2009 - Jan - Feb - Mar - Apr - May - Jun - Jul - Aug - Sep - Oct - Nov - Dec

2008 - Jan - Feb - Mar - Apr - May - Jun - Jul - Aug - Sep - Oct - Nov - Dec

2007 - Jan - Feb - Mar - Apr - May - Jun - Jul - Aug - Sep - Oct - Nov - Dec

28 May

• UNESCO'S Executive Board approved a new strategy for the Slave Route Project
  The Director-General of UNESCO, Mr. Koïchiro Matsuura, submitted to the appreciation of the 181st session of UNESCO’s Executive Board a report on the results of the proceedings of the International Scientific Committee for the Slave Route Project and an evaluation of its work. The session took place at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, 14-30 April, 2009. The Director-General also submitted for examination by the Executive Board the project document for The Slave Route, which defines a new strategy and a timetable of activities for its revitalization. This strategy develops new approaches and methodologies to reinforce the Project, extends its geographic scope and proposes the introduction of new themes. Its presentation in the framework of UNESCO’s Executive Board was approved by the 9th meeting of the International Scientific Committee of the Slave Route Project, held on 17 and 18 February, 2009 at UNESCO Headquarters.

• [italiano] Expo 2015: cinque i grandi professionisti del mondo per la Consulta Architettonica
  L’italiano Stefano Boeri, l’inglese Richard Burdett, lo spagnolo Joan Busquets, l’americano William McDonough e lo svizzero Jacques Herzog sono i cinque architetti, tra i massimi esperti mondiali nella realizzazione di grandi eventi, pianificazione urbana, progettazione paesaggistica ed ambientale, progettazione eco-sostenibile, che fanno parte della Consulta Architettonica Expo 2015. Lo ha reso noto l’ad di Soge, Lucio Stanca. ”Expo Milano 2015 ha ritenuto utile chiamare a se’ alcune delle menti migliori del pianeta, professionisti rinomati a livello internazionale - spiega Stanca -, con esperienza provata nel campo della progettazione di grandi eventi, invitandoli a partecipare alla Consulta Architettonica, per costruire insieme i termini di una nuova visione e di questa sfida da lanciare al mondo intero tramite la formulazione di diversi concorsi internazionali di progettazione a partire da quello per la creazione del Master Plan generale dell’Expo”. E’ stato formalmente dato avvio ai lavori della Consulta, l’organismo che collaborerà con Expo 2015 S.p.A. nella concezione della vision e delle linee guida per la realizzazione del Master Plan del sito espositivo presso il quale si svolgerà l’Esposizione Universale del 2015.

26 May

• Urban Ecology and Ecological Design: Perspectives on Integration and Future Directions. New Zealand, 19 November 2009
  A workshop entitled Urban Ecology and Ecological Design: Perspectives on Integration and Future Directions will be held on 19th November 2009 in conjunction with the 40th Anniversary celebrations of the Landscape Architecture Programme at Lincoln University, New Zealand from 20-22nd November. The workshop is the annual Flock Hill workshop for 2009 and is sponsored by the Isaac Centre for Nature Conservation (ICNC). The main goal of the proposed workshop is to emphasise urban ecology and design research as one of the main directions of the Isaac Centre for Nature Conservation and Landscape Architecture School in the Faculty of Environment, Society and Design. The objectives of this workshop are to: identify new directions for teaching and research in urban ecology and ecological design; exchange leading concepts from specialists in the field; increase the research profile of urban ecology and design at Lincoln University, and increase the global visibility of Lincoln University as a potential institution for Masters and PhD research in urban ecology and ecological design. It will be a one day workshop with presentations and discussions including a short 2-3 hour field trip in Christchurch. For more details please contact Glenn at: stewartg@lincoln.ac.nz

