In focus

SERVICES

RSS | More feeds

For Journalists

News Features

Multimedia

Publications

1 | 2 | 3

Page 2 of 3

International Women’s Day (8 March)

UNESCO’s celebrations from 9 to 25 March - including round tables, a campaign promoting women journalists and a series of cultural events and exhibitions - focus on gender equality as a global priority. More

Fifteen women researchers receive UNESCO-L’ORÉAL International Fellowships

Fifteen women researchers from all over the world have received UNESCO-L’Oréal For Women in Science International Fellowships at a ceremony 4 March at UNESCO in Paris. The awards, given every year since 2000, support women’s research in the Life Sciences at the doctoral or post-doctoral level. More

Sommes-nous dans une transition chaotique vers l’incertain ?

C'est la plus grande crise économique depuis 1929 - les experts internationaux réunis au Forum UNESCO du Futur (lundi 3 mars) sont d'accord là-dessus. Mais le monde a considérablement changé depuis la Grande dépression et la crise de 2009 a ses propres spécificités. Seule certitude : à crise mondiale – solutions mondiales. More

Global economic crisis hits world’s most vulnerable

The financial and economic crisis is moving beyond Wall Street and European banks, according to new UNESCO analysis. Documenting the downturn’s potential impact on human development targets, the analysis was presented at the UNESCO Future Forum held March 2. More

Rescuing development from the global financial and economic crisis

How can hard-won progress towards a range of international development goals - reduction of poverty, improved health and access to education, the rise of a “green” economy and gender equity - be maintained? The Conference at UNESCO on 2 March is being webcast live. More

New edition of UNESCO’s Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger

Out of approximately 6,000 existing languages in the world, 199 languages have fewer than 10 speakers and 178 others have 10 to 50. Such data can be found in the new edition of UNESCO's Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger, presented in Paris on the eve of International Mother Language Day. More

International Mother Language Day, 21 February

Why do languages disappear? Which parts of the world are most affected? What can be done to save them? The new edition of the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger aims to answer these questions. It will be presented to the press at UNESCO Headquarters on 19 February, on the eve of International Mother Language Day (21 February). More

UNESCO calls for measures to safeguard HMS Victory

Copyright © 2009 Royal New Zealand Navy
Nicholas Pocock painting

The recently found wreck of the British warship, which sank in the English Channel in 1744, must be preserved for posterity, says the Director General of UNESCO, in keeping with the Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage. More

UNESCO Courier highlights underwater heritage

Prepared with UNESCO’s Section of Museums and Cultural Objects, the February issue marks the entry into force of the Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage last month and the first meeting of States Parties (26-27 March). More

Scientists call for action against ocean acidification

More than 150 leading marine scientists from 26 countries have signed the Monaco Declaration, released 30 January. It warns that CO2 emissions must be reduced sharply to avoid irreparable damage to marine ecosystems from ocean acidification. More

2009, Year of the Gorilla

Three of the four species of gorilla are in danger of extinction. British primatologist Jane Goodall has been named patron of the International Year, during which UNESCO will lead several safeguarding initiatives. More

Launch of UNESCO International Year of Astronomy

UNESCO is organizing an international symposium on the role of astronomy in society and culture from 19 to 23 January as part of the International Year of Astronomy launched last week. The Year coincides with the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s first observations with an astronomical telescope. More

UNESCO Director- General and UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict express grave concern over attacks against Gaza UNRWA schools

UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura and UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Radhika Coomaraswamy, expressed grave concern over the recent attacks against UNRWA schools and associated facilities. These facilities had been set up by the UN as places of refuge for civilians fleeing the fighting in Gaza. More

UNESCO presents its latest publications

The wide range of topics covered in recently published books includes employment and education in European countries, solutions to water disputes, marine ecosystem management and museums in China. More

Underwater Cultural Heritage: UNESCO Convention entering into force

Ratified by 20 States, the Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage will enter into force 2 January 2009. It aims to ensure more effective safeguarding of submerged shipwrecks and ruins. More

High Level Group meeting on education issues Oslo Declaration

High Level Group meeting on education issue Oslo Declaration

Against the backdrop of the global financial crisis, ministers, officials from multilateral agencies and civil society representatives conclude their meeting in Norway (16-17 December) and recommend strategies for achieving quality Education For All by 2015. More

United Nations Forum focuses on minorities

The right to education for minority communities and groups is the theme of the first United Nations Forum on Minority Issues taking place in Geneva on December 15 and 16. More

Lauren Child named UNESCO Artist for Peace

The British author and illustrator of children’s books will be appointed today in a ceremony at Headquarters. More

