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UNESCO and Qatar National Library to Organize Training to Support Documentary Heritage Preservation in the Arab Region

Memory Institutions from Arab Region Trained on Collection Management and Documentation Techniques

Documentary Heritage practitioners from the Arab region took part in a capacity building activity organized by UNESCO and Qatar National Library in Jordan The United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization UNESCO and Qatar National Library as the IFLA Regional Preservation and Conservation PAC Center for Arab countries and the Middle East jointly organized a fourday capacity building course to support documentary heritage institutions in the Arab region Hosted by Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation in Amman Jordan the training took place from 2 5 March and was attended by 18 documentary heritage practitioners from Algeria Iraq Jordan Lebanon Libya Mauritania Morocco Oman Palestine Qatar Sudan and Yemen The training on Collection Management and Documentation Techniques focused on best practices concerning documentation procedures such as entry exit and loans procedures labelling cataloguing and movement control It included both theoretical and practical sessions aiming to enhance the skills of the participants in managing documentation procedures manuals and setting up collection management plans to ensure safe secure and effective management in heritage collections Anna Paolini Director of UNESCO GCC and Yemen Office said The Arab region is home to extraordinary cultural heritage The manuscripts books maps videos and archives of the region are a contribution to the history of humanity and it is therefore essential to provide documentary heritage practitioners with capacity building opportunities to enhance their knowledge and skills in managing their priceless collections Zein Taleb Boubakar a participant in the training from Library Mahjouby in Mauritania highlighted the importance of the knowledge shared during the training and its direct benefit to his library This training covered some of the important concepts and techniques of collection management and documentation which are among the top needs of our library The sessions also increased the awareness of all participants on the importance of preservation of cultural heritage in the Arab world The training is part of an ongoing joint project between UNESCO and Qatar National Library titled Supporting Documentary Heritage Preservation in the Arab Region which plans to safeguard the rich and unique documentary heritage of the Arab region by mapping needs and challenges providing capacitybuilding opportunities and enhancing knowledge and information sharing Stephane Ipert Conservation and Preservation Manager at the Library and Director of IFLA Regional PAC Center said We continue our important role in helping to preserve the regions heritage in an inclusive manner through providing handson training opportunities for experts in coordination with our partners These trainings have proven very useful in building local capacities and empowering the relevant institutions in the region to operate independently from external support share knowledge and enhance skills Experts from across the Arab region will attend another handson training session in April this year which will be held in Tunisia in partnership with the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property ICCROM and will focus on preventive conservation as well as crisis preparedness and first aid to documentary heritage at risk

UN Call for Technology Solutions for addressing the COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts

In support to the UN SecretaryGenerals initiative in assisting Member States at the COVID19 crisis the UN Department for Economic and Social Affairs requests your inputs in response to this Call for Technology Solutions for addressing the COVID19 pandemic and its immediate impacts This effort is undertaken in the context of the UN Technology Facilitation Mechanism TFM in particular experts active in its UN Interagency Task Team on Science Technology and Innovation for the SDGs including UNESCO and its 10Member Group for the TFM We are looking for proven affordable and scalable technology solutions that can accelerate progress towards providing basic health functions especially for vulnerable people We are looking for solutions from diverse sources and communities from all parts of the world All relevant submissions using the template provided below are welcome and will be reviewed carefully For this purpose it is very important to please include endorsements or validation information on your solution where available Upon review and acceptance promising solutions will be featured on the UN Website and used in UN materials in support of policy makers private sector leaders civil society and key representatives of the global scientific and technological communities We very much hope this Call will support building a community of likeminded innovators from around the world focused on technology solutions for COVID19 Thank you very much for your consideration Please provide your inputs no later than 20 May 2020 to ktzinovaunescoorg using the template for further submission to the Coordinator of the UN Interagency Task Team on Science Technology and Innovation for the SDGs For more information httpssustainabledevelopmentunorgtfm Download the template for Submission pdf Template for Submission Description and rationale When and where was it demonstrated Where was it used What were the results Validationendorsements Approximate cost Funding sought Contact details and further information please specify which elements could be published

