UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova today spoke out against the killing of Somali TV journalist Abdisalam Sheikh Hassan, who was shot dead in Mogadishu on 18 December.

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UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova today condemned the killing of Dagestanian journalist and human rights activist Hadzhimurad Kamalov. Kamalov was shot on 15 December, a day dedicated to the commemoration of journalists killed in the line of duty in the Russian Federation.

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UNESCO's International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC) sponsored an inaugural safety and protection training workshop for East African journalists, from 6 to 8 December 2011 in Nairobi, Kenya. Organized by Article 19 within the framework of the IPDC project, "Bolstering the safety and protection of journalists in East Africa", the event brought together 25 journalists from six East African countries: Burundi, Eritrea, Kenya, Somalia, Uganda and Rwanda.

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The Laponian Area World Heritage Site, in the Arctic Circle region of northern Sweden, is the home of the Sami, or Lapp people. It is the largest area in the world (and one of the last) with an ancestral way of life based on the seasonal movement of livestock, now threatened by global change. - More

Opening the Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness on 30 November in Busan, President Lee stated that 'the power of education' lay behind the transformation of the Republic of Korea from a poverty-stricken nation destroyed by war into a donor country and a vibrant economy and democracy.

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Vigdis Finnbogadottir of Iceland was the world's first elected woman President and served from 1980 to 1996. Today, as UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador she continues her tireless work for women's rights, education and sustainability.
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In the framework of the UNESCO's International Hydrological Programme (IHP) activities in Africa, the Water Sciences for Sound Africa Water Policies and Governance in a Changing Environment will be held jointly with the 4th regional meeting of Sub-Saharan Africa IHP National Committees in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania from 23 to 27 April 2012.
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Twenty PhD Positions are available in the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Funded Project on Pro-poor Sanitation Innovations, named 'Stimulating local innovation on sanitation for the urban poor in sub-Saharan Africa and South-East Asia'.
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Four Post-doc Positions are available in the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Funded Project on Pro-poor Sanitation Innovations, named 'Stimulating local innovation on sanitation for the urban poor in sub-Saharan Africa and South-East Asia'.
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UNESCO and European Athletics have renewed their partnership to promote athletics as a driver for personal development and social cohesion, especially among young women and men. The new agreement, which runs until 2015, was signed by European Athletics President Hansjörg Wirz and UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova.
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"Average Cambodians associate climate change with deforestation, disease and increasing temperature, whereas Cambodian NGO workers see it as global increase in carbon dioxide emissions and deforestation," said Trak Peaseth, BBC World Trust research officer, at a UNESCO climate change training for local journalists in Cambodia. He also emphasized the need for free and easy access to information regarding climate change in the country.
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Marney Murphy, a prominent member of UNESCO Associated Schools (ASPnet) in the United States, has won the Beveridge Family Teaching Prize. Awarded by the American Historical Association, the largest and most prestigious organization of professional historians in the world, the prize rewards excellence and innovation in primary and secondary history teaching. - More

UNESCO's Executive Board has elected Alissandra Cummins of Barbados as its Chairperson for 2012-2013. Ms Cummins, an acclaimed authority on Caribbean heritage, museum development and art, received 53 votes from the 58-member Board. Four countries abstained, and another was absent.

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UNESCO's Special Envoy for Basic and Higher Education, Her Highness Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser of Qatar has pledged to increase her support to UNESCO's core education activities as a direct response to the financial difficulties faced by the Organization.

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Some of the key expectations that specific Member States have for water and about the role that the UN is expected to play towards Rio+20 will be presented and discussed. UN-Water members and partners will discuss the UN-Water messages and will showcase and discuss key initiatives that have been important in supporting the role of water in the development agenda and what we can expect for water in the Rio+20 conference.
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A capacity-building workshop was organized by UNESCO's Regional Bureau for Science in Africa from 30 October to 1 November 2011 in Nairobi, Kenya, for members of the Eastern African Community (EAC).

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The Director-General of UNESCO Irina Bokova today launched an Emergency Multi-Donor Fund to help fill a shortfall resulting from dues withheld by the United States.  The Director-General made the announcement at the closing session of the General Conference.
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Paris, 2 November - The UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage celebrates its 10th Anniversary.
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An updated publication designed to help States train teachers on ways to optimize the use of information and communication technologies in the classroom has been launched by UNESCO in cooperation with the Commonwealth of Learning*, Intel and Microsoft.
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Dr. Sang-Kyung Byun, Chairman of Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC/UNESCO) presented a summary of the activities of the 50th Anniversary of the IOC. Over the past two years the 50th Anniversary of the IOC has been celebrated across the world with a variety of commemorative events and activities highlighting the accomplishments of IOC in ocean science and international governance of the marine world.

