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| Newsletter 01 |
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| The quarterly SHS Newsletter provides information on the work of UNESCO in the field of social and human sciences. |
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| The Importance of Philosophy - Think about Thinking - April 2003 (English | Français) |
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 This is the first issue of the Social and Human Sciences Sector’s Newsletter – a quarterly publication with a dual aim: first, to relate the Sector’s activities, that is, the work undertaken, and second, to involve the readers in our reflection on the different subjects of our work through information on these current topics of social and human sciences.
Within UNESCO, our Sector’s specific mission is to promote knowledge and intellectual cooperation in order to encourage social transformations that convey the universal values of justice, freedom and human dignity. In particular, this mission involves the identification of trends and their implications, the formulation of prospects and views on the directions societies are taking and on the development of mentalities. Thus the twenty-third session of the 21st Century Talks was devoted to the theme of water and you will find in this issue the principal points raised during those discussions.
UNESCO has always maintained close links with philosophy, not speculative or prescriptive philosophy, but critical questioning which gives a meaning to life and to action in an evolving international context. We want to engage ourselves in a revitalization of this tradition and above all contribute to the popularization of an international philosophical culture. The philosophy dossier in this issue gives an account of the first UNESCO Philosophy Day celebrated the world over.
Social sciences undertake research and the formulation of policies which aim for a better management of social transformations and in this Newsletter you will find the latest developments of MOST – our intergovernmental programme – as well as an account of UNESCO’s presence at the third World Social Forum of Porto Alegre.
Definition, development and the promotion of norms and principles based on human rights should govern the formulation of ethical positions and economic, scientific and social policies. This is also one of our Sector’s missions and these pages carry an overview of our action in the field of bioethics.
Globalization will only be ‘humanized’ if we unrelentingly pursue the objective of making all human rights a reality for everyone, everywhere. To quote Albert Camus who put it so well, “if someone takes away your bread, he is also taking away your freedom. But if someone takes away your freedom, you can be sure you risk losing your bread because it no longer depends on you and your struggle but on the master’s whim”. SHS therefore intends to promote knowledge and intellectual cooperation in order to defend human dignity, particularly that of the most impoverished among us.
It is my goal to make the Social and Human Sciences Sector a real laboratory of ideas and forecasting as well as a prime place of reference for international research, reflection, exchange, development of principles, norms and policies in the fields of forecasting, social and human sciences, philosophy, human rights, and the ethics of science and technology. Let us harness the power of ideas in order to influence social transformations.
Good reading!
Pierre Sané
Assistant Director-General
for Social and Human Sciences
Table of Content:
Ethics Human genetic data • Public hearings / Human Rights Keeping up the fight against racism • Youth and human rights • International migration and multiculturalism • The rights of migrant workers Democracy and Governance E-governance • New UNESCO Chair • Research centre in Byblos / Interview Boutros Boutros-Ghali / 21st Century Talks Water no longer flows / Human sciences Diogenes’ fiftieth birthday / Dossier Philosophy Philosophical foundations of UNESCO • The first
Philosophy Day • Pathways of Thought / Social Sciences The MOST Programme • City professionals • UNESCO at the World Social Forum / UNESCO Prizes / Just published • Calendar
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