4 February

• Ratification by Fiji of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (Paris, 17 October 2003)
  On 19 January 2010, Fiji deposited with the Director-General its instrument of ratification of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. In accordance with the terms of its Article 34, the aforementioned Convention will enter into force with respect to Fiji three months after the date of the deposit of this instrument, that is to say on 19 April 2010.
  More information: http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=47277&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html

• Ratification by Italy of the Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage (Paris, 2 November 2001)
  On 8 January 2010, Italy deposited with the Director-General its instrument of ratification of the Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage. This instrument contained the following declaration : “En déposant son instrument de ratification l’Italie précise que les déclarations au titre du paragraphe 1, (b) de l’art.9 de la Convention seront transmises de la manière prévue au paragraphe 1, (b), (ii) du même art. 9. » [Original : French]. In accordance with the terms of its Article 27, the aforementioned Convention will enter into force with respect to Italy three months after the date of the deposit of this instrument, that is to say on 8 April 2010.
  More information: http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=47222&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html

1 February

• Haiti — Blue Shield Statement
  Please find attached following this link the Statement issued by the Blue Shield on the human and heritage tragedy in Haiti following the January 12 earthquake in Port-au-Prince, Carrefour, Jacmel and the Southern part of the country. ICOMOS Canada raised concern to ICOMOS over the fact that such statement was produced only in English in a way which could be seen as insensitive or even disrespectful to the Haitian cultural reality, a surprising fact considering Blue Shield is a partnership of many international organizations like ICOMOS which are mostly based in France. Since organizations like ICOMOS can mostly help communities affected in such disasters with recovering their own cultural heritage as part of their overall recovery efforts, it's important that we demonstrate sensitivity to that heritage.
  More information: http://canada.icomos.org/news.html

29 January

• UNESCO Seminar on Fighting Illicit Trafficking of Cultural Property in Brumama (Lebanon)
  Under the framework of UNESCO's project "protecting cultural property" UNESCO Beirut organized a seminar on the “Prevention and Fight against Illicit Traffic of Cultural Properties” in Brumana Lebanon (9 -11 November 2009). 30 participants representing regional Ministries of Culture, departments of antiquities and customs from Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt and the Palestinian Authority participated in this three-day seminar. The event was under the patronage of the Lebanese Minister of Culture and in cooperation with the EUROMED Heritage.
  More information: http://www.unesco.org/fileadmin/MULTIMEDIA/FIELD/
  Beirut/pdf/UNESCO_Beirut_Jan_2010_newsletter.pdf

28 January

• Zimbabwe’s experience implementing the 2003 Convention on Intangible Heritage
  Stephen Chifunyise explains how Zimbabwe has been implementing UNESCO’s Convention on Intangible Heritage at national level. Zimbabwe’s implementation of the 2003 Convention on the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage was initiated by the Zimbabwean National Commission of UNESCO’s Standing Committee on Culture which comprises representatives of Government departments responsible for culture aspects, arts and culture parastatals and arts and culture experts and representatives of some arts and culture national associations.
  More information: http://www.archivalplatform.org/blog/entry/zimbabwe_experience/

• Looting of cultural property on the increase
  Considered a foremost cause of criminality in the world today, the illicit traffic of cultural property pervades all regions of our planet. The opening of borders, the increasing number of armed conflicts, poverty, and the exponential growth of the art market are some of the factors accounting for the fact that cultural objects are so avidly coveted. UNESCO and its partners continue to wage the battle against a scourge that undermines the very identity of peoples worldwide.
  More information: http://www.archivalplatform.org/news/entry/looting_increase/

26 January

• Translated into Albanian UNESCO Convention on “Protection and Promotion of Diversity of Cultural Expressions”
  Three brochures on the UNESCO Convention on “Protection and Promotion of Diversity of Cultural Expressions” have been translated into Albanian and printed out in the framework of the UNESCO-UNDP Joint Programme on Culture and Heritage for Social and Economic Development (CHSED activity 1.1.2 ):
  1. “ 10 Elements of the Convention on “the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions”
  2. “ 30 Frequently Asked Questions on the Convention on “the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions”
  3. The full text of the Convention on “the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions”

  Information kit English (PDF 5.5MB).
  More information: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0014/001495/149502SQI.pdf

15 January

• List of references to the UNESCO 2005 Convention
  The International Network of Lawyers for the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (INLDCE) has just improved the sections that make up their web page with a list of references to the UNESCO Convention concerning the protection and promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions. This section includes some fifty references of different documents, such as political declarations from the States. The INLDCE invites web surfers to add references to this list. Likewise, there is another remarkable and practical novelty for this site: a new space for debate between lawyers and civil society has been opened up. This section allows visitors to upload and/or answer to any legal issue and to issues which concern the interpretation and utilization of the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.
  More information in French: http://fd.ulaval.ca/site/cms/affichage.php?menu=343/

• "Cultural Heritage - a Bridge towards a Shared Future", UNESCO Convention on the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage (2001)
  In the framework of the project “Cultural Heritage - a Bridge towards a Shared Future”, a regional seminar on Underwater Heritage took place in Zadar, Croatia in October. Organised by the International Centre for Underwater Archaeology in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Croatia, and with the support of UN ESCO, the meeting presented and shared good practices on the protection, management, and promotion of underwater cultural heritage, with special attention to the implementation of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage (2001).
  More information: http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=46453&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html

Diversity, a synonym for culture
A voyage from China to Iran, using calligraphy as a compass; an exploration of Parisian melancholy, guided by a Japanese photographer; a return to the origins of Kung Fu, now an international art; a trip around the world along strands of Thai silk; a Turkish escapade with background music from Brittany… This month the UNESCO Courier dedicates its pages to cultural diversity.
http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0018/001867/186700e.pdf