Participation in subsidiary organs

Organs elected by the General Conference

Executive Board
Member (Term expires : 2019)
International Coordinating Council of the Programme on Man and the Biosphere
Vice-President
Member (Term expires : 40th General Conference)
Intergovernmental Council for the International Hydrological Programme
Member (Term expires : 40th General Conference)
Intergovernmental Council of the "Management of Social Transformations" Programme
Member (Term expires : 40th General Conference)
Intergovernmental Committee for Physical Education and Sport
Member (Term expires : 39th General Conference)
Intergovernmental Council of the International Programme for the Development of Communication
Member (Term expires : 39th General Conference)
Legal Committee
Member elected by the General Conference at its 37th session - Member of the Legal Committee from the beginning of the 38th session (2015) until the beginning of the 39th session (2017)
Intergovernmental Bioethics Committee
Member (Term expires : 40th General Conference)
Intergovernmental Council for the Information for All Programme
Vice-President
Member (Term expires : 39th General Conference)

Other intergovernmental organs

Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission
Vice-President : Dr Alexander Postnov
Member

Councils of UNESCO's Institutes and Centres

Governing Board of the UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education
Member : Mr Nikolay TOIVONEN

Addresses delivered in the general policy debate by the Head of Delegation at the General Conference

37 session of the General Conference

His Excellency, Mr Vladimir Evguenievitch Fortov, President of the Russian Academy of Sciences of the Russian Federation

Speech delivered during the General Policy Debate of the 37th session of the General Conference - revised and corrected version of the verbatim records of plenary meetings

36 session of the General Conference

H.E. Mr Aleksandr Avdeev, Minister of Culture

Speech delivered during the General Policy Debate of the 36th session of the General Conference and posted as received

35 session of the General Conference

H.E. Mr Andrey Foursenko, Minister of Education and Sciences

(Translated from the Russian)
“Russia considers UNESCO’s role in coordinating international efforts in relation to the “Education for All” (EFA) programme to be historic. This programme has united the world in accomplishing most important tasks. In this connection, I call upon the Member States and International Organizations to make their contribution to preparation of the World Conference on Early Childhood Care and Education, which will be held in Moscow in September 2010.”
“The International Conference of UNESCO Chairs in Education on Sustainable Development, which was held at the end of September this year in Russia, adopted the Khanty-Mansyisky Declaration containing an appeal for the networking of UNESCO Chairs (…).”
“We (…) support the multifaceted efforts of UNESCO in relation with the conservation and rational use of freshwater resources. I should like to invite interested countries to take part in the international forum Clean Water to be held on 24 and 25 November in Moscow with UNESCO support.”
“I should also like to mention the great importance of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission which will mark its 50th anniversary next year.”
“(...) The other scientific programmes remain an inalienable part of the Organization’s mandate, including the International Basic Sciences Programme, whose potential is far from being completely revealed. We consider that it would have much to gain if its status will be raised to that of being intergovernmental.”
“I should also like to draw attention to and appeal for support for the UNESCO satellite science education project, in relation to which it is planned to finance the launch and technical support almost entirely from extrabudgetary resources.”
“(…) We are confident that the High-Level Group on Interfaith Dialogue which is being established in Russia in partnership with UNESCO will demonstrate its effectiveness and make a substantive contribution to the International Year for the Rapprochement of Cultures proposed by UNESCO for 2010.”
“A decision is to be taken at this 35th session concerning the establishment in Moscow of a Regional Museum Centre under UNESCO auspices and the signature of the corresponding agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and UNESCO.”
“(…) We consider that it is expedient to expand such key UNESCO projects as the International Programme for the Development of Communication and the UNESCO Information for All Programme.”
“(…) I should like to use this opportunity to thank Mr Koïchiro Matsuura for his huge contribution to the development of UNESCO and his work for peace; and also to voice the hope that the Director-General-elect (…) will be able to find solutions to the problems facing UNESCO today (…).”

34 session of the General Conference

H.E. Mr A. A. Foursenko, Minister of Education and Science

(Address delivered in Russian; English text provided by the Permanent Delegation)
Today, lifelong education is a definite and imperative need. However, students shouldn’t be protected from the adulthood and have to be prepared to assume responsibility in real life.
UNESCO today seeks to coordinate international action for education towards Education for All to achieve Dakar goals by 2015. UNESCO has already coordinated a number of international measures to assist countries with educational inefficiencies. But, moreover, a mutual effort and cooperation must be made at the domestic and international level by each individual state.
“Russia has shared its achievements and practical experience with all member countries, including those having difficulty with EFA and Millennium Development Goals. The 2006 Moscow meeting between G-8 Ministers of Education, UNESCO, OECD and a number of other countries adopted a Declaration stating their commitment to comprehensive collaboration for educational innovation in the 21st century, full support for EFA goals and Millennium Development Goals.”
The Russian Federation together with UNESCO is working to establish a network of pilot UNESCO kindergartens to produce operational models for countries with varying socio-economic levels and diverse cultural and traditional settings.
“Russia, with its enormous scientific potential, seeks to strengthen and raise the efficiency of UNESCO scientific programmes, in particular, its International Basic Science Programme (IBSP) which, we believe, should be given intergovernmental status.”
The Russian Federation would also like to note the hard work of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission. In addition the Russian Federation is looking to address the global energy problem and proposes to establish a UNESCO office with the Sustainable Energy Development Centre. However, research should be conducted with the respect of mutually accepted ethical norms.
“We are convinced that MDG should remain at the centre of attention of the international community. […] Particular attention should be paid to the specific needs of Africa. Russia, as a donor country, intends to consistently strengthen its position in promoting international development.”
“We urge caution in dealing with extremely sensitive issues that concern the world over and believe it is vital to exercise utmost care in our preliminary approaches to history- and culture-related issues. This would, in particular, apply to the draft declaration of principles regarding cultural objects displaced as a result of the Second World War.”