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Ambassador, Permanent Delegate of Switzerland to UNESCO, and personal representative of the President of Switzerland to the International Organization of La Francophonie, Mr. Rodolphe Imhoof is the Chairperson of the Education Commission of the 36th Session of the General Conference of UNESCO. He spoke to EduInfo during the General Conference.
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UN agencies are launching today a plan to improve the management of ocean and coastal areas. - More

Creating identities for a joint history project in the Balkans; developing Japan-South Korea joint history education materials; and reviewing French-German and German-Polish history textbook projects will be among the activities at a multilateral dialogue on history education (Tokyo, Japan, 22 to 23 October). The event is organized by the Georg Eckert Institute for International Textbook Research, UNESCO's partner in textbook development projects.
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In the face of its continuous and alarming erosion and unsustainable use, biodiversity and ecosystem services are gaining increasing attention in the international arena, including in the context of climate change, global food security, development and poverty reduction, and the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD also known as Rio+20) dialogue on the green economy.
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From 17 to 20 October 2011, the 7th UNESCO Youth Forum will be held at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris under the theme 'How youth drive change'. Student engagement, social innovation, fostering democracy, youth employment, conflict and sustainable development are among the issues that will be discussed by youth delegates, civil society participants, UN entities, intergovernmental organizations, academics and the private sector. A special two-panel session focussing on facilitating green societies will take place on 19 October 2011.
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From 17 to 20 October 2011, the 7th UNESCO Youth Forum will be held at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris under the theme "How youth drive change". This year's edition of the Forum, boasts a star-studded lineup of speakers, including UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Peace and Reconciliation and Academy Award winner Forest Whitaker and the United Nations Youth Champion and star of High School Musical, Monique Coleman. The event will be opened by Egyptian blogger and activist Gigi Ibrahim, recognized by TIME magazine as "one of the leaders of Tahrir Square", with Spanish indignado Andres Villena, a young blogger and activist of the15M movement. - More

UNESCO Director - General Irina Bokova today paid tribute to the co-founder and past Chairman and CEO of Apple Inc, Steve Jobs, who passed away on 5 October.
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UNESCO and the Permanent Memorial Committee have just launched an international design competition for the creation of a Permanent Memorial at United Nations to the honour victims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade during a press conference held on 30 September 2011 in New York.

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UNESCO's Executive Board will propose Katalin Bogyay as the President of the Organization's next General Conference whose next session, the 36th, is to begin on 25 October.
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Shortly after the first meeting of the High Panel on Science for Development, Gretchen Kalonji, Assistant Director-General for Natural Sciences in UNESCO, spoke with Yojana Sharma of SciDev.Net to discuss the formation of the High Panel and its objectives. - More

UNESCO-IHP is organizing the First Regional Meeting on the Legal, Institutional and Policy Aspects of Coastal Aquifer Management in the Mediterranean, to be held at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris on 3-4 October 2011. This event is organized in the framework of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) funded MedPartnership
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The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, today condemned the murder of Mexican newspaper editor María Elizabeth Macías and urged strong measures to halt violence against reporters in the country.

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Planning (IIEP) will host a High Level Policy Forum on “Gender equality in education: Looking beyond parity” on 3 and 4 October in Paris.

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In the wake of the upcoming 10th anniversary of the Convention on the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage (2001) important events have animated the world of underwater archaeology.
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Although there are many organizations and initiatives that contribute to the science policy interface on biodiversity and ecosystem services, there is no ongoing global mechanism recognized by both the scientific and policy communities that brings information together and synthesizes and analyses it for decision making in a range of policy fora such as the global environmental conventions and development policy dialogues. - More

Renowned scientists, decision-makers and intellectuals from all over the world make up UNESCO’s High Panel on Science for Development, which will hold its first meeting at the Organization’s Headquarters on 15 and 16 September. Its role is to identify current challenges in the social and natural sciences so as to help UNESCO fine-tune its response.

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The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, today condemned the killing of Peruvian television journalist Pedro Alfonso Flores Silva on 8 September.

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The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, today condemned the murder of Honduran radio journalist Medardo Flores, killed on the night of 8 September, and called for measures to bring his killers to justice.

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A jury member for the UNESCO International Literacy Prizes, Sylvia Schmelkes del Valle has over 30 years’ experience in educational research. Formerly General Coordinator of Intercultural and Bilingual Education at the Mexico Education Ministry, Ms Schmelkes also chaired the Governing Board of the OECD Centre for Educational Research and Innovation from 2002-2004. She currently directs the Research Institute for the Development of Education at the Iberoamerican University of Mexico City.
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UNESCO is organizing an international forum on 13 September to launch a programme honouring Rabindrânâth Tagore, Pablo Neruda and Aimé Césaire, three poets who, each in his own way, carried high the standard of humanist values.

