SERVICES
In Focus
© Pat Bromilow-Downing
Dance for All Company (South Africa)
UNESCO and REPETTO Foundation launch a partnership
UNESCO and the REPETTO Foundation launch the Dance for Life partnership with Alicia Alonso, world-famous ballerina and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, as patron. Dance for Life will support educational projects which use dance to help marginalized children.
- Photo Gallery
Items donated by 60 artists
In Focus
© Antonio Fiorente
Ethiopia
World Teachers’ Day 2007
This year’s World Teachers’ Day will emphasize the importance of “Planning for an Effective Teaching Force" with a high level panel discussion on “Challenges Facing the Teaching Profession” and a workshop on "Comparative Indicators on Teachers and Teaching" at UNESCO from 3 to 5 October. More
- Joint message
- Supporting HIV-Positive Teachers in East and Southern Africa
- Education counts
on the occasion of World Teachers' Day (PDF)
UNESCO/EI-EFAIDS Report, 2007
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) Report
In Focus
© UNESCO
Noosa Biosphere Reserve, Australia.
Twenty-three new biosphere reserves join UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere (MAB) network
The Bureau of the International Co-ordinating Council of UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB) has added 23 new reserves sites in 18 countries to its global network. The additions were made by the Bureau during its meeting from 18 to 20 September at Organization Headquarters in Paris. More
- Biosphere Reserves: Benefits and Opportunities
(PDF Format)
In Focus
© UNESCO/P. Nendaz
UNESCO symposium on urban water management
Experts from the world of academia and government will examine ways of improving urban water management at a symposium on 12 to 14 September organised by UNESCO's International Hydrological Programme (IHP) at Headquarters. More
- To the last drop
- Water, a shared responsibility
- UNESCO-IHE
UNESCO Courier March 2006
UN Report
Institute for Water Education
In Focus
© UNESCO
Stone inscriptions at the Swayanbhunath sanctuary in Kathmandu (Nepal)
8 September: International Literacy Day
The vital relationship between literacy and health is the focus of this year’s International Literacy Day to be celebrated around the world on 8 September. more
- Bamako Literacy Conference
- The UNESCO Courier
- UIL website
From 10 to 12 September 2007
ABC of the Future- September 2007
UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) launches best practices website to mark International Literacy Day and
Bamako Literacy Conference
In Focus
© UNESCO / M. Ravassard
Japanese puppet theatre Ningyo Johruri Bunraku
Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage
The 24 States Parties of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage will hold their second ordinary session in Tokyo from 3 to 7 September. During its meeting, the Committee will continue working on the directives for the implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Heritage, which entered into force in April 2006. More
In Focus
© M´Bife blues/flickr.com
Reunión ministerial para combatir la violencia juvenil en Centroamérica
El 25 de agosto concluyó el Primer Foro de ministros de juventud de Centroamérica, convocado por la UNESCO con el apoyo del Gobierno de Costa Rica con el objetivo de definir una estrategia común frente a la violencia que sufre la región debido a la actuación de bandas juveniles conocidas como “maras”. Más
- Entrevista con Gonzalo Abad-Ortiz
Coordinador de la UNESCO para el desarrollo juvenil y la prevención de la violencia en América Central.