Celebration of anniversaries

200th anniversary of the birth of Ivan Aivazovsky, painter (1817-1900) (joint nomination by Armenia and the Russian Federation, with the support of Italy) (2017)

Ivan Aivazovsky (Hovhannes Aivazian) is considered one of the greatest marine artists in history. Having Armenian origins and education in the Russian Academy of Arts in Saint Petersburg as well as several years’ experience of studying in Europe, Aivazovsky influenced Russian, Armenian and world Art. During his sixty-year career, Aivazovsky produced around 6,000 paintings. He is best known for his paintings of seascapes and coastal scenes, which are symbolic and allegoric. Depicting waves, clouds and airspace the painter emphasized the light, which is the interpretation of the light of the creation. He also created a number of works about important events of Bible and Armenian history as well as works depicting oriental scenes and portraitures. Aivazovsky held an unprecedented number of individual exhibitions and contributed to a number of exhibitions in Russia, Europe and the United States.
The celebration of the anniversary will support UNESCO’s objectives of strengthening intercultural dialogue for the rapprochement of cultures, promoting of heritage and fostering creativity, as well as disseminating and exchanging information from local to global level.

250th anniversary of the birth of Nikolay Mikhailovich Karamzin, writer (1766-1826) (2016)

Nikolay Mikhailovich Karamzin is an outstanding Russian writer, poet and historian. He is the author of numerous works, including widely known Letters of a Russian Traveler which he published after travelling in Germany, France, Switzerland and England. His greatest work as a writer and historian is the 12-volume History of the Russian State. Karamzin is credited for reforming and enriching Russian language with new words that enriched the potential for lexical expression. His works are imbued with ideals of humanity and enlightenment for all as well as ideas of mutual development of cultures which have potential to enrich each other.
The celebration of the anniversary will contribute to the mutual enrichment of cultures and help to promote the ideas of peace and tolerance that is at the core of the UNESCO’s mission. The commemoration will serve to unite wide public, scientific and cultural communities, providing opportunities for development in education and better knowledge of literature, establishing closer relations and dialogue among members of different communities.

150th anniversary of the foundation of the Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory (1866) (2016)

Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory is one of the leading musical universities of Russia and one of the oldest and most prestigious in the world. The Conservatory has great musical traditions of the worldwide cultural significance. Many notable musicians (S.V.Rakhmaninov, A.N.Skryabin, M.L.Rostropovich, A.I.Khachaturyan, U.A.Bashmet and many others) graduated from its walls.
The proposal states that a series of events will be organized to celebrate the Conservatory’s anniversary with the participation of the worlds’ leading musicians. The events will contribute to achieving the UNESCO’s goals in the field of culture and education as they will serve to unite wide public and musical communities, providing great opportunities for further development in culture and education, and for tolerant cultural dialogue.

150th anniversary of the birth of Wassily Wassilyevich Kandinsky, painter (1866-1944) (2016)

Wassily Wassilyevich Kandinsky was an influential Russian painter and art theorist. He was one of the pioneers of abstract expressionism, creator of countless paintings, author of several books on art and tireless researcher-ethnographer. One of his most popular paintings is “Blue Rider” (1903). Kandinsky is well known as a member of Die Blaue Vier (Blue Four group of artists in Germany) and a prominent theorist of the Bauhaus art school that have had a global influence on the world art. Kandinsky received a worldwide recognition as one of the leaders of abstract expressionist art.

2000th anniversary of the foundation of the city of Derbent, Republic of Dagestan, Russian Federation (2015)

Derbent is the oldest city in Russia. The city developed between two walls, stretching from the mountains to the sea, and therefore had a strategic location in the Caucasus. Over the years, different nations gave the city different names, but all connected to the word gate; its name in Persian is Derbend, which means “closed gates”. The ancient city of Derbent has been crucial for the control of the north-south passage on the western side of the Caspian Sea since the 1st millennium BC. It has been inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2003. UNESCO’s support of the anniversary will call attention to the preservation of this outstanding monument of history and culture.

200th anniversary of the birth of Mikhail Lermontov, poet and painter (1814-1841) (2014)

The application is submitted by the Russian Federation, and concerns the celebration of the 200th anniversary of a great and famous Russian poet, writer and painter, the most important figure in the Russian literature after Alexander Pushkin, Mikhail Lermontov. M. Lermontov is an author of the world wide known novel A Hero of Our Time, the verse play The Masquerade, numerous poems (e.g. Death of the Poet, Borodino, Demon, the Sail, etc.) plays an important role not only in Russian history and literature, but in the literature of the world. The celebrating of the 200th birth anniversary of Mikhail Lermontov will contribute to the mutual enrichment of cultures in the world; will help to promote international understanding, closer relations among peoples, cultural dialogue among peoples, and progress in the fields of culture.

300th anniversary of the foundation of the Komarov Botanical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences (1714) (2014)

The Komarov Botanical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences is one of the oldest and most significant botanical institutions in the world. It possesses vast natural history collections (living collections of the botanical garden, herbaria, fossils, fruits and seeds, etc.) of worldwide importance and great scientific and cultural significance. The institute played a great role in study of plant diversity of Russia and other countries (especially those of Central and East Asia).

