Thursday 18 November

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The election of Members of the Executive Board took place on 17 November 2021. 

The following Member States were elected for a four-year term: 

In line with Rule 91.2 of the Rules of Procedure of the General Conference, when the number of candidates is the same as the number of seats to be filled, the candidates shall be declared elected without the need to hold a ballot. There will be no voting for the elections of the following committees and subsidiary organs where the number of candidates of vacant seats is equal or inferior to the number of vacant seats. 

Therefore, with reference to document 41 C/NOM/INF.2 Rev.5, the following subsidiary bodies do not require voting: 14.2, 14.3, 14.4, 14.6, 14.9, 14.11, 41.12, 14.13, 14.14 and 14.15. 

Elections shall only take place for the bodies whose number of candidates exceeds the number of seats to be filled. The Nominations Committee will proceed to a vote in Room IV from 10:00 to 13:00 for the four following subsidiary bodies:

• Item 14.5 IBE, Group I; 

• Item 14.7 MAB, Group I and Group IV; 

• Item 14.8 IHP, Group IV; 

• Item 14.10 IPDC, Group II. 

• The event Philosophy Around the World – Worldwide Philosophical Relay-Race will take place from 11:30 to 22:00 in Room IX and online. On the occasion of World Philosophy Day 2021, this global event celebrates philosophy in all parts of our planet under the overall theme of intercultural philosophy for peace and sustainability in the time of crisis. It will be comprised of two plenary opening and closing sessions and five regional webinars organized in all UNESCO’s regions – Africa, Arab States, Asia and the Pacific, Europe/North America and Latin America and the Caribbean. All regions will take turn to deliver interactive sessions and to pass the philosophical baton to the next region to reflect on the role of philosophy in helping make sense of the modern world and in finding solutions to the complex global challenges of today.   

  • Access to Live webcast

• The launch of UNESCO’s World Atlas of Languages (WAL), will take place from 13:30 to 14:30 in Room XI and online. To register for the in-person event click here. This event aims to present the status of linguistic diversity around the world and generate renewed interest for more coordinated global actions towards preservation, support, and promotion of languages. The WAL provides the global community with a new perspective for more inclusive, comprehensive, and transversal understanding of linguistic diversity. It aims to stimulate new research and innovation, create demand for new language resources and tools, contribute to the formulation of language policies and legislation and forge new partnerships and collaboration among multiple actors. In the long-term, UNESCO WAL will contribute to the implementation of the Global Action Plan of the upcoming International Decade of Indigenous Languages (2022-2032) providing all stakeholders with the online tool and innovative methodology for the assessment of linguistic diversity around the world. 

  • Access to Live webcast

• The Symposium “Greece and Cultural Heritage” will take place from 18:30 to 20:30 in Room I and online . Organized under the patronage of UNESCO by “Marianna V. Vardinoyannis Foundation” in collaboration with the Permanent Delegation of Greece, this event will celebrate the bicentenary of Greece’s Independence and will feature personalities and members of the academic world. The first panel discussion will examine “Values and Ideals of the Greek culture” and the second panel will discuss “The protection of Cultural Heritage”. 

  • Access to Live webcast

• A Panel Discussion on the Revival of Cultural Life in Mosul  commenced by a walk through the photo exhibition on Mosul which highlights the ongoing rehabilitation and reconstruction campaign in the Old City of Mosul. The Minister of Culture, Tourism and Antiquities of Iraq, Dr Hassan Nadhem together with the Director of the State Board of Antiquities and Heritage of Iraq, Dr Laith Hussein and ADG for Culture, opened the panel discussion and were joined by three experts working on the advancement of cinema, theatre and music in the city of Mosul, within the framework of UNESCO’s Revive the Spirit of Mosul Initiative. They discussed the role of the communities and youth in Mosul in reviving their own city’s cultural life through movies and theatre, music and creative labs. 

• “It’s about life” was a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB). This event showcased the role of MAB in spearheading UNESCO’s strategy for biodiversity conservation and as a global leader in socially inclusive environmental management. The celebration was in the presence of scientists, youth representatives and artists and comprised of a presentation on the 50th anniversary artwork by Vik Muniz, as well as a presentation of preliminary results of the Monitoring for the Future: Delivery of drones to beneficiary countries initiative, an Intergenerational dialogue between MAB official spokespeople titled Passing the baton and an Award Ceremony celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the Sultan Qaboos Prize for Environmental Conservation. 

• The event Journalism is a public good: Presentation of the Highlights of the World Trends in Freedom of Expression and Media Development: Global Report 2021/2022 presented the highlights of the 2021/2022 global edition of the flagship series of reports on World Trends in Freedom of Expression and Media Development. Organized in collaboration with the Permanent Delegation of Sweden, this event showcased an overview of the original data-driven analysis covered in the report and featured a high-level panel with speakers from academia, civil society, the UN, and the media sector.  

