“This is a historic day for UNESCO,” said the Director-General as she thanked China for funding the relaunch of The UNESCO Courier, which “will bring UNESCO’s important message of human dignity to people around the world. With this agreement, we are enlarging our cooperation with China in an area that is very emblematic and strengthening UNESCO’s foundations for the future,” she said.

Ms Bokova said that this was particularly welcome as during her travels people repeatedly told her they missed the magazine, whose publication ended in 2011 due to lack of funding.

“As a responsible Member State of UNESCO, China wants to help the Organization at a time when it encounters financial difficulties,” Mr Hao said at the signing. He went on to describe the allocation of $5.6 million over five years to The Courier as part of China’s effort to promote dialogue and harmony between the cultures and peoples of the world. The contribution, he added, is part of China’s commitment to help UNESCO promote peace.

UNESCO’s Assistant Director-General for External Relations and Public Information, Eric Falt, warmly welcomed the agreement, saying that “thanks to the generous contribution of China, the Courrier is like a phoenix reborn.”

The UNESCO Courier is due to appear in early 2017. Like its respected predecessor, the magazine will feature articles on issues and themes of universal interest that are relevant to UNESCO’s mandate in education, science, culture and communication. These articles will be written by contributors from a wide range of professional, geographic and cultural backgrounds.

Over more than six decades, The UNESCO Courier featured the signatures of leading intellectuals and became a beacon of UNESCO’s message of cross cultural understanding and cooperation. It was particularly effective in spreading UNESCO’s messages opposing racial and ethnic stereotyping while promoting understanding for the universal value of heritage and an inclusive view of culture.