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JAAGO Foundation: how a simple technological solution can be expanded from a classroom to a whole country

September 30, 2019

2020 UNESCO calendar of "Colors of Bangladesh"

February 26, 2020

Dr Firdausi Qadri : fighting disease linked to humanitarian crises and climate change

Dr Firdausi Qadris research aims to understand and prevent infectious diseases affecting children in developing countries and promote early diagnosis and vaccination with global health impact In recognition of her outstanding achievements she is receiving the 2020 LOréalUNESCO For Women in Science award given each year to five exceptional women scientists from different regions of the world Globally over 800000 children die of diarrhoea each year and 56 of children in lowincome countries do not receive the recommended treatment In Bangladesh cholera and typhoid are both major causes of enteric diseases yet many people lack the knowledge or means to prevent these debilitating even lifethreatening conditions Expanding access to vaccination and promoting early diagnosis are fundamental to decreasing the countrys disease burden and helping to ensure that more children and adults lead longer healthier lives Dr Firdausi Qadri is leading pioneering work to understand the microbiological and immunological basis of bacterial diseases and treat infectious enteric gastrointestinal and diarrheagenic diseases affecting children in Bangladesh and beyond optimising vaccines for young children suffering from malnutrition Her scientific excellence and passion to help others have led to major studies of an oral cholera vaccine among nearly a million people at risk in vulnerable Bangladeshi communities with a vaccine due to be launched imminently To promote the rapid diagnosis of cholera and typhoid she has also developed innovative diagnostic tools and successfully overseen their journey from the laboratory to a practical commercially viable reality The suffering of thousands of diarrhoea patients is due to poor living conditions and highly contagious contaminated food and water she says Staying close to my roots in Bangladesh has enabled me to better understand peoples needs and find lifechanging solutions As a scientist at the unique International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research Bangladesh ICDDRB in Dhaka Bangladesh Dr Qadri has used biochemical immunological and molecular approaches to research the bacteria behind cholera Vibrio cholerae and typhoid Salmonella typhi as well as enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli ETEC She explores the capacity of mucous membranes to protect themselves against these pathogens and investigates the respective bacteria at a genetic level to better understand their infectious characteristics This builds on her longstanding interest in understanding Vibrio cholerae as well as ETEC and their potential to cause cholera epidemics in Bangladesh I knew I wanted to find a diagnostic method and work towards a prevention mechanism she recalls Dr Qadris groundbreaking work on cholera vaccinations has had a positive ripple effect advancing progress on vaccines against diseases including cholera typhoid and ETEC diarrhoea In particular she is working on a typhoid vaccine in the urban slums of Dhaka and both this and her cholera vaccine studies are being replicated in Asia Africa and Haiti I would like to see our work scaled up to treat many more people globally as they struggle with the risk of disease linked to humanitarian crisis and climate change she says In 2014 Dr Qadri founded the Institute for developing Science and Health initiatives ideSHi to help develop novel approaches to diagnosing genetic disorders and train biomedical scientists and clinicians in immunology and molecular biologybased research Under her leadership ideSHi also conducts humanitarian and research programmes to identify pragmatic solutions to public health challenges in Bangladesh and participates in health discussions at a global level Dr Qadri is active in fostering a supportive national culture for biotechnological innovations and acts as an expert adviser nationally and internationally working with the Bangladesh Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization for example Her interest in life sciences began at an early age I felt that knowing the biochemical and immunological mechanisms of the living being was extremely important she recalls Ive been amazed by the way microorganisms grow and help humans to live on this planet But Im also alarmed by their capacity to endanger peoples lives Dr Qadris family was a real source of inspiration and support for the early stages of her scientific journey encouraging her to reach ever higher in her ambitions Yet life as a scientist in Bangladesh has not always been easy To overcome the lack of funding resources and researchers and fight entrenched cultural expectations and gender prejudice she has leveraged courage and determination and achieved excellence through rigorous multitasking and a superb team of scientists I dream that in countries like ours we will develop stateoftheart selfsustaining facilities to support the mentoring and capacity building of young people especially women in scientific research Importantly she sees international collaborations as the building blocks of my achievements These have included partnerships with leading researchers in the US Sweden France the UK the Republic of Korea and India Balancing the demands of scientific research with family life remains the greatest challenge Dr Qadri perceives for women in science today Ultimately she believes that women scientists must play a dual role in the quest to further the cause of science both succeeding in their field and serving as role model for future generations Beyond this achieving gender balance in science means instilling the wonder of science in girls and boys and encouraging them to embrace its potential to change the world More information 22nd LOréalUNESCO For Women in Science Awards recognizes five exceptional women researchers in the life sciences source World Health Organization httpswwwwhointmaternalchildadolescentdocuments9789 All photos © LOréal Foundation