• (in French) Simulation ONU - Festiv' 2009: «Migrants, réfugiés, déplacés, quelle protection?» Toulouse (France) 28 mai 2009
  L’Ecole des Droits de l’Homme organise, avec l'appui d'UNRIC, une Simulation de l’Assemblée générale des Nations Unies dans le cadre du Festiv’ – festival proposé par le Conseil Régional – le 28 mai, au Zénith de Toulouse, sur la question ‘Migrants, réfugiés, déplacés, quelle protection ?’. 217 élèves de trois lycées Education Nationale (lycée Foch de Rodez, lycée Le Garros d’Auch, lycée Bellevue de Toulouse) et quatre lycées agricoles (lycée agricole Ariège-Pyrénées de Pamiers, lycée Jean Monnet de Vic en Bigorre, lycée professionnel agricole de Mirande, lycée Touscayrats de Verdalle) vont représenter les délégués des Etats qui siègent à l’Assemblée générale de l’ONU. On estime aujourd’hui à près de 37 000 000 le nombre d’exilés dans le monde : des réfugiés ou déplacés, auxquels s’ajoutent de nouveaux types de migrants, migrants économiques et réfugiés climatiques. Les conditions d’existence des réfugiés, des déplacés et des migrants dans le monde ne sont aujourd’hui pas suffisantes en terme d’accueil, d’intégration, d’aide et de protection. A l’appui de la Déclaration Universelle des Droits de l’Homme de 1948 et de la Convention de Genève de 1951, les lycéens participant vont débattre et négocier pour proposer des solutions et les faire adopter.

25 May

• International Conference: "Mountains: energy, water and food for life. The SHARE project: understanding the impacts of climate change"
  The Ev-K2-CNR Committee is an autonomous, non-profit association, which promotes scientific and technological research in mountain areas. Particular emphasis is placed on the Hindu Kush – Karakorum – Himalaya region and on work in the countries of Nepal, Pakistan, China (Tibetan Autonomous Region) and India. Ev-K2-CNR is best represented by its Pyramid Laboratory/Observatory located at 5,050 meters a.s.l. in Nepal at the base of Mount Everest. Ev-K2-CNR research has traditionally focused on the fields of Earth Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Medicine and Physiology, Anthropology, and development of new technologies. Today, Ev-K2-CNR’s work is mainly organized via broad-scale integrated multi-disciplinary programs aimed at helping resolve urgent environmental and development issues.

19 May

• UNESCO to step up its cooperation with United Nations Volunteers
  On 18 May 2009, Mr Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO, held a meeting with Ms Flavia Pansieri, Executive Coordinator of the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme. Established in 1971 by the UN General Assembly, the UN Volunteers today comprise some 8000 professionals from 160 countries, who annually engage as UNV volunteers to support UN Departments, Agencies, Funds and Programmes in a wide range of areas.

• Ethnic and national identities in multicultural contexts: considerations and challenges
  Transmigration has been a feature of many nations in the past century and is increasingly attaining prominence in the 21st century. This has resulted in many nations having a greater intensity in the multi-ethnic and multicultural landscape of their citizenry. In many of these nations, loyalty to the nation, does not override all other competing loyalties. “Family, tribe, locality, religion, conscience, economic interest, and a host of other appeals may at any given time and place prevail over national allegiance for particular individuals or groups.” (Emerson, 1959: 97) Therefore this raises the main challenge for nations, irrespective of whether they are newly developing or mature - this is the challenge of ensuring political, sociocultural and economic security amongst its citizenry so that “national allegiance takes precedence over all other claims which may be made upon them when they are confronted by alternative choices of allegiance …” (Emerson, 1959: 97) In this paper, it will be the sociocultural security manifest through linguistic cultural identity that will be focused on. From which bases do multi-ethnic communities operate in terms of their linguistic cultural identity? Is it that of the nation or is it that of their ethnic communities?

13 May

• The Director-General opens the UNESCO Future Forum on Knowledge Acquisition and Sharing
  On 11 May 2009, the Director-General of UNESCO, Mr Koïchiro Matsuura, opened the UNESCO Future Forum entitled: “The Future of Knowledge Acquisition and Sharing”. This was the second Future Forum in a series pertaining to foresight issues launched by the Director-General in March 2009, when a group of eminent experts discussed the impact of the global financial and economic crisis on multilateralism and UNESCO.