In Focus
© Liverpool Museum
The International Slavery Museum Liverpool (UK)
Inauguration of International Slavery Museum
The International Slavery Museum Liverpool (UK) will be inaugurated on 23 August 2007 celebrating the Bicentenary of the abolition of the British slave trade. More
- Message from the Director-General (pdf)
- Teaching about the slave trade
- Liverpool – Maritime Mercantile City
on the occasion of the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition (23 August)
New interactive educational resource
Site inscribed on World Heritage List
In Focus
© UNESCO/Ian Redmond
UNESCO investigates gorilla deaths
A mission by UNESCO and the World Conservation Union (IUCN) will leave for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on 11 August to investigate the apparently senseless slaughter of mountain gorillas in Virunga National Park inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1979 and on the List of World Heritage in Danger in 1994. More
- The Virunga National Park
Inscribed in 1979 on UNESCO's World Heritage List
In Focus
© UNESCO/S. LeNechet
Dubrovnik Saved from Wildfires
The UNESCO World Heritage Centre is relieved that the wildfires around the city of Dubrovnik (Croatia) are now under control and would like to pay tribute to the firefighters who fought the blaze. Reports from Dubrovnik indicate that the Old City, designated a World Heritage site in 1979 and then extended in 1994, was untouched by the fire. More
- The Old City of Dubrovnik
- Dubrovnik reborn
Site inscribed on the World Heritage List
The UNESCO Courier, February 2000
In Focus
© UNESCO/R. Roe
Literacy Conference in Beijing
“We cannot in all conscience abandon millions of adults and young people to a fate of lifelong illiteracy. This is unacceptable in the 21st century,” declared the Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, at the opening of the sub-regional conference addressing Literacy Challenges in East Asia, South-East Asia and the Pacific: Building Partnerships and Promoting Innovative Approaches, organized by UNESCO in Beijing (China) 31 July to 1 August. More
- More information
- Interview with Mark Richmond
- White House Conference on Global Literacy
- Education for All Global Monitoring Report 2006
UNESCO Education Sector
"While clear progress has been made, a serious gender gap persists"
Regional Conferences' starting point
Literacy for Life
In Focus
© sxc.hu / jynmeyer
2007 UNESCO Literacy Prize winners announced
Literacy projects in China, the United States, Nigeria, Senegal and the United Republic of Tanzania are the winners of the five UNESCO Literacy Prizes* this year. A programme in Spain was also awarded an Honourable Mention. The theme for this year’s Prize was “Literacy and Health”. More
- UNESCO International literacy prizes
- EFA GMR 2006
- LIFE
a guide (2007 brochure)
on Literacy
Literacy Initiative for Empowerment: vision and strategy paper, 2005-2015 (pdf)
In Focus
© UNESCO/Loock, F
Round Table of Ministers of Social Development at UNESCO
Ministers of Social Development from 18 countries will meet in Paris on 16-17 July to discuss ways of linking social science research and policy development in order to strengthen the capacity of governments to act effectively for the welfare of their citizens and the social development of their countries. More
- Meeting homepage
- MOST
Press kit & meeting documents
Programme for Management of Social Transformations
In Focus
© UNESCO/Michel Ravassard
Meeting on cultural diversity
The first session of the Conference of Parties to the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions was held in Paris from 18 to 20 June. More
- Diversity of Cultural Expressions Portal
- Interview with Jean Musitelli
- Protecting culture
- Cultural diversity : a burst of creativity
- Interview with Toshiyuki KONO
More information on the Conference
"The success of the Convention depends on the will of States"
UNESCO's normative instruments
UNESCO Courier, Nov. 2005
"The Convention stresses that it is the sovereign right of States to determine their cultural policies."
In Focus
© UNESCO/Alida Boye
Timbuktu manuscripts
New Issue of the UNESCO Courier
More documents of exceptional value are being inscribed in the Memory of the World Register from 11 to 15 June in Pretoria (South Africa). The latest issue of the UNESCO Courier focuses on this programme which aims at safeguarding the documentary heritage of humanity.
In Focus
UNESCO Report: Corruption in Education a global problem
Rigged calls for tender, embezzlement, illegal registration fees, academic fraud... A UNESCO Report launched on 6 June in Paris shows to what degree corrupt practices are seriously undermining education systems around the world and costing governments billions of dollars. More
- Video Interviews
- More about the Report
with Muriel Poisson and Jacques Hallak, authors of the Report
From UNESCO’s Education portal
In Focus
© UNESCO/K. Hamada
The Rideau Canal, Canada
New sites inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List
Twenty-two new sites have been inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List during its ongoing session in Christchurch. For the first time, a site has been removed from the List: the Arabian Oryx Sanctuary (Oman). More
- Oman’s Arabian Oryx Sanctuary
- The UNESCO Courier
first site to be deleted from UNESCO’s World Heritage List
From Herders to Architects: Man's Imprint on World Heritage
In Focus
© Flickr/Jeff Summers
Population: from explosion to implosion
Today, 6.7 billion people inhabit the earth. The global population is likely to reach 9.2 billion by 2050. Population was the subject of the 21st Century Talks on 22 May at UNESCO Headquarters. More
