Participants at the High Level Group meeting on Education for All (EFA), organized by UNESCO and the Government of Norway, on 17 December urgently called on national governments to allocate at least four to six percent of GNP and 15 to 20 per cent of public expenditure to education. In the Oslo Declaration, adopted at the close of the meeting, they also urged development partners to increase official development assistance and give priority to investment in basic education. - More

Imams and rabbis from Israel and the Palestinian Territories as well as many other countries will meet at UNESCO from 15 to 17 December to launch new initiatives to help build peace in the Middle East. - More

The UNESCO/Bilbao Prize for the Promotion of a Culture of Human Rights will be presented to Stéphane Hessel by the Organization’s Director-General, Koïchiro Matsuura, at an award ceremony to be held on 10 December, the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. A press conference will be held at UNESCO headquarters before the event. - More

Three years after UNESCO adopted the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, its intergovernmental committee is meeting in Paris on 8 - 12 December. International cooperation and sustainable development will be on the agenda of the meeting that will be opened by the Director-General of the Organization, Koïchiro Matsuura. - More

A conference, entitled “Intercultural Encounters on the Shores of the Mediterranean, the Alchemy of an Uninterrupted Dialogue,” will take place at UNESCO Headquarters on 4 and 5 December. Its objective is to highlight how the Arab-Islamic and Western worlds have influenced each other over the centuries. - More

“The Organization can be a forum for exchange on this important issue,” stated UNESCO Deputy Director-General Marcio Barbosa. “The objective is to facilitate dialogue between the Organization’s 193 Member States, strengthening international cooperation in the field of biofuels”, he added. - More

The ministers and representatives of ministries of health, science and technology, education, foreign affairs and international cooperation from 59 countries have adopted a Call to Action in Bamako (Mali) which fixes ambitious targets for increasing investment in research for health. Adopted on 19 November, the final day of the Global Ministerial Forum on Research for Health hosted by Mali, the Call to Action urges national governments to allocate at least 2% of budgets of ministries of health to research. - More

Experts from UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre and from the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) undertook a reactive monitoring mission to examine development projects affecting the Old and New Towns of Edinburgh (United Kingdom), inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1995. - More

The Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, today designated Frenchman, Stéphane Hessel, as laureate for the UNESCO/Bilbao Prize for the Promotion of a Culture of Human Rights, on the recommendation of a jury that met in early November. The international movement, ATD Fourth World, received an honourable mention. - More

The tourism industry has given its 2008 World Tourism Award to UNESCO's World Heritage Centre, recognizing the Centre's support for the preservation of natural and cultural world heritage sites in 185 countries. - More

On the eve of an international workshop organised by UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere programme to be held in Kathmandu (Nepal) on November 19, Professor Martin Price, Director of the Centre for Mountain Studies at Perth College, University of the Highlands and Islands (United Kingdom) takes a critical look at the consequences of climate change for mountain ecosystems. - More

The Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, will designate Chantal Biya, First Lady of Cameroon, as UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for education and social inclusion. She will receive the title during a ceremony on 14 November (6.30 p.m.) at UNESCO Headquarters. - More

The Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, has named the laureates of the 2008 UNESCO King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa Prize for the Use of Information and Communication Technologies in Education. They were selected on the recommendation of an international jury whose meeting this year was held in Bahrain for the first time. - More

UNESCO’s Global Ethics Observatory (GEObs), a system of databases on bioethics and other areas of applied ethics in science and technology, launched it sixth database on 30 October. The launch took place at UNESCO in Paris, during the Joint Session of the International Bioethics Committee (IBC) and the Intergovernmental Bioethics Committee (IGBC). - More

How can we fight racism and discrimination in stadiums and on playing fields? What action can municipalities take to combat this plague? On 6 November, five young representatives of three European cities (Botkyrka, Erlangen, Nuremberg) affiliated with the European Coalition of Cities against Racism (ECCAR) will visit the European Parliament in Brussels and present a set of recommendations for preventing and responding to racist behaviour in amateur and professional sports. - More

Children with disabilities and children from marginalized groups (migrants, street children, HIV/AIDS orphans) are still today largely excluded from the school system. the International Conference on Education, organized by UNESCO’s International Bureau of Education (IBE) from 25 to 28 November in Geneva (Switzerland) will examine ways for schools to become more open to diversity and effectively reduce the drop-out rate. - More

