Press Releases - Archives The Director General Spokeperson informs media, stakeholders and partners through Press releases and Flash Info. The Organization also publishes Press releases, media advisories, features as well as a calendar of events, available online under UNESCOPRESS. Contact: the Spokeperson

Koïchiro Matsuura : « We are duty bound to assist the Iraqi people in protecting its memory and building its future » - (Office of the Spokeperson) 27-03-2003 - Following converging reports about damage to several cultural buildings in Iraq, particularly in Baghdad, Mossul and Tikrit, since the beginning of the conflict, the Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, recalling that Iraq, “the cradle of civilizations that go back thousands of years, has many treasures and sites that are a valuable part of the heritage of all humankind”, has again emphasized that everything possible should be done to preserve the Iraqi cultural heritage*. More

Iraq: The Director-General of UNESCO urges belligerents to ensure the safety of journalists - (Office of the Spokeswoman) 27-03-2003 - The Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, urges all the parties involved in the war in Iraq to respect the rights of journalists under international law, to refrain from targeting the media and to ensure the free flow of information. More

Statement by Mr Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO - (La Porte-parole) 20-03-2003 - “As Director-General of an institution dedicated to constructing the defences of peace in the minds of men through education, science, culture and communication, at the moment when armed conflict is beginning in Iraq I can only express my heartfelt emotion, my infinite sadness and my most profound wish that the loss of human life and the scale of suffering and destruction will be reduced to the minimum. More

The Director-General stresses the importance of international inter-university cooperation - (Office of the Director-General - Spokesperson) 08-01-2003 - Following a call by the governing body of the University of Paris VI for a boycott of Israeli universities, the Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, issued the following statement:“We must do everything possible to preserve the conditions for dialogue between the various scientific and academic communities throughout the world, as this dialogue is sometimes the last link between peoples divided by war and the first step towards reconciliation. More

The Director-General of UNESCO condemns reproductive human cloning - (Office of the Director-General - Spokesperson) 30-12-2002 - Following the announcement of the first cloning of a human being, the Director-General of UNESCO, Mr Koïchiro Matsuura, categorically condemns any research or practice directed towards reproductive human cloning, and urges the international community to act without delay. More

UNESCO welcomes return of the United States of America - (Press Release N°2002-64) 11-09-2002 - Paris - Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura today warmly welcomed President Bush’s announcement of the return of the United States to UNESCO, following an 18-year absence. The full text follows: More

The Director-General calls upon Mr Ariel Sharon to let reason prevail - (Office of the Director-General) 28-03-2002 - - The Director-General addressed today a letter to Mr Ariel Sharon, Prime Minister of Israel, urging him “to do his utmost to bring about an effective cease-fire and to resume negotiations with the elected representatives of the Palestinian people”. More

Towards the resumption of dialogue in the Middle East - (Office of the Director-General) 13-03-2002 - - Mr Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO, today had successive meetings on matters related to the Middle East situation. More

Afghan Minister of Information and Culture to discuss preservation and restitution of artefacts with Director-General - (Office of the Director-General) 26-02-2002 - - The Afghan Minister of Information and Culture, Said Makhdoom Raheen, will hold several talks with UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura on February 28 and March 1, during a busy schedule of events scheduled at Organization Headquarters on the occasion of the official visit to France of the Chairman of Afghanistan’s Interim Administration and several ministers. More