- The Future of Values
- Keys to the 21st Century
- Towards Knowledge Societies
21st-century talks collection (2004)
21st-century talks collection (2001)
UNESCO World Report (2005)
In Focus
© Flickr/C&H;
Bioethics: IBC meeting in Kenya
The 14th session of UNESCO’s International Bioethics Committee (IBC) will be held in Nairobi (Kenya) from 17 to 19 May. It will be devoted primarily to African perspectives on bioethics and to the principles of consent and ofsocial responsibility and health. More
- Bioethics: Giving Science a Conscience
The UNESCO Courier, Nov. 2005
In Focus
© Plantu
Medellin Declaration on Safety of Journalists and Combating Impunity
Some 200 media professionals from around the world adopted in Medellin (Colombia) a declaration laying the ground for a wide range of measures to improve the safety of journalists and punish crimes against them. More
- Media under attack
The UNESCO Courier, 2007 n. 4
In Focus
© UNESCO/Roya Aziz/Star Group
Education attacks on the rise says new UNESCO Report
Political and military violence targeting educational systems is depriving a growing number of children of the right to education, according to "Education under Attack". The UNESCO report was released on 27 April on the occasion of Global Action Week (23-29 April), which promotes Education for All. More
- Education Under Attack
- Report summary
- Interview with Brendan O’Malley
Read the full report (PDF format)
(PDF format)
Author of the report
In Focus
© UNESCO/Peter von Puttnamer
Jerusalem
Landmark decision on Old City of Jerusalem
UNESCO's Executive Board has adopted a decision reaffirming the outstanding universal value of the Old City of Jerusalem and the need to protect and safeguard this World Heritage site. More
- Interview with H. E. Mr David Kornbluth
- Interview with H. E. Mr Elias Wadih Sanbar
- Old City of Jerusalem
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Permanent Delegate of Israel to UNESCO
Ambassador, Permanent Observer of Palestine to UNESCO
World Heritage site
In Focus
© UNESCO/Dominique Roger
Book display at the Frankfurt book fair
World Book and Copyright Day
On 23 April, more than 100 countries will participate in the 12th World Book and Copyright Day, which was launched by UNESCO in 1996. The 2007 World Book Capital is Bogotá (Colombia). More
In Focus
© UNESCO/Daniel Fitter
Rubbish disposal is a real problem, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador.
Threat to Galapagos Islands confirmed
A UNESCO mission has confirmed serious threats to the Galapagos National Park and Marine Reserve (Ecuador). Threats to this World Heritage site include: an encroachment of invasive species, increasing human immigration and the uncontrolled development of tourism. More
In Focus
Courtesy of Novaïa Gazeta
Anna Politkovskaya
2007 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize
Anna Politkovskaya, the late Russian journalist, will be awarded the 2007 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize. This marks the first time that the prize has been awarded posthumously. More
- Media matters
The UNESCO Courier, 2007 - no.1
In Focus
© UNESCO/Michel Ravassard
Queen Rania Al-Abdullah of Jordan
Jordanian Queen visits UNESCO
Her Majesty Queen Rania Al-Abdullah of Jordan visited UNESCO headquarters on the occasion of the annual gathering of Goodwill Ambassadors, who help promote the Organization’s ideals. These celebrities met on 3-4 April to discuss literacy, climate change and water. More
- Goodwill Ambassadors
- Photo Gallery
Learn more
From the 2006 Goodwill Ambassadors meeting
In Focus
© UNESCO/Aspnet/Jean-Poix Soeurette
Students learning at the Collège de Côte-Plage, Port-au-Prince (Haiti)
Ministers examine quality of education
Education Ministers from 41 countries are meeting in Buenos Aires (Argentina) on 29 and 30 March to review the progress of the Regional Education Project for Latin American and the Caribbean (PRELAC), coordinated by UNESCO. More
- Video Interview
- Official Documents for the meeting
- Education for All
UNESCO's Ana Luiza Machado speaks about PRELAC
(in Spanish and English)
UNESCO leading the way
In Focus
© Flickr/Akshay Davis
World Water Day
One out of five people in the world has no access to drinking water, and 40% of the population lacks basic water treatment facilities. The theme of World Water Day, celebrated on 22 March, is "Coping with Water Scarcity". More
- To the last drop
The UNESCO Courier, March 2006
In Focus
© UNESCO/ Maro Haas
New UNESCO Convention enters into force on 18 March
On 18 March 2007, the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions enters into force. Adopted on 20 October 2005 by the General Conference of UNESCO, the Convention aims to reinforce the links between culture, sustainable development and dialogue. More
- Information Kit on the Convention
(PDF 5.2MB)
In Focus
© UNESCO/B. Cassar
The National Museum of Afghanistan
Return of 1,400 artefacts to National Museum of Afghanistan
Some 1,400 Afghan ethnographic and archaeological objects, preserved since 1999 at the Afghanistan Museum-in-Exile (Bubendorf, Switzerland) under the aegis of UNESCO, will be handed over to the National Museum in Kabul on 16 March. More
- Afghanistan’s Cultural Treasures Return from Exile
- Catalogue of the National Museum of Afghanistan
The UNESCO Courier, 2007 n. 3
by Francine Tissot
In Focus
© UNESCO/G. Fullerton
Learners in Mauritania, which has a literacy rate of 51%
Tackling illiteracy in the Arab States
Fifty-eight million people in the Arab States Region (34% of the adult population) cannot read or write.
