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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

10 December

• Cultural Diversity Report "The Cultural Diversity - more than a slogan" (Switzerland)
  Encourage creation, support production, stimulate dissemination and promote access to cultural expressions of the most diverse kinds are the objectives of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, adopted in Paris in October 2005. It is the ambition of the Swiss Coalition for Cultural Diversity and the Swiss Commission for UNESCO to ensure the achievement of these objectives in our country. On the initiative of the Coalition and the Commission, civil society has supported the Swiss authorities in the international negotiation of the UNESCO Convention. Civil society then actively participated in the process that led to the Convention's ratification by Switzerland. With this first report, it is now involved in the implementation of the Convention, as it will also be involved in the implementation of the measures proposed.
  More information: http://www.kulturellevielfalt.ch

• (in French) Nouvelle Commissaire de la Culture de la Commission Européenne
  Androulia Vassiliou, femme de l'ex-président de Chypre, George Vassiliou, a été nommée Commissaire de l’Education, la Formation, la Culture et la Jeunesse de la Commission Européenne. Elle quitte ainsi le Commissariat de la Santé pour substituer Maros Sefcovic. Vassiliou a été élue députée au Parlement chypriote à trois reprises: 1996, 2001 et 2006. Elle a aussi représenté son pays dans la Convention qui a rédigé la version préliminaire de la Constitution Européenne. De 2001 à 2006, elle a occupé la vice-présidence du parti Européen Libéral Démocrate Réformiste (ELDR) et la présidence du Réseau de Femmes Européennes Libérales.
  More information: http://ec.europa.eu/commission_barroso/vassiliou/index.htm

• UNESCO and ICANN sign partnership agreement to promote linguistic diversity on internet
  A significant step was taken on 10 December 2009 towards greater linguistic diversity on the internet when UNESCO signed an agreement with ICANN - the body that assigns online addresses to internet users - to help put into operation the first multilingual domain names. The cooperation agreement follows the recent decision by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to introduce IDNs, or Internationalized Domain Names, in non-Latin script. Until now, domain names in internet addresses (e.g., .org, .com) were written using characters from the Latin alphabet exclusively. On November 16, in the first phase of the plan, ICANN began accepting requests from representatives of countries and territories around the world for new country codes in Arabic, Chinese and other scripts. Non-Latin script users will eventually have access to internet addresses completely in their own language.
  More information: http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=47042&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html

• Jan Truszczynski new Director-General for Education and Culture
  The European Commission appointed Jan Truszczynski as Director-General of the Education and Culture DG. He will be responsible for overall management of the Directorate-General and its staff of over 650 women and men. This is the first appointment at Director-General level of a national of an EU-12 member state. Mr Truszczynski will provide leadership to the Education and Culture DG in carrying out its work in the areas of education, training, culture, youth, citizenship, multilingualism and sport. The Directorate-General manages a budget that amounted to € 1,406 million in 2009. Mr Jan Truszczynski, a 59-year-old Pole, is currently Deputy Director-General of the Education and Culture DG. He joined the European Commission in January 2007, when he was appointed Deputy Director-General for Enlargement, with responsibility for enlargement strategy and communication.
  More information: http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/09/1606&

• Finland: Strategy for Cultural Policy
  The Ministry of Education has prepared a strategy for cultural policy up to 2020. It is intended to steer the Ministry’s action in the field over the coming years.
  978–952–485–774–1 (pbk)
  978–952–485–775–8 (PDF)
  More information: http://www.minedu.fi/OPM/Julkaisut/2009/ Kulttuuripolitiikan_strategia_2020?lang=en

9 December

• Japanese Universities Adopt Easy-To-Recycle Food Containers
  An increasing number of universities in Japan are packing lunches in environmentally friendly containers at their co-ops. These containers are designed for easy recycling so that even college students who have little interest in the environment are willing to recycle them. It is also hoped that such containers will further interest students in learning more about the environment. The most common recyclable food containers used at university co-ops are the "Re-Repack" and "Hokkaru" (the name "Hokkaru" was coined by combining the Japanese words for " relief" and "profitable"). They both feature a two-layer structure for easy recycling; the inner film can be peeled to remove food waste, eliminating the need for cleaning. In the case of Re-Repack, peeled containers become the raw materials to make new Re-Repacks, whereas Hokkaru containers are collected as household waste paper, and can be used in the production of recycled paper. The non-toxic peeled films can be safely disposed of as burnable trash.
  More information: http://www.japanfs.org/en/pages/029543.html

7 December

• International Conference on Adult Education closes with a call to move from rhetoric to action
  The Sixth International Conference on Adult Education (CONFINTEA VI) closed on 4 December with a call for governments to “take forward, with a sense of urgency and at an accelerated pace, the agenda of adult learning and education” and to redouble the efforts to meet adult literacy goals. These policies were laid down in the Belem Framework for Action adopted after extensive negotiations at CONFINTEA VI.
  More information: http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=47031&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html

3 December

• Adult Education conference seeks to make lifelong learning a reality for all
  “Today, we are here to demonstrate the power of adult learning and education to ensure a viable future for all. Our goal over the next four days is to take forward the agenda of adult learning and education by securing stronger political recognition of its critical importance for development and agreeing on concrete recommendations to increase its scope and reach,” said the Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, at the opening session of the Sixth International Conference on Adult Education in Belem, Brazil on 1 December The conference is attended by 1500 participants, including representatives from over 156 Member States of UNESCO, along with other partners from the United Nations, bilateral and multilateral organizations, civil society and the private sector, as well as adult learners from all over the world. It seeks to highlight the central role played by adult learning and education in international education and development programmes, especially those concerned with sustainable development.
  More information: http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=46997&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html