12 May

• EU/EDUCATION: Commission presents communication on a new partnership for the modernisation of universities
  On 2 April, the European Commission outlined how co-operation between universities and businesses in Europe could be developed and strengthened. The proposed measures are part of the Commission's activities to support the Member States in their efforts to modernise higher education. According to the plans, the European University-Business Forum, which already convened in 2008 and 2009, would be strengthened to become a European platform for dialogue involving higher education institutions, companies, business associations, intermediaries and public authorities. The EU Forum for University-Business Dialogue will enable and encourage its participants to exchange good practice, discuss common problems and work together on possible solutions. It will take into account that co-operation between higher education and business is now widely recognised to have benefits for both sides in terms of knowledge transfer, new university curricula for employability, and long-term partnerships. Examples of successful co-operation between the two sides exist throughout Europe. However, the level of co-operation remains very unequal across countries, universities and academic disciplines and the extent to which it has influenced governance and organisational cultures in both business and higher education is so far limited.

7 May

• Submission Deadline Extended TO 28 APRIL 2009 : Sixth International Conference on Remote Engineering and Virtual Instrumentation (REV 2009)
  The Sixth International Conference on Remote Engineering and Virtual Instrumentation (REV 2009) will be held on June 22-25, 2009 at the University of Bridgeport, Bridgeport, Connecticut, U.S.A. REV 2009 is the sixth in a series of annual events addressing the area of remote engineering and virtual instrumentation. Previous editions of REV were organized in the form of an international symposium, and evolved in 2007 to be the annual conference of the International Association of Online Engineering. The general objective of this conference is to discuss fundamentals, applications and experiences within the field of online engineering, both in industry and academia. REV 2009 offers an exciting technical program as well as academic networking opportunities during the social events.

6 May

• UNESCO Future Forum will discuss prospects of knowledge acquisition
  The acquisition and sharing of knowledge, key to social and economic development, have been dramatically changed and accelerated by information and communication technologies. To identify the challenges and consequences of this trend, UNESCO is devoting the second session of its Future Forum to the role and impact of ICTs in the knowledge process and to their potential for enhancing education, the sciences and culture.

• UNESCO a partner of 1st World Social Sciences Forum in Bergen (Norway) from 10 to 12 May
  The 1st World Social Science Forum, organized by the International Social Science Council (ISSC) in cooperation with the University of Bergen and the Stein Rokkan Centre and supported by more than 30 partners including UNESCO, will meet in Bergen (Norway) from 10 to 12 May, with more than 800 participants from some 40 countries. Entitled “One Planet – Worlds Apart?” the conference will provide a unique opportunity to discuss the relevance of social sciences in these times of crisis. There will be six plenary sessions, 30 parallel sessions and a space open to young researchers, which will make it possible to form links between disciplines and express very many different points of view. Among the many renowned specialists who will participate in the Forum, two Nobel Prize winners are expected: the Indian economist Amartya Sen, Nobel Prize Laureate in Economics in 1998, and Rajendra Kumar Pachauri, Chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, who shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with Al Gore.

4 May

• Call for project proposals on climate change impacts
  With assistance from the Government of Denmark, UNESCO’s Frontlines Forum is funding local projects on climate change impacts and adaptation.
  What are we funding?
  Community-level projects focusing on local experiences with climate change impacts and adaptation. These could involve field research, interviews with community members, workshops, photo projects, film projects, etc.
  Who are we funding?
  Proposals can be made by interested groups or individuals, for example, local and indigenous organisations, research centres, researchers, graduate students with interdisciplinary training, community members (youth groups, women, elders) etc.
  What topics?
  Projects could explore any topic relating to climate change and local communities. For example:
  • Local observations and understandings of climate change impacts (negative or positive) on communities, livelihoods and/or local environments;
  • Ways that your community is adapting to or dealing with climate change;
  • Strategies and practices developed by local communities to cope with changes in the environment;
  • Local impacts (positive or negative) of measures to fight climate change. For example, planting trees to reduce greenhouse gases (through carbon sequestration); or building hydroelectric dams or avoiding deforestation (e.g. REDD) to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases.

