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Network Link - SEPTEMBER 2012
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Welcome!
As you'll see below, the summer months have been busy for both the UKNC and UNESCO. We've published our latest policy brief, welcomed a new Secretary of State for International Development and have begun preparing for next month's UNESCO Executive Board.
This month, we're pleased to include an exclusive - an article from Dr Qian Tang, UNESCO's Assistant-Director General for Education. Dr Tang outlines the key challenges to UNESCO's work in education during the current financial crisis and reflects on what's being done to improve the efficiency and focus of UNESCO's largest sector. We plan to feature similar articles in the coming months.
As always, we welcome your feedback on this update and other communications from us. If you missed one of the previous editions of Network Link, don't forget that they're available from our website. If you have been sent Network Link by a colleague, you can sign-up to the distribution list. Finally, if you don't wish to receive this update, please use the unsubscribe link at the bottom of this email.
Yours faithfully,
James Bridge
Chief Executive, UK National Commission for UNESCO
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EXCLUSIVE
UNESCO without US funding: Reforming the Education Sector to meet today's challenges
What effect has UNESCO's funding crisis had on its role as a global education agency? With fewer resources, what education activities are being prioritising? How can UNESCO get the most value and impact out of its smaller budget?
This article, by Dr Qian Tang, UNESCO Assistant-Director General for Education, has been made available exclusively to Network Link. It outlines the key challenges to UNESCO's education sector under the current financial crisis which began October last year. Dr Tang reflects on what's being done to improve his sector's efficiency and focus, both to cope with recent financial challenges and to ensure the long-term effectiveness of UNESCO's largest sector.
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News from the Network
News and events from the UK UNESCO Network
Have news or an event you would like included in the next UKNC update? Email iwhite@unesco.org.uk
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UNESCO Events
Key forthcoming UNESCO events
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UNESCO Publications
Selection of recent UNESCO publications
Education
Culture
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 Updates on our work
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English Riviera Geopark © J. Burman
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There are currently 89 Geoparks across 27 countries, including seven in the UK. Despite UNESCO's central role in establishing this network, its relationship to Geoparks has been defined as 'ad hoc' for over a decade. Recent UNESCO decisions have created an opportunity to influence the future of this relationship, which could have sizable and long-lasting budgetary and reputational implications . This latest UKNC policy brief outlines eight key recommendations in respect to this review. You can read the full UKNC policy brief series here.
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This month the UKNC took part in UNESCO's preparation meeting for the October Executive Board as part of the UK team led by Ambassador Matthew Sudders (James Bridge for UKNC). The Preparatory Group is a recently established forum to allow a structured and full exchange of views between UNESCO Member States and the UNESCO Secretariat in advance of a Board meeting. The Group then makes recommendations on the focus of the Executive Board's discussions with the aim of ensuring more constructive and fruitful deliberations. Key points made by the Preparatory Group are outlined in its report to the Executive Board. |
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HRH Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands © Chris Watt
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This year's Scotland International Literacy Day Celebration featured UNESCO Special Envoy on Literacy, HRH Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands and Professor Kay Livingston of the UKNC Scotland Committee. Both appeared on an expert discussion panel at the half-day seminar hosted by Education Scotland on 12 September on the theme of 'Literacy Through Life and Life Through Literacy'. The event, held in Edinburgh, was also used as an opportunity to launch the Interim Progress Report on the Scottish Government's Literacy Action Plan (LAP). This report highlights the more joined up nature of work now to improve literacy outcomes through effective partnership working across sectors and boundaries; through better use of resources; and through adopting and sharing approaches. A fuller report on progress with implementation of the LAP will be produced before the end of 2013.
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Freedom of expression stood out amongst the concerns and final recommendations of the 9-12 September 2012 UNESCO Consultation with Member States and National Commissions. It was emphasised that UNESCO's leading role on this issue must be appropriately reflected in the structure, resources and outputs of the organisation's strategy.
This meeting, held for the Europe and North America region in Bratislava, Slovakia, is one of the first steps in the preparation of UNESCO's Medium-Term strategy for 2014-2021 and programme and budget for 2014-17. Professor W John Morgan, Chairman of the UKNC, addressed the participants in his role representing the former Regional Consultation hosts (London, June 2010). A number of Member States, including the UK, worked closely with the Slovakian, Austrian and Hungarian hosts to develop the recommendations. The UK team was made up of Ambassador Matthew Sudders, UK Permanent Delegate to UNESCO, Professor W John Morgan and UKNC Chief Executive James Bridge.
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UNESCO is developing a Plan on the Safety of Journalists and Combating Impunity which will build upon the recently approved inter-UN plan on this issue. The UKNC has collected input from multiple journalists, academics and press freedom and journalist safety NGOs to inform the UK's response to the first draft of this plan. The UKNC will continue to advise UNESCO and the UK Government when an updated version of the plan is published later this year and when this issue is discussed by the UNESCO Executive Board in April 2013. The plan focuses on five target issues including cooperation with Member States, working within the UN System and partnerships with other organizations. Over the last decade UNESCO has reported the murder of more than 500 journalists and media workers. The vast majority of these crimes are never investigated and the perpetrators never brought to justice.
