Kathmandu

On 30 June 2022, UNESCO’s Kathmandu office together with UNESCO New Delhi, the UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP) and the section for Inclusion, Rights, and Dialogue from UNESCO Headquarters, organized a training opportunity for young peacebuilders, educators, and community and civil society leaders in Nepal. The session in Nepal was part of UNESCO’s regional ‘Engaging Youth for Social Cohesion’ series, and followed previous sessions in India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Bhutan to train community leaders and peacebuilders on innovative ways to strengthen social cohesion, dialogue and resilience in their communities. The session gathered 75 participants from various parts of Nepal, including universities, community learning centers and indigenous grassroots organizations; and provided them with methodologies to help develop social and emotional skills and intercultural competencies (including empathy, respect and listening for understanding), especially among youth. The workshop introduced two UNESCO methodologies: Story Circles and scenario-based learning. Through the Story Circles activity, a methodology based on the indigenous tradition of sitting in a circle, the participants were provided with a space to share personal experiences and to empower them with skills to communicate  across differences. “It felt really nice to share our own stories and connect with others in a safe space without feeling judged.” – Workshop participant Then through an interactive scenario that touched on challenges to social cohesion, the community leaders practiced skills related to inclusive conflict prevention, resolution and transformation, through engaging in dialogue and negotiation among different interest groups. The young and civil society leaders will be supported after the series to take these approaches to their own communities and contexts. With access to a regional platform for knowledge sharing and a series of peer-support sessions, UNESCO will help the participants to engage over 1,000 youth in Nepal and help strengthen their socio-emotional resilience. For more information, please contact: Sabin Lamichhane (s.lamichhane@unesco.org) Euan Mackway-Jones or Maija Lyytinen (shs.ndl@unesco.org)

Buddha Jayanti: An important day for global peace Today marks the 2566th celebration of the birth of one of the greatest beacons of global peace and spirituality, Gautam Buddha. The gathering happening this afternoon in Lumbini aims to promote the historical and cultural significance of Lumbini and the Greater Lumbini Area (GLA). Organized by the Lumbini Development Trust, the event will focus on sharing cultural and spiritual messages for peace globally. #buddhajayanti #lumbini #UNESCO #worldheritagesite #conservation #unescokathmandu #unescosdg #unescoculturualheritageconservation #unescoinnepal #unescoworldheritagesiter #unescoinlumbini

Evidences, found around the Greater Lumbini Area (GLA), particularly Tilaurakot, where Gautam Buddha is known to have spent 29 years of his early life, provides a historical idea on the movement of Buddhist pilgrimages around the area for thousands of years. Given the deep cultural and spiritual significance of Tilaurakot - Kapilavastu, the Government of Nepal with the support of UNESCO's office in Kathmandu, have initiated the process of nominating the site, as the next World Heritage, which will be reviewed by the World Heritage Committee. UNESCO's office in Kathmandu, has been partnering with the Japanese Funds-in-Trusts on the conservation and management of the Lumbini, and Tilaurakot sites, from irreversible negative impacts. Further the project aims to build the capacity of national and local authorities, including master's level students from Tribhuvan University and Lumbini Buddhist University , to ensure long-term sustainability of the heritage sites. #Lumbini #worldheritagesite #greaterlumbiniarea #UnescoKathmandu #nepalheritages #conservation #lumbinidevelopmenttrust #UNESCOworldheritagesite #Tilaurakot #nepalheritageconservation #japanesefundsintrust #kapilvastu