Nearly 40% of the planet’s inhabitants depend on transborder water resources, both surface and underground. In this context, international cooperation is crucial for sharing this key resource. This issue will be addressed at a conference entitled Water for Peace, Peace for Water to be held at UNESCO headquarters on 13 November and co-organized by UNESCO, the Fondation Chirac, and the Agence Française de Développement. - More

Project proposals to improve living conditions in developing countries; address poverty; sustainable development; and climate change - More

UNESCO hosted a symposium on Freedom of Expression: Development, Democracy and Dialogue on 29 October which brought together leading defenders of freedom of expression from all over the world, among them several laureates of the UNESCO World Press Freedom Prize. The symposium was held as part of the celebration 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

Five young heritage professionals from Canada, Egypt, Hungary, Peru, and Zimbabwe, received UNESCO-Vocations Patrimoine fellowships to pursue post graduate research at University College Dublin (Ireland) and at the Brandenburg Technical University of Cottbus (Germany) in a ceremony at UNESCO Headquarters on the evening of 22 October. - More

“Lifelong learning for all: how long to get there?” is the subject of the next 21st Century Talks, at UNESCO on 29 October (6 to 8 p.m., Room I). Koïchiro Matsuura, the Director-General of UNESCO, will open the session, featuring three noted speakers: Ján Figel, Jacques Attali and Catherine Odora Hoppers. This session of the Talks is held in the context of the First World Forum of Lifelong Learning. - More

The Director General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, has welcomed warmly the adoption by consensus of two decisions concerning respectively the Old City of Jerusalem and the Mughbrabi ascent in the Old City of Jerusalem by the Executive Board during its 180th session. - More

Koïchiro Matsuura, the Director-General of UNESCO, said today he was particularly saddened at the news of the death of Sister Emmanuelle, “a woman who fought poverty with singular energy”. - More

The acidification of the world’s oceans, caused by the absorption of huge volumes of carbon dioxide, is accelerating at an unprecedented rate, threatening marine ecosystems and the livelihoods of tens of millions of people, concluded scientists attending the Second International Symposium on the Ocean in a High CO2 World held in Monaco from 6-9 October. - More

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

Navinchandra Ramgoolam, Prime Minister of Mauritius, today addressed UNESCO’s Executive Board meeting for its 180th session and presented the project Maurice – Ile Durable (Mauritius – Sustainable Island), launched by his government to meet the challenges facing the country. Specifically, it plans to increase the percentage of renewable energy use from 20 to 43% over the next 20 years. - More

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, three months after the deposit of the 20th instrument of acceptance. - More

By the deadline of 30 September, UNESCO had received a total of 112 applications from 37 States for the first ever inscription on the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. - More

The Director-General has attributed the 2008 Sharjah Prize for Arab Culture to Professor Gaber Asfour of Egypt and Portuguese writer Adalberto Aves, on the recommendation of an international jury that examined 33 candidates presented by 20 UNESCO Member States. - More

A thematic debate held at UNESCO on 7 October as part of the 180th session of the Executive Board will examine the linguistic dimension of sustainable development, efficient multilingual education, as well as the respective costs and advantages of monolingualism versus multilingualism. - More

The Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, and the President of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Luis Alberto Moreno, signed today in Paris a Memorandum of Understanding for a Strategic Partnership to expand existing cooperation between the two organizations. - More

Adult learning and education in the Asia-Pacific region is the focus of a UNESCO conference that will take place in Seoul from 6 to 8 October 2008. Hosted by the Government of the Republic of Korea, the Conference will bring together ministers of education and other representatives of governments and multilateral partners, regional NGOs, experts and stakeholders from the private sector, universities and the media. - More

The Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, today condemned the shooting in Villahermosa, Tabasco, on 23 September, of Alejandro Xenón Fonseca Estrada, a Mexican radio journalist and an activist who campaigned against organized crime. - More

To coincide with the opening of an International Congress on Sport for Development and Peace Whilst in Kingston (Jamaica) on 13 September, the Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, has decided to designate the Jamaican sprinters Usain Bolt and Veronica Campbell-Brown UNESCO Champions for Sport. - More

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. Their cultures express the powerful links between humanity and nature, between tradition and modernity, offering a holistic view of the world. They could become a source of renewal for the future. - More

UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura will designate the Dominican musician Juan Luis Guerra UNESCO Artist for Peace during a ceremony on 15 September (6 p.m.) at the Organization’s Headquarters in Paris. - More