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Save the Date: 2012 EFA Global Monitoring Report Colloquium
Youth and Skills:
Putting education to work. Challenges and Opportunities for the UK
Thursday 15 November 2012 (10:00-16:00), The University of Nottingham
The UNESCO 2012 Education for All Global Monitoring Report (GMR) will be launched worldwide on 16 October 2012. This year's report focuses on young people around the world, particularly those from marginalised groups, who are leaving school without the skills they need for the lives they wish to lead.
This UK Colloquium on 15 November will examine the challenges and opportunities the Report presents for the UK's diverse actors in international skills development. Similar to previous GMR events, the 2012 Colloquium will include a presentation from the UNESCO GMR team and expert responses from government, private sector skills organisations and academia. There will be limited number of places, free of charge, for postgraduate students with a particular interest in the topic of this year's GMR.
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Representatives of the 20 items and collections inscribed to the UK Memory of the World Register in 2011. Reproduced with the permission of the Houses of Parliament.
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Do you want the world to know about your collections? Nominations are now open for the UK Memory of the World Register. This is the third round of nominations following the Register's hugely successful launch in 2010. The register is part of the UNESCO Memory of the World Programme, which promotes outstanding documentary heritage.
Nominations for this register are for documentary heritage which holds cultural significance specific to the UK. Anyone can make a nomination and all archive formats are eligible, including digital and audiovisual. The deadline for nominations is Monday October 29th 2012.
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This past June youth delegates from 16 of the UK's World Heritage Sites attended the 2012 UNESCO Youth Summit at Maritime Greenwich. During the summit the delegates shared their experiences and enthusiasm for their local World Heritage Sites in a number of formal sessions and made a series of ident films about the importance of World Heritage to young people in the 21st century. As featured in an earlier edition of Network Link, Professor Peter Stone spoke at the opening of the summit on behalf of the UKNC. A documentary video of the event and the delegate's indent films can now be viewed here.
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UNESCO News for the UK
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A report released this month by the National Audit Office (NAO) has welcomed steps taken by the Department for International Development (DFID) to improve transparency over how aid it distributes via multilateral organisations is spent. The report found that the DFID's Multilateral Aid Review (MAR) is a significant step towards the Department being able to improve the value for money from its spending through these organisations which totalled £3.6 billion in 2011-12.
The NAO report also noted that the MAR's focus on demonstrable development impacts was important but that organisations involved in setting standards found it more difficult to provide evidence required to score well.
UNESCO was one of the 43 organisations reviewed in the MAR, published in March 2011, which identified several areas where UNESCO should improve upon its performance. A further DFID review is due next year.
Read the NAO Review here...
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© UNESCO/Valentino Etowar
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UNESCO's Internal Oversight Service (IOS) has released an evaluation of 'Priority Africa'. 'Priority Africa' is one of two global priorities for UNESCO's work and is designed to ensure that most effort is focused on those most in need. Africa has been a priority of the Organisation for more than twenty years.
The report recognises that during this time UNESCO has generated achievements in the areas of its mandate, but the overall picture is one of concern. A clear and consistent finding throughout the evaluation was that the mechanisms which are meant to provide impulse and substance to Priority Africa have had very limited success. The framework for Priority Africa has neither triggered a significant increase in decentralisation of human and financial resources to the region, nor has it translated into improved results.
Read the full report here...
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New Secretary of State for International Development
Earlie r this month the British Prime Minister announced the first cabinet reshuffle of the coalition government. The Rt Hon Justine Greening MP was appointed Secretary of State for International Development, replacing the Rt Hon Andrew Mitchell MP, who moved to the role of Chief Whip. Lynne Featherstone MP was also appointed as the new Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State while Alan Duncan remains in his DFID post as Minister of State. DFID is the sponsoring department for UK relations to UNESCO.
Read on... |
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Value for money: Building the movement
This Devex article analyses the role of the UK Department for International Development (DFID) Permanent Secretary Mark Lowcock in shaping the donor community's strategic emphasis on value-for-money.
Read the article... |
Announcements
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Biosphere Reserves 2012 Young Scientists Awards now open
Through the Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Young Scientists Awards, MAB is investing in a new generation of scientists worldwide because well-trained and committed young people are key to addressing ecological and sustainability issues.
Priority is given to interdisciplinary projects carried out in biosphere reserves designated under MAB or potential biosphere reserves. Applicants must be no older than 40 years of age as of 30 October 2012. Please note that priority is given to applications from developing countries
The deadline for the 2012 MAB Young Scientists Awards applications is 30 October 2012, though applications must be submitted to the UK MAB Committee for consideration before this deadline.
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