250th anniversary of the foundation of the State (formerly Imperial) Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg (1764) (2014)

The event is to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the State Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg through the opening of new permanent and temporary exhibitions. The anniversary is fully linked to the ideals and mission of the Organization, especially in the field of Culture.

150th anniversary of the birth of Vladimir Vernadsky (Volodymyr Vernads’ky), scientist and thinker (1863-1945) (Russian Federation and Ukraine) (2013)

Vladimir Vernadsky is well known as one of the founders of geochemistry, biogeochemistry, and of radiogeology. His work on the noosphere (the sphere of human thought and reason) is, according to him, the third in a succession of phases of development of the Earth, after the geosphere (inanimate matter) and the biosphere (biological life).
The work of this great scientist brings together the study and preservation as well as conservation of the earth, biodiversity and life – all sciences. The celebration of this anniversary would increase public awareness of science in line with UNESCO’s mandate, in particular the Man and Biosphere (MAB) Programme and thus should be included in the list of anniversaries for UNESCO.

150th anniversary of the birth of Constantin Stanislavsky, actor and founder of the Moscow Art Theatre (1863-1938) (2013)

Constantin Stanislavsky (1863-1938), Russian director and actor whose research and acting methods became internationally praised and followed. In 1898 he founded, with Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko, the Moscow Art Theatre. He trained his actors to achieve greater realism by identifying deeply with their characters, a technique that became known as the Stanislavsky method. His company toured Europe and the United States of America where his method influenced the later development of the Group Theatre and the Actors Studio. He is one of the most distinguished theatre theoreticians of his time.

150th anniversary of the foundation of the Rimsky-Korsakov Saint Petersburg State Conservatory (1862) (2012)

The Saint Petersburg conservatory has had an international role in the artistic and cultural life as generations of musicians and dancers have graduated from the institution. Among them it is worth mentioning international recognized artists such as George Balanchine – choreographer; Richard Burgin – violinist, conductor; Alexander K.Borovsky – pianist; Sergei Diaghilev – impressario; Valery Gergiev – conductor; Sergei Prokofiev – composer; Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky – composer; Dmitri Shostakovich – composer; Grigory Sokolov – pianist; Sergei Rachmaninoff – pianist.

100th anniversary of the foundation of the Alexander Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts (1912) (2012)

The Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts was founded in 1912. While it has gone by other names, its current name honours Alexander Pushkin, the father of Russian literature and historical Russian icon. The Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts houses art works of non-Russian artists. Included in the collection are works of art from ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome, and medieval, Renaissance, and modern Europe. Famous painters are well represented.
The museum’s exhibitions of private collections, shown in a separate building, include Russian works of the twentieth century.

50th anniversary of the first manned mission to space (1961) (2011)russia_Gagarin200.jpg

In 1961, the Soviet spaceship-sputnik Vostok 1 was put into orbit around the Earth taking on board the first ever man from Earth: Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Alexeevich Gagarin (1934-1968). This historical flight brought about a real orbital revolution with remarkable scientific effect. It was a very important event and has paved the way to numerous discoveries in space and opened up a new era of outer space exploration.

300th anniversary of the birth of Mikhail Lomonosov, scientist and writer (1711-1765) (2011)

Mikhail Lomonosov’s work in science was of an encyclopaedic scope. He was actively engaged in physics, chemistry, astronomy, geology, meteorology, and navigation. He also contributed to population studies, political economy, Russian history, rhetoric, and grammar. He brought the most advanced scientific theories to Russia, commented on their strengths and weaknesses, and advanced original ideas.

150th anniversary of the birth of Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, writer (1860-1904) (2010)

Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (1860-1904), Russian short-story writer, playwright and physician, is considered to be one of the greatest short-story writers in world literature. His career as a dramatist produced four classics (The Seagull, Uncle Vanya, Three Sisters and The Cherry Orchard) and his best short stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics. He made formal innovations which have influenced the evolution of the modern short story. His originality consists in an early use of the stream-of-consciousness technique, later adopted by James Joyce and other modernists. Chekhov practised as a doctor throughout most of his literary career.

1000th anniversary of the foundation of the city of Yaroslavl (1010) (2010)

Lying at the confluence of the Volga and the Kotorosl, some 250 km north-east of Moscow, the historic city of Yaroslavl developed into a major centre of trade from the eleventh century onwards. It is renowned for its many seventeenth-century churches and is an outstanding example of the urban redevelopment programme ordained for the whole of Russia by the Empress Catherine the Great in 1763. While some of its important historic buildings were retained, the city was redeveloped in the neoclassical style on a radial plan. Remnants from the sixteenth century are also to be found in the Spassky Monastery, one of the oldest in the Upper Volga region, which was constructed in the late twelfth century but has been rebuilt over the years.
The historic city, with its seventeenth-century churches, neoclassical radial urban plan and civil architecture, is an outstanding example of the interchange of cultural and architectural influences between Western Europe and the Russian Empire. The historic city of Yaroslavl has been inscribed on the World Heritage List since 2005.

1150th anniversary of the foundation of the City of Veliky Novgorod (2009)

Vovgorod is the oldest Russian city, it being mentioned in chronicles since 859 A.D. The city itself was built gradually from the end of the ninth century, subsequently taking the name Novgorod (The New City). During the middle of the tenth century, Novgorod became a prosperous medieval city, situated on the trade route between the Baltic and the Byzantine empire. Its historical monuments were inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1992.