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The first International Mobiles for Education for Development (m4Ed4Dev) Symposium was held in Washington, DC on 18-19 August 2011. This two-day symposium aimed at exploring cutting-edge intersections between mobiles, education and development. The conference brought together researchers, project implementers, and leading thinkers in the area of mobiles to assess the current state of “m-learning”, to investigate potential areas where it can help achieve Education for All goals and to consider how it can be integrated into future programming and initiatives.
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5 September - In 2010, UNESCO´s Regional Bureau for Science in Latin America and the Caribbean, based in Montevideo (Uruguay), developed a pilot methodology for the standardization and systematization of data on science, technology and innovation (STI) policies in the 33 countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, together with a sophisticated information platform known as the Science Policy Information Network (SPIN).
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This year’s International Literacy Day, celebrated world-wide on 8 September, will focus on the link between literacy and peace. During a ceremony in New Delhi, India, UNESCO will award the international Confucius and King Sejong literacy prizes to projects in Burundi, Mexico, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the United States of America. - More

The Director-General of UNESCO has voiced alarm at continuing abuse against journalists in Syria calling on the authorities to respect human right, including the basic rights of freedom of expression.

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The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, today condemned the murder of Mexican political journalist Humberto Millán Salazar who was found dead on 25 of August near Culiacán, capital of the western state of Sinaloa.

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The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, today condemned the murder of Philippines radio presenter Niel Jimena and called for an investigation in the killing.

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Interview with IOC's Executive Secretary Wendy Watson-Wright, Executive Secretary of Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), explains why scientists believe ocean noise might have become a problem for marine life and how the International Quiet Ocean Experiment (IQOE), being planned at a two-day meeting at UNESCO’s Paris Headquarters, will address the issue - More

During the United Nations High-level Meeting on Youth, held in New-York City on 25-26 July 2011, UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova stressed the importance of tolerance and respect towards others and condemned the attacks in Norway. She underlined that ensuring quality education is a key responsibility of governments, including reviewing curricula to introduce Human Rights approaches and access to technologies. In addition, she discussed inclusive education and its important role in addressing the marginalization of young people, a significant driver of poverty.
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The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, today condemned the killing of Munir Shakar, who was shot dead in Khuzdar, in Pakistan’s province of Balochistan, on 14 August.

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UNESCO and the Republic of Korea are signing an agreement on 23 August to renew their cooperation through the Asia-Pacific Centre of Education for International Understanding (APCEIU) for six years.
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Launched by UNESCO in 1998, the International Day for the Remembrance of Slave Trade and its Abolition, commemorated on 23 August every year, pays tribute to the millions of men, women and children who were victims of slavery. This Day is intended to inscribe in the memory of all people of the world the slave revolt that erupted on the eve of 23 August 1791 in Saint Domingue, the island containing present-day Haiti and the Dominican Republic. This revolt was instrumental in the abolition of one of the most extreme violations of human rights in the history of humanity. - More

UNESCO’s Director-General Irina Bokova signed a partnership agreement with the Shenzhen Ruby
Football Club on 13 August, a first of its kind for the Organization with a private sector entity in China.
The signing took place in conjunction with the Director-General’s participation in the opening of the Universiade, the international students games involving some 8,000 university students from 150 countries in the southern coastal city of Shenzhen.




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Addressing some 170 university presidents from 80 countries gathered in Shenzhen, China on 13 August, UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova called for active collaboration to develop equitable and quality higher education systems, a vital condition for meeting the Millennium Development Goals.

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The deadline has been extended to 7 September to submit nominations for the UNESCO/Emir Jaber al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah Prize to Promote Quality Education for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities.
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At the time of reaching its 60^th anniversary, the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) seems younger than ever! This summer UIL is a learning and working venue to as many as six young professionals, which is an unprecedented number of concurrent interns at the Institute. In order to support UNESCO Member States in capacity-building efforts, UIL offers internships to Master’s students and recent graduates with various backgrounds, such as education, social sciences or humanities, with a focus on international development and cooperation. - More

UNESCO and the rest of United Nations celebrate International Youth Day 2011 on 12 August, which also marks the close of the International Year of Youth, dedicated to the theme Dialogue and Mutual Understanding. “Young women and men across the world are already shaping the contours of the present. We must do everything to encourage their development and to protect their dignity and rights”, said UNESCO Director-General in a message for the Day. - More

An international seminar on "Modular Curriculum Development for Technical Education in Integrated Water Resources Management" held at National Water Resources Institute (NWRI) in Kaduna, Nigeria from 28-30 June 2011. NWRI is hosting the new Regional Centre for Integrated River Basin Management (RC-IRBM), which has been endorsed by the UNESCO Executive Board to the General Conference to become a category-II centre under the auspices of UNESCO. The participants from a number of African nations (Ethiopia, Nigeria, Sengal and Sudan) recommended accelerated actions towards education for sustainable development for the implementation of integrated water resources management at the river basin level. They called for leadership from lending institutions, national governments, private sector and river basin managers to substantially increase investment and facilitate real-world demonstration and implementation of water education at the tertiary and vocational levels to manage hydrological extremes (floods and droughts) as well as to provide access to safe drinking water and sanitation to communities in Africa.
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Literacy programmes promoting peace and social cohesion in Burundi, Mexico, the United States of America, and the Democratic Republic of Congo are the winners of the 2011 UNESCO International Literacy prizes. Honourable mentions go to programmes in Pakistan and the Philippines.
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The Regional Post-graduate Training School on Integrated Management of Tropical Forests and Lands (ERAIFT) operates under the aegis of UNESCO and located at the University of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
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The United Nations General Assembly will hold a High-Level Meeting on youth at UN Headquarters in New York, on 25 and 26 July 2011, as the highlight of the International Year of Youth. The overarching theme of the Meeting will be “Youth: Dialogue and Mutual Understanding”. - More

