Flash Info - 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

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Judaeo-Spanish Culture (Ladino): Challenges and Prospects - (Office of the Spokesperson) 11-06-2004 - A symposium devoted to the Judaeo-Spanish (Ladino) language and culture will be held on 17 and 18 June 2002 at UNESCO Headquarters. More

Signing of a Memorandum of Understanding concerning the establishment of an International Fund for Higher Education in Iraq - (Office of the Spokeswoman) 23-06-2003 - The Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, and the First Lady of Qatar, Her Highness Sheika Mozah Bint Nasser Al-Misnad, signed, this morning, a Memorandum of Understanding concerning the establishment of an International Fund for Higher Education in Iraq. More

Bioethics at the heart of UNESCO’s concerns - (Office of the Spokeswoman) 23-06-2003 - The Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, presented UNESCO’s Bioethics Programme to the Permanent Delegates of the Organization, during an information meeting on Friday, 20 June 2003. More

Meeting of the Intersectoral Task Force on Iraq - (Office of the Spokeswoman) 19-06-2003 - The Director-General convened a meeting of the Intersectoral Task Force on Iraq on Thursday 19 June, on the eve of two important meetings organized by the United Nations on humanitarian action and the reconstruction of Iraq. More

UNESCO salutes the rebirth of Afghan cinema - (Office of the Spokeswoman) 18-06-2003 - Koïchiro Matsuura held talks with the Afghan film director Sedigg Barmak on his efforts in favour of the Afghan Children Education Movement (ACEM), which he directs, as well as his work as Director of the Agency for Afghan Cinema. Also present were the Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg and Claudia Cardinale, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador. More

Preliminary Draft Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage is Finalized - (Office of the Spokeswoman) 17-06-2003 - Experts from 103 countries, gathered since the 2nd of June at UNESCO, handed to the Director-General the Preliminary Draft Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, which they adopted by consensus this weekend. More

The Director-General opens the First Plenary Session of the International Coordination Committee (ICC) for the Safeguarding of Afghanistan's Cultural Heritage - (Office of the Spokeswoman) 16-06-2003 - The Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, opened on Monday, 16 June 2003, the first plenary session of the International Coordination Committee (ICC) for the safeguarding of Afghanistan's cultural heritage, which is being held at UNESCO Headquarters, from 16 to 18 June, chaired by the Afghan Minister of Information and Culture, Mr Sayed Makhdoum Raheen. More

Meeting of the Director-General with the Afghan Minister of Information and Culture - (Office of the Spokeswoman) 13-06-2003 - The Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura met with the Minister for Information and Culture of the Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan, Sayed Makhdoum Raheen, on Friday 13 June 2003. More

Le Ministre des Affaires étrangères de Côte d’Ivoire reçu par le Directeur général - (La Porte-parole) 13-06-2003 - Le Directeur général de l’UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, a reçu, le vendredi 13 juin, le Ministre d’Etat, Ministre des affaires étrangères de Côte d’Ivoire, M. Mamadou Bamba. More

La musique guinéenne une nouvelle fois à l’honneur - (La Porte-parole) 12-06-2003 - Le Directeur général de l’UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, a remis ce matin à la chanteuse guinéenne Sayon Camara, le diplôme d’Artiste pour la Paix de l’UNESCO, officialisant ainsi sa nomination annoncée en juin 2002, lors de la cérémonie de remise du Prix Houphouët-Boigny. More

The Director-General of UNESCO meets with the President of Timor Leste, laureate of the 2002 UNESCO Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize - (Office of the Spokeswoman) 10-06-2003 - The Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura received, on Tuesday, 10 June 2003, the President of the Democratic Republic of Timor Leste, Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão, a few days after Timor Leste officially joined UNESCO, becoming, on 5 June, the 189th Member State of the Organization. More

Third intergovernmental session of experts on the Preliminary Draft Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage - (Office of the Spokeswoman) 03-06-2003 - The Assistant Director-General for Culture of UNESCO, Mounir Bouchenaki, in the absence of the Director-General, Koïchiro Matsuura, who is on official visit to the Russian Federation, opened the third intergovernmental session of experts on the preliminary draft convention for the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage, which is being held at UNESCO Headquarters from 2 to 14 June 2003. More

The Director-General of UNESCO on official visit to Estonia (29 – 30 May 2003) - (Office of the Spokeswoman) 30-05-2003 - The Director-General will pay a visit to Estonia on 29 and 30 May 2003. More

Visit of the Director-General to the Russian Federation (30 May to 4 June 2003) - (Office of the Spokeswoman) 30-05-2003 - The Director-General is undertaking an official visit to the Russian Federation from 30 May to 4 June 2003. He will successively visit St Petersburg, the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania, the Republic of Tatarstan and Moscow. More