200th anniversary of the birth of N.V. Gogol, writer (1809-1852) Russian Federation and Ukraine (2009)

A Ukrainian-born writer and thinker (Velyki Sorochintsy, Poltava region), N.V.Gogol is one of the brightest personalities and recognized masters of Russian and world literature. His literary works, aimed at achieving social harmony, have received highest appraisals of his contemporaries and are appreciated by present generations. Being a brilliant folklorist, he also vividly depicted Ukrainian folk customs and traditions of the 19th century.
Gogol's short stories, novels and plays have become for the world literature an impulse to a truthful depiction of reality. The novel "Dead Souls" and the short story "The Overcoat" are considered the foundations of the great 19th-century tradition of realism. His legacy was adopted by such masters of literature as Leo Tolstoy and Fyodor Dostoyevsky. The writer's style is recognized by a great ability for accurate and sympathetic character portrayal as well as rollicking satire and extraordinary humour. Many of Gogol's witty sayings have become maxims in the Ukrainian and Russian languages.

100th anniversary of the birth of Lev D. Landau, physicist (1908-1968) Proposed by Russian Federation and Ukraine (2008)

Lev Landau was one of greatest physicists of the twentieth century. His pioneering results advanced various major fields of theoretical physics. Several generations of theoretical physicists learned their trade through the 10 volumes of his famous Course of Theoretical Physics.

250th anniversary of the foundation of the Russian Academy of Fine Arts (1757) (2007)

Educational institutions are the highest level of the domestic system of artistic education formed throughout 200 years under the aegis of the Russian Academy of Arts established in 1757 on the initiative of Count I.I. Shuvalov, one of the important figures of the Russian Enlightenment. One of the main functions of the Academy has always been professional training and upbringing of highly qualified artists. The achievement of good results was promoted by the meticulous organization of the educational process. The Russian Academy of Fine Arts is one of the more conspicuous institutions focused on artistic education. It has always promoted both cultural dialogue at international level and the exchange of ideas between artists of all European nations.

200th anniversary of the foundation of “The Moscow Kremlin” State Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve (2006)

The State Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve is part of the World Heritage site of the Kremlin and Red Square in Moscow, inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1990. The proposed jubilee events include the updating of the exhibition in the Armoury and the Patriarch’s Palace, the organization of an international conference, the publication of books, as well as the establishment of guided tours within the World Heritage site.

150th anniversary of the State Tretyakov Gallery (2006)

The Tretyakov Gallery was founded in 1856 by the Moscovite merchants Pavel and Sergei Tretyakov. They established the most important collection of Russian art, principally paintings, including those of the noted Russian icon painter, Andrei Rublyov. The Tretyakov Gallery recently reopened after a 10-year remodelling project. The collection of Russian icons is indisputably the finest in the world. The Gallery was given to the city of Moscow in 1892. Today the collection contains more than 130,000 items, covering the history of Russia from the eleventh to the twentieth century. The Gallery receives more than 1.5 million visitors per year, and often participates in international exhibition exchange (up to 15 loan exhibitions per year). The commemoration responds to UNESCO’s goals of protecting and preserving cultural diversity in all its forms, and in particular of the safeguarding of the physical heritage. The International Conference on “Museum and Society” would be a sounding board to draw awareness to the three important international loan exhibitions being organized with the Tretyakov Gallery at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, “Masterpieces of Russian Art”, in Bonn, Germany, and at the Frear Galley, Washington, DC, “Whistler and Russia”.

1,000th anniversary of the founding of the city of Kazan and the 200th anniversary of Kazan State University (2005)

The site of the Historical and Archaeological Complex of the Kazan Kremlin was placed on the World Heritage List in 2000. The Kazan Kremlin complex represents an exceptional testimony of historical continuity and cultural diversity over a long period of time, resulting in an important interchange of values generated by the different cultures. The historic citadel represents an exceptional testimony of the Khanate period and is the only surviving Tatar fortress with traces of the original town-planning conception. The site and its key monuments also represent an outstanding example of a synthesis of Tatar and Russian influences in architecture, integrating different cultures (Bulgar, Tatar, Italian and Russian), as well as showing the impact of Islam and Christianity.
The Kazan State University was established by Tsar Alexander I in 1804 to promote education from the Volga Region to the Far East. It is one of the largest and oldest cultural, educational and scientific centres in the Russian Federation.
The famous mathematician, N.I. Lobachevsky laid down the foundation of the scientific tradition of the University. The names of renowned academicians such as E. K. Zinin, A.M. Boutlerov, A.E. and B.A. Arbouzov are associated with the Kazan State
University.
The university is the site of discoveries of global importance. For example, in 1826 N. I. Lobachevsky wrote the first works on discovery of non-Euclidean geometry and in 1944 C.A. Altshuler’s research had a significant influence on the development of magnetic radiopectroscopy and E.Z. Zavoysky discovered the electronic paramagnetic resonance effect.
The university has an impressive national library and important museums.

250th anniversary of Moscow Lomonosov State University (2005)

The Lomonosov University of Moscow is a centre of excellence and a world-renowned institute of higher education. The largest Russian university, it also welcomes international students from more than 70 countries. This university develops new research programmes and has signed over 400 agreements on cooperation with partner universities all over the world. This anniversary is an occasion for major celebrations in the Russian Federation, with the participation of prestigious institutions from the Russian Federation, as well as the International Association of Universities, the European Association of Universities, the Eurasian Association of Universities, and foreign universities as partners of Moscow State University.

100th anniversary of the birth of Mikhail A. Sholokhov (2005)

Winner of the 1965 Nobel Prize for Literature, Mikhail A. Sholokhov (1905-1984) became the minstrel of the Russian people in his most famous work “Quiet Flows the Don” (1928-1940), an epic of the life of the Cossacks during the 1914-18 war and the October Revolution. Recognized worldwide, he is one of the great Russian writers of his time.