The Creative City of Design San José of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network organizes a virtual discussion on Creativity and Culture in times of COVID-19

On the eve of the Bicentenary of its Independence, Costa Rica reflects on the role of Culture in Sustainable Development

August 20, 2021

Costa Rica seeks to enhance the contributions of agriculture to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals

August 30, 2021

Qatar Celebrates The International Day to Protect Education from Attack In partnership with UNESCO

On 9th of September the UN have celebrated with an online event the 2nd International Day to Protect Education from Attack under the auspices of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education of Qatar with the partnership of Education Above All Foundation together with the UNESCO and UNICEF offices based in Doha

September 8, 2021

Costa Rica strengthens its music ecosystem through virtual forum

Some 30 representatives from various sectors of the Costa Rican music ecosystem met virtually in a forum organized by UNESCO and the Ministry of Culture and Youth in the framework of the project Musica Fast Forward FFWD

November 10, 2021

Conclusion of the project "Música FFWD" for the strengthening of Costa Rica's music sector

The FFWD Music project implemented together with the Ministry of Culture and Youth of Costa Rica in the framework of the UNESCOEuropean Union cooperation programme for the development of cultural and creative industries and SouthSouth cooperation has come to an end This project was developed throughout 2021 with the technical assistance of a team of international and local experts including Nicolas Madoery Eva Moraga and Roberto Montero Música FFWD focused on strengthening the Costa Rican music sector through actions to boost its professionalisation associativity and visibility as well as its transition to the formal economy The formal closure of the project took place through a virtual event held on December 2 with the presence of the Minister of Culture Sylvie Durán Salvatierra the Head of Cooperation of the Delegation of the European Union in Costa Rica Alberto Menghini and the Culture Programme Specialist of the UNESCO Office in San José Caroline Munier as well as the international team of experts in charge of the implementation of the project and members of the Costa Rican music sector The closing event provided an opportunity to present the sector with the main results achieved in the different phases of the project Between April and July four training modules were held which were aimed at the entire sector These modules were attended by 26 international specialists from 8 countries mainly from Latin America and focused on topics such as the music ecosystem associativity digital music and new business models More than 300 people from the Costa Rican music sector were involved in these activities The second phase of the project consisted of a mentoring program in which seven selected projects were guided by four international professionals to establish their objectives and medium and longterm planning The third phase consisted of a Music Ecosystem Forum in which a limited number of representatives from the public and private sectors academia professional associations and various roles in the value chain of the Costa Rican music industry participated to address strategic issues and to establish a roadmap for the development of the sector in the future Within the framework of Música FFWD a pilot project was also carried out with the music sector to promote the transition to formality of the creative sectors in Costa Rica The project sought to identify barriers or obstacles to the transition to the formal economy through research and analysis thanks to an inclusive consultation process involving multiple public institutions as well as organizations and individuals from civil society The results of this study provide an overview of a diversity of perspectives on the social and economic conditions of the music sector and set forth the basis for future research and dialogue to improve the living conditions of those working in the arts and culture and to highlight the important role they play in the development of society Costa Rica is one of the twelve countries selected worldwide to benefit from technical assistance provided by the UNESCOEuropean Union Cooperation Programme for the Development of Cultural and Creative Industries and SouthSouth Cooperation This programme seeks to position the creative and cultural industries as important sectors for the fulfilment of the objectives of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development For more information httpsmusicaffwdculturacr httpsenunescoorgnewsstrengtheningitscompetitivenessmusicsectorcostarica httpsenunescoorgnewscostaricasmusicsectorstrength httpsenunescoorgnewscostaricasmusicsectorreceivesdigitalcontenttraining httpsenunescoorgnewscostaricanmusicsectorendsroundtrainingmodulestrainingnewbusinessmodels httpsenunescoorgnewscostaricastrengthensitsmusicecosystemthroughvirtualforum