Message from Ms Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO on the occasion of International Women’s Day

Women are born free and remain equal to men in rights Today Article 1 of the Declaration of the Rights of Woman and the Female Citizen written in 1791 by Olympe de Gouges seems to us to state the obvious but at the time of its publication this message of justice dignity and equality was still far from being the common opinionSince then the cause of equality has made significant progress particularly in recent years The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action whose 25th anniversary we are celebrating this year was a catalyst for many initiatives in this regard ~read full message here

Shedding light on Hanoi’s iconic corners

On 24 July 2019 UNESCO together with Signify Viet Nam launched the contest Thành Phố Thông Minh Lung Linh Văn Hiến which calls on young Vietnamese to develop creative innovative green and smart lighting technologies to support Hanois development as a creative capital Going beyond just lighting up the room smart lighting plays an integral part in contributing to countries sustainable development Not only can it effectively save energy and reduce C02 emissions smart lighting facilitates sustainable and connected cities resulting in more livable and safe environments for urban citizens Antonio Espada General Manager of Signify Viet Nam elaborates Via this contest Signify Vietnam formerly Philips Lighting Vietnam and UNESCO would like to seek great ideas for a brighter and more attractive city such as Hanoi especially enhancing the beauty of thousands of years of civilization of Vietnams capital We are also happy to share our IoT platform called Interact which will connect and enable an endless world of connectivity and interactions between the city and its citizens Interact Landmark our IoT platform to connect monuments bridges and iconic facades will help to create unique city identities and images in the city and in the same way with our Interact City platform which connects public lighting with other city assets we can help to make real and tangible integrated vision of SmartCity projects The contest will empower young people to put the spotlight on Ha Nois culture and creativity in a new way allowing them to rethink smart lighting by developing innovative and green solutions to embrace heritage with the aid of smart lighting in all its manifold forms and shapes In the first round of the contest groups with a maximum of three members will submit a concept note providing the main idea design and materials used The second round will convene the top 10 selected ideas in Ha Noi for the final pitch to the jury allowing teams to present their smart lighting ideas in more refined formats using animation illustrations models or any other innovative ways they choose Apart from awarding the winning team a 3day trip to Singapore Signify will identify those ideas from the top 10 which can be translated into practical applications Michael Croft UNESCO Representative stressed Matching the creativity of youth with new technologies makes sense in so many ways especially when it comes to sustainable development UNESCOs partnership with Signify Viet Nam in this initiative enables youth to speak about Ha Noi as Creative City and the opportunity to demonstrate not only their talent but also the crucial role that youth play in the emerging creative movement in the city If you are up for the challenge submit your application here until 16 September 2019 httpsformsglefYLruNUiKPv3GL1j9 For further information please contact hanoiunescoorg

Joining hands to promote Ha Noi Creative City and the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in Viet Nam