On 18 September (Room I, 5 p.m.), UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura will present the award for the UNESCO Prize for Peace Education 2008 to the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation (South Africa). The ceremony will be held within the framework of the celebrations of the International Day of Peace (21 September) and of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The chair of the Prize jury, Mohammed Arkoun, professor of the history of Islamic thought, will be present. - More

What if the countries in the Middle East had no choice but to get along in order to share the region’s meagre water resources? This is the starting premise of Jon Martin Trondalen’s book “Water and Peace for the People”, which will be launched on 11 September at UNESCO. - More

The Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, on Wednesday announced Glasgow a UNESCO City of Music, as part of the Organization’s Creative Cities Network. - More

It was with shock and great sorrow that I learned of the murder of four colleagues, working for the International Rescue Committee (IRC), in Afghanistan on 13 August 2008. Those killed were Dr. Jackie Kirk, Ms Nicole Dial, Ms Shirley Case, all education and child protection specialists, and their driver, Mr. Mohamed Aimal. As members of the development and humanitarian communities, we at UNESCO and all partner agencies are deeply affected by this tragic event. - More

UNESCO Director-General Koichiro Matsuura today expressed his sorrow over the death of renowned Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish, who died on 9 August, at the Memorial Hermann Medical Centre in Houston, Texas, USA. - More

On 4 August, United States President George Bush signed the instrument of ratification of UNESCO’s International Convention against Doping in Sport, following its approval on 22 July by the US Senate. More than 90 countries have now ratified the Convention. - More

The third and last block of the Aksum Obelisk was successfully mounted by the UNESCO teams yesterday 31 July in its original location in Ethiopia. The monument’s reinstallation was greeted with joy by the local people, who spontaneously organized musical concerts yesterday at the site. - More

Beginning Monday 4 August, visitors to the UNESCO Social and Human Sciences website* will find every week the latest instalment of an adventure featuring Rattus Holmes and Felis Watson, detective heroes of a comic strip against doping in sport, published by UNESCO in partnership with EDGE G3 Ltd. - More

UNESCO and the Brazilian television network TV-Globo will sign a new agreement on 17 July at Organization Headquarters, prolonging their partnership launched in 2004 for another six years. This will enable them to continue the Criança Esperança programme, which funds projects for children and young people in Brazil. - More

The Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, today expressed his satisfaction that the G8, meeting in Toyako, has confirmed its pledge to double aid to Africa. He was also happy to note the support given by heads of state and government during the summit for education for sustainable development. - More

UNESCO and European Athletics – organization of European national athletic federations – announced today they have decided to prolong their successful collaboration. The agreement they signed in 2006 to provide a framework for joint projects in education and youth sport will now run through the 2010 European Athletics Championships. - More

The consultative meeting of the African National Commissions on UNESCO’s draft programme and budget for 2010-2011 took place in Cotonou (Benin) from 7 to 9 July. - More

The Director-General of UNESCO, Koїchiro Matsuura, expressed today his “immense relief” at the news of the release of Ingrid Betancourt and the other 14 Colombian and American hostages detained by the FARC. He shares “the joy and emotion of their families and all their compatriots”. - More

After the coalitions of cities against racism created in Europe, Africa, Latin America and the Asia-Pacific region, several municipalities in the Arab world (Casablanca, Doha, Essaouira, Cairo, Nouakchott, Rabat, Tangiers) have also decided to build a network to combat racism, discrimination, xenophobia and intolerance. - More

The first extraordinary session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions will be held at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris from 24 to 27 June 2008 in Room II. - More

Ljubljana (Slovenia) was named today as the “World Book Capital 2010” at the conclusion of the selection committee meeting. Held at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, the meeting brought together representatives of the three main professional associations in the book industry and UNESCO. - More

UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura today expressed his sorrow over the death of renowned Kirghiz author Chinguiz Aitmatov, who died on 10 June in Nuremberg, Germany. - More

The contribution of waterways to the development of South-East Europe’s cultural diversity, and their continuing role in fostering intercultural dialogue, is at the heart of the Athens Declaration adopted by seven Heads of State* and other high-level representatives** at a regional summit held in the Greek capital today. - More

The General Assembly of States Parties to the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage will hold its second session from 16 to 19 June at UNESCO Headquarters. - More

While climate change concerns us all, women are both the most exposed to its consequences and in the best position to influence changes in behaviour. This topic is central to the 4th UNESCO Forum on Gender Equality focusing on “Gendered dimensions of climate change", which will take place 19 June at UNESCO Headquarters. - More