December 3, 2021

Central American Parliament examines the situation of cultural sectors in Central America

Following the invitation of the Central American Parliament PARLACEN UNESCO through its Offices in San Jose and Guatemala City participated in an ordinary meeting of the Commission on Education Culture Sport Science and Technology of this regional body which is part of the Central American Integration System SICA During the session held virtually on Wednesday December 1 Ms Caroline Munier Culture Programme Specialist at the UNESCO Cluster Office in San José addressed the important challenges faced by the regions cultural sectors in the context of the COVID19 pandemic Since the onset of the pandemic people engaged in cultural and creative work have seen many preexisting challenges exacerbated particularly related to the high rate of labour informality that prevails in these sectors UNESCO emphasized to the members of the Commission the importance of promoting measures to improve the socioeconomic conditions of these people and at the same time contribute to enhance the multiple contributions they make to the fulfillment of the 2030 Agenda of the United Nations for Sustainable Development UNESCO has also called on PARLACEN to get involved in the preparatory process for the next World Conference on Cultural Policies Mondiacult to be held in September next year in Mexico City Mondiacult 2022 seeks to strengthen the role of cultural policies for sustainable development at the global level To gather regional perspectives for this important event a series of regional consultations will be carried out through an inclusive and participatory process involving not only national authorities but also regional intergovernmental organizations academia and civil society organizations among other stakeholders

December 3, 2021

Working with Communities for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Qatar

Doha 21 February 2021 Today the UNESCO Office for the GCC and Yemen in partnership with the Qatari National Commission for UNESCO and the Ministry of Culture and Sports launched an online workshop on Inventories of the Intangible Cultural Heritage with the Participation of Communities This initiative is taking place in the framework of UNESCOs continued support to safeguard Qatars living heritage in line with the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage

February 21, 2021

Radios in the Gulf region celebrate World Radio Day 2021

Each year on February 13 UNESCO celebrate the World Radio Day Proclaimed in 2011 by the Member States of UNESCO and adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2012 as an International Day the World Radio Day WRD celebrates radio as a powerful medium for celebrating humanity in all its diversity and constitutes a platform for democratic discourse At the global level radio remains the most widely consumed medium This unique ability to reach out the widest audience means radio can shape a societys experience of diversity stand as an arena for all voices to speak out be represented and heard Radio stations should serve diverse communities offering a wide variety of programs viewpoints and content and reflect the diversity of audiences in their organizations and operations On the occasion of World Radio Day 2021 WRD 2021 UNESCO calls on radio stations to celebrate this events 10th anniversary and the more than 110 years of radio This edition of WRD is placed under the theme New World New Radio Evolution Innovation Connection EVOLUTION The world changes radio evolves This subtheme refers to the resilience of the radio to its sustainability INNOVATION The world changes radio adapts and innovate Radio has had to adapt to new technologies to remain the goto medium of mobility accessible everywhere and to everyone CONNECTION The world changes radio connects This subtheme highlights radios services to our societynatural disasters socioeconomic crises epidemics etc UNESCO GCC and Yemen office proposed to its partners in Kuwait Qatar and Yemen two activities to celebrate this year edition Activity 1 Social Media Campaign What does radio mean to you UNESCO invites radio listeners to register themselves on an up to 2 minutes videos or audio recording explaining how the use of radio has impacted or not their lives in the recent years and especially in the COVID 19 era Activity 2 The evolution of radio in the Gulf through the eyes of a senior radio professional UNESCO invites senior radio professionals from the Gulf region to share their experience with radio and how its use audience and way of working has changed throughout the years Those personal narratives will be converted into webarticles that will be shared online on the UNESCO GCC and Yemen website as well as on its social media

Artists from Costa Rica strengthen their knowledge on the linkages between Culture and the Sustainable Development Goals