The Director-General meets with Mr Viktor Yanukovych, Prime Minister of Ukraine - (Office of the Spokeswoman) 30-05-2003 - On 28 May 2003, the Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, met with Mr Viktor Yanukovych, Prime Minister of Ukraine. More

L’UNESCO prête à aider l’Algérie en matière d’observation et de réduction du risque sismique - (La Porte-parole) 30-05-2003 - A la suite du séisme qui s’est produit en Algérie le 21 mai 2003, le Directeur général de l’UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, a adressé un message au Président Bouteflika dans lequel il lui exprime, ainsi qu’au peuple algérien ses sentiments de profonde sympathie. More

La semaine de l’Afrique à l’UNESCO - (La Porte-parole) 28-05-2003 - Dans le cadre de la Semaine de l’Afrique, célébrée à l’UNESCO du 24 au 30 mai 2003, le Directeur général, Koïchiro Matsuura assistera, le 28 mai à 18 h00, à la projection du film Paris selon Moussa en présence du réalisateur, Cheik Doukouré. More

Director-General closes Fifth Meeting of the Joint UNESCO/Palestinian Authority Committee - (Office of the Spokeswoman) 26-05-2003 - The Joint UNESCO/Palestinian Authority Committee concluded its two-day meeting at UNESCO Headquarters today, ending most successfully a series of intense and fruitful working sessions which addressed a number of issues of interest to both parties, including a review of achievements over the last three years, since the Joint Committee last met. More

UNESCO to chair the UNAIDS Committee of Cosponsoring Organizations (CCO) - (Office of the Spokeswoman) 23-05-2003 - As of July 2003 UNESCO will succeed the World Bank as chair of the UNAIDS Committee of Cosponsoring Organizations (CCO), for a period of one year. More

Opening of the Fifth meeting of the Joint UNESCO/Palestinian Authority Committee - (Office of the Spokeswoman) 23-05-2003 - The Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, chaired the opening session of the Joint UNESCO/Palestinian Authority Committee, which is meeting for the fifth time, on 22 and 23 May 2003, at the Organization’s Headquarters. More

Director-General award the UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Medal to Dr Thomas G. Sticht - (Office of the Spokeswoman) 23-05-2003 - The Director-General today awarded UNESCO’s Mahatma Gandhi Medal to Dr Thomas G. Sticht of the United States of America, in recognition of twenty-five years of service on the international jury that selects the literacy prizes awarded annually by UNESCO. More

The Director-General on official visit to Portugal (19-21 May 2003) - (Office of the Spokeswoman) 20-05-2003 - The Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, is paying an official visit to Portugal from 19 to 21 May 2003. More

Le Directeur général en visite officielle au Luxembourg (15 – 17mai 2003) - (La Porte-parole) 16-05-2003 - Le Directeur général de l’UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, effectue une visite officielle au Luxembourg du 15 au 17 mai 2003. More

The Director-General meets with President of Lithuania, Rolandas Paksas - (Office of the Spokeswoman) 15-05-2003 - The Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, met with the President of Lithuania, Rolandas Paksas, on 14 May 2003. More

Educating for tolerance, a response to anti-Semitism - (Office of the Spokeswoman) 14-05-2003 - The Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura opened on Monday, 12 May the second international conference “Educating for Tolerance: The Case of Resurgent Anti-Semitism”, organized by the Simon Wiesenthal Centre in cooperation with UNESCO, from 12 to 14 May at the Organization’s Headquarters. More

The International Bioethics Committee (ICB) received by the President of the French Republic - (Office of the Spokeswoman) 13-05-2003 - The thirty-six member International Bioethics Committee of UNESCO and the Director-General of the Organization, Mr Koïchiro Matsuura, were received on Tuesday, 13 May 2003, by the President of the French Republic, Mr Jacques Chirac. More

UNESCO and CARICOM: Decades of Cooperation - (Office of the Spokeswoman) 09-05-2003 - The Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, and the Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), Edwin Carrington, signed a second memorandum of understanding between the two institutions on 5 May 2003, on the occasion of the visit of the Director-General to Guyana. (See Flash info 144) More

The Director-General of UNESCO on official visit to Jamaica, the Republic of Guyana and Suriname (1 to 8 May 2003) - (Office of the Spokeswoman) 02-05-2003 - The Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, will undertake a series of official visits to Jamaica (& to 4 May), to the Republic of Guyana (4-5 May), and to Suriname (5 to 8 May). More

UNESCO Director-General meets with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan at UN Headquarters - (Office of the Spokeswoman) 01-05-2003 - On 30 April the Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, called on United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan at UN Headquarters. More

UNESCO and New Zealand: Continuing Cooperation - (Office of the Spokeswoman) 29-04-2003 - The Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, met with the Prime Minister of New Zealand, Ms Helen Clark, on Monday 28 April. This was their second meeting, the first having been held in Johannesburg, South Africa, on the occasion of the World Summit for Sustainable Development on 3 September 2002. Yesterday’s discussions focused on the cooperation between UNESCO and New Zealand particularly in the areas of education and culture for the Pacific sub region. More

