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 Maria Montessori (1870- 1952) 01.11.2005
She revolutionized the childhood education methods of her time and originated a new one which today bears her name. The first woman in Italy to earn a medical degree, she began her career in education as a teacher of handicapped children. More |
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 Julio Cortázar (1914-1984) 01.11.2005
Born in Brussels of Argentine parents, Julio Cortázar spent his childhood and youth in Argentina, where he worked at the book chamber. In 1951, when Juan Domingo Peron was in power, he received a grant that allowed him to come and live in exile in Paris. More |
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 René Depestre (1926-) 01.11.2005
The Haitian author and poet’s work is inspired by Caribbean magical realism. Exiled from his country since 1946, he lived in Cuba, Chile, Italy and France, where he joined UNESCO in 1979, first as a member of the Director-General’s cabinet (1979-1982), then as a consultant in the Culture Sector. More |
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 Amadou Hampâté Bâ (1901-1991) 01.11.2005
This Malian diplomat made an outstanding contribution to winning international recognition for African oral cultures, notably at UNESCO on whose Executive Board he served between 1962 and 1970. More |
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 Alva Myrdal (1902-1986) 01.11.2005
She was a major infl uence in the promotion of social welfare in her native Sweden in the 1930s. In the aft ermath of the Second World War, she turned her eff orts towards international questions, first heading the United Nations’ section on welfare policy from 1949 to 1950, then directing UNESCO’s Department of Social Sciences from 1951 to 1955. More |
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 Taha Hussain (1889-1973) 01.11.2005
Considered a founding father of modern culture in the Arab world, Taha Hussein was appointed Minister of Education of his country, Egypt, in 1950. He instigated the creation of Ayn Sham University and led the country to institute free primary education. More |
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José Ángel Valente Docasar (1929-2000) 01.11.2005
University professor, poet and writer of essays, José Ángel Valente Docasar was born in Orense (Spain) and studied law in Santiago de Compostela as well as romanesque philology in Madrid. In the 1950s, he taught at Oxford University (UK), and in 1958 moved to Geneva to teach and work at the United Nations. More |
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 Cu Huy Cân (1919-2005) 01.11.2005
This poet was an Executive Board member from the Socialist Republic of Vietnam from 1978 to 1983. During the period of literary eff ervescence in the 1940s, when he was 23, he published his anthology of poems, Lua Thięng (Sacred Fire), which placed him at the forefront of a new poetry movement. More |
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 Pablo Neruda (1904-1973) 01.11.2005
Neftalí Ricardo Reyes Basoalto adopted his pseudonym in 1917: Pablo Neruda. A Communist party activist in Chile, he energetically supported Salvador Allende’s government, which sent him to Paris in 1970 as Chilean ambassador and Permanent Delegate to UNESCO. More |
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 Edouard Glissant (1928- 01.11.2005
A major author of West Indian literature, Glissant produced an abundance of works including poems, essays, a play and novels. In 1967, he created the Institut martiniquais d’études to promote West Indian studies before becoming the editor of UNESCO’s Courier magazine (1982-1988). More |
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 Indira Gandhi (1917-1984) 01.11.2005
Her father, Jawaharlal Nehru, was independent India’s first prime minister, while she herself was the first woman to hold the post in 1966, serving four terms. More |
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