In advance of the tenth anniversary of the Rio Earth Summit (Rio+20), UNESCO is launching a Teacher Education Course on Climate Change Education for Sustainable Development (CCESD) in late 2011. EduInfo spoke to Professor David Selby and Dr Fumiyo Kagawa of Sustainability Frontiers, an international alliance of sustainability and global educators, who have developed the course for UNESCO.

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On 25 July 2011 the UNESCO space partner, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, opens an International Centre under the auspices of UNESCO
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The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, today condemned the killing of Angel Castillo Corona, a columnist for two regional newspapers and press officer of the municipality of Ocuilan.

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The ever-growing global tourism and striking success of UNESCO World Heritage programme offer an ideal setting for site-related museums to play a pivotal role as mediator of peace and intercultural understanding, provider of quality educational contents for local and international communities, as well as agent of development.
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Sixty years ago, Maria Montessori, Jean Piaget and other educators attended the first Governing Board meeting of the UNESCO Institute for Education in Hamburg, Germany (June 1951). - More

On 10 July, in Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia), UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova attended together with President Tsahiagiin Elbegdorj and Prime Minister Sukhbaataryn Batbold the opening of the National Naadam Festival celebrated every year from 11 to 13 July across Mongolia.
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Ministers taking part in the 2011 High-Level Segment of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) unanimously adopted a declaration on Friday 8 July acknowledging the links between education and the achievement of all the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
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The Republic of South Sudan became the world’s newest country on 9 July. Education is chief of its nation-building tasks. On the request of the South Sudanese Ministry of Education, UNESCO’s International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP) and UNICEF are providing technical assistance on an Education Sector Strategic Plan.
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The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, today condemned the murder of independent Colombian journalist Luis Eduardo Gómez, killed by unidentified gunmen on 30 June.

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UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova will designate American jazz musician Herbie Hancock as UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador in a ceremony at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris on 22 July. - More

Senior United Nations and UNESCO officials joined ranks with school children in Geneva on 4 July to send a message to world leaders, urging them to make every possible effort to achieve Education for All by the target date of 2015.
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Why and how should the private sector engage in education? With only four years to go to the target date of 2015, the world is at a crossroads for the achievement of Education for All (EFA). Without further commitments and the support of all partners, including the private sector, the international community is likely to miss the MDGs and EFA goals.
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The existence of Afro-Asian communities in various parts of Asia, separated by vast distances from each other, speaking a variety of Asian languages gripped my interest some years ago. Why is African migration eastwards barely recognised? How long has this movement gone on for? From where exactly did they originate? These are some of the questions that I asked myself when I came across the Afro-Sri Lankan community, a few miles inland from the northwestern coast of Sri Lanka. At that time, I was researching Indo-Portuguese of Ceylon (or Sri Lanka Portuguese Creole) and the elders still speak this creolised form of Portuguese which was predicted to have died out more than a century ago but has survived against all odds. The others sing Indo-Portuguese songs in which the vestiges of a dying language are embedded.

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UNESCO and the World Bank have cooperated informally over the past decades, in particular on conservation efforts in the World Heritage sites. Today the two organizations signed a Memorandum of Understanding formalizing that on-going collaboration and expanding it to encompass a larger strategic scope.
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This week (27 June – 2 July), students from various universities across Serbia come together in Belgrade for the Ethics Teachers Training Course (ETTC), designed by UNESCO’s Bioethics Programme to fulfill its mandate in ethics education. It empowers a young generation of teachers with pedagogic skills needed for successful teaching of ethics at various levels and faculties of higher education. Since its inception in 2006, the course has been held in Bratislava, Bucharest, Dubrovnik, Minsk, Nairobi and Riyadh.

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After a year of development, the Index Translationum – international bibliography of translations – today has at its disposal new software capable of more effectively dealing with its more than 2 million records available online, in order to better serve its users.

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The need for governments to stay on track to meet internationally agreed education goals is the focus of the 2011 Annual Ministerial Review of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), Geneva, 4-8 July). UNESCO has played a lead role in its planning the high-level event which for the first time is addressing education.
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Bangkok has been designated World Book Capital 2013. The city was selected by a committee made up of representatives from the three main branches of the publishing world and UNESCO, which met at the Organization’s Paris Headquarters on 27 June.