Rencontre du Directeur général avec le Ministre des Affaires étrangères du Portugal - (La Porte-parole) 29-04-2003 - Le Directeur général de l’UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, s’est entretenu le lundi 28 avril 2003 avec le Ministre des Affaires étrangères du Portugal, M. Antonio Martins da Cruz. Cette rencontre, qui s’est déroulée en présence de M. Marcello Mathias, Ambassadeur, Délégué permanent auprès de l’UNESCO, a permis de procéder à un échange de vue sur la coopération entre le Portugal et l’Organisation tant au niveau bilatéral qu’en ce qui concerne des initiatives communes à destination des pays lusophones. More

Spring Session of the United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination (25 – 26 April 2003) - (Office of the Spokeswoman) 25-04-2003 - The Spring 2003 Session of the United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB) will be held in Paris at UNESCO Headquarters on Friday 25 and Saturday 26 April 2003 at the invitation of the Director-General of UNESCO, Mr Koïchiro Matsuura. More

UNESCO Prize for Children’s and Young People’s Literature in the Service of Tolerance - (Office of the Spokeswoman) 24-04-2003 - Today, on World Book and Copyright Day, the Director-General addressed the award ceremony of the 2003 UNESCO Prize for Children’s and Young People’s Literature in the Service of Tolerance. Mr Matsuura thanked Mr Juan de Isasa, Chairman of Grupo Editorial SM, for his company’s generous support for the prize. The Director-General said that, by creating the prize, UNESCO wanted “to draw attention to the importance of quality content in children’s books and, by rewarding the best of them, to encourage authors and publishers to produce more such works”. This year’s winners are Antonio Skármeta (Chile) in the category of books for children up to the age of 12 and Jenny Robson (South Africa) in the category of books for young people aged 13-18. More

Second meeting of the Intersectoral Task Force on Iraq - (Office of the Spokeswoman) 23-04-2003 - The Director-General brought together, for the second time, on Wednesday, 23 April 2003, the Intersectoral Task Force on Iraq which he established last March. More

Director-General opens the second session of the Intergovernmental Council for the Information for All Programme - (Office of the Spokeswoman) 22-04-2003 - The Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, today opened the second session of the Intergovernmental Council for the Information for All Programme at UNESCO Headquarters. This second meeting has special significance in the lead-up to the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), in Geneva next December and in Tunis in 2005. More

Preliminary Draft Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage: Intersessional Meeting - (Office of the Spokeswoman) 22-04-2003 - The Director-General of UNESCO, Mr Koïchiro Matsuura, opened, on Tuesday, 22 April 2003, an informal meeting of governmental experts on the Preliminary Draft Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage. More

Le Directeur général en visite officielle à Monaco (18 – 19 avril 2003) - (La Porte-parole) 17-04-2003 - Le directeur général de l’UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, se rend en visite officielle à Monaco, les 18 et 19 avril 2003. More

Thirty-fifth anniversary of the founding of Auroville - (Office of the Spokeswoman) 11-04-2003 - Yesterday, the Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, participated in celebrations at UNESCO Headquarters marking the thirty-fifth anniversary of the founding of Auroville, a unique ‘model city’ near Pondicherry, India. Opening an exhibition on Auroville, Mr Matsuura said that “as an intellectual and ethical organization, UNESCO cannot fail to be fascinated by this experience”. Inspired by the great Indian spiritual master Sri Aurobindo, Auroville has developed into a full-fledged city of over 1500 inhabitants and enjoys close links with surrounding communities. More

Le Président du Sénégal, Abdoulaye Wade, en visite officielle à l’UNESCO - (La Porte-parole) 08-04-2003 - A l’invitation du Directeur général, le Président du Sénégal, Abdoulaye Wade, s’est rendu à l’UNESCO, le mardi 8 avril 2003. A l’occasion de cette visite officielle, le Président sénégalais, a eu des entretiens bilatéraux avec le Directeur général de l’UNESCO, puis s’est exprimé devant les membres du Conseil exécutif de l’UNESCO réunis pour sa 166e session. More

In a ceremony today at UNESCO Headquarters, the Director-General conferred the title of UNESCO Artist for Peace on the world-famous soprano, Ms Sumi Jo (Republic of Korea) - (Office of the Spokeswoman) 07-04-2003 - In a ceremony today at UNESCO Headquarters, the Director-General conferred the title of UNESCO Artist for Peace on the world-famous soprano, Ms Sumi Jo (Republic of Korea). He characterized Ms Jo as “one of the outstanding operatic artists of our time, a tireless cultural ambassador for her country, and a champion of peace and humanitarian causes”. More