300th anniversary of the foundation of the City of Saint Petersburg (2003)

The Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments were inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1990. The “Venice of the North” with its numerous canals and more than 400 bridges is first and foremost the result of a vast urban project begun in 1703 under Peter the Great. Later on it was known as Leningrad (in the former USSR). Its rich architectural heritage reconciles the opposite styles of baroque and pure neo-classicism, as witness the Admiralty, Winter Palace, Marble Palace and Hermitage. Saint Petersburg represents a unique and invaluable treasure of world architecture and culture.

200th anniversary of the birth of Fyodor Ivanovich Tyutchev (2003)

Fyodor Ivanovich Tyutchev (1803-1873) was a poet, statesman and diplomat. His poetic heritage includes more than 250 poems. His writings have been translated into all European languages and other languages of the world. Fyodor Tyutchev is considered one of Russia’s greatest lyric poets. He is recognized as an outstanding European and world poet of the nineteenth century.

500th anniversary of the completion by Dionisy the Wise of his last monumental work-frescoes in the Nativity of the Virgin Cathedral of the Ferapontov Monastery (2002)

Dionisy the Wise was the most outstanding painter of Old Russia (second half of the fifteenth-beginning of the sixteenth century). His artistic heritage (icons, frescoes) is the best expression of the highest level of spiritual development of Russian mediaeval culture. The indisputable masterpiece of Dionisy’s art is his monumental work (300 scenes on 600 square metres of the church walls) in the Nativity of the Virgin Cathedral of the Ferapontov Monastery. There is no other similar monument of this kind in Russia in respect of its age, completeness and creative level. Spiritual ideas expressed by Dionisy are of a very high importance in contemporary Russia. At the same time they express universal human values. Like the work of his contemporaries – Rafael and Michelangelo, Dionisy’s art, in its artistic and spiritual dimensions, constitutes an integral and unique part of world culture.

Two hundredth anniversary of the birth of Vladimir Ivanovich Dal (2001)

Dal’s long life (1801-1872) was entirely devoted to ethnography, Russian literature and lexicography. A veritable encyclopaedist, he was the co-founder of the Geographical Society, a member of the Society of Lovers of Russian Philology and a corresponding member of the Imperial Academy of Sciences. His complete works, published during his lifetime in Saint Petersburg, comprise eight volumes.
However, it is because of his master work, the Dictionary of the Russian Language, that Dal’s name is firmly imprinted in the history of Russian language and literature. Without this dictionary, the great Russian literature of the nineteenth century would not have taken the majestic form it did.

Hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the birth of Sophia Kovalevskaya (19 February 2000)

Sophia Kovalevskaya (1850-1891) was one of the leading mathematicians whose work had a genuine impact on the development of the theory of differential equations. She is considered the most famous woman mathematician in the history of mathematics.

Hundredth anniversary of the birth of Nikolai Vladimirovich Timofeev-Ressovsky (2000)

Nikolai Vladimirovich Timofeev-Ressovsky (1900-1981) was a great geneticist and one of the founders of molecular genetics and molecular biology. He made a major contribution to the development of research in these fields.

Two hundredth anniversary of the birth of the Russian poet Alexander S. Pushkin (6 June 1999).

Pushkin was a distinguished liberal poet inspired by Voltaire, a playwright and a novelist. He expressed to perfection the life and soul of his country in a style that combined clarity, sobriety, grace, harmony and elegance.
A man of wide-ranging knowledge, Pushkin is considered to be the founder of modern Russian literature, which he oriented towards both lyricism and realism.
On this occasion, the Government of the Russian Federation is planning to organize international round tables on Pushkin, exhibitions, and lectures on Russian literature; it will also publish an Encyclopedia of Pushkin and poetry in 20 volumes and plans to restore monuments honouring Pushkin in various locations, including Saint Petersburg, Moscow and Boldino.

Hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the birth of the Russian physiologist Ivan Petrovich Pavlov (27 June 1999).

Pavlov, a world-renowned physiologist and doctor who conducted remarkable experiments, was an advocate of the experimental method in physiology and of the operative method in particular. He stressed the action of the nervous system in bodily nutrition and the close links that it reflected between living beings and their environment. This work won him the Nobel Prize for Physiology and Medicine in 1904.
He highlighted an essential difference between human psychology, which implies the use of language, conceptual thinking and intelligence, and animal psychology, which implies only higher nervous activity. His work was instrumental in giving impetus to studies on the nerves and the brain, the treatment of certain mental disorders and a number of practical applications, the most celebrated of which is painless childbirth.
The authorities of the Russian Federation are planning to organize, with the financial support of the Academy of Sciences and the Academy of Medical Sciences, international conferences for students, symposia and publications on Pavlov’s work, and to issue a postage stamp and a medal to commemorate this eminent figure.

Centenary of the birth of the Russian writer, novelist and poet Vladimir Nabokov (10 April 1999).

Vladimir Nabokov was a many-sided personality: novelist, essayist, critic, translator, and poet. He was one of the major writers to write brillantly in two languages and his Russian and English styles were admired by fellow writers and critics alike; the literary heritage of Nabokov is enormous and unique. In his stories and novels ("Invitation to a Beheading", "The Real Life of Sebastian Knight", "Pale Fire", "Ada", "Lolita", etc.) Nabokov paints a detailed picture of his period in introducing the themes of nostalgia for the fatherland, literary and moral blindness, imprisonment and execution, the obsessive search for self-identity and love.