1 December

• EU/CULTURE: Maroš Šefcovic new EU Commissioner for Education, Training, Culture and Youth
  On Thursday 1 October, Maroš Šefcovic was appointed European commissioner responsible for Education, Training, Culture and Youth. He is replacing his compatriot Jean Figel who is again back in the political arena in Slovakia. At the occasion of his appointment the new Commissioner declared: “Education and training are more than ever crucial for the future of the European Union. High quality and accessible education is essential if we are to have a sustainable economic and socially-inclusive recovery from the present economic and financial crisis”. Moreover, according to Maroš Šefcovic European-level actions on Culture “can enhance our creativity and innovative capacity and are indispensable for building on and fostering the treasure that is the EU's rich cultural diversity. The EU's young people account for a quarter of Europe's population, and 100% of our future”. The new commissioner expressed his ambition to ensure that EU policies take into account the needs of youth and that this happens for the young with the participation of the young. Finally, my areas of responsibility also cover sport and relations with civil society. These are about building a citizenfriendly environment, and my work in these areas will focus on promoting values such as civic participation, tolerance, fairness and team work. There is one recurring theme throughout my whole portfolio – the EU's citizens and their quality of life. As a Member of the Commission, it is my hope that by working together in all the above areas with colleagues, the European Parliament, Member States, civil society and citizens, through deepened policy dialogue and by making the best use of our funding programmes, we can help create a better quality of life in Europe.
  More information: http://ec.europa.eu/commission_barroso/sefcovic/index_en.htm

• EU/CULTURE: Members States want to develop synergies between education and culture
  On Friday 9 October the working Group on “developing synergies between culture and education” met in Brussels to analyse and discuss the results of the intermediary report on synergies between education and culture issued on August 2009. Building on the work of the network of civil servants on arts and cultural education, this new European platform for discussion and exchange of best practices has the ambition to consider, report and make recommendations (including in the form of validating best practices, making proposals for cooperation initiatives between Member States or EC level and for elements of methodology to evaluate progress), as appropriate, on the following two areas: policies aimed at promoting synergies between culture and education, including arts in education, and the development of projects, in order to implement the key competence ‘Cultural awareness and expression’(in line inter alia with the objectives of the proposed European Year of Creativity and Innovation 2009); exchange of best practices on activities and structures at regional, national, and local level to promote arts and cultural education, either formal (as an integrated part of school curricula), non-formal or informal. This working group, consisting of experts appointed by 26 EU countries (Slovakia decided not to participate), should issue its final report by December 2010.The opening session of the working group took place in Brussels on 22 September 2008. At this occasion, a representative of the French Ministry of Culture was designated as Chair.
  More information: http://ec.europa.eu/culture/keydocuments/doc/MOC_intermediate_report_en.pdf

• EU/CULTURE: European experts selected Riga European Capital of Culture for 2014
  The panel responsible for selecting the European Capital of Culture for 2014 recommended yesterday in Riga that the title be awarded to Riga. The other Latvian cities still in contention were Cesis and Liepaja. The formal nomination of Riga by the EU Council of Ministers will probably be in May 2010. Ján Figel’, the Member of the European Commission responsible for education, training, culture and youth, commented as follows: “I am delighted with Riga’s success and would like to congratulate the local authorities and the team that prepared the application. Riga has great potential for being the European Capital of Culture. Bearing this title for one year will certainly place this city in the spotlight and create enormous potential for it to develop locally and raise its profile across Europe. But success will not be automatic: to benefit fully, Riga will have to develop its programme for 2014 and be given all the political and economic support needed. This is the beginning of a great adventure!”.
  More information: http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/
  09/1324&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

• EU/EDUCATION: Quality assurance in European higher education makes significant headway
  In its first progress report on quality assurance in higher education in Europe the European Commission points to significant developments towards more transparency and credibility over the past few years. Progress has not only been made in the way universities and other institutions deal internally with this, but also on external evaluation of institutions and programmes. Many new quality assurance agencies have been established at national level and there is increased awareness of the European Standards and Guidelines on quality assurance.
  More information: http://ec.europa.eu/education/news/news1733_en.htm

• EU/EDUCATION: EU report confirms that gender inequalities in education persist
  Despite progress in recent years, gender differences and inequalities persist in education in terms of subject preferences and performance, and in cultural aspects of the education and training experience. This is the key message from a new independent expert report on gender and education issued by the European Commission the first week of October.
  More information: http://www.encatc.org/pages/index.php?id=57

• 2010: International Year for the Rapprochement of Cultures
  The world’s cultural wealth is its variety in dialogue. While each culture draws from its own roots, it must not fail to blossom when crossing other cultures. Among UNESCO’s chief missions is to ensure space for and freedom of expression to all the world’s cultures. Therefore, it isn't a matter of identifying and safeguarding every culture in isolation, but rather of revitalizing them in order to avoid segregation and cultural entrenchment and prevent conflict. This cultural dialogue has taken a new meaning in the context of globalization and current international climate in politics. Thus it is becoming a vital meaning of maintaining peace and world unity.
  More information: http://portal.unesco.org/culture/en/ev.php-URL_ID=34327&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html

• Sustainable Tourism - Tips and Resources for Travelers
  By using socially and environmentally responsible tour operators, hotels and outfitters, you can ensure that your trip contributes to conservation efforts and to the well being of communities. Your travel choices make a difference.
  More information: http://www.rainforest-alliance.org/tourism.cfm?id=travelers

UNESCO Book Project for 2010 on Migration, Environment and Climate Change
Climate change is one of the major concerns for the international community. Among its consequences, its impact on migration is the object of increasing attention from both policy-makers and researchers. As the Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change put it, “greater resource scarcity, desertification, risks of droughts and floods, and rising sea levels could drive many millions of people to migrate.’
http://portal.unesco.org/shs/en/ev.php-URL_ID=12915&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html