Literacy is the focus of a joint UNESCO/Qatar Foundation Conference, “Literacy Challenges in the Arab States Region: Building Partnerships and Promoting Innovative Approaches,” that will be held in Doha (Qatar) on 12-14 March. More
- Literacy for Life
2006 Education for All Global Monitoring Report
In Focus
© Charo Oquet, Installation 2006
International Women’s Day 2007
Each year, International Women’s Day is celebrated on 8 March. This year, UNESCO hosted several events, including “Women Peacemakers”, an international conference that brought together exceptional women who have worked to prevent conflict or consolidate peace. More
- Video of "Women Peacemakers" Conference
- Video Interview with Swanee Hunt
- Director-General's Message
- Programme
(Windows Media Player req'd)
Director, Women and Public Policy Program, Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government
(PDF Format)
Activities at UNESCO Headquarters (PDF Format)
In Focus
© UNESCO/ M. Ravassard
Violence in Schools: What Works?
A group of international experts and decision-makers will meet at UNESCO from 27 to 29 June to discuss “Stopping Violence in Schools: What Works?” More
- Interview with Eric Debarbieux
Director of the European Observatory on Violence in School
In Focus
© UNESCO/Niamh Burke
Analysis of water samples for trace elements, Athens, Greece
Presentation ceremony for L’ORÉAL-UNESCO Awards for Women in Science 2007
Five outstanding women scientists, one from each continent, received the L’ORÉAL-UNESCO Prize for Women in Science on 22 February in recognition of the exceptional quality of their research. In addition, fifteen young researchers in life sciences received the 2007 UNESCO-L'ORÉAL Fellowship on 21 February. More
- Women in Science: The Missing Links
The UNESCO Courier, 2007 n. 2
In Focus
New Media Conference
How might the emergence of new media threaten freedom of the press? This question is at the heart of the conference entitled “New media expands press freedom” held at UNESCO on 15 and 16 February. More
- "The case for press freedom on the internet"
- Infosheet on freedom of information and the press
Interview with Leslie Harris, Executive Director of the Center for Democracy and Technology
(PDF Format - 180K)
In Focus
© UNESCO
Video training in Hebron, Palestinian Territories.
New issue of the UNESCO Courier
Investigating corruption in Mongolia, filming in a conflict-ridden territory, diversifying information in widespread zones such as Cape Verde or the Caribbean. This issue of the UNESCO Courier, Media Matters, looks at the challenges facing the media today.
In Focus
© UNESCO/I. Vinson
Graeco-Roman Museum, Alexandria, Egypt
New Challenges for Museums
An ever-increasing number of countries are requesting the return of objects kept in foreign collections. Mindful of these requests yet committed to promoting the universality of the mission of museums, UNESCO organized a debate “Memory and Universality: New Challenges Facing Museums” at its headquarters in Paris on 5 February.
Watch a video of the debate
Windows Media Player required
- "The key issue is access"
Interview with Neil MacGregor, Director, British Museum
In Focus
© Flickr/Terdata
Climate Change 2007
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) will launch a summary for policy makers of “Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis” at UNESCO Headquarters on 2 February.