Ha Noi 18 February 2020 Thirteen different organizations representing government the private sector culture and arts agencies and the United Nations gathered to discuss how best to support the Ha Noi Creative City Initiative in 2020 and share a vision for a future of Creative Cities in Viet Nam On 30 October 2019 Ha Noi became the first city of Viet Nam to receive an official designation by UNESCO as a Creative City a designation that coincided with the 20th anniversary of the Citys designation as a UNESCO City for Peace As the cultural and political capital of Viet Nam Ha Noi has played a central role in the countrys political history while nurturing creative talent Following two decades of profound expansion Ha Noi now seeks to situate itself at the forefront of the rapid socioeconomic transformation of Viet Nam through its cultural legacy to define a new model of economic activity based on creativity and strong youth empowerment Following Ha Nois successful application to the UNESCO Creative Cities Network UNESCO has been working with the city leadership and the central government to realize a vision of Ha Noi as a Creative Capital This vision will act as a catalyst to streamline various existing local initiatives creating new development opportunities as well as helping to drive inclusive and sustainable growth in a time of economic uncertainty New institutional partnerships around a common approach will be integral to the success of this initiative as will the active engagement of youth whose energy and creativity will help drive forward this ambitious initiative Indeed the vision puts Vietnamese young people at the centre for they represent the core of the countrys human capital and are key agents for innovation and social change This new vision has attracted numerous friends and partners of both Ha Noi and UNESCO many of whom have contributed to consultations before Ha Nois designation For example a pilot Festival on Media and Design jointly organized by UNESCO RMIT and VICAS Vietnam Institute for Culture and Arts in partnership with Ha Noi City attracted thousands of people to over 90 events and activities in November 2019 To build on the momentum created by the pilot partners are already discussing the Vietnam Festival for Design and Creativity in November 2020 with plans to widen activities to other Vietnamese cities inducing Hue and Ho Chi Minh City Speaking at the meeting on 18 February 2020 Mr Michael Croft UNESCO Representative to Viet Nam noted Ha Nois festival could demonstrate good practices for other Vietnamese cities who aspire to join the UNESCO Creative Cities Network Prof Julia Gaimster Dean at Royal Melbourne Institute for Technology RMIT added that the festival can be a great medium to build the creative identity of Viet Nam shifting production from made in Viet Nam to designed in Viet Nam Mr Cung Duc Han Vice Director of the Department for External Culture Affairs and UNESCO reaffirmed the support of the National Commission of Viet Nam to UNESCO The meeting brought together representatives from Ha Noi Citys Committee for Education and Propaganda Ha Noi Citys Task Force for Creative City the National Commission of UNESCO at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs the Ministry of Culture Sports and Tourism the Vietnam National Institute of Culture and Arts Studies the Embassy of Italy RMIT UNHabitat UNIDO the British Council ASHUI and Hanoi Grape Vine For more information please contact Ms Jiheun Haylie Kim hanoiunescoorg

In Viet Nam, UNESCO calls to end fake news and disinformation and highlights the importance of quality media coverage

While the countrys early and robust action since end January 2020 has been widely recognized as effective in preventing a widespread outbreak of COVID19 daily life has still been transformed by the situation and Vietnamese like many others are living out more of their lives online It is here that the other side of the crisis the infodemic plays out as elsewhere In this regard Kidong Park WHO Representative in Viet Nam said that during times of uncertainty rumour and misinformation can spread quickly and be harmful to response measures and local communities We encourage people including journalists to please make sure any information they pass on has been confirmed by relevant government authorities or WHO It is critical to strengthen risk communication and to provide clear timely evidencebased information to the public Viet Nam so far has been doing very well in this area We continue to support the country in countering the socalled infodemic of rumours and misinformation While encouraged by the healthy discussion on fake news and disinformation in on line and mass media in the country Michael Croft UNESCO Representative to Viet Nam believes further efforts will be necessary to deepen the understanding of these concepts During this unprecedented pandemic getting the right information is key and here the work of journalists and media professionals plays a critical role It is therefore crucial that they have a solid understanding of the related professional and ethical dimensions to be able to push back against fake news and misinformation Emphasizing that Media and Information Literacy MIL resources help the entire society in especial children and youth to face and overcome the current challenges Croft added that more than ever access to internet reliable information and a correct use of digital technologies are essential to fight to COVID19 As the ongoing COVID19 health crisis continues and taking into account its expertise in Media and Information Literacy MIL and Intercultural Dialogue ID UNESCO Hanoi will work with Vietnamese youth and journalists and media professionals in order to raise awareness of the fake news issues of the coronavirus and the importance of the inclusion and tolerance to stop the growing cases of discrimination and exclusion UNESCO MediaForGood StayAtHome COVID19 NoToFakeNews NoToDisinformation StopFakeNews StopDisinformation UNESCO AccessToInformation QualityNewsCoverage