• The high-level event Leading Voices Against Racism addressed the “Global Call against Racism” launched by Member States in December 2020, and welcomed the following panelists: H.E. Epsy Campbell Barr, Vice President of Costa Rica, H.E. Juan José Bremer, Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of Mexico, Martin Luther King III, global human rights activist, José Francisco Calí Tzay, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and award-winning writer, Tania de Montaigne. The speakers provided their views on concrete initiatives that would enhance the global network of champions that UNESCO established. Great emphasis was placed on inclusive and intercultural education that goes beyond simple recognition and respect of differences. The discussion highlighted the need for inclusive policies, global citizenship education, youth empowerment, upholding of human rights including the right to self-determination, among others. The diverse set of voices expanded upon how policymakers, activists, creatives and academics can use their positions to unite in this fight against racism and discrimination.  

• The high-level event UNESCO Marine World Heritage & Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission in the framework of the Ocean Decade launched a strategic roadmap that sets out the core science, resource, and capacity needs at Marine World Heritage sites in the context of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development 2021-2030 (“The Ocean Decade”). This event showcased tangible examples of transversal cooperation among UNESCO Programmes in the field of ocean science and Marine World Heritage as well as support from key partners for flagship initiatives. It highlighted the recently launched joint IOC-CLT global eDNA project to study vulnerability of species to climate change at Marine World Heritage sites. Furthermore, it featured a view from the field with a testimonial from the local management authority of the Aldabra Atoll World Heritage site (Seychelles). For more information, visit the following links: Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, the World Heritage Marine Progamme and the Ocean Decade.    

• The 12th UNESCO Youth Forum “Co-creating with youth the post-COVID” will take place from 13:00 to 17:00, online. Building on the findings of the global initiative Youth as Researchers on COVID-19, (https://en.unesco.org/covid19/youth/yar), the 12th UNESCO Youth Forum will bring together young people from around the world to discuss how UNESCO’s mandate can be mobilized to fight the negative effects of the pandemic on youth. The Forum will give rise to a draft Plan of Action by and for Youth for the post-COVID-19 period that will be presented to Member States at the General Conference. 

• The UNESCO Conventions Ceremony will take place from 13:00 to 15:00 in Room X. This event aims to promote the standard-setting activity of UNESCO and highlight Member States’ commitments to cooperate in the fields of education, culture, science and information. During the ceremony, which is open to all delegations, Member States’ representatives will be invited to sign the conventions deposited with the Director-General and/or present to the Director-General their instruments of ratification to these conventions. 

• The UNESCO-Japan ESD Prize Award Ceremony will take place from 13:30 to 15:00 in Room I and online. The 2021 laureates of the UNESCO-Japan Prize on Education for Sustainable Development will be celebrated during this award ceremony. Three laureates will receive USD 50,000 to expand their actions for further scaling up. The Prize and award winners recognize the role of education in connecting the social, economic, cultural and environmental dimensions of sustainable development. The core selection criteria are the projects’ potential for transformation, their innovative quality and ability to embrace all three dimensions of sustainability: the economy, society and the environment. 

• Presentation of the publication: UNESCO, Art Collection, selected works, will take place from 18:00 to 19:00 in Room I.  On the occasion of the 75th anniversary, this publication celebrates the Organization's remarkable and diverse collection of artworks, including Picasso, Miró, Arp, Appel, Afro, Matta, Calder, Chillida, Giacometti, Moore, Tamayo, Soto, Vasarely, Cruz-Diez and many others. The art currently on display in UNESCO's buildings bears witness to the richness of artistic diversity in the world over the past 6000 years. This publication features 75 selected artworks from UNESCO’s collection which correspond to 75 key concepts from UNESCO's work, reflecting the cultural, geographical and temporal diversity of the heritage. For the first time, artists will be joining this presentation to share the history of their art and the reasons for their donation. During the event, foundation directors, artists, art critics, specialists in modern and contemporary art, and directors of art institutions will accompany the Director-General in the presentation of this work, which symbolizes the power of the arts as a driver of the Organization’s mandate. 

• HR’s presentation Join UNESCO will take place from 15:00 to 16:00 in Hall Miró. The Bureau of Human Resources Management (HRM) will offer an opportunity for delegates participating in the General Conference to interact with HR officers to get a better understanding of the profile of candidates UNESCO is looking for, how to submit an application and prepare for a competencies-based interview. During this briefing, HRM will offer a presentation on the different types of talent programmes (Loans and Secondments, Junior Professional Officer (JPO) Programme, sponsored trainees, etc..) that are implemented in partnership with Member States, academic, civil society and private sector entities.