  However, we invite all kinds of proposals related to climate change and local communities, so do not feel limited by these suggestions.
  What output?
  Your project should result in a detailed account – either in the form of a written report, a video or other media production - in English, Spanish or French. It should contribute to a growing body of information about community-level concerns, observations and experiences relating to climate change impacts and adaptation. These submissions will also contribute to the development of postings and discussions on the Frontlines of Climate Change Forum.
  Where are we funding?
  We invite proposals from anywhere in the world, as long as they are for local-scale projects involving peoples and places vulnerable to climate change.
  How much funding are we providing?
  Between US$3000 and USD$5000 per project. Further funding may subsequently be provided for projects with interesting outcomes.
  When are we funding?
  Project grants will be distributed from mid-2009 onwards. Initial results would be expected before October 2010.
  What is the deadline for submission?
  Proposals should reach UNESCO on or before 15 July 2009.

• Call for intentions for the creation of a co-operation framework between Euroamerican cultural networks
  Led by INTERLOCAL, within the framework of the 6th Euroamerican Cultural Co-operation Campus recently held in Buenos Aires, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the creation of a co-operation framework between Euroamerican cultural networks. This MoU, which is going to serve as reference for collaboration agreements between networks and endow them with a conceptual framework, has been signed in the same Campus. Between the signatory networks, the interest was to spread this Call in order for it to be endorsed and assumed by the biggest number of networks that operate within the Euroamerican framework. Therefore, the final paragraph invites to sign up in the INTERLOCAL webpage www.redinterlocal.org. To this end, I invite you to disseminate the Call and invite all your networks to sign up the MoU at the above-mentioned address.

Online publication: Guide methodologique: Organiser un evenement Eco-Efficace
Ce guide méthodologique met en évidence les enjeux de l’éco-efficacité, les freins et les mesures pour les dépasser. Il présente un ensemble de conseils et de bonnes pratiques qui concourent à l’éco-efficacité et aux moyens de la mettre en oeuvre efficacement. Il permet enfin d’identifier les principaux partenaires à contacter pour réaliser à Monaco un événement respectueux de l’environnement.

Ce guide pratique a été construit sur le retour d’expérience de l’opération pilote conduite en 2007 par les Jeux des Petits Etats d’Europe et a été réalisé avec l’aide des parties prenantes. Il traite de tous les postes d’impact, des transports, de l’hébergement, de l’alimentation ou des déchets.

AlphaBEM Handbook on creative industries in french
Here is the presentation of a handbook of Bordeaux Management School upon creative industries.

There should be an extensive version in french and in english in 2010 or 2011.

Online Publication - Good Practices Education for Sustainable Development
UNESCO Associated Schools © UNESCO 2009
This is an era in which some 1 billion people live in poverty while the majority of the world’s wealth is in the hands of just a few people. This is a time of considerable turbulence and instability – a time of financial and economic crisis, and social upheaval as well as persistent ecological degradation, global warming and the rampant consumption of finite resources. As the current crisis is likely to affect everyone, it is time to anticipate possibilities for profound transformation, toward more inclusive societies, more equitable growth and more responsible behaviours of consumption.

The UNESCO Courrier 2009 - Number 4: School for the future
Education for sustainable development… Launched in 2005, the concept is still in its early stages, but it is making progress. What is means is education designed to build our capacities for facing today’s major challenges – preserving the environment, respecting biodiversity, safeguarding human rights – and focused on the future. The UNESCO World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development held in Bonn (Germany) from 31 March to 2 April showed that many countries have already launched strategies to promote ESD. These are becoming reality through myriad initiatives, evoked in this month’s feature.

On line Publication - External quality assurance in higher education: making choices
by Michaela Martin & Antony Stella
Fundamentals of educational planning No. 85
ISBN: 978-92-803-1304-8 © UNESCO
The views and opinions expressed in this booklet are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of UNESCO or the IIEP. The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout this review do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO or the IIEP concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or its authorities, or concerning its frontiers or boundaries. The publication costs of this study have been covered through a grant-in-aid offered by UNESCO and by voluntary contributions made by several Member States of UNESCO, the list of which will be found at the end of the volume.