Centenary of the birth of the Russian novelist and journalist Andrei Platonov (1 September 1999).

A talented novelist, Andrei Platonov, focused largely on man’s restless quest for self-knowledge and the meaning of life, his battle to overcome isolation, and to survive in a hostile world.
Well known for his novels that depict restless vagabonds, or inarticulate people whose experiences are given an inimitable poetic quality through his highly creative manipulation of rough-hewn, but expressive common speech. Andrei Platonov is renowned for his writing, among which include his novels "Chevengur and Kotlovan".

Centenary of the Moscow Arts Theatre (1998).

Founded by the world renowned Konstantin Stanislavsky and Nemirovitch-Dantchenko, the Artistic Theatre of Moscow, is magnificently portrayed with their theatrical art, and continues to carry this esthetic style.
The foundation and the development of the Moscow Arts Theatre were deeply linked to the creativity of the main writers and dramatists - Anton Chekhov and Maxim Gorki. Chekhov’s play "The Seagull", one of the first works performed at the Theatre, marked a new era in twentieth century world theatre.

Centenary of the Russian Union of 'The World of Arts' (1998).

The artistic union ‘The World of Arts’ was created by a number of famous Russian artists including - A. Benois, K. Somov, M. Doboujinsky, E. Lanceret, L. Bakst, S. Diagilev and V. Serov. The purpose of the union was to create a kind of freedom through the self realization of the individual through art. Those who love and admire the artist have the right to be the object of his/her art, and that beauty is supposed to be the sole pure source of creative inspiration.
The union ‘The World of Arts’ had an effect, and left a brilliant, profound trace on twentieth century Russian art, which in turn influenced art on a worldwide scale.

Centenary of the birth of the Russian film director Sergei Mikhailovich Eisenstein (22 January 1998).

Sergei Mikhailovich Eisenstein was a film director and a creative personality beyond compare; he served the revolution with the genius of a poet in full command of a technique shaped by rigour, intelligence and efficiency.
Through his films, which include Strike, The Battleship Potemkin, Alexander Nevsky and Ivan the Terrible, he became known as one of the three greatest Soviet film-makers; Eisenstein’s film criticism is essential to the aesthetics of cinema.
The Government of the Russian Federation is planning to organize an international film-makers’ conference, a national Eisenstein film festival and various exhibitions, and will also publish works on film theory.

Centenary of the founding of the Russian Museum - Saint Petersburg Museum (17 March 1998).

The museum has the largest general collection of Russian art, including icons, painting and sculpture; its holdings cover the entire history of Russia.
The Russian Museum is one of the world’s greatest museums, and possesses an important collection of world-class masterpieces; it is greatly appreciated by art historians and art lovers generally.
To celebrate this anniversary, the Government of the Russian Federation is planning to organize exhibitions of Russian art, international conferences, folk festivals and the production of video films; it is also planning to restore the Museum.

Centenary of the birth of the Russian physicist Vladimir A. Fock (22 December 1998).

As a physicist and academician, Vladimir Fock made a fundamental contribution to modern physics, and more especially to mechanics, relativity theory, the theory of electromagnetic-wave propagation and mathematical physics.
The scope of Fock’s discoveries made it possible for science to take giant strides, in particular in the theory of physics.

Six hundredth anniversary of the foundation of the Ferapontov Monastery in Russia (1998).

A unique monument of medieval Russia, the Ferapontov Monastery represents a historic architectural complex which is still surrounded by its original walls; the unique frescoes inside the cathedral by the painter Dionisy cover more than 600 square metres.
This masterpiece of Russian art is not only a national treasure but a jewel of the world heritage.
For the purposes of this celebration, the Russian Government is planning to organize an international seminar on the restoration and preservation of monuments and frescoes, and to restore the Monastery and the cathedral frescoes.

Five hundredth anniversary of the publication in Russia of the first State Code of Laws, the Sudebnik (September 1997).

Published in the reign of Ivan III, the Sudebnik - the first Code of Laws in Europe
-
contributed to the stabilization of Russia.
After being translated into Latin at the beginning of the sixteenth century, it
served
as a model in other countries of the region.
Reference document: 147 EX/47

Eight hundredth anniversary of the founding of the city of Moscow (1997).

Moscow, the capital of the Russian Federation and one of the great metropolises of
Europe, is endeavouring to preserve its cultural heritage - its famous Bolshoi
Theatre and its National Library.
Three of its most important monuments - the Kremlin, Red Square and the Church
of the Ascension at Kolomenskoie - are included on the World Heritage List.

Centenary of the birth of the Russian chemist Nikolai Nikolaevich Semenov (15 April 1996).

Nikolai Nikolaevich Semenov was a chemist and academician and Director of the
Moscow Research Institute. He won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1956 for his
work on the kinetics of chemical reactions.
Through his research he contributed to the progress and modernization of
chemistry: inter a&z, he formulated the theory of chain reactions and of thermal
explosion.
On the occasion of this anniversary the Government of the Russian Federation
intends to organize an international scientific conference under the auspices of
UNESCO.

Hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the birth of the Russian ethnologist Nikolai Nikolaevich Miklukho-Maklai (5 July 1996).

An ethnographer and anthropologist, Nikolai Nikolaievitch Miklukho-Maklai
explored a number of islands in Oceania, including New Guinea, the Moluccas and
the Philippines. The Institute of Ethnology in Moscow is named after him.
An emulator of Livingstone, he defended the ideals of racial equality and tolerance.
The stand he took influenced the policies of the Governments of France and the
Netherlands, which officially prohibited the slave-trade in their colonies.

