Phytochemistry and Chemistry of Natural Products for Green and Sustainable Growth

In the frame of the International Year of Chemistry 2011, nine countries from the region founded SEE PhytoChemNet - the Southeast European Network on Phytochemistry and Chemistry of Natural Products for Green and Sustainable Growth. The Regional Steering Committee will have an extended meeting in May to advance in specifying the division of labor in the joint study of Sideritis species as a platform for the elaboration of standardized protocols for extraction, analysis and other related research activities. 

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Watch for every drop of water!

14 information sheets have just been released under the title “Drops of Water” as part of UNESCO’s active promotion of the H2Ooooh! Initiative. Schoolchildren from around the world are invited to participate in this scientific and creative learning experience. Facts and figures about water, together with a list of references that will help schools prepare and realize their storyboard. Whether or not their work will be selected, taking part in this exciting endeavour will be a unique opportunity to raise awareness, and to learn something new about water and what one could do to safeguard such a precious element for our lives!

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Towards sustainable development

The Project “Outlining a sustainable future for the Po Delta area as a MAB Biosphere Reserve (DMBR)” was designed to facilitate a common effort of supra-communal master planning and management of this territory of outstanding international value, associating the Emilia-Romagna and Veneto Regions. The project agreement signed between UNESCO and the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Padova e Rovigo in March will be officially presented during a Press Conference in Rovigo (Italy) on 16 May.

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Ethical Journalism Forum

The event marks the end of the “Inter-Ethnic Dialogue in the Media Community Project”, which the Association of Journalists has been implementing over the past five months in partnership with UNESCO under the auspices of the Joint Programme to Enhance Inter-Ethnic Community Dialogue and Collaboration in The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.  Target groups of this project are the Council of Honor, the journalists and journalism students, the TV news desks, as well as the commercial media news desks, and certainly the wider public.

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Open Discovery Space eLearning Project

Space, Place and Identity

The ETNOFILm 4 - Visual Anthropology Workshop will draw attention to the critical role of space and place in audiovisual representation across the social sciences, arts and humanities. Questions of space and place further shape the formation of different identities, whether individual subjects, groups, institutions, regions or ecosystems. In a special session, invited museum professionals, ethnologists and visual anthropologists from South-East European countries will discuss the relationship between audiovisual media, representation and intangible heritage research.

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The Role of School Principals in Promoting Intercultural Dialogue

School principals of the largest public schools in The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia will discuss issues regarding the challenges and opportunities of intercultural dialogue in the national public educational system. This roundtable discussion is part of three consecutive events organized by the newly founded Center for Cultural Interaction and Dialogue (CCID) at SEEU and supported by UNESCO. The aim is to encourage an academic debate and discussion on important issues pertaining to intercultural coexistence in the country.

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"Alliances for Culture Tourism in Eastern Anatolia" draws to a close

The UN Joint Programme mobilized the culture sector in Turkey’s least developed region – eastern Anatolia, to increase incomes and enhance respect of cultural diversity among people of different origin and background, through the development of a sustainable and responsible tourism based on local cultural and natural heritage. It built capacities of managers of cultural assets, tourism professionals, local authorities and civil society in eastern Anatolia to protect and promote their heritage, while at the same time fostering sustainable tourism practices.

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Albania to prepare World Heritage properties for disaster risk

An integrated approach is necessary for a good management of World Heritage sites, including the too often neglected risk dimension. An accomplished and inedited report, focused on first level of microzonation, conducted by a multidisciplinary Italian-Albanian team composed by Italian will be presented to the public. A “site by site” visit of UNESCO-ICCROM team will follow at the  sites of Gjirokastra/Berat and Butrint, to secure a post-training coaching support to the heritage and civil protection professionals, useful to devise new management plans.

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Promoting a shared vision of intangible cultural heritage in South-East Europe

An appointment for 14 countries and an opportunity to enhance the implementation of the UNESCO 2003 Convention, to share experiences on national measures and policies, and to reinforce cooperation on shared heritage and capacity-building. After Bulgaria, Turkey, Croatia, Romania and Serbia, Greece takes turn hosting the sixth edition of the annual meeting of the South-East European Experts Network on Intangible Cultural Heritage within the frame of the UNESCO's new global initiative “Culture: a Bridge to Development”.

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