IN FOCUS
Celebrating World Press Freedom Day in Brussels
On the occasion of the celebration of 2013 World Press Freedom Day in Brussels, 5 Members of the European Parliament kindly accept to be interviewed by the UNESCO Liaison Office in Brussels on the issue of safety of journalists and media workers. Let’s discover their messages.
UNESCO/EU project: Restoration of the Segundo Cabo Palace in La Havana
On 16th of April, UNESCO Office in La Havana hosted the third session of the Management Committee of the project “Heritage Recovery and Cultural Development in Havana: Segundo Cabo Palace” in the presence of Representatives of the EU delegation in Cuba and the Office of the Historian of the City of Havana (OHCH).
During this annual meeting, the different partners reviewed the implementation report of the project and the activities realized since February 2012.
In Brussels, UNESCO and the UE are reinforcing their cooperation to fight the illicit trafficking of cultural property
At the end of February, a working group met with UNESCO’s experts and different General Directorates of the European Commission in order to promote the actions of these two Organizations, particularly as regards the application of the 1970 Convention and the 93/7 Directive. The objective is to develop new strategies and actions in favor of the protection of cultural property and its licit trade.
- More information about the working group (in French)
- Fight against the Illicit trafficking of cultural property
UNESCO Director General: Millions can benefit from partnerships with private sector
UNESCO increasingly counts on partnerships with the private sector to help fund projects, Director General Irina Bokova tells EurActiv.
“We use new, innovative schemes such as promoting the use of smartphones to combat illiteracy; we work with Ericsson, with Nokia. We have interesting projects with a multinational such as Procter & Gamble for promoting girls' literacy in Senegal, [and] now we are starting similar projects in Kenya and Tanzania,” Irina Bokova said.

© UNESCO AmmanYouth training in Za’atari
UNESCO-EU Partnership: Supporting the futures of young Syrian refugees in Jordan
In response to the challenges posed by the escalating influx of Syrian refugees into the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the UNESCO Amman Office is launching a 4.3 million Euro project funded by the European Union to sustain quality education and promote skills development opportunities for young Syrian refugees and young Jordanians impacted by the humanitarian crisis.
More information on the website of the UNESCO Office in Amman
UNESCO and the European Commission discuss ways of tackling low literacy levels
On 22 January 2013 at the European Parliament, UNESCO and the EU Commission present the EU High Level Group Report on Literacy and discuss ways to tackle low literacy levels. Keynote speakers are H.R.H. Princess Laurentien of the Netherlands, special envoy for UNESCO on Literacy and chair of the EU HLG, EU Commissioners Ms. Vassiliou (DG EAC) and Mr. Piebalgs (DG DEVCO) and Dr. Marope, Director for Basic Learning and Skills Development at UNESCO.
EU signs new partnership with UNESCO
A new deal that will boost cooperation, dialogue and help to share information and best practice between the European Union (EU) and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) was signed between the Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission, Catherine Ashton, and the Development Commissioner, Andris Piebalgs. More information