Centenary of the birth of the physicist Pyotr Leonidovich Kapitsa (1994)

He was a Russian physicist, known for his research on magnetism and low temperature physics, who invented a device for liquefying hydrogen and helium.
He was the first foreigner to become a member of the Royal Society, in 1929. The Mond Laboratory was specially built for him at Cambridge in 1930. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1978.

500th anniversary of the encounter between two worlds (1492-1992) (Latin America countries and the Caribbean group, Cyprus, France, Italy, Russian Federation, Germany, Mauritania, Malaysia, Guinea, Senegal, Spain, with co-sponsors) (1992)

The fifth centenary of the beginning of this historical process of
momentous importance for mankind also falls within the World Decade for
Cultural Development, which will provide a background for the events
commemorating the anniversary.
This historic process began with the meeting between Europeans and
native Americans which occurred on 12 October 1492 when Christopher Columbus
landed on a small island in the Caribbean. Thereafter, encounters and cultural
contacts between the inhabitants of the world's two hemispheres took various
forms. Peoples from Africa, Asia and Oceania were soon involved in this
meeting of cultures along with the Spanish, Portuguese, English, French, Dutch
and native Americans. New links have been established throughout this
historical process, which has enabled all the peoples of the world to learn
from each other and to discover the earth in all its abundance.
Almost 500 years after the first of these encounters, which now embrace
the whole world, the international organizations provide a forum for other
types of meeting between peoples which enable them to exchange views and are
truly universal in scope. Unesco today is the domain for cultural encounters
between all the peoples of the world.
Reference document: 130 EX/28

100th anniversary of the birth of Sergei Prokofiev – the great Russian twentieth–century composer, pianist, conductor and outstanding figure of Soviet and world music (1991)

100th anniversary of the birth of Mikhail Bulgakov, an outstanding master of highly poetic and artistic prose (1991)

200th anniversary of the birth of the great Russian writer and naturalist Sergei Aksakov (1991)

100th anniversary of the birth of Osip Mandelstam (1991)

100th anniversary of the birth of the poet and prose–writer Boris Pasternak (Russian Federation) (1990)

The well-known Soviet Russian poet and translator, Boris Leonidovich
PASTERNAK, born in 1890, was one of the founders in Russia of symbolism - a
style which united many different trends in early twentieth-century literature
and art and which was evident in such early works as the collections of poems
Twin in the Clouds (1914), Above the Barriers (1917) and My Sister. Life
(1922). Pasternak then applied himself to the task of interpreting historical
events in such poems as Lieutenant Shinidt (1926) and Nineteen Hundred and Five
(1927). The idea of self-sacrificing service in the cause of social progress
permeates much of his work, for example The Kremlin in Snow (1918) and the
collection On Early Trains (1943). Pasternak's lyric verse is noted for its
high degree of poetic sophistication, the complexity of its imagery and the
refinement of its language.
Pasternak helped in no small way to familiarize the Soviet people with
the cultures of other countries and peoples. Particularly noteworthy are his
translations of Georgian poets (a collection was published in 1946), of Petbfi
(in a selection published in 1948), of Goethe's Faust (1953) and of
Shakespeare's tragedies Hamlet, Othello. Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, Antony and
Cleopatra. Henry IV and King Lear.
Given the extent of Boris Pasternak's influence on the development and
extension of the world's poetic heritage, the adoption by the Executive Board
of a resolution on the celebration of the hundredth anniversary of his birth
is likely to make an important contribution to the achievement of one of
Unesco's fundamental aims - closer relations and mutual understanding between
peoples.
Reference document: 131 EX/Decisions.

100th anniversary of the birth of the architect Konstantin Melnikov (Russian Federation) (1990)

The world-famous Soviet architect Konstantin Stepanovich MELNIKOV (born
in 1890 in Moscow) was one of the founders of constructivism - an
architectural style that played a decisive role in the development of world
architecture in the twentieth century. In the 1920s and 1930s, the period
during which this new style asserted itself, Melnikov designed new types of
public buildings and other structures, and was one of the first to propose the
idea of transforming internal space. His works are distinguished by their
dynamic, expressive forms and by bold, sometimes paradoxical design
solutions. Examples of his best known works include the Makhorka wooden
pavilion at the First All-Russian Exhibition of Agriculture and Cottage
Industry, the I.V. Rusakov Club, the architect's own house on Krivoi Arbat
Lane in Moscow and the club of the 'Burevestnik' factory.
Melnikov's work constitutes a major landmark in the development of
Soviet and foreign architecture during the twentieth century.
Unesco's help in bringing the architectural work of Konstantin Melnikov
to the attention of the world community will advance the cause of
international cultural co-operation, in keeping with one of the Organization's
major objectives - the familiarization of the peoples with the history and
achievements of its Member States, and with their contribution to the cultural
development of humanity
Reference document: 131 EX/Decisions.