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Representatives of key scientific organizations interested in the Intergovernmental science-policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) gathered at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris on 10 June 2011 to provide input for future discussions on institutional arrangements and modalities of IPBES, and to focus, in particular, on possible elements for the generation of knowledge function of IPBES. - More

Elinor Ostrom, the 2009 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences, will give a conference on 22 June at UNESCO (10 am, Room XI) on “Sustainable Social-Ecological Systems: analysis, management and governance”.

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UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova today expressed her concern over the escalating violence in Syria and, in particular, the crackdown on citizens’ access to communication and information services and reported attacks and restrictions on journalists.
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This meeting, organized by UNESCO, will take place in the Spanish National Museum for Underwater Archaeology (ARQUA) and a nearby submerged archaeological site.

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Dr Kai Haldre, M.D, a gynaecologist, directed the Estonian Family Planning Association (FPA) from its establishment in 1994 to 2001, then established the FPA Sexual Health Clinic where she works today. She is a founding member of the Estonian Academic Society for Sexology and co-author of the recent UNESCO study on the cost and cost-effectiveness of school-based sexuality éducation programmes.
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UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova today expressed her sorrow over the death in Paris yesterday of renowned Spanish author, screenwriter, political activist and long-time UNESCO friend, Jorge Semprun. - More

UNESCO is inviting young researchers from developing countries to apply for grants through the UNESCO-Keizo Obuchi Programme (UNESCO/Japan Young Researchers’ Fellowship Programme) financed by Japan.

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The call for nominations is now open for the 2011 Ernesto Illy Trieste Science Prize. This year's prize will be given in the field of material science.  The closing date for submissions is 20 July.
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Celebrating the 10th anniversary of the UNESCO 2001 Convention on the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage, which counts today with 37 States Parties, this exhibition brings together photographs of submerged archaeological sites.
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“Today, the book is facing the most profound changes in its history. New projects on a world scale are being born, in libraries and private companies, to build the book of tomorrow,” said the Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, in her speech at the second UNESCO World Forum on Culture and Cultural Industries. The Forum ended on 8 June in Monza after three days of discussions.
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Following the Busan Outcome (June 2010), UNESCO is currently cooperating with UNEP, FAO, UNDP and other relevant organizations to organize a plenary meeting to fully operationalise the Intergovernmental science-policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). This platform will be an interface between the scientific community and policy makers that aims to build capacity for and strengthen the use of science in policy making.
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This year’s Africa Week, organized by the African group of UNESCO Member States under the theme ‘Africa: Culture and Development of peace’, will take place on 23-27 May. The week will be concluded on 27 May with a conference on Africa and the International Year of Chemistry.
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Three Brazilian personalities - businessman Nizan Guanaes, designer Oskar Metsavaht and artist Vik Muniz - will be named UNESCO Goodwill Ambassadors for a period of two years by Director-General Irina Bokova at a ceremony on 27 May at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris (1 pm, 7th floor).

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UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova will designate acclaimed Chinese opera performer Zhang Jun as UNESCO Artist for Peace for a period of two years during a ceremony at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris on 26 May, at 6 p.m.

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Film screenings, art exhibitions, and thematic debates will mark this year’s Africa Week, organized by the African group of UNESCO Member States under the presidency of Republic of Congo at UNESCO Headquarters from 23 to 27 of May.

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“International rankings of higher education institutions are here to stay, but classifications should evolve to give information that is more relevant to the needs of users such as universities, students and policy-makers, fits local situations and contributes to the growth of world-class higher education systems rather than a few world-class universities.” - More

The Historical and Cultural Museum-Reservation of Garni (Armenia) and the Palestinian cultural landscape of Battir are the winners of this year’s Melina Mercouri International Prize for the Safeguarding and Management of Cultural Landscapes (UNESCO-Greece). The prize will be awarded at a ceremony to be held at UNESCO Headquarters on 24 May.

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Are university rankings a good measure for comparing institutions of higher education? Are the criteria used in ranking systems relevant to students everywhere? Do they wield too much influence on policies of universities? These questions will be at the heart of an international forum, organised by UNESCO, the World Bank and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to be held at UNESCO, 16-17 May (Room 2).

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Reducing poverty and fostering sustainable development requires empowering people with knowledge and the ability of taking charge of their lives. The strategic use of information and communications technologies (ICTs) can accelerate the acquisition of knowledge and the provision of basic services that enhances lives. Overcoming the challenges and seizing the opportunities offered by ICTs is be the main subject of discussion at a special session of the United Nations Group on the Information Society (UNGIS), to be held during the Fourth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDCs), in Istanbul (Turkey) on 12 May.

