International Institute for Peace joins forces with UNESCO

The International Institute for Peace (IIP), co-founded by UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Forest Whitaker, will formally join forces with the Organization on 7 February with the signing of an agreement between UNESCO, the Institute, the Rutgers University in New Jersey, US, and the US government, the UN agency said in press statement here Friday.

It said that the agreement will place the IPP under the auspices of UNESCO.

The agreement to this effect will be signed at UNESCO Headquarters after a press conference with UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova, Forest Whitaker, Rutgers University Chancellor Philip Yeagle, and the US Ambassador to UNESCO, David Killion.

At the ceremony, video messages of support from Esther Brimmer, the US Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs, and Okello Sam, the founder of Hope North, a centre for refugees, orphans and former child soldiers in northern Uganda, will also be shown.

Read more from Afrique en Ligne

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

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!

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

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. 

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Suzanne Grant Lewis Named UNESCO IIEP Deputy Director

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. Members of the UNESCO Executive Board

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’s Goodwill Ambassadors to meet in France

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).

Read more.....

Forest Whitaker Speaking in support of Obama Candidacy

Spotlighting Brenda Gael McSweeney and her network

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.

Editorial: New York and Boston should be nominated for UNESCO awards

UNESCO initiated the concept of World Book Capital City and nominated Madrid as the Capital for Year 2001. The World Book Capital City each year establishes a program to promote reading among its citizens. Following this successful experience, the General Conference in 2001 establishing a yearly nomination of the Book Capital City. Other cities so honored include Alexandria, Antwerp, Bangkok, Buenos Aires, Ljubljana, New Delhi and Yerevan.

UNESCO also has established a program honoring Cities of Literature for such things as the quality and diversity of their publishing activities, their educational programs devoted to literature, and their urban environment in which literature, drama and  poetry play an important role. The cities that have received these awards include Edinburgh, Melbourn, Iowa City, Dublin and Reykjavic.

It seems to me that the center of publishing and literature in the United States is New York, and that the State Department should nominate that city for UNESCO recognition. Boston would seem to be a city that has a long history both of the production of literature and of higher educational institutions that emphasize the study of literature. It too might be a suitable candidate for UNESCO recognition.

Publishers: New York City has long been a major center for book publishing in the United States

• HarperCollins: HarperCollins Publishers; literary and commercial fiction, business books, children's books, cookbooks, mystery, romance, reference, religious and spiritual books; unit of News Corporation
• McGraw-Hill: McGraw-Hill Companies; education, financial services, information and media services; 2002 sales $4.7 billion
• Penguin: Penguin Group; imprints Putnam, Viking, Dutton, Puffin, Dorling Kindersley, Rough Guides; unit of Pearson
• Random House: Publishing operation of Bertelsmann; imprints Random House, Alfred A. Knopf, Ballantine, Bantam, Dell, and Doubleday
• Simon & Schuster: Publishing; imprints include Pocket Books, The Free Press, and Scribner
• Scholastic: Scholastic Inc; global children’s publishing and media company
• W W Norton: W. W. Norton and Company; fiction, nonfiction, and poetry
• Wiley: John Wiley & Sons; publishes textbooks, professional books; 2003 sales $854 million

John Daly

The opinions above are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Americans for UNESCO.

PROFILES: AMERICANS AT UNESCO

Dr. Raymond Wanner

The U.S. Mission to UNESCO has opened a facet for its website highlighting Americans working at or with UNESCO. One of the first to be highlighted is Ray Wanner. Ray, the Senior Vice President of Americans for UNESCO, also currently serves as Senior Adviser on UNESCO Affairs to the United Nations Foundation, and Governing Board Chair of UNESCO's International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP). Read an interview with Dr. Wanner!

Herbie Hancock UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador

United States UNESCO Youth Forum Representatives Announced

Blair Brettschneider of Chicago, Illinois and Andrew Hanna of Jacksonville, Florida will travel to UNESCO Headquarters in Paris this October to participate in the biennial conference.

Blair Brettschneider

The UNESCO Youth Forum brings together youth from over 80 countries and gives them a voice on how UNESCO addresses global problems within its mandate. At the Forum, youth delegates will discuss UNESCO’s work and provide recommendations on how UNESCO can better foster youth development and strengthen youth participation in civic life. The outcome from the Forum will be forwarded to the UNESCO General Conference for consideration.

Blair Brettschneider graduated from the University of Miami with a Bachelors degree in Communication and American Studies in 2009. Brettschneider currently serves as a Development Assistant for RefugeeOne, a program that helps refugee girls adjust to life in the United States. Andrew Hanna is a sophomore studying Public Policy at Duke University. Hanna serves as the Duke University Class of 2014 President and was a Global Youth Summit American Delegate in 2010.

