2011-12-01T11:33:00.001-05:00

The Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Heritage meeting in Bali inscribed on 27 November 2011 the Traditional knowledge of the jaguar shamans of Yurupari (Colombia) on the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The jaguar shamans of Yuruparí share the common heritage of the many ethnic groups living along the Pirá Paraná River in southeastern Colombia. Using traditional knowledge and ritual practices, the shamans heal, prevent sickness and revitalize nature. During the Hee Biki ritual, male children learn the traditional guidelines for these practices as a part of their passage into adulthood.

It is believed that shamans inherited their traditional knowledge from the all-powerful, mythical Yuruparí, an anaconda who lived as a human and is embodied in sacred trumpets.

More information on: http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/RL/00574 and http://www.unesco.org/new/en/media-services/single-view/news/seven_new_inscri...

To know more about Intangible Heritage visit: http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/index.php?lg=en&pg=00001

Extended version of this video on: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqWoosEGy2Q

Video copyright: © 2010 ACAIPI, Fundación Gaia Amazonas. 4 Direcciones Audiovisual. National Geographic T.V.

EFA Crowdsourcing Challenge

2011-12-01T11:20:00.001-05:00

UNESCO has teamed up with Nokia and the Pearson Foundation to launch an Education for All (EFA) Crowdsourcing Challenge!

This contest asks participants to submit their best ides about how mobile communication can help achieve EFA goals.

The challenge goes until May of next year - but if you're interested or know anyone else who might be, offer your great idea. Your idea could earn you a cool new phone, if not the opportunity to improve educational access for those who need it.

For more details go here!

Design Competition: The Slave Trade

2011-12-01T11:15:00.001-05:00

More details have been announced about the UNESCO coordinated competition to design a permanent memorial to honor the victims of the transatlantic slave trade at the United Nations in New York.

This competition involves two phases. First, 16 semi-finalists will be chosen. From these 7 will be chosen for interviews by an international jury, which will make the final decision about the competition winner.

The deadline for this competition is Monday 12/19. If you know of any American artists/designers who would be interested in competing, please send them here!

Meeting of the U.S. National Commission for UNESCO

2011-11-30T13:30:00.001-05:00

Photo supplied by Laura Engel

The United States National Commission for UNESCO met on Monday, November 28th at George Washington University.

Updates on UNESCO

Education (Paul Kruchoski)

Secretary Clinton visits UNESCO – In May, Secretary Clinton visited Paris for the launch of the UNESCO Global Partnership for Girls’ and Women’s Education. The initiative brought together governments, foundations, and corporations to raise over $5 million for UNESCO’s work to strengthen education for women around the globe. This was the first visit to UNESCO by a U.S. Secretary of State.

Teaching Respect for All and Holocaust Education – In October, the United States announced two new extra-budgetary contributions to UNESCO education programs. The first will revive UNESCO’s work from the mid-1990s on using education to build respect in multiethnic and multicultural societies. The project – a partnership between the United States and Brazil – will offer new curricula and tools for educators. We plan to officially launch the program in early 2012. The second contribution will provide $250,000 to expand UNESCO’s Holocaust Education program, which provides educational resources on how to understand the underlying social factors that led up to the Holocaust and how individuals can help prevent mass atrocities in their own societies.

UNESCO helps to Lead ECOSOC Ministerial – UNESCO helped to shape the discussion leading up to and during the UN Economic and Social Council Ministerial in July. This year’s ministerial session focused on the internationally agreed development goals in education, including the Education for All Goals.

UNESCO Youth Forum – On the eve of the General Conference, UNESCO hosted its 7^th Youth Forum. This year, we piloted a new process for selecting the U.S. youth representatives. The process offered options for YouTube video submissions and drew heavily upon social media to spread the word. It also engaged youth in the selection of the finalists. Our two final reps – Blair Brettschneider and Andrew Leon Hanna – were outstanding. You can read their thoughts on the Forum here and here.

UNESCO Nat Com Youth Working Group hosts event in NYC – This fall, the National Commission, the State Department, and USAID co-hosted an event entitled “Youth Driving Change: Global Youth & Civic Engagement” in New York. The event, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, brought together Under Secretary of State Maria Otero and prominent youth voices from around the world to discuss how youth are shaping transformations around the world. The event was the first activity organized by our National Commission Youth Working Group. You can watch archival video of the event here.

Social and Human Science (Marlese Durr)

As of October 31, 2011 the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) Social and Human Science sector has undergone re-organization. The focus of the sector continues to emphasize and promote human rights research; advances education in human rights; leads the action in the fight against all forms of discrimination at the national, regional, and international levels; fosters cooperation among all sectors and networks; promotes democracy and further reflects on new forms and combating violence; while encouraging human rights research with its partners.

Highlighting that using the idea that UNESCO Stands for Human Rights, the work within Major Program III on Social and Human Sciences will be conducted through the following streams:

· Human Rights and Social Inclusion

· Human Rights, Democracy, Youth and Social innovation

· Human Rights and Global Environmental Change

· Human Rights and Bioethics

Natural Sciences & Engineering (Jana Hall)

- L’Oreal Science Awards

- Malta Conference

- SESAME

- New Organization

- Obiang Prize

- Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC)

- International Hydrological Program (IHP)

- Geoscience/Geoparks

- Biodiversity/Man and the Biosphere

Communications/Information (Aaron Mitchell)

In the Communication and Information Sector (CI), the latest projects currently underway deal with expanding access to educational and scientific information to developing countries through two initiatives: Open Educational Resources and Open Access to Scientific Research. Both initiatives aim to make publically-funded research and publications available to global audiences at no cost. UNESCO recently launched online platforms designed to expand the availability of these resources online. Additionally, the CI Sector, in partnership with the Commonwealth of Learning and the Hewlett Foundation, is planning a June 2012 international celebration of the 20^th Anniversary of Open Educational Resources, which will include an updated declaration of principles and values.

In addition to the above initiatives, the CI Sector continues its work on documentary preservation, press freedom, media development, and technology competency. As the culmination of ongoing programs, the sector recently released the “UNESCO ICT Competency Framework for Teachers.” This framework serves as curriculum guidance for secondary and tertiary level educators to develop coursework for increasing literacy, understanding and awareness of technological tools and their applications.

Culture (Mindy Fountain)

40^th Anniversary of the World Heritage Convention

The Culture sector is gearing up for the celebration of the 40^th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention in 2012. We are working with interagency colleagues on planning and developing U.S. celebrations and would appreciate suggestions and input from the Commissioners.

International Jazz Day

One of the successes of this fall’s General Conference was the adoption of our resolution identifying April 30^th as International Jazz Day. The first celebration will be in 2012, and preparations are already underway in conjunction with Goodwill Ambassador to UNESCO Herbie Hancock and the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz. More information will circulate as it becomes available.

The International Center for Women Artists (ICWA)

Another success at the General Conference was the approval of the International Center for Women Artists, to be established in Amman, Jordan, as a UNESCO Category II Center. As many of you know this is a project that has received leadership and support from both our Mission to UNESCO as well as members of the U.S. National Commission.

With the UNESCO Category II status now approved, it is hoped that UNESCO will help organize an international design competition for the creation of a new logo for ICWA, which will be paired with the UNESCO logo for all of ICWA's communications in the future.

Commissioner Sheree Wen is working on the formation of a new ICWA Advisory Council to bringing together international business partners to assist with development.

New Director General Elected at recent International Center for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultureal Property (ICCROM) Conference

Stefano de Caro, a highly regarded museum expert with a background in archeology, was just elected by the ICCROM Council as their new Director General. De Caro, an Italian, is based in Naples and has worked on World Heritage issues in the past.

Ongoing work on Cultural Preservation

One program we’d like to highlight for you is the U.S. Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation, run out of the Education and Cultural Affairs office at the Department of State. ‘This program has supported more than 700 projects in over 100 countries since its inception in 2001, including more than 100 projects at over 60 World Heritage Sites. The program has expended more than 34 million dollars towards preserving tangible and intangible cultural heritage, such as the restoration of historic buildings, assessment and conservation of museum collections, and documentation of vanishing traditional craft techniques. Especially in the current political climate surrounding UNESCO, this is a great example to use of U.S. engagement with and commitment to cultural preservation around the world. The U.S. continues its commitment to cultural preservation and also remains engaged in work related to the 1970 Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Cultural Property, and of course the 1972 World Heritage Convention.

How Education can Prevent Violence

2011-11-27T18:39:00.001-05:00

Today we have a guest posting from Lindsey Wright. The article doesn't necessarily represent the opinions of Americans for UNESCO.

Bio: Lindsey Wright is fascinated with the potential of emerging educational technologies, particularly the online school, to transform the landscape of learning. She writes about web-based learning, electronic and mobile learning, and the possible future of education.

Violence is all too pervasive in society; from abusive parents to genocide. In fact, violence is considered a public health issue by the World Health Organization (WHO). According to the WHO website, violence kills more than 1.5 million people worldwide. WHO, like plenty of other organizations, is working to prevent violence not only to save lives, but to also prevent the other negative impacts of violence. For example, part of WHO's mission states “violence places a massive burden on national economies, costing countries billions of U.S. dollars each year in health care, law enforcement, and lost productivity.” In particular, WHO is working to prevent through education. A proper education, whether it be through online courses or in a classroom, can help encourage young adults that they can have a successful future away from crime and abusive substances.

Even though its important to understand the ways in which to prevent violence, understanding why humans are innately violent is just as important. Actually, there is little evidence that proves whether humans are innately violent, but rather, a harsh environment creates conditions in which violence is necessary to ensure both personal and cultural survival. Research has shown that when exposed to violence, individuals must also be taught to value or at least engage in violence as part of the social learning process. For instance, children who behave violently are usually the product of a home in which one or both parents model violence. Thus, violence is a learned behavior in any culture or environment and is not proven to be a natural trait in humans.

There are many areas in which one could educate a person in order to prevent violence. One way is through impulse control and anger management classes. It is important to note however that having proper role models can be key to young adults when they are attempting to attain these skills in a class. Having an appropriate role model will not allow them to seek advice, but will give them someone to mirror themselves after and witness their appropriate behaviors in the face of problems, conflict, anger and stress. A few examples of some great role models are parents, teachers, and close family friends.

Another way that education can help prevent violence is through formal education. Formal education provides an opportunity for children to learn important social skills, critical thinking skills, problem-solving strategies, and communication skills. In fact, according to an article from the Good website, “80 percent of incarcerated people are illiterate. School performance, more than any other single factor, is a major contributor as to whether a youth becomes involved in drugs or violence.” Basically, if a child grows up struggling in school the chances are they will develop a low self-esteem or a desire to drop out of school. If children give up on their education then there are not many options for them to pursue as adults; hence, resulting to a life of crime. Of course this isn’t the case for all children struggling in school, but according to the Good website, studies have proven that if a child reads on grade level by the end of 3rd grade, there is a 99 percent certainty that child will never be incarcerated.

Health care professionals also play a crucial role in violence prevention education. The Institute of Medicine recommends that all individuals who seek health care should be screened for intimate partner violence. Screening offers an opportunity for patient education in a non-judgmental and supportive arena. This gives health care professionals the opportunity to educate their patients about violence and validate other options for managing stress or conflict.

Children live what they learn. Parents can learn necessary skills to impart appropriate behavior expectations and model the behavior they want to see in their children. Organizations can help their employees learn about violence and provide resources to learn new skills. There are many successful strategies available and can be adapted to fit the needs of a particular school or workplace. All in all, education is the key to violence prevention.