Young Europeans are being invited to join a continent-wide campaign launched today by UNESCO, FC Barcelona and the European Parliament to eradicate violence and racism in sport. - More

A new study by UNESCO’s Institute for Statistics (UIS) highlights the strong effect of social inequality on primary education systems in many countries and the challenge to provide all children with equal learning opportunities. - More

Improving storm surge warning systems in zones threatened by tropical cyclones is urgent. This is the conclusion of the UNESCO/Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission’s (IOC) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) at a joint press conference in Geneva on 21 May. - More

The contribution of cultural diversity to sustainable development and peace will be the focus of UNESCO’s celebration of World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development on 21 May. - More

The Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize was attributed to Martti Ahtisaari, President of Finland from 1994 to 2000, and founder of the non-governmental organization Crisis Management Initiative. Henry Kissinger, former U.S. Secretary of State and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, president of the international jury that awards the Prize, declared that the laureate had been chosen “for his lifetime contribution to world peace.” - More

More than 20 UNESCO Goodwill Ambassadors – influential personalities committed to UNESCO’s ideals – will examine ways to promote education for all, cultural diversity and languages, the International Year of Planet Earth, water and ways to respond to the threat of climate change during their annual gathering on 20 and 21 May at the Organization’s Headquarters. - More

The International Jury of the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize will meet on 16 May at UNESCO Headquarters to designate the laureate or laureates of the 2007 Prize. The President of the Jury, Henry Kissinger, former United States Secretary of State and Nobel Peace Prize winner, will announce the results around 11 a.m. on the same day. - More

Some 150 media professionals from around the world today adopted a declaration* emphasizing the importance of freedom of expression and free access to information to participatory democracy at the close of a two-day conference entitled “Freedom of Expression, Access to Information and the Empowerment of People” in Maputo... - More

Mexican freelance investigative journalist Lydia Cacho Ribeiro will receive this year�s UNESCO World Press Freedom Prize in a ceremony UNESCO is organizing in Maputo, the capital of Mozambique, to mark World Press Freedom Day, 3 May. The celebration of the Day will focus on access to information and empowerment, the subject of a conference entitled Freedom of Expression, Access to Information and the Empowerment of People, on 2 and 3 May... - More

In spite of promises to support basic education, aid commitments are stagnating and remain far short of what is required to achieve universal primary education, according to a recent analysis by the Education for All Global Monitoring Report* team... - More

More than 100 countries will take part on 23 April in the 13th celebration of World Book and Copyright Day,* proclaimed by UNESCO in 1996. Publishers, book shops, libraries, schools, cultural institutions and authors� societies from all over the world have undertaken to celebrate the Day and promote the enduring importance of books... - More

The Director-General of UNESCO, Ko�chiro Matsuura, today voiced concern about damage caused to the Castello di Moncalieri, in the Italian Province of Turin, inscribed on UNESCO�s World Heritage List in 1997... - More

The President of the Republic of Argentina, Cristina Fern�ndez de Kirchner, today stressed the importance of Human Rights in an address to the Executive Board of UNESCO, which is holding its 179 session... - More

The Director-General of UNESCO, Ko�chiro Matsuura, today expressed his deep regret at the destruction of Qu�bec�s ancient drill hall, a landmark adjacent to the Historic District of Old Qu�bec, which was inscribed on UNESCO�s World Heritage List in 1985... - More

Lawyers, museum professionals, archaeologists, academics and cultural property experts will meet in Athens, Greece*, on 17 and 18 March for an international conference on the �Return of Cultural Property to its Country of Origin.�... - More

UNESCO has withdrawn its patronage of the Online Free Expression Day, organized by the non-governmental organization, Reporters Without Borders... - More

To celebrate International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (21 March), UNESCO in partnership with �Pari(s) du Vivre-Ensemble� is organizing a series of events on 19 March in Paris, on the topic of �School and immigration�... - More

The international mission of experts sent to review plans to build a bridge in the cultural landscape of the Dresden Elbe Valley (Germany) in early February is recommending that the plan be abandoned in the interest of preserving the outstanding universal value that warranted the inscription of the site on UNESCO�s World Heritage List in 2004... - More

An international round table, �Gender equality: make it your business�, organized by the UNESCO Bureau of Strategic Planning�s Division for Gender Equality, will be held on 10 March (Room II, 3-5.30 p.m.) to celebrate this year�s International Women�s Day (8 March)... - More