Stephane Hessel: a life devoted to promoting human rights

On the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, French diplomat Stephane Hessel received yesterday the UNESCO/Bilbao prize for the Promotion of a Culture of Human Rights. Read the interview with the laureate. More

World AIDS Day 2008

UNESCO is marking World AIDS Day, observed yearly
on the 1st of December. More

Live debate on education for inclusion

Young people and ministers from different regions will compare viewpoints on this complex issue during a round table in Geneva this evening, moderated by BBC journalist Tim Sebastian. Watch the debate live beginning at 5.15 pm GMT. More

2009 Education For All Global Monitoring Report

Inequalities in education are diminishing opportunity for millions of children, warns the report. Launched 25 November at the International Conference on Education (Geneva, Switzerland) the annual assessment of the Education For All campaign is entitled “Overcoming inequality: why governance matters”. More

World Philosophy Day 2008

The annual celebration initiated by UNESCO in 2005 continues to extend its scope. This year, the event will be held in Palermo (Italy) on November 20 and 21, on the theme of “Rights and Power”. Numerous other initiatives will take place at UNESCO Headquarters and in over 80 countries around the world. More

100 Countries ratify Anti Doping Convention

UNESCO celebrated the signing of the 100th government to the International Convention against Doping in Sport in Paris on 12 November. UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) David Howman and Jaime Lissavetzky, Spanish State Secretary for Sport, joined Ambassadors from most of the countries having ratified the Convention to mark the milestone. More

11th Annual L’ORÉAL-UNESCO Awards For Women in Science Honour Five Exceptional Women Scientists

This year, the theme of the awards is “Physical Sciences”, and the Laureates were selected through nominations by a network of nearly 1,000 members of the international scientific community. More

Young Europeans present strategies to combat racism in sports to European Parliament

Representatives of the programme “Youth Voices against Racism”, an initiative of UNESCO, FC Barcelona and the European Coalition of Cities against Racism (ECCAR), in partnership with the European Parliament, delivered their recommendations on 6 November. More

Fight against racism in sport: young people presenting strategies to European Parliament

Five young representatives of three European cities (Botkyrka, Erlangen, Nuremberg) affiliated with the European Coalition of Cities against Racism (ECCAR) are visiting the European Parliament in Brussels today to share ideas on preventing racist behaviour in sports. More

Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity created in Istanbul

© UNESCO/Danica Bijeljac
The Sema, Mevlevi ceremony, Turkey

The Representative List integrates 90 cultural elements earlier proclaimed Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. The integration took place during the session (4 to 9 November) of UNESCO's Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage. More

International Conference on the Right to Education in Iraq

The 3-day conference at UNESCO (30 October to 1 November) heard how a campaign of terror targeting children, students and academics had crippled the Iraqi education system and forced intellectuals into exile. More

UNESCO Symposium and exhibition on freedom of expression

A symposium on Freedom of Expression: Development, Democracy and Dialogue will be held at UNESCO Headquarters on 29 October as part of celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights whose 19th article enshrines freedom of expression as a fundamental, inalienable human right. More

UNESCO publishes first world map of underground transboundary aquifers

Almost 96% of the planet’s freshwater resources are to be found in underground aquifers, most of which straddle national boundaries. The publication of the new map by UNESCO coincides with the submission to the United Nations General Assembly on 27 October of a draft Convention on Transboundary Aquifers. More

UNESCO and Iraqi Education Ministry launch Educational TV channel

A response to Iraq’s difficult security conditions that keep children away from school, the channel IRAQI EDU will broadcast programmes based on primary and secondary school curricula 24 hours a day on NILESAT at 10775hz. Including messages promoting ethical values such as tolerance, it will also contribute to peace-building. More

International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, 17 October 2008

To mark International Day for the Eradication of Poverty on 17 October 2008, UNESCO is supporting the initiative of the collective "L’Arche et la Dalle"*. A large gathering is taking place in the business district of La Défense, near Paris. The International Day is organized under the banner of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. More

Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage will enter into force in January 2009

Twenty States have now ratified the Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage, which therefore will enter into force on 2 January 2009. The Convention, adopted in 2001, aims to ensure more effective safeguarding of submerged shipwrecks and ruins. More

Director-General congratulates Martti Ahtisaari, laureate of the 2008 Nobel Peace Prize

The Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, today extended his warm congratulations to the former President of Finland, Martti Ahtisaari, laureate of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize

alt_text Houphouet-Boigny Prize-giving ceremony More

UNESCO Director- General applauds award of Nobel Prize for Medicine to Luc Montagnier

UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura today applauded the award of the 2008 Nobel Prize for Medicine to Luc Montagnier, who works closely with UNESCO, notably through the World Foundation for Aids Research and Prevention. More