Editor's note: Of course, UNESCO is the lead agency within the United Nations system for education, playing a key role in the global Education for All effort. It also has defined the Culture of Peace as a central theme for the entire Organization, involving all of its sectors. JAD

Can you help A World of Science?

2011-11-27T18:05:00.001-05:00

A World of Science is the quarterly UNESCO publication that provides information on the Organization's natural science program. It has been successfully published by UNESCO through nine years. However, in the current budgetary situation, it is facing cutbacks.

Specifically, the publication's staff is seeking one or more sponsors for various language editions for the next biennium (2012-2013). In each case, the amount is relatively modest, about US$20,000 per year, or US$5,000 per issue. The Arabic and Russian editions are in the most immediate danger, as the funding has dried up completely, but the editor is also being asked to reduce the cost of distribution of the English, French and Spanish editions in 2012-2013.

If you can help, or if you have ideas for sources of that funding, contact the editor Susan Schneegans.

S.Schneegans@unesco.org

Meeting of the Board of Directors of Americans for UNESCO

2011-11-19T17:30:00.001-05:00

Eric Woodard and Kelly Siekman from the State Department addressing the Board
Board members shown on right are Roger Coate, Patrice Lyons and Mary Futrell

A meeting of the Board of Directors of Americans for UNESCO took place on Friday, November 18, 2011.

Kelly Siekman, the Director of the Office of UNESCO Affairs in the State Department, and Eric Woodard, the Chair of U.S. National Commission for UNESCO, provided the Board with a detailed briefing on the recent General Conference of UNESCO. Their discussion centered on the vote by the General Conference to admit Palestine to membership in UNESCO and its implications. They emphasized that, while the law requires the United States Government to withhold our contribution to UNESCO, the United States remains a member of the Organization and that the U.S. delegation to UNESCO in Paris and the related office in the State Department in Washington remain fully staffed and active. Under the law, both the assessed and the voluntary contributions to UNESCO are now being withheld. Since they have been authorized and appropriated by the Congress, the funds are currently being held by the State Department, but are subject to being reprogrammed for other purposes; currently no such action is contemplated.

The Obama administration remains convinced that UNESCO is a worthwhile organization useful to U.S. foreign policy interests. The media coverage of the Palestinian vote generated considerable interest in the United States, both by supporters and by opponents of UNESCO and U.S. membership in UNESCO. The State Department is investigating the complex issues of domestic U.S. law and international law involved in the admission of Palestine to UNESCO membership and in the withholding of U.S. funds. (Palestine will not be a member state of UNESCO until it files is accession documents, but the Congress is taking the vote of the General Conference as defining the intent of the Organization.)

The United States delegation lobbied against admission of Palestine but found it difficult to convince the delegates of other nations, although a great many abstained from the vote. Not surprisingly, it has been difficult to explain the complex domestic politics in the United States underlying our positions in this matter; the Constitutionally defined ability of the Congress to control funding and of the President to control foreign policy -- a situation underlying the current situation -- is perhaps poorly understood abroad.

Other Business

Two Board members were in Paris at the time of the General Conference and they too reported on the event. The impressions included great concern by members of the UNESCO Secretariat about the cuts and uncertainty caused by the U.S. withholding of funds, and disappointment of other delegations with the position taken by the United States with respect to the right of Palestine to membership in UNESCO.

The main focus of the rest of the Board meeting was a revision of the Bylaws of Americans for UNESCO. The revisions included an expansion of the membership of the Board and its Executive Committee and separation of the position of Secretary-Treasurer of the AU into two positions - Secretary and Treasurer.

The meeting marked the retirement of Nicole Varchaver who served for many years as a secretary to Americans for UNESCO, rendering a huge service to AU. We will miss her dedicated service, her cheerful demeanor, and indeed her presence.

The Board meeting offered an opportunity for members to meet Charles Prince who has become an intern for Americans for UNESCO. Paul Danaj who has been serving as intern will reduce his hours of service as he has accepted a position at the Department of State.

Photos courtesy of Nicole Varchaver

More on the United States Withholding of funds from UNESCO

2011-11-17T16:41:00.001-05:00

The General Conference of UNESCO has voted to accept Palestine as a Member State of the Organization. U.S. law requires that if a specialized agency of the United Nations accepts as a member an entity that does not meet the international standards to be considered a nation, then then the United States must withhold its contributions to that agency. It seems clear that the law was specifically intended to deny Palestinian membership in these agencies. Shortly after the vote, the United States government announced that in compliance with that law, the United States would withhold the final contribution for 2011 (some $60 million).

Here are some added materials on that situation:

The speech by UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova on the budgetary measures to be taken in response to the shortfall of funding (Video; the first part is in French without subtitles, the second in English).
"State Still Making the Case for UNESCO Funding", Josh Rogin, The Cable (Foreign Policy blog)
"UNESCO Approves Palestinian Membership Bid – A Case for US Countermeasures Against the Organization?", Christiane Ahlborn, European Journal of International Law
"INTERVIEW: UNESCO-chief: We'll pull through - just - without US funds", Ralf E. Krueger, M&C News
"US Funding Freeze Threatens UNESCO Science", Yojana Sharma, SciDev.Net
"Sen. Gillibrand wrong on UNESCO", Laura Myerson and Cortlandt Manor, Lohud.com
"Cutting Off Unesco, U.S. May Endanger Programs in Iraq and Afghanistan", Steven Erlanger, The New York Times

UNESCO Water Specialist Casey Walther working on a project in Iraq

Santa Fe Officials Attend UNESCO Meet in Korea

2011-11-17T16:06:00.001-05:00

"Santa Fe taxpayers are footing part of the bill to send Mayor David Coss and City Councilor Rebecca Wurzburger on a trip to Icheon City, Korea.

"Coss, whose plane was scheduled to depart Saturday, told The New Mexican the trip is part of the city's continued participation in the Creative Cities Network promoted by UNESCO, the cultural arm of the United Nations.

"Both Coss and Wurzburger are scheduled to speak at the event, a forum on the Creative Cities Network, the mayor said. Mayors from other cities across the globe are also invited to a special session, he said."

Read more from the Santa Fe New Mexican....

Rutgers University International Institute of Peace (IIP) Designated as UNESCO Category II Center

2011-11-17T16:00:00.004-05:00

IIP Co-Founder Aldo Civico (left) with
UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Forest Whitaker (right)

At its recent General Conference, UNESCO approved the International Institute of Peace at Rutgers University as a UNESCO Category II Center.

UNESCO Category II Centers are institutions that don't receive funding from nor are legally part of UNESCO, but maintain association with UNESCO through a formal agreement.

The International Institute of Peace is the second UNESCO Category II Center in the United States. It joins the International Center for Integrated Water Resources Management (ICIWARM) based at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer Institute for Water Resources (IWR) based in Alexandria, VA.

For information about IIP and its designation as a UNESCO Category II Center, go here.

Congratulations IIP!

Professor Bonnie Bassler of Princeton University Is Honored as 2012 L'Oreal-UNESCO Science Laureate

2011-11-17T16:00:00.003-05:00

The L'ORÉAL-UNESCO For Women in Science partnership has announced the five exceptional women scientists from around the world who will receive the 2012 L'ORÉAL-UNESCO Awards in Life Sciences.

The 2012 Laureate for North America is Professor Bonnie Bassler, Howard Hughes Medical Institute Principal Investigator, Department of Molecular Biology at Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey. Professor Bassler is a world-renowned expert on how bacteria "talk" to each other using a chemical language in order to coordinate their behavior as a group. Professor Bassler was selected for her work in understanding chemical communication between bacteria and opening up new doors for treating infections.

Atlas provides view from space of endangered UNESCO heritage sites

2011-11-17T16:00:00.002-05:00

Ambassador Killion presents the Atlas

From Space to Place, An Image Atlas of World Heritage Sites on the “In Danger” List of UNESCO was launched on 9 November by Director-General, Irina Bokova and U.S. Ambassador to UNESCO David Killion, at the Organization’s Paris Headquarters (10.30 a.m., Ségur Room).

The Atlas was produced by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with UNESCO. It presents detailed satellite photos of the 31 sites on the List of World Heritage in Danger.

Ray Wanner at the IIEP Executive Board

2011-11-17T16:00:00.001-05:00

Ray Wanner, the Chairman of the Governing Board of the International Institute for Educational Policy made this speech to the Education Commission of the UNESCO General Conference earlier this month. Ray is also the senior Vice President of Americans for UNESCO.

World Philosophy Day, 17 November 2011

2011-11-17T16:00:00.000-05:00

World Philosophy Day 2011 will be celebrated on 17 November at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris and in numerous Member States throughout the world.

6th session of the Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage

2011-11-17T15:35:00.001-05:00

Interview of Ms Cécile Duvelle, Secretary of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage

UNESCO Seeks Donations Now!

2011-11-11T14:00:00.000-05:00

The Director-General of UNESCO Irina Bokova today launched an online site allowing Member States, public institutions, foundations and citizens to donate to UNESCO.

This new site is one of the emergency measures announced today to fill the immediate $65m shortfall in UNESCO’s budget arising from the US decision to with-hold dues owed to the Organization.

Donations can be made online at: http://www.unesco.org/donate

UNESCO suspends year-end projects due to U.S. funding cut

2011-11-11T13:59:00.001-05:00

CNN Reports:

UNESCO has suspended its projects and commitments until the end of year because the United States cut its $65 million funding in the wake of the agency's acceptance of Palestine for full membership, the agency's chief said Thursday.

Irina Bokova, the director-general of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, said the agency's $65 million deficit is now its "most pressing issue.""This deficit is the sum owed by the United States for the year 2011," Bokova said on the occasion of the closing of UNESCO's general conference."So we have to take drastic action, and we must take it now, at this general conference,"

Bokova said. "I have suspended all of our commitments. I have suspended our projects during this period of revision until the end of the year."We are reviewing all activities in all areas, in all sectors, including contractual commitments, staff travel, publications, communications costs, meetings, and the rest.

"With all these measures, we believe we can generate savings of $35 million. But this alone will not solve our problem," Bokova said.

Conversations With America: Bridging Divides: Youth, Peace and Reconciliation

2011-11-08T15:49:00.000-05:00

UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Forest Whitaker and U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for International Organizations Esther Brimmer recently sat down for a State Department interview to discuss youth, peacebuilding and UNESCO.

Click image below to see the full interview.

What happens after the UNESCO admission of Palestine

2011-11-08T15:25:00.002-05:00

In the short term, unless there is some new development, the U.S. retains its membership and vote at UNESCO; we will continue to participate in UNESCO meeting and programs. As our Ambassador to UNESCO David Killion has stated, we remain committed to working with UNESCO. However in the longer term, the funding issue prescribed by U.S. law - and the questions it opens regarding our long term membership at UNESCO - remain. You can see more about the official U.S. position by watching the State Department Press Briefing from 11/1/11. You can read a transcript of this briefing here.

UNESCO kicks off 40th anniversary celebration of World Heritage Convention

2011-11-08T11:46:00.000-05:00

The Director-General of UNESCO Irina Bokova has launched the 40th anniversary celebrations for the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, adopted by UNESCO's Member States on 16 November 1972.