Signature d’un accord de coopération entre l’UNESCO et la Fondation mondiale Recherche et Prévention Sida - (La Porte-parole) 07-04-2003 - Le Directeur général de l’UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, et le Président de la Fondation Mondiale Recherche et Prévention Sida, le Professeur Luc Montagnier, ont signé, le 3 avril 2003 un nouvel accord renouvelant, pour une durée de 6 ans, la coopération établie entre l’Organisation et la Fondation depuis 1993. More

Le Directeur général de l’UNESCO reçu par le Premier Ministre français - (La Porte-parole) 04-04-2003 - Le Directeur général de l’UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, a été reçu par le Premier ministre français, Jean-Pierre Raffarin, à l’hôtel Matignon, le 3 avril 2003, en présence notamment de M. Jean Guéguinou, Ambassadeur de France, Délégué permanent de la France auprès de l’UNESCO. More

166th session of the Executive Board of UNESCO (4-16 April 2003) - (Office of the Spokeswoman) 04-04-2003 - The Executive Board of UNESCO, chaired by Mrs Aziza Bennani, Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of Morocco to UNESCO, will hold its 166th session from 4 to 16 April at the Organization’s Headquarters. More

UNESCO and the International Youth Hostel Federation (IYHF) sign memorandum of understanding - (Office of the Spokeswoman) 01-04-2003 - The Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, signed today, with the President of the International Youth Hostel Federation (IYHF) a memorandum of understanding committing both parties to the development of activities in a Campaign for International Peace and Understanding. More

Second edition of the UNESCO Race - (Office of the Spokeswoman) 01-04-2003 - On Saturday, 5 April 2003, the second UNESCO Race will be held. Building on the successful launch of this event last year, when over 4500 people participated, it is anticipated that more than 5000 people will take part. UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura will speak briefly to the runners before signalling the start of the race, in which he will take part. According to Mr Matsuura, “The UNESCO Race is really a fun-run, an event for everyone associated with UNESCO and for members of the general public who wish to join us on a pleasant Springtime run through the streets of Paris.” More

The Republic of North Ossetia Alania Days at UNESCO: meeting between the Director-General and President Dzassokhov - (Office of the Spokeswoman) 01-04-2003 - The Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, and the President of the Republic of North Ossetia Alania, Alexandre Dzassokhov, inaugurated, on Monday 31 March, the Republic of North Ossetia Alania Days at UNESCO. The programme includes a photo exhibition, a folk music and dance concert and a round-table discussion on the theme of “The Caucasus: Safeguarding Cultural Heritage, Mountain Ecology and Sustainable Development”. More

Clôture de la 23e session du Conseil intergouvernemental du Programme international pour le développement de la communication (PIDC) - (La Porte-parole) 28-03-2003 - Le Directeur général de l’UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, a clôs, le vendredi 28 mars 2003, les travaux de la 23e session du Conseil intergouvernemental du Programme international pour le développement de la communication(PIDC). Le PIDC a pour rôle de favoriser la mise en place d’infrastructures de communication, et d’assurer la formation de professionnels afin de réduire l’écart qui existe entre le Nord et le Sud dans ce domaine. Depuis sa création en 1980, le PIDC a consacré près de 90 millions de dollars à appuyer un millier de projets de communication mis en œuvre dans 135 pays. More

First meeting of the Intersectoral Task Force on Iraq set up by the Director-General of UNESCO - (Office of the Spokeswoman) 26-03-2003 - The Director-General chaired today the first meeting of the Intersectoral Task Force on Iraq set up by him within the Secretariat. More

Paris signature ceremony clinches deal for a new UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education in Netherlands - (Office of the Spokeswoman) 18-03-2003 - 18 March 2003 - At a ceremony held at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, representatives of the Netherlands Government, of the former national structure – the IHE Institute, Delft (Netherlands) – and of its funding arm, the Foundation, joined the Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura and other senior Secretariat officials to put their signatures to a set of agreements by which the newly-created UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education (IHE) will come into operation. More

6th Extraordinary Session of the World Heritage Committee - UNESCO, 17 March 2003 - (Office of the Spokeswoman) 18-03-2003 - Opening the 6th Extraordinary Session of the World Heritage Committee at UNESCO Headquarters today, the Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, stressed the importance of the meeting’s deliberations and decisions for the future of the World Heritage system. He noted that most of the critical issues revolve around the process of revising the Operational Guidelines for the implementation of the World Heritage Convention. Emphasizing how crucial it is to complete the revision process and secure the adoption of the revised Operational Guidelines in the near future, Mr Matsuura expressed the hope that the Session will provide clear policy directions enabling the Secretariat to finalise the Guidelines, in consultation with the Advisory Bodies - ICOMOS, IUCN and ICCROM. “Revised Guidelines will provide the policy framework for all endeavours by States Parties for the protection of World Heritage”, he said. More