Los esfuerzos en pro de la alfabetización son muy insuficientes

Aunque las tasas de alfabetización progresan en todo el mundo en general, la situación en el Asia Meridional y Occidental y el África Subsahariana es preocupante. Además, la ayuda financiera a la alfabetización dista mucho de ser suficiente, según se desprende de un informe sobre el Decenio de Naciones Unidas de Alfabetización presentado el 6 de octubre en Nueva York ante la Asamblea General de las Naciones Unidas. More

World Teachers’ Day 2008: 18 million more teachers needed

Low salaries, overcrowded classrooms, low job security, inadequate training – World Teachers’ Day, celebrated annually on 5 October, is the occasion to pay tribute to a profession whose role in the education of young people and adults remains essential. The emphasis this year is on developing teacher policies, the only foundation for ensuring sustainable and high-quality recruitment. More

Martti Ahtisaari to receive Felix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize

©Joi Ito

Martti Ahtisaari, President of Finland from 1994 to 2000 and founder of the non-governmental organization Crisis Management Initiative, will receive the Felix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize on 2 October at UNESCO Headquarters.
alt_text See the images of the Prize ceremony More

UNESCO Director-General hails 4.5 bn dollar education pledges

UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura has hailed a 4.5 billion dollar commitment to Education for All made in New York Thursday as a decisive step forward, but reminded that pledges and promises, past and present, must be kept. More

South African institute wins 2008 UNESCO Prize for Peace Education

The Institute for Justice and Reconciliation (South Africa) is this year’s winner of the UNESCO Prize for Peace Education. The Prize was awarded Thursday at UNESCO Headquarters.

alt_text Watch the interview with Fanie du Toit, Executive Director of the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation More

Indigenous Peoples: development, culture and identity

An estimated 350 million indigenous peoples live in over 70 countries and speak more than 5,000 languages: such is the importance of indigenous people today. From 15 to 17 September, UNESCO will host for the first time a meeting of representatives of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) and of the UN Inter-Agency Support Group on Indigenous Peoples’ Issues (IASG) More

UNESCO forum on living better and longer

Leading French and international health researchers and practitioners will present the latest advances in medicine, genetics and geriatrics at a forum on “Longevity and Quality of Life: Latest advances for staying young longer” at UNESCO Headquarters on 16 September.

Follow the live webcast from 3p.m. to 6:30p.m. More

Literacy Conference in Mexico City

"Literacy is the best remedy," is the slogan of the International Literacy Day 2008, which is celebrated every year on 8 September. A conference on the challenges to literacy, organised by UNESCO, will take place from 10 to 13 September in Mexico City. More

Reinstallation of Aksum Obelisk

© UNESCO
Reinstallation worksite

The reinstallation by UNESCO teams of the Aksum obelisk on its original site in Ethiopia, after 71 years in Italy, will be celebrated on 4 September. The 1700-year-old monument has become a symbol of the Ethiopian people’s identity. video icon Watch video And also More

A DVD on the importance of getting children with disabilities into school

Un DVD sur l’importance de scolariser les enfants handicapés

This DVD promotes the 2006 UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which went into force in April 2008. It particularly addresses the situation of children with disabilities worldwide and the importance of getting them into school. Between 30 and 40% of the world’s 72 million out-of-school children have disabilities. More

UNESCO International literacy prizes 2008

Prix internationaux d'alphabétisation 2008

Literacy projects in Brazil, Ethiopia, South Africa and Zambia have won the four UNESCO International Literacy Prizes* this year. The laureates were proclaimed on the recommendation of an international jury. A programme in Morocco and another from the British Broadcasting Corporation received an Honourable Mention. More

UNESCO participating in XVII International AIDS Conference in Mexico City

Classroom in Ecuador

Ahead of the XVII International AIDS Conference organized in Mexico City (Mexico) from 3 to 8 August, UNESCO, lead agency for EDUCAIDS, presents a resource pack on AIDS and education. More

World Heritage: great escapes

Al-Hijr (Arabie Saoudite).

From the island of Surtsey off the coast of Iceland to Iran’s Armenian churches, by way of poet Nicolás Guillén’s birthplace in Cuba and a former hideout of runaway slaves in Mauritius….In its latest issue, the UNESCO Courier makes a stop at several sites recently added to the World Heritage List. More

New inscriptions on UNESCO World Heritage List

The Joggins Fossil Cliffs (Canada)

Meeting in Quebec, the World Heritage Committee inscribed 27 new sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage this year. Papua New Guinea, San Marino, Saudi Arabia and Vanuatu have sites on the List for the first time. The List now numbers a total of 878 sites in 145 countries. Read also the UNESCO Courier double issue on world heritage. More