31 new members elected UNESCO’s Executive Board

2011-11-03T15:33:00.002-04:00

UNESCO’s Member States attending the 36th session of the General Conference, the Organization’s highest governing body, have elected 31 new members to the 58-member Executive Board, the Organization’s other governing body.

Below is a list of elected countries, by electoral group:

Group I: Austria, France, Spain, Italy, United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, United States of America.

Group II: Russian Federation, Czech Republic, Montenegro, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

Group III: Brazil, Cuba, Ecuador, Mexico.

Group IV: Republic of Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea.

Group V (a): Nigeria, Namibia, Ethiopia, Mali, Gabon, Malawi, Angola, Gambia.

Group V (b): United Arab Emirates, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia.

Flash: U.S. Reelected to UNESCO Executive Board

2011-11-02T13:26:00.001-04:00

Statement by the Director-General of UNESCO on Withholding of Funds by the United States

2011-11-02T13:18:00.000-04:00

Irina Bokova, UNESCO Director-General© UNESCO / Eric Bouttier

In this time of economic crisis and social transformation, I believe that UNESCO’s vital work to promote global stability and democratic values is in America’s core interests.

The United States is a critical partner in UNESCO’s work. The withholding of U.S. dues and other financial contributions – required by U.S. law - will weaken UNESCO’s effectiveness and undermine its ability to build free and open societies.

U.S. funding helps UNESCO to develop and sustain free and competitive media in Iraq, Tunisia and Egypt. In Afghanistan, U.S. support is helping UNESCO to teach thousands of police officers to read and write. UNESCO literacy programmes in other areas of conflict give people the critical thinking skills and confidence they need to fight violent extremism. To sustain the democratic spirit of the Arab Spring, UNESCO is training journalists to cover elections objectively.

Across the world, we stand up for each journalist who is attacked or killed, because we are the UN agency with the mandate to protect freedom of expression. In Washington, earlier this year, I awarded the UNESCO Press Freedom Prize to an imprisoned Iranian journalist, Ahmad Zeidabadi.

UNESCO is the only UN Agency with a mandate to promote Holocaust Education worldwide. Using funding provided by the United States and Israel, UNESCO is developing curricula to ensure that the Holocaust is never forgotten. Last February I led a historic visit to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp with more than 150 political and religious leaders, mostly from Arab and Muslim countries. I still recall the words of Dr. Mustafa Ceric, Grand Mufti of Bosnia, who said: “We must teach our young people in mosques, churches and synagogues what happened here.”

With U.S. support we put science at the service of people. UNESCO is leading a global effort to expand an ocean-based tsunami warning system. In January, this system saved tens of thousands of lives when a tsunami hit Japan. In the Middle East, UNESCO’s Sesame Programme enables world-class research and builds scientific and cultural bridges between neighbouring countries, including Israel and Egypt.

The U.S. Government recognizes the value of all this work. To quote the State Department: “U.S. engagement with UNESCO serves a wide range of our national interests on education, science, culture and communications issues…we will work with Congress to ensure that U.S. interests and influence are preserved.”

UNESCO is encouraged that the United States will maintain its membership in the Organization and hopes that a resolution to the funding issue will ultimately be identified. Until that happens, it will be impossible for us to maintain our current level of activity.

The announced withholding of U.S. dues owed for 2011 will immediately affect our ability to deliver programmes in critical areas: achieving universal education, supporting new democracies and fighting extremism. So I call on the U.S. administration, Congress and the American people to find a way forward and continue support for UNESCO in these turbulent times.

Irina Bokova

2 November, 2011

Video: Vote in UNESCO General Conference on Palestine Membership

2011-10-31T23:08:00.001-04:00

Unesco Approves Full Membership for Palestinians

2011-10-31T12:50:00.001-04:00

According to the New York Times:

Unesco defied a legally mandated cutoff of American funding and approved a Palestinian bid for full membership by a vote on Monday of 107 to 14, with 52 abstentions.

Legislation dating back more than 15 years stipulates a complete cutoff of American financing to any United Nations agency that accepts the Palestinians as a full member. Unesco — the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization — depends on the United States for 22 percent of its budget, about $70 million a year. More.....

According to the UNESCO press release:

The vote was carried by 107 votes in favor of admission and 14 votes against, with 52 abstentions.

"Will Congress’s defunding of the U.N. over Palestine hurt U.S. goals around the world?"

2011-10-28T15:42:00.002-04:00

Colum Lynch has an article by that title dated October 25, 2011 in Foreign Policy magazine. It discusses the repercussions if the Palestinian Authority bid to join UNESCO succeeds and the United States withholds funding from the organization as the law requires. The problem is exacerbated because it might start a chain reaction in which Palestine is automatically admitted to other decentralized agencies of the UN system which would apparently mean that the United States would automatically withhold funding also from those agencies.

The Palestinians are expected to follow by seeking membership in three other U.N. organizations -- the U.N. Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) -- that have reciprocation agreements that would allow UNESCO members in as full members. Consequently, the United States will be required to also cut funding to these agencies, jeopardizing funding to programs that protect international intellectual copy rights and promote trade in the developing world.

A congressional cut off of aid at UNESCO and other U.N. specialized agencies, however, would have no effect on many of the U.N.'s most high-profile operations, including billions of dollars spent on U.N. peacekeeping and humanitarian relief work -- since any bid by the Palestinians to secure membership in the U.N. General Assembly would face a U.S. veto.

But the Palestinians have made it clear that they intend to seek membership in other international agencies affiliated with the United Nations, including the International Criminal Court, which receives no funding from the United States, and the World Health Organization, which has played a lead role in preventing the spread of deadly and debilitating diseases like polio, malaria, small pox and avian flu and HIV/AIDS.

The Palestinians would also have a good shot at gaining entrance into several other U.N. specialized agencies, including the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), and the International Atomic Energy Agency, which require simple majorities or two-thirds majorities votes by the agencies' member states for membership. Ironically, the $238 million annual U.S. funding for the largest U.N. program in support of Palestinians, the U.N. Relief Works Agency, will not be directly affected by the UNESCO bid since it's not a U.N. member-based organization.

The Executive Board of UNESCO recommended that Palestine be admitted to UNESCO membership earlier this month, and the General Conference is expected to vote on the membership on Monday afternoon. It has been reported that there are very active discussions taking place in diplomatic circles and between the State Department and the Congress.

The article goes on to provide opinions from a number of knowledgeable source. Read more.....

The Opening Messages

2011-10-27T15:45:00.000-04:00

A Video from UNESCO's Culture Program

2011-10-27T15:32:00.001-04:00

UNESCO Youth Forum Spotlights a Generation Dedicated to Positive Change

2011-10-25T16:03:00.000-04:00

Paul Kruchoski, the UNESCO Education and Youth Officer in the State Department has posted a report on the recently completed UNESCO Youth Forum on the State Department blog. I quote from the opening of that posting:

“This is not a conference about the U.S., Europe, Africa, or any one country or region. It's a conference for all young people, and we need to fight for solutions that will result in progress for youth in every corner of the world.” -- Blair Brettschneider

“There is hope as long as we are willing to spend enough time with one another to realize that beyond any difference, we are all human beings seeking the same things.” -- Andrew Leon Hanna

Blair and Andrew were the two U.S. Representatives to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Youth Forum, which convened in Paris, October 17-20. Over four days, they met and worked with 245 youth from over 100 countries to offer UNESCO new recommendations on empowering youth and improving its work in education, science, culture, and communication.

"Don’t punish UNESCO"

2011-10-24T18:50:00.001-04:00

There is a letter to the editor in today's Washington Post from UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova. I quote from the letter:

UNESCO supports many causes in line with U.S. security interests. In Afghanistan and Iraq, we are helping governments and communities prepare for life after the withdrawal of U.S. military forces. We are bolstering the literacy of the Afghan National Police and are leading the country’s largest education program, reaching some 600,000 learners in 18 provinces. We work with the United States to advance democratic freedoms. Mandated to promote freedom of expression, UNESCO stands up for every journalist attacked or killed across the world. In Tunisia and Egypt, we are leading education reform and training journalists. We target the causes of violent extremism by training teachers in human rights and Holocaust remembrance.

Major U.S. private-sector companies are key partners. We work with Procter and Gamble on girls’ education in Senegal and with the Packard Foundation to reduce girls’ dropout rates in Tanzania and Ethiopia.

The issue of Palestinian membership should not be allowed to derail these initiatives, which go far beyond the politics of the Middle East......

Forest Whitaker and UNESCO want to give youth a voice

2011-10-21T19:06:00.000-04:00

UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Peace and Reconciliation and Academy Award winner, Forest Whitaker, supports youth driving change in their communities and wants to hear from youth worldwide. For more information on the UNESCO Youth Forum and how youth can be a voice for change, visit www.unesco.org/youth.

Suzanne Grant Lewis Named UNESCO IIEP Deputy Director

2011-10-21T16:35:00.000-04:00

Dr. Suzanne Grant Lewis has been named as the new incoming Deputy Director of UNESCO's International Institute for Educational Planning. She is a U.S. Citizen who was selected from a pool of 385 candidates who applied for the post.

Suzanne has wide experience with foundations and bilateral agencies working in international education. She serves as the coordinator of the Partnership for Higher Education in Africa, is a research scholar at the NYU Steinhardt School of Education, as well as Assistant Professor at Harvard. She earned her doctorate in International Development Education at Stanford. She is also an old friend from her days as a post-doctoral fellow at USAID.

You can read more about Suzanne here.

Congratulations on the new post Sue!

U.S. National Commission Meets on Monday 11/28/11

2011-10-21T15:50:00.004-04:00

The U.S. National Commission for UNESCO is set to convene a full meeting on Monday 11/28 at 10:00 am EDT, That is the Monday after Thanksgiving.

The meeting will convene on the campus of George Washington University in Washington, DC. The meeting will run from 10 am 2 pm. More details will be forthcoming.

This meeting will include some updates about UNESCO, but will mostly be designed for action - with plenty of caucusing, action teams, and whiteboards.

If you wish to attend, please inform the secretariat now right here!!!

36th UNESCO General Conference Begins

2011-10-21T15:31:00.001-04:00

Next Tuesday 10/25 UNESCO will convene its 36th meeting of the General Conference. Several Commissioners have generously volunteered to help represent the U.S. delegation and will attend several different pieces of the upcoming meeting.

U.S. Under Secretary of Education and Commission Member Martha Kanter will deliver the U.S. Delegation official statement to the General Conference.

The question of Palestinian membership still looms large on this upcoming meeting in terms of U.S. membership in UNESCO.

You can read some recent coverage here.

Americans for UNESCO recently circulated a letter about this issue, which you can read here.

In honor of the UNESCO Youth Forum 2011

2011-10-18T22:36:00.001-04:00

Unique film footage of the early days of A Ray of Hope, UNESCO Youth Ambassador for the Culture of Peace. Excerpts show the choir singing in UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, Songs of Praise Broadcast and a delightful evening with John Major the then prime minister of the United Kingdom. Over 12 years the choir of 60 children and 10 teachers developed into a global organisation of over 400,000 members - caring and being cared for.

FYI -- The Repercussions if UNESCO Admits Palestine

2011-10-18T13:17:00.002-04:00

I quote extensively from an article in UN Dispatch by Mark Leon Goldberg:

UNESCO member states are poised to admit Palestine as the newest member of the UN body. This is an achievement for the Palestinian leadership, which is seeking admission to various UN agencies, but potentially catastrophic news for UNESCO and American leadership at the UN. And through no fault of her own, even Beyonce may suffer.

