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Network Link - FEBRUARY 2013
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Welcome to the latest edition of the UK National Commission for UNESCO (UKNC) Network Link.
Change is a recurring theme this month. Our Chair, Professor W John Morgan, began his role as co-Chair of UNESCO's Senior Experts Group on Rethinking Education in a Changing World. This panel of thirteen experts will meet regularly in 2013 to produce a report for educators, policy-makers and academics.
The UKNC also took part in the latest phase of UNESCO's review of its cooperation with National Commissions. Member states, the UNESCO Secretariat and National Commissions have jointly produced a report and draft action plan which will be discussed at the next UNESCO Executive Board in April.
We've also released our latest policy brief on the contribution of UNESCO's social and human sciences sector, an important issue as UNESCO debates its programme and budget for 2014-17. You can read about all these below.
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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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 social and human sciences (SHS) are important for many aspects of economy and society, including development and peace. What exactly should UNESCO's role in the social sciences be? The latest UKNC Policy Brief explores this issue while making recommendations for the future of the social sciences in UNESCO.
The brief makes five core recommendations, including that the development of the social and human sciences should be one of the key policy goals of UNESCO in general and SHS in particular. There should also be a re-balancing away from short-term policy towards long-term capacity building in the social sciences.
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Rethinking Education in a Changing World
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Senior Experts Group at their first meeting, UNESCO, 12-14 February 2013
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This month Professor W John Morgan, Chair of the UKNC, co-chaired the first meeting of the UNESCO Senior Experts Group on Rethinking Education in a Changing World. Professor Morgan was named co-chair of the group by the UNESCO Director General along with the UN Secretary General's Special Adviser on Post-2015 Development Planning, Ms Amina Mohamed of Nigeria.
The panel of thirteen experts will meet regularly in 2013 to revisit the 1972 Faure and 1996 Delors Reports, major UNESCO-commissioned publications on the future of education. The group will produce a report for educators, policy-makers and academics.
Read the UNESCO Director General's address at the opening of the Expert Group meeting...
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Review of cooperation with National Commissions
Ambassador Matthew Sudders and UKNC Chief Executive James Bridge took part for the UK in the latest phase of UNESCO's review of its cooperation with National Commissions this month. The second 'tripartite working group' includes over 180 delegates from 110 countries who met in Paris on 21-22 February. The group produced a draft action plan which includes 14 specific recommendations for improving cooperation between National Commissions, UNESCO and Member States. The plan will be considered at the next UNESCO Executive Board in April.
In addition to taking part in the tripartite meetings, the UKNC Directors and staff have been working with the UK Permanent Delegation to UNESCO, UNESCO and a diverse group of National Commissions to develop proposals and recommendations.
Read the draft Action Plan...
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Tim Williams on SOAS panel marking World Radio Day
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13 February was 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 were held. Tim Williams, Vice Chairman of the UKNC, spoke at a SOAS event, World Radio Day: New Perspectives on Radio. In his remarks Tim focused on the safety of journalists and the dangerous circumstances radio broadcasters face in some countries. Ivor Gaber, UK representative to the UNESCO International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC), also spoke at an event run by the UK Chapter of the Children's Radio Foundation (CRF).
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 A new UNESCO mapping study collects policies and materials relating to teaching respect from all over the world. The mapping, which is part of UNESCO's 'Teaching Respect for All' initiative, identifies good practices to develop learners' knowledge and understanding of other cultures and peoples; exercises to develop empathy, self-confidence, openness to new experiences and flexibility in behaviour.
The mapping includes a link to materials from the human rights education conference co-organised by the UKNC Scotland Committee in September 2011. As a follow-up to this conference, key players in human rights education in Scotland were asked to put forward case studies and resources. Two of these resources by Amnesty International UK, on the rights of Travellers and sexual minorities, are also featured in the mapping. Content from Japan, USA, Brazil and South Africa, among others, are also featured.
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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'Or�al-UNESCO UK and Ireland Fellowships For Women In Science is now open. 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.
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Since being named the 2013 European Laureate in the 15th annual L'Oreal-UNESCO For Women in Science Awards, Professor Pratibha Gai (University of York) has been speaking extensively about her work and the importance of women in science, including in a recent interview in Times Higher Education. Professor Gai joins four other exceptional women scientists from around the world, one from each continent, who will be recognised for their contribution to science at an awards ceremony in Paris in March. |
UNESCO News for the UK
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UNESCO Director General elections
In November 2013 UNESCO's General Conference will elect the UNESCO Director General for a four-year term.
The current UNESCO Director General, Mrs Irina Bokova, is standing to have her term renewed for a further four years. At the start of her term in 2009 Mrs Bokova laid out her broad vision for UNESCO in 'A New Humanism for the 21st Century'. Over the course of her first term she has spoken on all aspects of UNESCO's work, including in her most recent wide-ranging remarks at the January 2013 Information Meeting with the UNESCO Executive Board. Her other official speeches and interviews can be accessed on her website.
H.E. Mr Rachad Farah, Djibouti's Ambassador to France and Permanent Delegate to UNESCO, has also declared his intention to stand in the elections. In a recent series of interviews, including in University World News and SciDev.net, he has outlined his views on issues such as UNESCO's role in higher education, the sciences and reform, among others.
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_%5B428%5D_693_260_1.jpg) | | UNESCO/John C Smith and Mark Zelinksi |
Eighteen young leaders from UNESCO Associated (ASPnet) schools in nine countries gathered in the desert of Oman this month as part of a programme which promotes intercultural dialogue and understanding between young people in Europe and the Arab world. Through the Omani Connecting Cultures programme each winter three groups of young people spend five days travelling through the Oman Desert, a powerful, unique environment where they discuss issues, problems and solutions. The February 2013 journey included a student from one of the UK's UNESCO Associated Schools. Endorsed by UNESCO, the Connecting Cultures programme was cited by the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) as one of the world's leading civil society initiatives.
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Announcements
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Honor Frost Foundation Logo Competition
The Honor Frost Foundation is launching a competition to provide the Foundation with a logo that encapsulates and communicates its mission. The winning entry will receive a prize of �1,000. Deadline is 1 April 2013.
The Honor Frost Foundation promotes the advancement and research, including publication, of marine and maritime archaeology with particular but not exclusive focus on the Eastern Mediterranean with an emphasis on Lebanon, Syria and Cyprus.
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