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In the framework of the innovative program "Rabindranath Tagore, Pablo Neruda, Aimé Césaire for a reconciled universal”, UNESCO aims to launch a new dynamic for reflection and action on a " reconciled universal ", based on Rabindranath Tagore, Pablo Neruda and Aimé Césaire’s legacy as men of knowledge and action.

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Monday 9 May is the enrolment deadline for the UNESCO Global Forum “Rankings and Accountability in Higher Education: Uses and Misuses” (16 -17 May 2011 at UNESCO Headquarters, Paris).

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I would like to greet the honourable Director General of UNESCO, as well as the members of the Prize Jury for their efforts and for the honour they have bestowed upon me with the award of the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize.
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We are proud to announce two new promotional tools that have been prepared on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Convention. - More

On the occasion of the World Press Freedom Day, 3 May, the Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, is appealing to all governments to uphold their commitments in protecting and promoting freedom of expression and freedom of the press, which are the foundations of all democratic societies. Particular responsibility remains with the governments of the countries in the Middle East and North Africa to meet the aspirations of their people, notably for freedom of expression, a basic human right already largely reclaimed by the citizens of Egypt and Tunisia. - More

The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, today deplored the death of Bolivian news agency director David Niño de Guzmán and called for an investigation into his death.

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The Japanese word ‘Kizuna’ means solidarity or tie. UNESCO has adopted the word for a new campaign. School children from around the world are being asked to write a message of hope on a postcard. The aim is for each of the thousands of school children who were affected by the earthquake and subsequent tsunami that hit northeast Japan on 11 March, to receive a postcard as an act of solidarity.
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Sub-Saharan African countries increased their real expenditure on education by more than 6% each year over the past decade, according to a new report published by UNESCO. Yet despite these investments, many countries in the region are still a long way from providing every child with a good quality primary education.
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The results of a six-country study on the cost and cost-effectiveness of school-based sexuality education programmes were released by UNESCO in New York on 27 April 2011 at a meeting of the UNAIDS Inter-Agency Task Team on Education.
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The International Centre for Underwater Archaeology (ICUA) in Zadar organizes a three months specialization course on the restoration and conservation of underwater archaeological finds. This international course aims at providing its participants with practical and theoretical training in the restoration and conservation methodologies that will allow for their future independent work as conservators. The course is supported by the UNESCO Venice Office. 
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‘Africa and its Diaspora’ is the theme of the Philosophical Dialogue Between Africa and The Americas Conference to be held at Purdue University (United States), from 18 to 20 April, 2011.

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A new 12-minute film, “Education for Human Rights… Young People talking”, aims to raise awareness of key human rights issues in schools around the world. - More

The new design of the UNESCO Beirut website has been launched. The website, in both Arabic and English, makes use of a wide range of technologies and digital resources to serve as an information source for the organization and its work.

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A teaching resource kit designed for people living in mountainous regions proposes some original projects, such as creating a “treasure collection” using natural objects like stones, seeds, leaves and even soil samples; making a mosaic out of plants, reflecting the typical flora of mountain areas; or learning to recognise animal tracks.
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“Education for All is not just a developing country issue,” said Ms Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, opening the Consultative Meeting on “Promoting the Right to Quality Education for Roma Children” (UNESCO, 7 April). She described the education of Roma children as “one of the most important educational challenges in European societies”. - More

The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, today expressed her sorrow over the death of actor Juliano Mer-Khamis, who was shot dead on 4 April at Jenin, in the West Bank. Juliano Mer-Khamis was also director of The Freedom Theatre, which is supported by UNESCO’s office in Ramallah (Occupied Palestinian Territory).

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Twenty artists aged under 35 will be awarded the title of “Young Artist for Intercultural Dialogue between Arab and Western Worlds” by UNESCO Director-General, Irina Bokova, at a ceremony to be held at the Organization’s headquarters on 13 April (6.30 pm, 7th floor).

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The Caribbean Meeting on the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage takes place on 10 and 11 June 2011 in Kingston. During the Meeting participants will present and discuss the importance and pertinence of the 2001 Convention with the help of legal and archaeological experts. The Meeting is essential to promote ratification and create awareness of the existence of this heritage and of the urgent need to create legal frameworks for its protection. This Meeting is jointly organized by the UNESCO Offices in Havana and Kingston, the Jamaican National Commission and with the support of the Secretariat of the 2001 Convention.
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The Director-General UNESCO, Irina Bokova, today condemned the killing of Iraqi freelance journalist Sabah al-Bazee in a gun attack on a government building in Tikrit, Iraq, in which more than 20 people were killed and dozens injured.