At issue here are two strict laws passed by the United States congress in 1994 which stipulate that “the United States shall not make any voluntary or assessed contribution to any affiliated organization of the United Nations which grants full membership as a state to any organization or group that does not have the internationally recognized attributes of statehood.” And if that were not clear enough, a second clause clearly states that the United States may not “provide funds [to] the United Nations or any specialized agency thereof which accords the Palestine Liberation Organization the same standing as member states.” The law authorizes no “waiver authority” by the executive branch, meaning that there is no way for President Obama to end run around this prohibition.

In other words, if UNESCO admits Palestine as a member, the United States will be forced to effectively withdraw from the organization. That would be a huge financial blow to UNESCO, which receives 22% of its budget ($80 million) in dues payments from the United States. With that money, UNESCO promotes world press freedom, is the lead UN agency for the implementation of the Millennium Development Goal number 2 (universal primary eduction) and administers the World Heritage site program, among other things.

But the effect would be felt far beyond UNESCO. Several smaller UN agencies — including World Intellectual Property Organization, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization and the UN Conference on Trade and Development — tie their own membership to other UN agencies. This means that when one UN agency accepts a new member, these three UN agencies automatically accept the new member as well. Once UNESCO admits Palestine, these other UN agencies will automatically admit Palestine as well…and the United States will be forced to automatically pull out.

The United States may withhold funding for UNESCO

2011-10-13T19:58:00.002-04:00

The Palestinian Authority's request for full membership in the United Nations has received wide public attention, but meanwhile a more silent but equally grave political situation is playing out at UNESCO.

UNESCO’s Executive Board ended its 187th session on 6 October marked by the request for membership to UNESCO by Palestine. The Board voted on the request for Palestinian membership on October 5. Forty members voted in favor of admission, four against and there were 14 abstentions. The Board’s recommendation for admission will now be submitted to UNESCO’s General Conference (26 October to 10 November), where it requires a two-thirds majority vote to become effective.

The United States Ambassador to UNESCO released a statement explaining the U.S. opposition to the membership at this time.

We take the floor to express our strong opposition to this resolution. Granting the Palestinians full membership now in a specialized agency such as UNESCO is premature. Given that the UN Security Council is reviewing the Palestinian application, we believe it is inappropriate for a UN specialized agency to also take up the same matter.

The New York Times reported:

The State Department’s spokeswoman, Victoria Nuland, said that lawyers were busily reviewing how and when the Palestinian membership would affect the American financing. She said the administration would try to block a vote of the full Unesco membership even as it encourages a resumption of talks between the Israelis and Palestinians.

The issue is a hot one in Congress. In a statement on Tuesday, the chairwoman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Republican of Florida, urged the Obama administration to “make clear that any decision to upgrade the Palestinian mission’s status by Unesco or any other U.N. entity will lead to a cutoff of U.S. funds to that entity.”

U.S. Code Title 22, Section 287e includes the following:

“No funds authorized to be appropriated by this Act or any other Act shall be available for the United Nations or any specialized agency thereof which accords the Palestine Liberation Organization the same standing as member states.” This was adopted by a Democratic Congress in 1989 as Public Law 101-246.

“The United States shall not make any voluntary or assessed contribution: (1) to any affiliated organization of the United Nations which grants full membership as a state to any organization or group that does not have the internationally recognized attributes of statehood, or (2) to the United Nations, if the United Nations grants full membership as a state in the United Nations to any organization or group that does not have the internationally recognized attributes of statehood, during any period in which such membership is effective.” This was adopted by a Democratic Congress in 1994 as Public Law 103-236.

The first of these provisions was enacted into law in 1989. In that year Palestine applied for UNESCO membership and the Israeli government submitted a statement as to why it believed Palestine did not qualify for UNESCO membership:

http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0008/000827/082712eo.pdf

http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0008/000827/082713EO.pdf

The Huffington Post reports:

Ismail Tilawi, the representative of UNESCO in the Palestinian territories, says that since the formation of the Palestinian Authority in the mid-1990s, a request for Palestinian membership has been on the agenda of every UNESCO General Conference, which convenes every two years.

The motion to admit Palestine fully to membership in UNESCO apparently enjoys wide support among the 193 Member States, certainly enough to receive the two-thirds majority of "States present and voting" required for admission as a full Member. However, there is hope that a compromise along the lines of some sort of Palestinian membership short of "full" might be reached.

Senior budget officers at UNESCO, analyzing the consequences of failure to receive the U.S. funding, foresee immediate slashes in program activity, layoffs in personnel beginning in January, and other credible threats, including to UNESCO's pension system. However, Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries hint they might be willing to fill the funding gap, a gesture the implications of which remain to be examined.

UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova will spend Thursday and Friday of this week in Washington attempting to explain the impossible position in which UNESCO has been placed. State’s Mid-East negotiator David Hale in Paris will attempt to find a solution, perhaps trying to convince Palestinians to accept something less than full membership.

Job: Director Division Cultural Expressions and Diversity

2011-10-12T10:33:00.001-04:00

UNESCO is currently seeking a Director for its Division of Cultural Expressions and Heritage.

Deadline for applicants is 11/15.

Does this job require applicants to know mime?

There is only one way for you to find out - check out this link here.

Shankman Elected to Second Term

2011-10-12T10:29:00.000-04:00

Professor Steven Shankman

Professor Steven Shankman, who serves as Director of the University of Oregon's Center for Intercultural Dialogue and UNESCO Chair in Transcultural Studies, Interreligious Dialogue, and Peace, recently helped convene a meeting at UNESCO in Paris entitled,

Before Dialogue: Fear, Responsibility, and the Path to the New Humanism."

Dr. Shankman led this symposium as Chair of theUNITWIN Network on Interreligious Dialogue for Intercultural Understanding. At the conclusion of this most recent meeting he was unanimously elected to serve a second three year term.

Congratulations Professor Shankman and thank you for your leadership!

UNESCO DG on the Evolving U.S.-UNESCO Relationship

2011-10-12T10:21:00.001-04:00

UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova on the evolution of the United States' relationship with UNESCO

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, co-winner of this year's Nobel Peace Prize

2011-10-12T10:15:00.002-04:00

On 8 March 2006, the President of Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirlea, opened an International conference entitled Women in Politics organized by UNESCO within the framework of the celebration of International Women's Day.

“Crowdsourcing – linking up to reach Education for All”

2011-10-10T14:47:00.000-04:00

UNESCO is teaming up with Nokia and the Pearson Foundation on 10 October to launch the Education for All (EFA) Crowdsourcing Challenge, an eight-month initiative - with prizes - to elicit suggestions on how mobile communication can help achieve EFA goals.

Crowdsourcing uses group collaboration to achieve a specific goal. Participants post ideas and other participants can vote for or against them, along with feedback and solutions. A unique element of crowdsourcing is the ability to connect people with needs or ideas with software developers who can address those needs or realize those visions.

The EFA Crowdsourcing Challenge is designed to enable people with similar interests to connect and collaborate on ideas to achieve EFA. It plans to develop suggestions emerging from the dynamic interaction between education experts, teachers, parents, students and software developers.

Each month will feature a separate EFA goal. The first month is devoted to finding solutions on how mobile communication can help achieve literacy.

Prizes will be awarded monthly to the best ideas, chosen by a panel of judges. Promising projects will be developed and implemented by Nokia or other participants after the challenge ends, on 31 May 2012.

Related Links

EFA Crowdsourcing Challenge

ICT in Education

The six EFA Goals

Fight against Racism, Discrimination and Xenophobia

2011-10-10T14:44:00.003-04:00

UNESCO contributes to the fight against racism and discrimination through research, normative instruments and operational programmes and projects.

New forms of discrimination have arisen, in association with certain scientific developments and the process of globalization. As a result of these new threats and the outbreak of violent inter-ethnic conflicts in many parts of the world in recent years, the international community decided to convene in 2001 in Durban, South Africa, the World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance. In close collaboration with the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), UNESCO participated actively in the Durban Conference, which was undoubtedly the high point of the Third United Nations Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination, which ended in 2003.

U.S. Members of the UNESCO Executive Board

2011-10-10T11:44:00.000-04:00

Title	Name	Years	Sessions
Member	Mr Archibald MacLeish	1946-1947	1-2
Member	Mr Milton Eisenhower	1947	3-4
Member	Mr George D. Stoddard	1947-1949	5-17
Member	Mr Luther H. Evans	1949-1953	18-34
Member	Mr John A. Perkins	1953-1954	35-39
Member	Mr Athelstan F. Spilhaus	1954-1958	40-50
Member	Mr George N. Shuster	1958-1963	51-65
Member	Mr William Benton	1963-1968	65-80
Member	Ms Katie S. Louchheim	1968-1969	81-83
Member	Ms Louise Gore	1969-1973	83-93
Member	Mr Edward O. Sullivan	1973-1974	93-95
Member	Mr Gordon H. Scherer	1974-1976	96-99
Member	Mr Robert B. Kamm	1976-1977	99-103
Member	Mr Henry E. Kerry	1977-1978	103-105
Member	Mr Esteban Edward Torres	1978-1980	106-109
Member	Ms Barbara W. Newell	1980-1982	109-114
Member	Ms Jean Broward Shevlin Gerard	1982-1984	114-120

The United States held membership on the Executive Board of UNESCO from the beginning of the Organization until the United States withdrew from the organization in 1984. Since the United States rejoined the Organization in 2003, the United States has been represented on the Executive Board by the Permanent Representatives to UNESCO, Louise Oliver and Daniel Killion.

I am impressed by the large number of distinguished people who served as the United States' members of UNESCO's Executive Board. Especially in the early years of UNESCO the members were distinguished public intellectuals such as Archibald MacLeish and Luther Evans (both of whom served as Librarians of Congress), President Eisenhower's brother Milton, Athelstan Spilhaus (scientist educator) and William Benton (Publisher of the Encyclopedia Britannica). A number ran universities (Eisenhower, Perkins, Shuster, Kamm, Newell).

UNESCO: If you are interested in studying abroad

2011-10-09T14:05:00.000-04:00

You are interested in studying abroad in an institution of higher learning, but do not know how to go about it? You do not know if your academic qualifications will be accepted as an admission requirement for further studies? You need updated information on higher education systems, quality assurance and accreditation issues, transnational education including open and distance learning (ODL) provisions and virtual universities, admission procedures or access models world-wide? The Studying Abroad site on Access, Mobility and Quality Assurance in Higher Education provides answers to these and other questions. Tertiary education policy makers, national, regional as well as international associations and experts concerned with these issues, members of the university community and students, this site has resources for you.

The Grauer School is part of the UNESCO Associated School Network

2011-10-09T13:44:00.000-04:00

The Grauer School has been recognized internationally as a member of the worldwide network of UNESCO ASPnet schools. UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization and ASPnet is their Associated Schools program.

In common with Grauer School tradition, ASPnet schools commit to conduct pilot projects to promote quality education by reinforcing the humanistic, cultural, and international dimension of education. ASPnet schools are considered as “centers for innovation” and serve to promote UNESCO ideals in their respective communities.

Founded in 1953, UNESCO’s Associated Schools Project Network (ASPnet) is a global network of institutions in 176 countries, ranging from preschools and primary and secondary schools to teacher training institutions, who work in support of quality education in practice. These schools commit to emphasizing:

–world concerns and the role of the United Nations system
–Education for sustainable development
–Peace and human rights
–Intercultural learning

As of September 2009, there were 32 UNESCO schools in the US and one in California ~ schools like Phillips Exeter Academy, the Center for International Education, and the United Nations School are members.