Andrew Hanna

Congratulations to the UNESCO Youth Forum Finalists

Every other year, before UNESCO holds its General Conference, the organization also hosts a youth forum, where delegates from around the world identify common concerns and shared experiences. The delegates, all of whom are under 24 years old, then deliver their suggestions directly to the UNESCO General Conference. Two delegates from the United States will be designated from the following group of finalists:

• Sasha Anderson
• Blair Brettschneider
• Alexandria J. Croom
• Alex Fogleman
• Fernando Cutz
• Andrew Hanna
• Sejal Hathi
• Courtney Ivins
• Kim Karalekas
• Kelsey Leonard
• Noelle Little
• George Demetrios Papadopoulos
• Ryan Ruggiero
• Dale J. Stephens
• Tiffany Taylor

Read Assistant Secretary of State Esther Brimmer announcement of the finalists!

Jazzman Herbie Hancock named UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador

UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova will designate American jazz musician Herbie Hancock as UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador in a ceremony at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris on 22 July.

Recognizing Herbie Hancock’s “dedication to the promotion of peace through dialogue, culture and the arts,” the Director-General has asked the celebrated jazz musician “to contribute to UNESCO’s efforts to promote mutual understanding among cultures, with a particular emphasis on fostering the emergence of new and creative ideas amongst youth, to find solutions to global problems, as well as on ensuring equal access to the diversity of artistic expressions.”

Read:

• The UNESCO announcement of the appointment
• The UN News Center announcement

Check out Herbie Hancock's website!

Brian O’Dwyer appointed to UNESCO commission

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has appointed New York Irish-American attorney Brian O’Dwyer as Commissioner of the United States National Commission for UNESCO. The panel works with the State Department to further American participation in the United Nations Scientific, Educational and Cultural Organization.

O’Dwyer, managing partner of the renowned Manhattan-based law firm of O’Dwyer and Bernstien, regularly commentates on legal issues for Fox TV, Court TV, CNBC, New York 1 and CNN en Español.

Widely known for his advocacy in support of the rights of labor unions and immigrants, he presently serves as chairman of New York’s Emerald Isle Immigration Center and Asociacion Tepeyac, which serves the city’s Mexican immigrant community.

Read more from the Irish Emigrant Online!

American film star Forest Whitaker's new role: UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador

Forest Whitaker with
UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova

UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova will designate American actor, director and producer Forest Whitaker as UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Peace and Reconciliation. The nomination ceremony will take place at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris on 21 June, at 6 p.m.

The designation comes in recognition of Mr Whitaker’s humanitarian and artistic commitment. This is most visible in his projects, such as “Better Angels”, a film about Ugandan child soldiers or “Common Destiny”, a documentary about the common goals of achieving peace and mutual understanding, and the power of education in promoting peace and reconciliation between and within communities.

Forest Whitaker was born in 1961 in Texas, USA. He studied opera in California to become a tenor singer but decided to focus on film acting eventually and moved to study in London. Since his film debut in “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” in 1982, he has been one of Hollywood’s most accomplished figures. His best known performances include his roles as jazzman Charlie Parker in “Bird”, for which he was awarded the Palme d’Or in Cannes for best actor in 1989, and as Ugandan leader Idi Amin in “Last King of Scotland”, for which he received an Academy Award in 2006.

Interview with George Papagiannis

The U.S. Mission to UNESCO sat down with George Papagiannis, the Officer in charge of the UNESCO Office in Baghdad, to find out how he ended up in Iraq, what work he is doing there with UNESCO, and why UNESCO matters. This is one of a series of interviews with Americans working in UNESCO.

World Sky Race event is launched in Times Square

Promotion of the World Sky Race, an unprecedented race among skyships, blimps and zeppelins to begin in September 2011, was launched on two giant screens in Times Square, New York City on September 30 and October 1, 2010. Scheduled to begin next year in London, the race involves competing teams that will fly around the world in 180 days and return to London. The team with the best cumulative time will be named World Sky Champion.

The UNESCO World Heritage Centre is a partner to the World Sky Race which will fly over more than 130 World Heritage sites, including Versailles Palace in France, the Pyramids of Egypt, the Taj Mahal in India and the Statute of Liberty in the USA. The initiative will help educate people of all ages about World Heritage sites and raise funds for their conservation through the World Sky Race and associated activities.

Read more!

Esther Coopersmith appointed UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador

Esther Coopersmith (right) with
No'a Meridor, wife of the Ambassador of Israel to the United States.
Photo from Diplomatic Pouch, 2007

On 8 September 2009, the Director-general of UNESCO, Mr Koïchiro Matsuura, designated Mrs Esther Coopersmith from the United States of America as UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for intercultural dialogue. The ceremony took place at UNESCO in presence of the new United States Ambassador, David Killion, his wife and various distinguished guests.

Read:

• The UNESCO press release on the appointment
• A somewhat dated, but very interesting profile from the New York Times

The United States and UNESCO

View of the Capitol and its
reflection in Washington DC at night
©Olga Bogatyrenko

In 2007 voluntary contributions from the United States to UNESCO amounted to USD 3.3 million

Voluntary contributions have increased since the United States re-joined UNESCO in 2003. During its 19-year absence, the United States nevertheless continued to make voluntary contributions to a number of UNESCO’s activities.

UNESCO provides a website describing U.S. cooperation with the Organization.