100th anniversary of the birth of the poet Anna Akhmatova (Russian Federation) (1989)

The lyrical work of the world-famous Soviet Russian poet Anna Andreevna
AKHMATOVA (1889-1966) is rooted in real life, from which it draws its
recurring theme of 'great earthly love'. Her style is one of clarity and
contrast; melancholy and tragedy alternate with a bright, triumphant .1oie de
vivre. In broadening her range of expression, she transcended the closed
world of refined, aesthetic experiences (the collection Evening (1912), The
Rosary (1914), The White Flock (1917), Plantain (1921), Anno Domini MGMXXI
(1922), etc). Her work also bears witness to a profound sense of history.
Intense fellow-feeling with the people is expressed in the lyric cycles The
Moon and its Zenith and From an Aeroplane. The summit of Akhmatova's creative
work is the lyric-epic Poem without a Hero (1940-1962). Akhmatova's poetry is
further characterized by a classical simplicity and clarity of style, by
concreteness in the structure of the images, an elevated lyric quality and its
melodiousness.
Akhmatova made an outstanding contribution to the mutual enrichment of
cultures. She translated Eastern, Western European, Jewish and Latvian
poets. Her works on the art of Pushkin offer a keen and penetrating analysis
of her subject.
The adoption of a resolution on the celebration of the hundredth
anniversary of the birth of Anna Akhmatova will contribute to the
accomplishment of Unesco's tasks with regard to the mutual enrichment of the
cultures of different countries and peoples, and to the strengthening of
international understanding.
The draft resolution which we have submitted is designed to serve the
aims of international cultural collaboration and promote a broader awareness
in the world community with the uniqueness of national cultures.
Reference document: 131 EX/Decisions.

100th anniversary of the birth of the sculptor Vera Mukhina (Russian Federation) (1989)

The distinguished Soviet sculptor, Vera Ignatevna MOUKHINA (1889-1953),
People's Artist of the USSR and member of the USSR Academy of Arts, made a
significant contribution to the development of Soviet monumental art and
portrait sculpture. Active in the domain of theory, she frequently addressed
herself to the use of new materials in sculpture, developed a polychomatic
technique, and was closely involved in problems of artistic synthesis. The
work which best reflects this interest - the 24-metre high composition The
Worker and the Female Kolkhoznik - a symbol of the new society - which topped
the Soviet pavilion at the Paris World Fair of 1937, now stands at the
entrance to the Exhibition of National Economic Achievements of the USSR in
Moscow. Other particularly well-known large-scale works by Moukhina are the
monument to Gorky (1938-1939), the group of figures entitled We demand PeaceI,
and the monument to Tchaikovsky in Moscow (created jointly with a number of
architects, 1945). Her best-known smaller pieces include the monument to
V.M. Zagorsky (1921), the composition The Wind (1926-1927), The Peasant Woman
(1927) and Bread (1939). In her portraits, Moukhina invariably revealed the
connection between the individuality of her subjects and the people's destiny,
thus rendering tangible the heroic fervour of the times. An extremely
versatile artist, Moukhina designed exhibitions, produced industrial graphics
and designed clothes, textiles, porcelain and glassware.
The adoption by the Executive Board of a resolution on the celebration
of the hundredth anniversary of the birth of Vera Moukhina will help to make
the international community aware of the work of one of the founders of Soviet
monumental and plastic art, who at the same time influenced the development of
new trends in sculpture the world over.
Reference document: 131 EX/Decisions.

1000th anniversary of the introduction of Christianity in Russia (Russian Federation) (1988)

Reference document: 126 EX/Decisions + CORR. 1 & 2.

100th anniversary of the birth of Anton Semionovitch Makarenko, writer and educational theorist (Russian Federation) (1988)

Reference document: 24 C/Resolutions + CORR

275th anniversary of the birth of Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov, scholar and encyclopedist (Russian Federation) (1986)

Reference document: 23 C/Resolutions + CORR.

800th anniversary of ‘The Song of Igor’s Campaign, one of ancient Russia’s greatest poetical works (Russian Federation) (1985)

Reference document: 22 C/Resolutions + CORR.

500th anniversary of the birth of Nicolas Copernicus (Poland, Russian Federation) (1973)

Reference document: 88 EX/37

100th anniversary of the birth of Vera Komisarjevskaya, actresses (1864-1910) (1964) (Russian Federation) (1964)

UNESCO/MC/46

150th anniversary of the birth of M.Y. Lermontov, poet (1814-1841) (1964) (Russian Federation) (1964)

UNESCO/MC/46

100th anniversary of the birth of vera Komisar Jevskaya (Russian Federation) (1964)

Reference document: 61 EX/16

150th anniversary of the birth of T.G. Shevchenko (Ukraine and Russian Federation) (1964)

Reference document: 61 EX/DR.1

100th anniversary of the birth of C.S. Stanislavsky ( Russian Federation) (1963)

Co-founder of the Moscow Art Theatre and first producer of the plays pf Chekhov and
Gorky.

Centenary of the birth of the actor, acteur, producer and director of Russian theatre Konstantin Stanislavski (1963)

100th anniversary of the death of M.S. Chepkine, actor (1863) (1963) (Russian Federation) (1963)

UNESCO/MC/46

150th anniversary of the birth of A.S. Dargomyjsky, composer (1813-1869) (1963) (Russian Federation) (1963)

UNESCO/MC/46

150th anniversary of the birth of N.P. Ogarev, poet and journalist (1813-1877) (1963) (Russian Federation) (1963)

UNESCO/MC/46

200th anniversary of the death of F.G. Volkov, actor and theatre personality (1763) (1963) (Russian Federation) (1963)

UNESCO/MC/46

150th anniversary of the birth of A.I. Herzen (Russian Federation) (1962)

Reference document: 60 EX/13

150th anniversary of the birth of I.A. Goncharov (Russian Federation) (1962)

Reference document: 60 EX/13

150th anniversary of the birth of Mirza Fatal Akhundov (Russian Federation) (1962)

Reference document: 60 EX/13

100th anniversary of the birth of Anton Chekhov (Russian Federation) (1960)

Reference document: 10 C/5 Rev. Add. IV ('58)