Executive Board Concludes Meeting

2011-10-08T11:27:00.000-04:00

Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, and
Eleonora Mitrofanova, Chairperson of UNESCO’s Executive Board© UNESCO/Patrick Lagès

UNESCO’s Executive Board ended its 187th session on 6 October marked by the request for membership to UNESCO by Palestine, an endorsement of the Director-General’s “reform to perform” programme, and the Organization’s reinforced focus on Africa.

The Board voted on the request for Palestinian membership on October 5. Forty members voted in favour of admission, four against and there were 14 abstentions. The Board’s recommendation for admission will now be submitted to UNESCO’s General Conference (26 October to 10 November), where it requires a two-thirds majority vote to become effective.

The 58 Board Members also approved proposals to reform and reinforce UNESCO’s action in Africa through a strengthened network of field offices, which the Director-General stressed on several occasions as an absolute priority for the Organization.

"UNESCO is moving ahead very strongly with African priorities," Irina Bokova said. "I am determined to focus on the Priority Africa programme so that it becomes an effective instrument for developing education, for giving young people the tools with which to find jobs, and for giving recognition to African culture."

The Board also considered the issue of the UNESCO-Obiang Nguema Mbasogo International Prize for Research in the Life Sciences. After extensive debate it decided by consensus to establish a working group to undertake further consultations with a view to achieving a conclusion on the issue by the Board’s meeting in the spring of 2012.

Tagore, Neruda, Césaire for a reconciled universal

2011-10-07T10:09:00.001-04:00

Launched in the wake of the International Year for the Rapprochement of Cultures (2010), the Rabindrânâth Tagore, Pablo Neruda and Aimé Césaire programme aims to promote translations, publications, and creations connected to the three writers. It will also facilitate the dissemination and adaptation of their message. These activities are to be implemented by Member States, public or private institutions.

Tagore, Neruda and Césaire capitalized on art and poetry as irreplaceable vectors of mediation between humans and their environment. Reinventing humanism, it could be better to read and better to hear poetry in all of its forms, and to encounter new languages of expression that reflect peoples' dreams and aspirations, especially those of the youth.

More information:http://www.unesco.org/new/en/culture/themes/dialogue/tagore-neruda-and-cesaire/

Controversy over UNESCO possible recognition of Palestine state

2011-10-06T15:41:00.000-04:00

Map Source: InternationalRelations.com

The Executive Board of UNESCO voted today on a recommendation to admit Palestine to the Organization. From the 58 member-states on the Board, the recommendation was passed by a vote of 40 in favor to four against, with 14 abstentions. Palestine's request for membership will now be considered at the next session of the General Conference (October 26-November 10) where a two-thirds majority vote is required for membership to be granted. Decisions for admission are taken by the General Conference and the Executive Board which are UNESCO's governing bodies.

According to The New York Times:

Fourteen delegations abstained, including those from Belgium, France, Italy and Spain, while the American delegation joined Germany, Latvia and Romania in opposing the measure. (Israel does not presently sit on the executive board, where membership rotates.) Russia joined African and Arab states, among others, in support.

The United States government has opposed according Palestine full national status in UN agencies at this time on the basis that there should first be a peace treaty between Israel and the Palestinians, and that premature recognition of Palestine would make getting the peace process under way more difficult. In general, the United States government has supported a two state solution.

The vote is especially important as the United Nations is also considering accepting Palestine as a member nation, and were a specialized agency such as UNESCO to recognize the Palestinians as a member state it might set a precedent for the vote in the UN.

The New York Times reports that "Palestinians Win a Vote On Bid to Join Unesco". It reports further:

(F)ull membership in Unesco could mean a legally mandated cutoff of all contributions from the United States, both dues and voluntary.

Existing United States legislation appears to mandate the cutoff of money to the United Nations or any of its agencies if they grant “full membership as a state to any organization or group that does not have the internationally recognized attributes of statehood,” and more legislation along the same lines has been introduced. The United States contributes 22 percent of Unesco’s budget......

The State Department’s spokeswoman, Victoria Nuland, said that lawyers were busily reviewing how and when the Palestinian membership would affect the American financing. She said the administration would try to block a vote of the full Unesco membership even as it encourages a resumption of talks between the Israelis and Palestinians.

The fiscal year for the U.S. Government started October 1, 2011 so presumably U.S. funding from the last fiscal year (that ended September 30th) has already been transferred to UNESCO. Were the action of the General Conference to trigger a withholding of U.S. contributions to UNESCO, that would presumably occur in 2012 or thereafter. Member states have a responsibility to pay their assessed contributions to the Organization, but there have been many occasions in which a country is in arrears on those contributions, so the United States might withhold payment to UNESCO for a period of time and then pay the amount in arrears. Indeed, the Congress has in the past withheld contributions to the United Nations as means of pressuring the UN to change management or policy, later paying the arrears.

When the decision was made by the United States Government in the Reagan administration to withdraw from UNESCO, the Government provided the required one year notice of withdrawal, paying its assessed contributions for the period the United States remained a member state. The withdrawal, combined with that of the United Kingdom and Singapore, created a major financial crisis for UNESCO.

The return of the United States to UNESCO in 2004 did not result in a massive immediate increase in its budget, but rather a reduction in the assessed contributions of the other member states. Still, withholding 22 percent of the budget would cause serious financial problems for the organization. Were the United States again to withdraw from UNESCO the crisis would be greater and longer lasting. Were other major donors to also withhold contributions and/or withdraw, the result might be fatal to the Organization.

As in other United Nations system forums, the Israeli-Palestinian-Arab controversy has come up regularly at UNESCO Executive Board and General Conference meetings. Often those debates have led to useful conclusions, and to the best of my knowledge, none led to crises in UNESCO governance.

World Teachers’ Day 2011

2011-10-05T14:41:00.000-04:00

World Teachers’ Day is held annually on 5 October to celebrate the essential role of teachers in providing quality education at all levels. It also commemorates the anniversary of the 1966 signature of the UNESCO/ILO Recommendation Concerning the Status of Teachers.

The 2011 events will focus on the theme "Teachers for Gender Equality”.

Read about the events scheduled by UNESCO to celebrate the day.

Check out the Education International website for the day.

NATIONAL COMMISSION MEETS ON MONDAY 11/28

2011-10-02T19:23:00.000-04:00

The U.S. National Commission for UNESCO is set to convene a full meeting on Monday 11/28 around 10:00 am EDT

It is to convene on the campus of George Washington University in Washington, DC. The meeting will run from 10 am into the afternoon (maybe 2 pmish?). More details will be forthcoming.

This meeting will include some updates about UNESCO, but will mostly be designed for action - with plenty of caucusing, action teams, and whiteboards. We will be doing a lot of brainstorming re: programming for 2012.

If you plan to attend the annual meeting now inform the secretariat right here!!!

U.S. Announces Collaboration with UNESCO to teach anti-racism curriculum: Teaching Respect for All

2011-10-02T19:17:00.000-04:00

The United States government has announced a partnership between the U.S. Department of State, the Government of Brazil, and UNESCO to develop and promote an anti-racism curriculum entitled “Teaching Respect for All.”

The curriculum will be developed over the next two years, after which time it will be disseminated worldwide by UNESCO through education ministries and the extensive network of UNESCO-affiliated schools.

The United States’ participation in this initiative underscores the enduring U.S. commitment to combating racism and racial discrimination. The initiative was first announced as an outcome of President Obama’s March 2011 visit to Brazil.

UNESCO to resume cooperation with Libya

2011-10-02T19:01:00.001-04:00

The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, has welcomed the U.N. General Assembly’s recognition of Libya’s National Transitional Council as the country’s legitimate government and announced that UNESCO is looking forward to placing its expertise at the disposal of the new authorities.

"I welcome the return of Libya to the international community,” the Director-General said. “We stand ready to help the Libyan people in advancing human dignity and rights as part of a new era. May the raising of the new flag of Libya alongside those of UNESCO’s other Member States, herald the dawn of an age of reconciliation and recovery for the country.

"Our Organization is looking forward to assisting Libya in the fields of education, culture, science and media development to sustain their aspirations and efforts promoting human rights, freedom of expression, justice and women’s empowerment," concluded Irina Bokova.

UNESCO World Heritage Centre and IUCN Representatives to visit Yellowstone

2011-09-21T11:00:00.000-04:00

At the invitation of the United States government, the Director of the World Heritage Centre and a representative of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) are headed to Yellowstone later this month to get a first-hand look at how the National Park Service is addressing challenges facing the world's first national park which was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978. UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization.

A variety of threats to the park prompted the World Heritage Committee to place Yellowstone on its List of World Heritage in Danger in 1995. The park was subsequently removed from the list in 2003. Since then, the United States has continued to report on the conditions of the park to the World Heritage Committee.

During this visit to Yellowstone, part a routine monitoring effort, the World Heritage Centre and IUCN representatives will tour Yellowstone and meet with staff members to learn more about management of the park and actions being taken to address issues facing it.

As part of their visit, the park will host a public listening session with the World Heritage delegation in West Yellowstone on Wednesday evening, September 21. The meeting will take place from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Holiday Inn West Yellowstone Conference Hotel. The World Heritage representatives are hoping to attract individuals representing a wide array of divergent interests and viewpoints to attend and briefly share their thoughts and concerns.

UNESCO Chief at 2011 Clinton Global Initiative

2011-09-21T10:52:00.001-04:00

UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova is to attend "Conversations on Courage" at the 2011 Clinton Global Initiative. Read more....

Today is the International Day of Peace

2011-09-21T06:06:00.001-04:00

The United Nations' (UN) International Day of Peace is celebrated on September 21 each year to recognize the efforts of those who have worked hard to end conflict and promote peace. The International Day of Peace is also a day of ceasefire – personal or political.

Read UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova'a:

Democracy and Renewal in the Arab World: UNESCO in support of transitions to democracy

2011-09-18T14:52:00.004-04:00

In the light of current changes in the Arab world, UNESCO organized a high level round-table on the theme "Democracy and Renewal in the Arab World: UNESCO in support of transitions to democracy" in Paris on 21 June 2011. About 20 internationally renowned personalities participated in a dynamic and interactive debate.

Irina Bokova to join other Education for All Principals in New York (18 September)

2011-09-18T14:22:00.002-04:00

UNESCO is organizing a meeting of the heads and senior representatives of the five convening agencies for Education for All (EFA), UNESCO, UNICEF, UNDP, UNFPA and the World Bank, on 18 September in New York. Irina Bokova, UNESCO Director-General, will also be joined by the head of UN Women and the Chair of the Fast Track Initiative.

They will address institutional cooperation to scale up efforts for the 2015 EFA goals and beyond. Ten years since the 2000 World Education Forum in Dakar, the prospects for achieving the EFA goals by 2015 are deteriorating. Progress in access to education has slowed down and the quality of education remains desperately low in many countries, with many children leaving school without adequate literacy and numeracy skills.

Other issues on the agenda will be a joint response to emerging education needs in the Arab States and the first formal EFA Fast-Track Initiative Replenishment Pledging Conference. This event will be held in Copenhagen on 7 and 8 November in order to revitalize political and financial support for education.