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UNESCO and GEMS Education, owner and operator of over 100 international schools worldwide, have joined forces to tackle looming teacher shortages in developing countries. Under the partnership, UNESCO will receive US$1 million over four years from GEMS to implement teacher training programmes that also promote girls’ and women’s education. - More

The 2011 Global Action Week (GAW) on Education for All (EFA) will take place from 2 to 8 May. This year, the campaign will focus on the theme of "Girls' and Women's Education", a UNESCO priority. The core campaign activity will be "The Big Story" around which many other activities will be organized. GAW is an opportunity to galvanize strong political support to achieve gender-related goals in education.
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Two Ethics Teacher Training Courses will be held at the beginning of this summer. One of the courses will take place at the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts in Belgrade (Serbia) from 27 June to 1 July 2011. The other course will be hosted by the Inter-University Center in Dubrovnik (Croatia), from 4 to 8 July 2011. The courses have been designed to provide training to ethics teachers with the purpose to enhance their skills and abilities.

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The first full scale test of the tsunami warning system in the Caribbean has highlighted the need to reinforce preparations, improving communication, evacuation plans and the role of the private sector.

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This UNESCO forum will bring together representatives from Ministries of Culture, international experts from UNESCO and the European Commission, translators, writers, publishers and other books professionals from the South-East European region. They will engage a shared reflection on the implementation status of the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions in the area of the book industry, the development of strong and innovative publishing and translating policies, the promotion of sustainable strategies and policies for improving access to books and linguistic diversity in Europe.
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The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, today deplored the death of Jamal Ahmed al-Sharabi, a Yemeni journalist who was shot in the capital of Yemen, Sanaa on March 18.

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Egypt has recently witnessed a period of intense civil turmoil that culminated in a huge political revolution, which is causing massive uncertainties in the international political landscape. During the unrest several museums and archaeological depots were reported to have been attacked. Certain objects of unique historical importance have been reported to have disappeared from the Cairo Museum; an entire inventory check of the collection was made after the break-in. The Museum took the crucial first step to ensuring the speedy and rightful recovery of the objects- identifying what was stolen through the use of Museum’s documentation system.

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UNESCO and FC Barcelona’s ongoing partnership in the fight against racism and discrimination has been reinforced by a video message delivered by the club’s star players, Lionel Messi, Seydou Keita and Gerard Piqué. In the clip, produced to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on 21 March, the three star players rally viewers to ‘Put Racism Offside’.
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The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, has welcomed the announcement by the Minister for Environment, Nature Conservation and Tourism of the Democratic Republic of the Congo that the government of the DRC has suspended prospection for oil at Virunga National Park, inscribed as on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1979.
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“Water for Cities: Responding to the Urban Challenge” is the theme of World Water Day (22 March). Cape Town (South Africa) will be hosting the official event and UNESCO is participating in the celebration by organizing activities in keeping with this year’s theme.
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Application deadline: 30 June 2011, midnight CET

UNESCO launches the second call for applications for funding from the International Fund for Cultural Diversity (IFCD). - More

Authorities from Cambodia and Thailand will meet at UNESCO’s Paris Headquarters on 25 May to explore ways of safeguarding the Preah Vihear Temple.

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The High Panel on Peace and Dialogue among Cultures will meet, in New York on 11 March 2011, and will address the theme of “Building Peace: Reconciliation through the Power of Education, the Sciences, Culture and Communication”.
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Trafficking of cultural goods is among the main criminal activities in the world in financial terms together with the illicit trade in weapons and drugs, according to the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol). According to some sources it amounts to US$ 6 billion, but it is difficult to verify this figure, because of the illicit nature of this trade.

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The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, today condemned the killing of Iraqi journalist Hilal al-Ahmadi, gunned down in Mosul in February.

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Afghan officials and international experts outlined plans for the future safeguarding of the Cultural Landscape and Archaeological Remains of Bamiyan Valley (Afghanistan) at the end of two meetings at UNESCO in Paris from 2 to 4 March. The meetings were held on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the tragic destruction of the giant Buddha statues of Bamiyan.

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Community of Practice workshop focuses on the Caribbean
Earth Observation Support for Sustainable Tourism in Small Island States
9-11 March 2011, Puerto Rico
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In the framework of the 150th birth anniversary of Rabindrânâth Tagore and on the occasion of the 5th Poetry Biennale, the association “Tagore Sangam” celebrates the Bengali poet Rabindrânâth Tagore around a bilingual traveling exhibition.
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The plight of millions of school-age girls living in the world’s conflict and post conflict zones will be highlighted at the Paris launch of UNESCO’s Education for All Global Monitoring Report, which will take place at the Organization’s Headquarters on 8 March, marking International Women’s Day.

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Armed conflict is robbing 28 million children of an education by exposing them to widespread rape and other sexual violence, targeted attacks on schools and other human rights abuses, UNESCO’s 2011 Global Monitoring Report warns.

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UNESCO will commemorate the 10th anniversary of the tragic destruction of the giant Buddha statues of Bamiyan with a forum on the event and a two-day experts’ meeting which will examine ways to preserve and present to the public the Cultural Landscape and Archaeological Remains of the Bamiyan Valley.

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The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, today condemned the shooting to death of Abdost Rind, a reporter with the Urdu-language newspaper Daily Eagle on 18 February in Pakistan’s Balochistan province and voiced concern over the safety of media workers in the region.