Live audiocast of the Report launch
(begins 2 February at 9:30 GMT +2)
- UNESCO and Climate
- The Inuit, first witnesses of climate changes
Infosheet (PDF Format)
The UNESCO Courier, Nov. 2005
In Focus
© Flickr
New UNESCO Media Initiative
Experts attended the Power of Peace Forum in Bali from 21 to 23 January to lay the ground for a new international network. The Understanding World Network aims to promote dialogue and mutual understanding by linking traditional and electronic media. More
- Power of Peace
- About the Understanding World Network
- The Spirit of Bali
Conference website
Interview with UNESCO's Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information
Conference declaration
In Focus
© UNESCO/Michel Ravassard
Mrs. Laura Bush, First Lady of the United States and Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO
Laura Bush attends Literacy Roundtable at UNESCO
A roundtable discussion focused on literacy and teacher training for educational practitioners was held on 15 January at UNESCO Headquarters. It was hosted by the Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, and Mrs. Laura Bush, First Lady of the United States; and moderated by Louise Oliver, United States Ambassador to UNESCO. Mrs. Bush is the Honorary Ambassador for the UN Literacy Decade. More
- Literacy Initiative For Empowerment (LIFE)
- Teacher Training in sub-Saharan Africa (TTISSA)
- Literacy for Life
UNESCO's global strategic framework
UNESCO's high-priority initiative
2006 Education for All Global Monitoring Report
In Focus
© UNESCO/Zhanat Kulenov
Freedom of expression and media development in Iraq
Almost 300 participants attended the international conference from 8-10 January in Paris.
The result: an unprecedented agreement about measures to protect and promote free and pluralistic media in Iraq. More
- Interview with Emad Alkhafaji
- Interview with Dr Selwa Zako
Independent Iraqi TV journalist
Senior media advisor, Iraq’s Communications and Media Commission
In Focus
© UNESCO/Philip Howard
A market stall in Mysore (India) selling ‘Gulal’ powders, which are used during traditional festivals
In Focus
© UNESCO/ M. Ravassard
New Convention to enter into force in March 2007
The Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions will enter into force on 18 March 2007, three months after the deposit of the 30th instrument of ratification on 18 December at UNESCO. More
- Understanding the Convention
- Cultural diversity: A Burst of Creativity
- Infosheet
Information Kit (PDF 1.8MB)
The UNESCO Courier, Nov. 2005
(PDF Format)
In Focus
© Dain Hubley
International Convention against Doping in Sport
The International Convention against Doping in Sport will enter into force on 1 February 2007, now that it has been ratified by 30 States. The Convention was adopted unanimously by UNESCO’s General Conference on 19 October 2005. More
- Sports: Winning at any cost?
- Doping in Sports
- Combating doping in sport
The UNESCO Courier, Sep. 2006
Interview with Mark Fainaru-Wada, June 2006
Infosheet (PDF Format)
In Focus
Photo © Sothy Tang Chhin / UNESCO
Water is vital for the health and well being of people and the environment. On 22 March 2005, World Water Day initiates the International Decade for Action 2005-2015. The slogan "Water for Life" underscores the importance of attaining the UN Millennium Development Goals, in particular, reducing by half the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water. Continue
- UNESCO Archives: Striking peace on troubled waters
The UNESCO Courier, October 2001
In Focus
© UNESCO/NMEC
Model of the future NMEC
Presentation of the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization(NMEC)
UNESCO is showcasing this project in a stand at the exhibition of Egyptian antiquities from underwater excavations, "Trésors engloutis d’Egypte", that opened at the Grand Palais in Paris on 9 December. More
- "To show more than collections of objects "
- Video
- Project Background
Interview with Ayman Abdel Moneim, Director NMEC
Images of the work in progress
International Campaign for the Establishment of the Nubia Museum in Aswan and the NMEC in Cairo
In Focus
© Flickr/Twocrabs
Afghanistan's Kabul Palace in ruins, seen through a hole blown out by explosives.
Just Published
Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, and Rwanda: after periods of conflict, reconstruction and reconciliation do not come so easily.
The latest issue of the UNESCO Courier takes an in-depth look at Post-conflict: Reconstructing for tomorrow.
- Read the UNESCO Courier
December 2006 issue
In Focus
© Robert A. Walker
Stanford University (California - USA)
What university for tomorrow?
Can universities continue to serve their traditional role as centres of research and knowledge creation? This is the subject of a colloquium taking place on 29 November to 1 December at UNESCO Headquarters. More
In Focus
© José Jover
UNESCO and HP launch joint Africa project
UNESCO and Hewlett-Packard launched a joint project on 20 November to help reduce brain drain in Africa by providing grid computing technology to universities in Algeria, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal and Zimbabwe. More
- From brain drain to brain gain (PDF)
- African students the most mobile in the world
- Hewlett-Packard and UNESCO
Education Today, Oct 2006
From the UNESCO Institute for Statistics
A partnership that works
In Focus
© UNESCO/Michel Ravassard
Intangible Cultural Heritage on the agenda
The Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage is meeting for the first time in Algiers on 18-19 November. More
- Grasping the Intangible
The UNESCO Courier, May 2006