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Network Link - JANUARY 2013
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Welcome!
It's clear from this year's first edition of Network Link that 2013 is off to a busy start. This month we feature our latest policy brief on the UNESCO Chairs and UNITWIN Networks programme, provide an update on UNESCO's review of its cooperation with National Commissions and highlight some interesting events in the month to come.
We're also pleased to include our latest exclusive - an article by Mr Janis Karklins, UNESCO's Assistant-Director General for Communication and Information. Mr Karklins discusses the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity, a cross-UN initiative being led by UNESCO.
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 also sign-up to the distribution list directly.
Yours faithfully,
James Bridge
Chief Executive, UK National Commission for UNESCO
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EXCLUSIVE
 Confronting the decline in journalist safety
Today, the situation regarding the safety of journalists is getting worse. On average, every week one journalist is killed in bringing news and information to the public.
While UNESCO has long been active in the area of journalist safety through its annual World Press Freedom Day (3 May) events and other activities, it's now also leading a new initiative to reverse the troubling trend in journalist deaths by harnessing resources across the UN.
In 2010, at the suggestion of the UK, UNESCO launched a consultation on creating a coherent and action-oriented cross-UN approach to the safety of journalists and the issue of impunity. Three years later, a plan of action is now in place, involving 15 UN bodies. This article, by Janis Karklins, UNESCO Assistant-Director General for Communication and Information, outlines the aspirations, progress and barriers to this latest UNESCO initiative to ensure a safe working environment for all journalists.
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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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Latest UKNC Policy Briefs
See the full policy brief series here.
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UNESCO Events
Key forthcoming UNESCO events
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UNESCO Publications
Selection of recent UNESCO publications
Social and Human SciencesCommunication and Information
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 Updates on our work
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 The UKNC has released its latest policy brief focusing on the UNESCO Chairs and UNITWIN Networks programme. The Chairs programme advances research, training and programme development by building university networks and encouraging inter-university cooperation.
The programme remains relevant in most cases and highly sought-after, with a near doubling in its size over the past decade. The programme continues to benefit both UNESCO and individual Chairs and UNITWIN Networks, however it could be significantly enhanced. This brief recommends that to increase its value, changes to the management of the programme are required, along with a new approach to the utilisation of the network. Eight specific and attainable recommendations are outlined.
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Last October, as part of its review of its cooperation with National Commissions, UNESCO launched an 'Open-ended tripartite working group' of National Commissions, member states and the UNESCO Secretariat. Over a seven-month period this group will develop concrete, time-bound recommendations on improving cooperation between UNESCO and National Commissions.
In January, the UKNC submitted a set of joint recommendations with the National Commissions of Japan, Republic of Korea and Thailand. As part of its focus on supporting UNESCO reform, the UKNC will continue to work with UNESCO, other National Commissions and UK Government on this review.
The UKNC will be represented at the next meeting of the working group on 21-22 February 2013 at UNESCO Headquarters.
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13 February is World Radio Day - a day to celebrate radio as a medium; to improve international cooperation between broadcasters; and to encourage major networks and community radio to promote access to information and freedom of expression over the airwaves. This is the second year UNESCO is marking the day. In the UK, two events are being held.  Tim Williams, Vice Chairman of the UKNC, will be speaking at a SOAS event, World Radio Day: New Perspectives on Radio. The event's panel will also include Eric Chinje, Director of Communications at the Mo Ibrahim Foundation and Dr Mary Myers, a researcher on radio and development in Africa, chaired by Dr Seraphin Kamdem, SOAS. Ivor Gaber, UK representative to the UNESCO International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC), will be speaking at an event at the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), hosted by the UK Chapter of the Children's Radio Foundation (CRF) in collaboration with Tune in - a free audio platform (www.tunein.com). |
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2012 Fellows from L to R: Dr Silvia Giordani, Dr Geetha Srinivasan, Dr Katrina Lythgoe and Dr Claire Spottiswoode
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The call for applications for the 2013 L'Oréal-UNESCO UK and Ireland Fellowships For Women In Science will open on 1 February. Four Fellowships are awarded annually to outstanding women scientists in the early stages of their career pursuing postdoctoral research in the UK or Ireland in the life or physical sciences. The Fellowships, each worth £15,000 (equivalent € for candidates in Ireland), are tenable at any UK or Irish university / research institute for 12 months of research. For further details on eligibility and how to apply visit the below link on or after 1 February.
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 Last November, the Jubilee Time Capsule (JTC) was presented to Her Majesty The Queen at the Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS). The JTC project told the story of the 60 years since The Queen's Accession through an online collection of 'memories' (stories) from across the Commonwealth. Over 37,000 people contributed, with several entries referencing contributors' experiences with and ties to UNESCO. Many other entries addressed UNESCO themes, including education, culture, science, youth and communication. More than 200 people took part in the presentation event, including UKNC Chief Executive James Bridge, with schools in Johannesburg, Islamabad and Perth joining the ceremony via Skype.
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UNESCO News for the UK
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The call for applications for new UNESCO Chairs and UNITWIN Networks is now open. The programme advances research, training and programme development in higher education by building university networks and encouraging inter-university cooperation
All UK higher education institutions wishing to apply for the programme must submit their application through the UKNC. All proposals will be evaluated through a two-stage peer-review process before being submitted to UNESCO. In the 2013 cycle, at the UK level, priority will be given to proposals in the underrepresented areas of culture and communication & information. The deadline for outline proposals is Friday 8 February 2013.
Read on...
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UNESCO Chair recognised as world's 10th top science and technology think tank
The UNESCO Chair in ICT4D at Royal Holloway, University of London, has been recognised as the world's 10th top Science and Technology Think Tank in the 2012 Global GoTo Think Tank Report launched at the World Bank and the United Nations in New York this month. This ranking is based largely on peer review. More than 1950 experts and peer institutions participated in the ranking process for the report which was produced by the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program at the University of Pennsylvania.
The UNESCO Chair was established at Royal Holloway's Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICT4D) Collective and Research Centre in 2007.
Read on... |
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Education post-2015 information hub and blog series
 Numerous consultations, campaigns, blog posts and policy papers are circulating in the lead-up to planning for post-2015, as well as a flurry of events. The EFA Global Monitoring Report (GMR) team is bringing together this wealth of resources in a new information hub. The GMR has also started a blog series on education post-2015, including recent contributions from Save the Children, "Ending the learning crisis: education and equity after 2015" and the Commonwealth Secretariat, "Education after 2015: the Commonwealth perspective". |
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UNESCO NGO Liaison Committee elections
The World Association of Guides and Girls Scouts (WAGGGS) has been nominated to a two year term on the NGO-UNESCO liaison Committee by the UNESCO International Conference of NGOs. WAGGGS, which has its headquarters in the UK, currently holds consultative status with UNESCO. The Liaison Committee organises and coordinates the collective activities of NGOs in official relations with UNESCO.
Find out more about the UNESCO NGO liaison Committee...
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Announcements
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Call for nominations for Memory of the World Prize
UNESCO is inviting nominations for the fifth UNESCO/Jikji Memory of the World Prize. The prize rewards efforts to contribute to the preservation and accessibility of documentary heritage. Nominations are being sought from relevant individuals and organisations.
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