Links

The UNESCO General and Regional Histories: A Contribution to the Rapprochement of Cultures

2011-09-17T20:54:00.000-04:00

A 10 minute film to illustrate the extraordinary intellectual adventure embodied in the elaboration of the General and Regional Histories of UNESCO. Launched in 1952 by UNESCO, this endeavour has generated 51 volumes of History in 6 different Collections: The History of Humanity, the General History of Africa, the History of the Civilizations of Central Asia, the General History of Latin America, the General History of the Caribbean and the Different Aspects of the Islamic Culture. Mobilizing more than 1800 historians and experts from all regions of the world, this vast enterprise has introduced a new understanding of human history by highlighting the exchanges between peoples and cultures and their respective contributions to the general progress of humanity.

These books are rather expensive, intended for reference libraries and professional but many are available from UNESCO publications.

To consult more documentaries on this, as well as many other subjects, visit:http://www.unesco.org/archives/multimedia

UNESCO History

2011-09-17T20:23:00.000-04:00

UNESCO was born on 16 November 1945. UNESCO works to create the conditions for dialogue among civilizations, cultures and peoples, based upon respect for commonly shared values. It is through this dialogue that the world can achieve global visions of sustainable development encompassing observance of human rights, mutual respect and the alleviation of poverty, all of which are at the heart of UNESCO'S mission and activities.Go to "Introducing UNESCO: what we are"

Top UNESCO World Heritage Sites

2011-09-17T08:20:00.001-04:00

UNESCO World Heritage sites includes some of the most beautiful, famous and historic landmarks around the world, from Australia's Great Barrier Reef to Egypt's Pyramids. But there are some that you may not have heard as much about--like Peru's "geoglyphs" of Nazca or the ancient center of Edinburgh. NBC Travel Editor Peter Greenberg shares some of his favorite UNESCO sites from around the world.

UNESCO Initiative for Haiti to be funded by Clinton Initiative

2011-09-17T08:10:00.000-04:00

Jacmel scene after the earthquake

UNESCO's Commitment to Action for the cultural recovery of Jacmel (Haiti) has been accepted by the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI). The project was seeking USD 500,000 matching funds to an initiative of USD 1,000,000 to support the culture sector in Jacmel, which was badly affected by the earthquake of January 2010.

In a project building on various assets of the culture sector, UNESCO committed to help rebuild and safeguard the cultural heritage of the town of Jacmel and its annual carnival, as well as to improve economic development in the region through tourism and cultural industries. As result, sustainable jobs in tourism and cultural industries will be created, especially for the young people of the Jacmel area. The project accepted by the CGI is building on earlier efforts financed by the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation and Development (AECID). Integrated, these action will allow for a substantial support to Jamel, as also identified in UNESCO's strategy: Haiti - Making Culture a Motor for Reconstruction.

Established in 2005 by President Bill Clinton, the CGI convenes global leaders to devise and implement innovative solutions to some of the world's most pressing challenges. Since 2005, CGI Annual Meetings have brought together nearly 150 current and former heads of state, 18 Nobel Prize laureates, hundreds of leading CEOs, heads of foundations, major philanthropists, directors of the most effective nongovernmental organizations, and prominent members of the media. The 2011 Annual Meeting will take place in New York City from 20 to 22 September 2011.

A roadmap for democracy and renewal in the Arab world

2011-09-17T07:48:00.001-04:00

Education and respect for human rights underpin a “roadmap” aimed at supporting the Arab world’s transition to democracy, developed at an international round table organized by UNESCO at its Paris Headquarters on 21 June.

The “roadmap” defines the conditions necessary for the successful establishment of democratic states. Along with education and human rights, it focuses on issues of governance, democratic institutions, citizenship, the active involvement of women and young people, socio-economic development and freedom of expression.

UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova opened the round table, in the presence of Abdou Diouf, Secretary-General of La Francophonie, Nickolay Mladenov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria, Boutros Boutros-Ghali, former Secretary-General of the United Nations, Nassif Hitti, Representative of the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, and some 250 participants including experts, academics and civil society leaders specialized in, or from, the Arab region.

Plaza de Mayo Grandmothers receive UNESCO Peace Prize

2011-09-15T19:39:00.000-04:00

The Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo (Argentina) receive the 2010 Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize at UNESCO Headquarters on 14 September, in the presence of the President of Argentina, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, President of Côte d'Ivoire Alassane Dramane Ouattara and several other Heads of State or Government.*

2012 UNESCO-Aschberg Bursaries for Artists, Djerassi, CA

2011-09-15T19:34:00.000-04:00

The Djerassi Resident Artists Program in partnership with UNESCO-Aschberg Bursaries for Artists is offering a One-Month Bursary/Residency for one Visual Artist during the 2012 season. Artists between the ages of 25 and 35 from developing countries are invited to apply.

The Residency
This will include a private work studio, living space, all meals, local transportation; and UNESCO–Bursary Programe will provide and manage the travel arrangements, a round-trip airfare at best rates in economy class to the San Francisco International Airport.

The selected artist is responsible for working materials and personal necessities. No other financial support is granted. Educational components such as artist workshops and/or classes are NOT offered as a part of this bursary.

Deadline:
Applications must be postmarked by October 31, 2011 for a bursary/residency in 2012.

Notification:
Applicants will be notified of selection by email in February 2012.

Bursary/Residency Session Dates:
September 11, 2012 – October 11, 2012
(all laureates arrive on the first day and depart on the last day)

Eligibility:
The bursaries are designed only for non-US citizens in developing countries.
The Aschberg Bursaries Programme is only intended for professional artists wishing to enrich their careers and by acquiring experience abroad. Students are not eligible.
The bursary is for the selected laureate only. The Djerassi Program does not offer accommodations to spouses, family members, children, or pets.

The Spirit of UNESCO

2011-09-13T12:41:00.003-04:00

Students have a hell of time grasping the spirit of UNESCO, the vital principle animating not only the formal organization but also the huge community of people and organizations that choose to affiliate with UNESCO in order to advance its mission. UNESCO’s founders told us in the UNESCO Constitution that UNESCO was about building structures in the minds of men, about changing the zeitgeist that had led to two world wars and the holocaust. UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova restates that objective, writing that UNESCO must work towards “a new humanism for the 21st century” – that is a vision shared by many peoples, drawing strength from their diversity, forming their common intentions and their mutual will to pursue peace and understanding. The mindset that UNESCO seeks is one that values objective truth, that is informed by the best of human culture, that understands peace not only an end to be desired but as something that must be worked for, that values communication as an end in itself. And thus the problem. How are we to understand such a shared vision; how is the zeitgeist to be changed?

Given the unique spirit of UNESCO, it is not surprising that that it is a unique enterprise, perhaps more a movement than an organization. At one level UNESCO is, of course, a decentralized intergovernmental organization within the United Nations system, the repository of a collection of international declarations, resolutions and conventions. It is historically the descendant of the Bureau for International Education and the Intellectual Bureau of the League of Nations. Uniquely, UNESCO’s constitution calls for member states to create national commissions for UNESCO involving the intellectual communities (educators, scientists, cultural leaders and knowledge workers) both to advise their governments on UNESCO and to link their national communities with the work of UNESCO and with the intellectual communities of other nations. Finally, the UNESCO spirit has imbued schools, clubs, cultural and natural sites of world importance, bioreserves, geoparks, university chairs and many others to affiliate with UNESCO and independently work to carry out its mission.

(S)ince wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defenses of peace must be constructed;….

(I)gnorance 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;…

(T)he great and terrible war which has now ended was a war made possible by the denial of the democratic principles of the dignity, equality and mutual respect of men, and by the propagation, in their place, through ignorance and prejudice, of the doctrine of the inequality of men and races;……..

For these reasons, the States Parties to this Constitution, believing in full and equal opportunities for education for all, in the unrestricted pursuit of objective truth, and in the free exchange of ideas and knowledge, are agreed and determined to develop and to increase the means of communication between their peoples and to employ these means for the purposes of mutual understanding and a truer and more perfect knowledge of each other’s lives;

In consequence whereof they do hereby create the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization for the purpose of advancing, through the educational and scientific and cultural relations of the peoples of the world, the objectives of international peace and of the common welfare of mankind for which the United Nations Organization was established and which its Charter proclaims.

From the Preamble to the Constitution of UNESCO

UNESCO can be, and often is seen as a bureaucraticorganization with a couple of thousand international civil servants, mostlylocated in the Organization’s Paris headquarters, with a budget of some $600million per year.

There is another, complementary way of understanding UNESCO,and that is as a place where ideas are generated and elaborated to be widelydisseminated by the networks that affiliate with UNESCO. Perhaps the mostimportant phrase in the Preamble to the UNESCO Constitution, quoted above, isthat “it is in the minds of men that the defenses of peace must beconstructed.” Those defenses are built idea by idea, as a rampart is builtbrick by brick.

UNESCO, of course, is identified as a place for ideas aboutpeace. It emphasizes intercultural dialog and interreligious dialog. Asdirected in its Constitution, UNESCO focuses on education, natural, social andhuman sciences, culture and communications as vehicles for the promotion of peace and the common welfare ofmankind.

The obvious way in which UNESCO disseminates ideas isthrough publications. There have been more than 10,000 UNESCO publications sinceit was founded and the Organization adds perhaps another 100 per year. Itpublishes journals and newsletters. Among its important recent publicationswere Towards knowledge societies: UNESCO worldreport, The World Social Science Report 2010,UNESCO Science Report and the firstUNESCO international engineering report, “Engineering: Issues and Challenges forDevelopment”. In the last decade UNESCO has also been increasinglyeffective disseminating information via the Internet.

In the following sections I will show some samples of how the spirit of UNESCO is embodied in action.

UNESCO Conventions

Consider the role of UNESCO in promulgating internationalconventions.

InternationalConventions are subject to ratification, acceptance or accession by States.They define rules with which the States undertake to comply.

UNESCO provides a venue in which representatives of itsmember states may negotiate the terms of these international treaties. However,it has no power to enforce the terms of conventions. Rather, nations thatchoose to ratify a UNESCO convention also undertake to establish the laws and regulationsto assure that their obligations under that convention are met. Examples ofUNESCO conventions are:

· Education: Convention on the Recognition ofQualifications concerning Higher Education in the European Region. Thisconvention is the basis for the harmonization of higher education in Europe, aprocess which is helping bridge historic differences among the peoples ofEurope.

· Natural Science: Convention on Wetlands ofInternational Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat. The so called RAMSARnetwork established under this convention includes 1951 wetlands in 160countries.

· Social and Human Sciences: InternationalConvention against Doping in Sport, which went into effect just before the 2008Beijing Olympic Games.

· Culture: Convention concerning the Protection ofthe World Cultural and Natural Heritage (under which a network of 938 WorldHeritage sites has evolved) and the Convention on the Means of Prohibiting andPreventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of CulturalProperty (which has enabled ratifying states to regulate the illicit traffic inart and archaeological artifacts).

· Communications: Convention relating to theDistribution of Program-Carrying Signals Transmitted by Satellite.

· Other: Convention concerning the InternationalExchange of Publications which encourages and facilitates the exchange ofpublications between both governmental bodies and non profit, non-governmentalinstitutions of an educational, scientific and technical, or cultural nature.

25 conventions have been negotiated in UNESCO’s venue andplaced in its repository. Perhaps surprisingly, in some cases the secretariatsdeveloped in support of the convention are not located within UNESCO.