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"This year’s International Women’s Day is inspired by the theme of ‘Equal access to education, training and science and technology: Pathway to decent work for women.’ This goes to the heart of UNESCO’s mission.”
(Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO) - More

The Approval Committee for the Fund for the Elimination of Doping in Sport met at UNESCO Headquarters on 7 February to consider a number of high quality applications for funding.

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“We know how important education in the mother language is for learning outcomes,” declared Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, on the occasion of International Mother Language Day, 21 February 2011. “Mother language instruction is a powerful way to fight discrimination and reach out to marginalized populations.”
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Of the total number of primary school age children in the world who are not enrolled in school, over 40% live in countries affected by conflict, according to UNESCO’s 2011 Global Monitoring Report, to be launched on 1 March in New York (United States). - More

Application deadlines: 30 April 2011 or 30 June 2011, midnight CET*
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Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, has named Koïchiro Matsuura as Special Envoy to address the issue of Preah Vihear.

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An Ethics Teacher Training Course will be held at Duquesne University, in Pittsburgh (United States of America), from 20 to 24 June 2011. The course is organized by the Center for Healthcare Ethics at Duquesne University (Professors Henk ten Have and Gerry Magill), in cooperation with the UNESCO Chair in Bioethics, University of Haifa in Israel (Professors Amnon Carmi and Daniella Keidar). The advanced master class conducted by an international team of experienced ethics teachers will provide unique opportunities for the participating students to enhance their technical and methodological capacities in ethics education.

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The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, signed an agreement on 11 February to launch a US$12 million project to boost the information and communication technology capacity of West African universities, notably by creating a regional virtual library network. - More

UNESCO Director- General Irina Bokova expressed her deep concern at the sudden escalation of tensions between Cambodia and Thailand on the issue of the Temple of Preah Vihear, inscribed on the World Heritage List.

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"Silencing the media or attempting to intimidate them is an unacceptable assault on the right of citizens to be informed," said the Director General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova in a statement released today, following numerous reports of attacks against journalists and correspondents covering events in Egypt.

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The Director General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, expressed her “great sadness” at the news of the death of the Martinican writer, poet and essayist, Edouard Glissant, who died in Paris on 3 February, at the age of 82.
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UNESCO’s Director-General Irina Bokova today received assurances from Egypt’s new minister for antiquities Zahi Hawass that every possible measure was being taken to protect Egyptian cultural heritage. - More

The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, today launched an appeal to protect cultural heritage and to respect freedom of expression in Egypt.

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UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova attends the 2011 World Economic Forum in Davos from 28 to 29 January 2011.
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UNESCO strengthens Holocaust remembrance and human rights education programmes
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The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, condemned the murder of Filipino radio commentator Gerardo Ortega, who was shot dead on 24 January in Puerto Princesa on the island of Palawan, south of Manila.

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The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, has called for a thorough investigation into the killing of Pakistani journalist Ilyas Nizzar, who was found dead on 5 January near Pidarak, Baluchistan province, in southwest Pakistan.

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Last July’s catastrophic floods in Pakistan underlined the country’s need to better understand, predict and manage such extreme events. To help strengthen Pakistan’s capacities, UNESCO is organizing a workshop at the National University of Sciences & Technology (NUST) in Islamabad from 24 to 26 January.

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UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova today deplored the death of French photographer Lucas Mebrouk Dolega, who died on 17 January from injuries sustained while covering demonstrations in Tunisia.

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The status of press freedom worldwide, freedom of expression on the internet and the safety of journalists are the focus of an international symposium to be held on 26 January at UNESCO in Paris (Room II). The following day, 27 January, a conference on “Journalism ethics and self-regulation in Europe: New media, old dilemmas” will also highlight media issues, notably the challenges specific to emerging democracies and those posed by the internet and new technologies (Room IV).

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One year after the earthquake that ravaged Haiti, UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova is calling on the international community to live up to its moral obligations and do more for the stricken country.

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The Director General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, has urged Chinese authorities to fully investigate the beating and subsequent death of Chinese journalist Sun Hongjie. He died in a hospital in Kuitun, a city in the northwestern province of Xinjiang, on 28 December 2010, 10 days after being beaten by several men at a construction site.

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The Director General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, has expressed her sadness at the news of the death of the Brazilian Goodwill Ambassador to the Organization and patron of the arts, Lily Marinho, on 5 January in Rio de Janeiro. She was aged 89.

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On the eve of the 66th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi concentration camps (27 February 1945), UNESCO is organizing a commemoration ceremony in memory of the victims of the Holocaust, in cooperation with the Permanent Delegation of Israel to UNESCO and the Shoah Memorial (Room I on 26 January at 7.30 p.m.).

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The Director-General of UNESCO Irina Bokova expressed her sorrow over the death of Malangatana, renowned Mozambican artist and a UNESCO Artist for Peace. - More

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