Ministers and educational experts from the world�s Nine High Population Countries - Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Nigeria and Pakistan - will meet in Bali, Indonesia* March 10 � 12 to discuss ways of accelerating progress towards the provision of Education For All (EFA)... - More

The Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association (KSLTA), organizer of the Bangalore Open, an outstanding event on the Sony Ericsson Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Tour, announced today that it will donate US$100,000 to the UNESCO-Sony Ericsson WTA Tour partnership for gender equality and women�s leadership... - More

The third session of the Intergovernmental Coordination Group (ICG) for the Tsunami and Other Coastal Hazards Warning System for the Caribbean and Adjacent Regions (CARIBE EWS), will be held in Panama, from March 12 -14... - More

The Indonesian actress and producer, Christine Hakim, will be named UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador by the Organization�s Director-General, Ko�chiro Matsuura, at a ceremony in Bali (Indonesia) on March 11, which will be held as part of the seventh Ministerial meeting of the nine most populous countries (E9) on Education for All... - More

UNESCO�s Literacy Initiative for Empowerment (LIFE) in Afghanistan will receive a grant of US$13 million from the Government of Japan. This grant, to be administered by UNESCO, will benefit almost 300,000 individuals, notably women, in 9 Afghan provinces, who are unable to read or write... - More

UNESCO and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) are organizing a seminar from 26 to 28 February in Lagos (Nigeria) on the subject of "Nation-states and the challenges of regional integration in West Africa: the Nigerian case"... - More

The third World Congress of UNESCO�s biosphere reserves closed last Friday in Madrid (Spain) with the adoption of a Declaration that stresses the role of biosphere reserves as places �for investments and innovation to mitigate and adapt to climate change, (and) to promote the greater use of renewable energy�... - More

The Director-General of UNESCO, Ko�chiro Matsuura, today welcomed the action by US President George Bush to submit the International Convention against Doping in Sport to the US Senate for approval, and expressed his hope for swift ratification... - More

What kind of cities do we want to live in? We will have a better idea at the close of the Conference to be held in Porto Alegre (Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil) from 13 to 16 February, which will bring together specialists from all over the world to reflect on the evolution of democratic process and social transformations in cities. Representatives from some 30 countries and 63 large cities are expected to attend, as well as a UNESCO delegation led by Pierre San�, Assistant Director-General for Social and Human Sciences... - More

he Director-General of UNESCO, Ko�chiro Matsuura, paid tribute today to the Belizean singer and musician Andy Palacio, UNESCO Artist for Peace, who passed away last Saturday in Belize City... - More

The Director-General of UNESCO, Ko�chiro Matsuura today condemned the killing of Norwegian reporter Carsten Thomassen who died in the Taleban attack on the Serena Hotel in Kabul on 14 January... - More

Where and how is research generated, transmitted, received and used in today�s knowledge society? These are fundamental questions that will be addressed at a symposium hosted by the UNESCO Forum for Higher Education, Research and Knowledge in Paris from 16 to18 January (UNESCO, Room XI, 2.30 p.m.)... - More

The Director-General of UNESCO, Ko�chiro Matsuura, will take part on 28 January in a commemoration ceremony at Organization Headquarters to honour the victims of the Holocaust. Other notable participants will include Isaac Herzog, Israeli Minister of Social affairs and Welfare and and Minister of the Jewish Diaspora, Society, and the Fight Against Anti-Semitism; Xavier Darcos, French Minister of National Education; and Simone Veil, Honorary President of the French Foundation for the Memory of the Shoah... - More

The Director-General of UNESCO, Ko�chiro Matsuura, will take part in the first Forum of the Alliance of Civilizations, in Madrid (Spain) on 15 and 16 January. The Forum will bring together political leaders, representatives of international and regional organizations, donors, civil society groups and foundations to examine ways to promote mutual understanding in the face of growing polarization between nations and cultures... - More

UNESCO to launch ICT Competency Standards for Teachers at Moving Young Minds Conference, London, 8 January... - More

Four hundred years ago, Galileo gazed at the stars for the very first time through a telescope. In celebration of the first use of this ground-breaking invention, the United Nations proclaimed 2009 the International Year of Astronomy (IYA 2009) and designated UNESCO as its lead agency. The International Astronomical Union (IAU) will act as implementing body... - More

Past News