An important aspect of these conventions is that UNESCO doesnot police them. Rather member states negotiate them in the belief that theyare in the common interest and it is the member states that create their ownlaws and regulations to implement the conventions. Thus, the ideas areelaborated by representatives of the member states in the venue provided byUNESCO, with the assistance of the UNESCO Secretariat, expanding andilluminating a fundamental proposition of international cooperation. The membernations then are responsible for deciding whether or not to ratify eachconvention and for implementing the conventions which they do ratify. Thus itis the governments of the member nations embody the spirit of UNESCO in this case, helping to achieve its mission through their actions.

Education for All

The Birth of the Education for All movement can be traced tothe WorldConference on Education for All held in Jomtien, Thailand in 1990, and tothe World EducationForum held in Dakar, Senegal in 2000. The declarations from these meetings,in which UNESCO was a sponsor, together with the Millennium Development Goals foreducation set the agenda for a global effort to expand schooling and increasethe numbers of children in school.

In addition to helping the global educational community todefine a set of EFA educational objectives, UNESCO

has provided tools for educators and governmentsto plan their educational programs,
has helped to establish internationally acceptedstandards for educational statistics which allow progress to be measured (andto be compared among nations),
has provided venues and support for Ministers ofEducation and senior educational officials from groups of countries to meet todiscuss successes and problems in their efforts to achieve the EFA and MDGeducational goals, and
has published an annual EFA Monitoring Report.

Again, it has been the global educational community that haselaborated the ideas of education for all and which has implemented programs incountries all over the world to create the institutions to achieve the EFAgoals. The role of UNESCO in the process has been catalytic, helping memberstates to articulate their objectives and to measure progress in theirachievement.

Other Networks

Consider also the many networks of organizations which havechosen to affiliate with UNESCO, thereby joining in the effort to disseminatethe messages promoted by UNESCO. Among those networks are:

• NationalCommissions or comparable organizations in the 193 member states

• 66 Category II Centers and Institutessupported separately by member states

• The Associated Schools Network, morethan 9000 educational institutions in 180 countries

• University Twinning and UNITWIN Networks, 715UNESCO Chairs and 69UNITWIN Networks

• The UNEVOC Network , 282 specialized TVETinstitutions in 167 UNESCO Member States

• ALADIN, the Adult Learning Documentation andInformation Network, 95 documentation centers in 47 countries

• Communityof Practice in Curriculum Development has co-organised and/or participated in atotal of 98 workshops, seminars, conferences and symposiums

• InternationalInstitute for Educational Planning Networking

• GUNI - Global UniversityNetwork for Innovation

• University-IndustryPartnerships (UNISPAR) – S&Tparks in such areas as biotechnology and ICTsi,nternational training workshops and regional networks.

• SESAME(Synchrotron-light for ExperimentalScience and Applicationsin the MiddleEast) which is supported by a numbe of MiddleEastern governments and which involves scientists from those countries inscientific networks

• MicrobialResources Centers (MIRCEN) for international scientific co-operation,microbiological research and biotechnological applications

• 5 Biotechnology Education and Training Centres (BETCENs), one in eachregion, which provide research and training opportunities in plant and marine biotechnology

• TheUNESCO’s water family which operates as a global network that workstogether to implement the organization’s strategic goals.

• WorldNetwork of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR), 580sites in 114 countries

• The Great Apes Survival Partnership

• TheGroup on Earth Observations (GEO) with 61 participating organizations

• TheOceans Observatory System

• TheTsunami Warning Networks

• InternationalNetwork of Women Philosophers

• TheManagement of Social Transitions (MOST) program network of national committees

• The Creative Cities Network, 28 cities

• Goodwill Ambassadors, Honorary Ambassador, Special Envoys, Champions and Artists for Peace

• TheWorld Heritage List includes 936 properties

• The Organization of World Heritage Cities, 238cities in which are located sites included on the UNESCO World Heritage List

• UNAL- UNESCO Network of Associated Libraries,over 500 libraries are members of the Network.

• The Power of Peace Network (PPN)

• 348 international NGOs and 20 foundations andsimilar institutions

• 3.800 associations, centers and UNESCO clubsin more than 80 countries

• Private sector partnerships with NHK, L’OREAL,HP, Microsoft, Danone, etc.

Huge numbers of people are involved in these networksvoluntarily. Indeed, there are many more people are included in these networksthan there are international civil servants in the UNESCO bureaucracy. Some ofthe international NGOs affiliated with UNESCO represent millions of people,such as the international umbrella organizations for scientific and engineeringsocieties and associations of teachers.

These networks consist of organizations and peopleaffiliated with UNESCO by their own choice, both helping to define UNESCO’sagenda and advancing it through their voluntary efforts. They are self governedwith little or no supervisory, financial nor management input from UNESCO. Theyare completely decentralized, collaborating with UNESCO only to the degree thatthey are inspired and motivated by UNESCO’s mission and its leadership. Yet theyare an essential means of accomplishing UNESCO’s objectives. They too embody the spirit of UNESCO.

Concluding Remarks

UNESCO’s mission is to promote “full and equal opportunitiesfor education for all”, “the unrestricted pursuit of objective truth”, and “thefree exchange of ideas and knowledge”. It is “to increase the means ofcommunication between….peoples and to employ these means for the purposes ofmutual understanding and a truer and more perfect knowledge of each other’slives.” It would be an error either to assume that this mission is carried outdirectly by the UNESCO bureaucracy or to underestimate the critical role ofthose who chose to affiliate with UNESCO without incentives other thanenthusiasm for its mission.

Of course, not all the people in organizations in UNESCO networksspend all of their time advancing UNESCO’s agenda, although many may well doso. But even a small amount of effort per person when aggregated over very largenumbers of people can add up to a large total. Moreover, many people spend a lot of their time helping to achieve UNESCO's mission.

A problem with this view of UNESCO is that one can not seeideas nor easily track their diffusion. Moreover, it is hard to understand theimpact of UNESCO’s staff and budget on the creation of ideas and theirdiffusion. It is impossible to measure the impact that 100 publications peryear has on the world, and more so the impact of 10,000 publications over morethan half a century. The countries implementing UNESCO conventions don’t reporton the impact of the conventions on their nations, nor do the countriesimplementing Education for All and the Millennium Development Goals report onthe impact that UNESCO has had on their schools and school children. Indeed,the decentralized networks ascribed to UNESCO don’t report on resources,activities nor accomplishments to UNESCO.

To the bureaucratic mentality, the lack of quantitativeindicators and formal monitoring systems is an almost insuperable burden. Tothat mentality, the lack of quantitative indicators of the changes in the mindsof men and of the impact of UNESCO on those changes is tantamount to proof thatno such changes or impact exists. Clearly that is a false view, and noteverything that is important can be measured. The founders of UNESCO were rightin their vision that there was a real need to build the defenses of peace inthe minds of men, to encourage the unrestricted search for objective truth andto promote the free exchange of ideas and knowledge.

Equally, however, there is a continuing need to encouragethe governments of member states and the extended networks attached to UNESCOto devote their serious efforts to helping achieve UNESCO’s mission. Moreover,in the absence of objective measures it is imperative to obtain the judgment ofour wisest observers of society to consider the success of UNESCO insafeguarding is spirit and sharing it with others, to consider where and howbest to motivate UNESCO’s partners and networks, and how best to allocateUNESCO’s scarce resources to achieve its mission.

Changing ideas in the minds of seven billion people is a bigjob, and it is a job that does not lend itself to bureaucratic approaches. Itis through the efforts of large networks of people devoted to UNESCO’s spiritthat progress is being made.

Somany new ideas are at first strange and horrible, though ultimately valuablethat a very heavy responsibility rests upon those who would prevent theirdissemination.

J. B. S. Haldane

Man'smind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions.

Oliver Wendell Holmes

Thekey to every man is his thought.... He can only be reformed by showing him anew idea which commands his own.

RalphWaldo Emerson

The Frequency of Words Linked to Key UNESCO Concept in Books Since 1900

Source: Google Ngram Viewer

World Teachers’ Day 2011 : join the online discussion!

2011-09-12T23:04:00.002-04:00

UNESCO is organizing an online discussion on "Teachers for Gender Equality” from 12 to 23 September.

Share your opinions and experiences regarding gender balance in the teaching profession, gender equality in education and the role of teachers.

This e-forum open to all, will contribute to the World Teachers' Day debates on 5 October at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, one of numerous events organized worldwide to honour teachers on World Teachers’ Day 2011 whose theme is “teachers for gender equality”.

Related Links

World Teachers' Day

UNESCO and Teacher Education

Slave Routes: A Global Vision

2011-09-12T14:12:00.001-04:00

The film presents the diverse histories and heritages stemming from the global tragedy of the slave trade and slavery. Through the compilation of images, historical narration, and interviews with experts from all the continents, the film shows how African slaves and their descendants, in contrast to incorrect racial theories, helped shape the modern world. The film's main objective is to give a global vision of the different dimensions of this tragedy and raise crucial questions regarding its consequences in modern societies in order to come to terms with this collective memory

Congratulations to Reykjavik from Iowa City

2011-09-09T18:42:00.001-04:00

UNESCO’s Goodwill Ambassadors to meet in France

2011-09-09T14:39:00.001-04:00

UNESCO’s work and how internationally-renowned personalities can help the Organization meet its objectives will be the subject of the 11th annual meeting of UNESCO’s Goodwill Ambassadors, on 12 September, at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, the French capital.

In a press statement Thursday, UNESCO said the meeting, to be opened by its Director-General, Irina Bokova, would focus on the Organization’s post-conflict and post-disaster activities, the 2011 Education for All Monitoring Report, and a session on the promotion of youth initiatives and civic commitments for peace and dialogue.

Some 25 Goodwill Ambassadors expected to attend the event are Ara Abramian (Russian Federation), Valdas Adamkus (Lithuania), Mehriban Aliyeva (Azerbaijan), Ivonne A-Baki (Ecuador), Pierre Bergé (France), Chantal Biya (Cameroon), Miguel Angel Estrella (Argentina), Vigdis Finnbogadóttir (Iceland), Bahia Hariri (Lebanon), Jean-Michel Jarre (France), Marc Ladreit de Lacharrière (France), Princess Firyal of Jordan, Vitaly Ignatenko (Russian Federation), Omar Zülfü Livaneli (Turkey), Jean Malaurie (France), Kitín Muñoz (Spain), Ute-Henriette Ohoven (Germany), Christina Owen-Jones (Italy), Kim Phuc Phan Thi (Canada – Viet-Nam), Susana Rinaldi (Argentina), Yazid Sabeg (France), Madanjeet Singh (India), Zurab Tsereteli (Russian Federation), Marianna Vardinoyannis (Greece), Forest Whitaker (United States of America).

Forest Whitaker Speaking in support of Obama Candidacy

UNESCO and Procter & Gamble launch partnership to promote education for young girls and young women

2011-09-09T13:43:00.002-04:00

UNESCO and the multinational consumer product company Procter & Gamble’s Always brand have launched a partnership to promote literacy for young girls and young women. The announcement coincides with International Literacy Day, 8 September.

Overcoming the gender gap is one of UNESCO’s major priorities. In a world that still numbers 793 million illiterate adults, women account for two thirds of those who cannot read and write. And girls account for 53 % of the 67 million primary-age school children around the world who are not receiving the education to which they have a right.

