ISSN 1993-8616
2008 Archives
Number 10 - Sixty years of views on the world
Wangari Maathai (Kenya), Martti Ahtisaari (Finland), Luc Montagnier (France), just to mention the three Nobel laureates who have contributed to this special issue, published on the 60th anniversary of the UNESCO Courier, with articles paired with those from back issues of the magazine since it started in 1948. (More)
Special issue - Education: roads closed
If we continue to turn a blind eye to the glaring inequalities that still persist in education, then the goals set by the international community will not be met, and, in some cases, on a spectacular scale, according to the 2009 Global Monitoring Report on Education for All. This UNESCO Courier dossier takes a closer look at some examples. (More)
Number 9 - Human Rights : a thorny path
Human rights, viewed through the prism of memory, constitute the theme of this issue marking the 60th anniversary of the 1948 declaration. Stéphane Hessel explains what makes it unique and why it must remain universal. Pierre Sané reviews the status of the dignity of the individual in the world today. (More)
Number 8 - Ethiopia: three millennia of legend and history
The largest obelisk ever sculpted by humans; whole churches carved out of a single block of stone; a king with his tongue hanging out; papyrus reed boats straight out of ancient Egypt; medieval warrior women buried in praying posture…. these are some of the surprising images and stories through which you will discover, in this month’s issue, facets of Ethiopia’s wondrous culture. (More)
Number 7 - Literacy is the best remedy
Renowned Swedish novelist Henning Mankell wrote the editorial for our feature section this month, which focuses on the UNESCO International Literacy Prizes. Three of the four laureates are African. Africa is centre stage this month, with the inauguration of the Aksum Obelisk in Ethiopia, reinstalled on its original site after 70 years of exile. More
Number 6 - World Heritage: great escapes
Visit the "Galapagos of the Carboniferous period"; an islet in Iceland newly emerged from the ocean; the vestiges of prehistoric agriculture in Papua New Guinea; Armenian churches in Iran; the "city with the clay jars" in Cuba; and a former hideout of runaway slaves in Mauritius. That's what this month's UNESCO Courier, devoted to new sites on the World Heritage List, has to offer. (More)
Number 5 - Claude Lévi-Strauss: The View from Afar
Listen to "Race and Culture" read by Claude Lévi-Strauss at UNESCO in 1971. Watch the video coverage of his last public speech, made on the same podium in 2005. This month's Courier, published in his 100th year, pays special tribute to Claude Levi-Strauss, a man who has changed his century. It offers a selection of articles written by him and published in our magazine since the early 1950s. It also includes unpublished documents, along with his photographs and sketches from the 1930s. (More)
Number 4 - Information: a game of hide and seek
"As long as I live, I will continue to write and writing will keep me alive." says Mexican journalist Lydia Cacho Ribeiro (45), laureate of this year's UNESCO World Press Freedom Prize. Her interview introduces several subjects covered in this issue, which range from the retention of information to censorship through murder. (More)
Number 3 - Planet Hot-Spot
How can we “manage the unavoidable to avoid the unmanageable,” asks Italian climatologist Filippo Giorgi. The question is addressed by this issue of the Courier, on the International Year of Planet Earth.
Rajendra Pachauri - Chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and 2007 Nobel Peace Prize laureate - give his views on the subject in an exclusive interview. (More)
Number 2 - Women between two shores
From Doris Lessing to Kiran Desai, and including Véronique Tadjo and Spôjmaï Zariâb, six women writers who build bridges between different parts of the world express their concerns in this issue of the UNESCO Courier, published on the occasion of 8 March, International Women's Day. More
Number 1 - Languages matter
More than half of the 7000 languages spoken in the world are in danger of disappearing. Yet, they are an essential part of people's identity. The United Nations has proclaimed 2008 the International Year of Languages. To find out more, read the February issue of the UNESCO Courier. More