The first project launched under the partnership concerns girls’ literacy in Senegal, where, in 2006, fewer than 45% of women could read or write. Educational kits and digital resources will be made available to train and support more than 1,200 teachers who will devote 600 hours of literacy and life skills teaching to girls in Senegal.

Slave Routes: A Global Vision

2011-09-06T22:36:00.002-04:00

Google Trends for "World Heritage"

2011-09-04T23:57:00.002-04:00

The graphs above show the relative frequency that the term "world heritage" is used as a search term in Google (top) and the frequency the term appears in news items indexed by Google (bottom). (Click here for explanations of the scales used.) It was obtained using Google Trends.

There seem to be some clear trends. The number of searches on the term has gone down from year to year, and there was much more variability in the number of searches within years in the early years. The number of searches within years tends to be a minimum in the final week of the year.

The volume of indexed literature containing the term has increased from year to year. There is a peak in World Heritage references in the middle of the year which seems to correspond to the annual meeting of the World Heritage Committee. The Committee usually meets in July and makes decisions as to the new sites to include in the World Heritage List and those to add to the List in Danger. Thus it is not surprising that the World Heritage Center generates news stories at that time.

Reviewing the list of points identified on the search frequency graph, five of the six are found in the mid year, and all are related to the addition of new sites to the World Heritage List. The other, earlier in 2011, is related to the nomination of a site for later review by the Committee.

If you go to the site, you can see trends for the last 30 days, for the last 12 months, or for any of the eight years for which there are data. Graphs for shorter periods give more detail as to the key news stories that generate especially high numbers of searches. Additional information is available as to the locations and languages which generate the searches.

While this data is interesting per se, the brief experiment for which results are described above illustrates that a great deal of information can be obtained rather quickly using computer search techniques and the huge amount of data now available on the Internet.

An Account of UNESCO Chief's Visit to Israel

2011-09-04T13:34:00.001-04:00

UNESCO Chief Bokova meets with
Israel's President Shimon Peres during her visit.

I quote from a relatively long article in the Jerusalem Post covering the first official visit of UNESCO Director General Bokova to Israel. The visit took place on May 29 and 30, 2011.

Highlighting her organization’s “excellent cooperation” with Israel in a variety of fields including education, culture, science and communications, the director-general of UNESCO said Sunday in Jerusalem that she had been “disappointed” by the process whereby UNESCO’s Executive Board last October passed five resolutions hostile to Israel.

Irina Bokova, 58, who is making her first visit to Israel, noted, however, that reports that Israel had threatened to suspend all cooperation with UNESCO over the affair were inaccurate and had proved as such. “I was reassured immediately that Israel was by no means considering suspending or limiting relations with UNESCO,” she said. Officials in Jerusalem clarified Sunday that Israel had suspended cooperation with UNESCO only with regard to the five specific issues in the resolutions........

Bokova was invited on this visit to deliver the keynote speech at Sunday’s International Women Leaders conference at the Golda Meir Mount Carmel International Training Center, an institution with which she said UNESCO has had a long-running relationship.

She also inaugurated the “UNESCO for Tolerance and Peace Square” in Haifa, in the company of the city’s mayor Yona Yahav. At the ceremony dedicating the square, she praised the mixed Jewish- Arab city as an exemplar of coexistence and dialogue between all population sectors.

Haifa’s message of “tolerance and peace,” she said, should be disseminated across the Middle East and worldwide.

Bokova began her trip on Sunday with a meeting with President Shimon Peres, and will on Monday visit and lay a wreath at Yad Vashem and meet with the ministers of education, science and culture and with senior officials at the Foreign Ministry.

International Literacy Day, 8 September

2011-09-03T20:29:00.002-04:00

On International Literacy Day each year, UNESCO reminds the international community of the status of literacy and adult learning globally.

Despite many and varied efforts, literacy remains an elusive target: some 793 million adults lack minimum literacy skills which means that about one in six adults is still not literate; 67.4 million children are out-of-school and many more attend irregularly or drop out.

>> UNESCO International Literacy Prizewinners 2011

Solidarity Days of World Heritage Cities September 8

2011-09-03T20:07:00.002-04:00

The Organization of the World Heritage Cities was created on September 8, 1993, in Fez (Marocco). In commemoration of this big event, September 8 was declared “Solidarity Day of the World Heritage Cities” and all these cities are welcomed to commemorate it every year.

The OWHC urges the administration of each member city to take advantage of this day to stress the important responsibility of the city to protect as well as promote the world heritage and especially the privilege of having a part of that heritage in their city.

On September 8, 2011, the World Heritage Cities proud of this title will celebrate the 16^thSolidarity Day of the World Heritage Cities. At this occasion, member cities of the OWHC from all around the world will underline their outstanding universal value by organizing different activities that aim at highlighting their uniqueness. We encourage you to be part of them!

The Organization is composed of 238 cities in which are located sites included on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The United States has emphasized archaeological and natural sites in its nominations, and consequently only New York, Philadelphia and San Juan Puerto Rico are cities with sites on the World Heritage List. Unfortunately, none of the cities in the United States has chosen to join in this network.

La Fortaleza, A World Heritage site in Puerto Rico

(I have always wondered whether Tomas O'Daly, one of the Irish Wild Geese in the 18th century who joined the Spanish Army and was credited with modernizing the fortress of San Cristóbal, was an ancestor of mine. John Daly)

The UNESCO Courier: How Youth Drives Change

2011-09-03T05:48:00.000-04:00

The International Year of Youth (August 2010 – August 2011) turned out to be more revolutionary than expected. At the beginning of 2011, young people rose up in Tunisia and then in Egypt, and the movement spread to other countries in the region, also rousing countries in Europe such as Spain. Elsewhere in the world, youth are mobilizing for a range of causes, as varied as the means they use. Much more involved than we tend to think, young people have decided to take things in hand. And in this issue of the Courier, it is they who are speaking out, expressing their concerns and explaining their actions.

To read this issue please click here (PDF-56 pages)

Young people in the world: So different and so alike, Monique Coleman

Mobile revolution, Gigi Ibrahim

Spring of outrage, Alfredo Trujillo Fernandez

Miracle Weapons, Serge Amisi

When poetry is louder than a bomb,Nate Marshall

Moonlight stars, Carol Natukunda

A young sughar, Nosheen Abbas

Rebels with a cause, Jens Lubbadeh

Prescriptions for a sick planet, Zhao Ying

Green architecture, Carlos Bartesaghi Koc

OUR GUEST
Revolution: one of the great feats of civilization, Khaled Youssef
MILESTONES
UNESCO welcomes, Hillary Clinton, Ban Ki-moon, Forest Whitaker, Shashi Tharoor...

UNESCO Chief on the U.S. UNESCO Relationship

2011-09-02T20:18:00.000-04:00

UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova on the evolution of the United States' relationship with UNESCO

U.S. Candidacy for the UNESCO Executive Board

2011-09-02T19:29:00.001-04:00

The United States is committed to supporting UNESCO in its mission, its priorities and its global objectives. It is the largest overall contributor to UNESCO, providing 22 percent of the organization's budget, but also makes significant extrabudgetary contributions for a variety of programs, including the World Heritage Committee, Intergovernmental Oceanic Commission, Creative Cities, and the International Institute for Educational Planning.

The United States believes it can it can play an important role in furthering UNESCO's goals and objectives through membership on its Executive Board.As a member of the Executive Board, the United States pledges to bolster quality learning for all, strengthen the role of science at UNESCO, empower youth as positive agents of change, encourage the development of independent and pluralistic media, and harness the power of cultural heritage and creative industries.

Learn more about the United States' platform for election to the Executive Board 2011-2015

Laura W. Bush Traveling Fellowship Deadline Extended to 9/26/11

2011-09-02T19:18:00.000-04:00

The U.S. National Commission for UNESCO administers the Laura W. Bush Traveling Fellowship. This program helps American students fund traveling research projects aligned with the sectors of UNESCO.

The deadline for the next round of applications is now set for Monday 9/26/11. If you know of any students who might be good candidates for this fellowship, please send them here!

Spotlighting Brenda Gael McSweeney and her network

2011-09-02T19:12:00.002-04:00

Brenda Gael McSweeney, Visiting Scholar at Boston University's Women's Studies Program, leads a UNESCO UNITWIN Network. That network, on the topic of Gender Culture and Development, links BU with three prestigious Indian universities and social activist NGOs in India and Burkina Faso.

A UNESCO UNITWIN Network is associated with UNESCO Chairs, but is set up to provide a framework through which institutions of higher education can establish long term working partnerships. There are almost 70 of these around the world today. UNESCO certifies "UNESCO Chairs" in universities and "UNITWIN Networks" based in universities through a process of nomination and quality review. UNESCO provides some funding for the program, but much more is raised from other sources. There are a total of 635 UNESCO Chairs and UNITWIN networks worldwide.

Through the UNITWIN network that she leads, Brenda is helping to convene an international seminar entitled "Gender Violence and Development: The South Asian Experiences" in New Delhi from October 12-13.

You can find out more about the upcoming event here.

NatCom Commissioner Wen creates links to Microsoft

2011-09-02T18:43:00.000-04:00

Left to Right: Eric Basha, Sheree Wen, David Ostroff, Josh Rice

U.S. National Commissioner for UNESCO, Dr. Sheree Wen, met recently with senior Microsoft management in Seattle to discuss the company's newest software innovations for education and art. Dr. Wen is also president and chief executive officer of the Wen Technology Group.

Dr. Wen met with Josh Rice, Microsoft's Senior Director for Worldwide Technology, and Mr. Eric Basha, Microsoft's Managing Director for Government in their Worldwide Public Sector on August 22.

David Ostroff from the U.S. Mission to UNESCO in Paris also participated in the meeting. Dr. Wen has been named as the Chairman of the newly formed Advisory Council for the International Center for Women Artists, and has been working to develop the Center's virtual presence.

The Amman-based International Center for Women Artists, strongly supported by the U.S., will be formally approved as a UNESCO Category II center at the upcoming UNESCO General Conference in November. Through its website, ICWA will have a major virtual presence, permitting visitors from all over the world to visit, engage in and learn about the incredible work of women artists from around the world.

UNESCO Seminar Begins Semester at GWU!

2011-09-02T07:35:00.000-04:00

A graduate seminar on UNESCO has been offered at George Washington University since 2007. It has been coordinated by members of the Board of Directors of Americans for UNESCO until now, but this semester it is coordinated by Laura Engel, an assistant professor in the International Education Program. Members of the Board will continue to be strongly involved in the program as guest lecturers and as resource persons for the students.

The first class of the seminar was held this Wednesday, in Monroe Hall shown above.

The class was honored by a video welcome greeting by Irina Bokova, the Director General of UNESCO. In her remarks, she emphasized the importance of the class focus this semester on the educational and cultural programs of UNESCO. She expressed the hope that the course would help disseminate information about and understanding of UNESCO in the United States.

While the seminar is offered by the Graduate School of Education and Human Development, it is open to students from other schools in the university and to students from other universities in the Washington DC network of universities. If past experience is any guide, the seminar will be enriched by students from different disciplines and schools, as well as by foreign students working for an American graduate degree.

Call for Nominations - 2011 Prize

2011-08-31T12:07:00.000-04:00

UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence

Closing date for submissions is 9 September 2011 at midnight.

The UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence rewards significant activities in the scientific, artistic, cultural or communication fields aimed at the promotion of a spirit of tolerance and non-violence. More......