"Implementation Partners Agreement Signing Ceremony” Between the Department of Archaeology and UNESCO

Within the framework of the 1972 Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage and its World Heritage Funds an International Assistance project on Updating the Tentative List in Bangladesh is jointly carried out by the Department of Archaeology and UNESCO Launching the project an Implementation Partners Agreement Signing Ceremony was held between the Department of Archaeology and UNESCO on 27 January 2020 at the Department of Archaeology Mr Md Hannan Mia Director General Additional Secretary of the Department of Archaeology and Ms Beatrice Kaldun Head of Office and UNESCO Representative to Bangladesh together with key staff and the international expert came together and signed the agreement for Updating the Tentative List in Bangladesh In this context UNESCO Dhaka Office provides technical guidance and advisory services having an international World Heritage expert engaged to support the Department of Archaeology in updating the Tentative List in Bangladesh for future nominations of World Heritage Sites in Bangladesh This project will analyze and reexamine the justification of the properties which were included in the existing Tentative List of Bangladesh and assess the potential Outstanding Universal Value OUV authenticity and integrity of new properties for inclusion in an updated Tentative List Tentative List A Tentative List is an inventory of those properties which each State Party intends to consider for nomination as a World Heritage site

UNESCO launches ResiliArt movement in the midst of COVID-19 pandemic

Cancelled concerts postponed festivals delayed album launch and closed cinemas COVID19 has hit the cultural and creative industries hard Still creative workers find creative solutions This is why UNESCO calls on all artists and creatives to join the ResiliArt movement COVID19 and the cultural and creative industries While billions of people around the world turn to culture as a source of comfort and connection during the COVID19 crisis the impact of COVID19 has not spared the culture sector More than 80 of UNESCO World Heritage properties have closed down threatening the livelihoods of local communities Museums theatres and cinemas are losing millions in revenue each day and many have had to let go of their staff Artists across the world most of whom were already working parttime on an informal basis prior to the pandemic are struggling to make ends meet Today we are experiencing a cultural emergency Culture makes us resilient and gives us hope In times of crisis we need art more than ever People in selfisolation singing together from balconies showed us that culture and creativity can unite us Our favorite films paintings and sculptures give us comfort strength escape and courage Music songs and dance allow individuals to express themselves and maintain social ties amidst travel restrictions and home confinement This unprecedented emergency demonstrates cultures role in building resilience and social cohesion art is resilient UNESCO calls on all artists and creatives to join the ResiliArt movement On 15 April UNESCO is launching a global movement ResiliArt to shed light on the current state of creative industries engaging with key industry professionals globally for their views and capturing experiences of resilience from artists both established and emerging on social media Together it raises awareness about the farreaching ramification of COVID19 across the sector and aims at supporting artists during and following the crisis Cultural industry professionals are encouraged to join the movement and replicate the ResiliArt series in their respective regions using the publicly available guidelines The devastation brought to the entire culture value chain will have a longlasting impact on the creative economy ResiliArt aims to ensure the continuity of conversations data sharing and advocacy efforts long after the pandemic subsides Lets flood the screens with messages of creative resilience and bring maximum visibility to the challenges artists and creative professionals are facing and overcoming in this time of crisis For further information please contact us at hanoiunescoorg

Video Campaign to Cope with COVID-19 in Bangladesh: #BeCreative to Promote Art

Like everywhere in the world Bangladesh is part of the COVID19 crisis The UNESCO Dhaka Office is fully aware of the need to activate all our potential including culture and art during this situation

Viet Nam: Planning for education based on sound evidence and a crisis-sensitive perspective

Call to youth: Help us shape the “Youth As Researchers – COVID19” Project

How are young people being impacted by the COVID19 pandemic What are young people doing about this Help us shape the Youth As Researchers COVID19 Project a new global youthled research initiative that seeks to answer questions like these

Growing Sport for Development in Vietnam

Sport is an integral part of our society and can be so much more than learning how to get better at kicking and catching Sport can be an effective development tool to achieve a number of social and community goals including promoting healthy lifestyles providing employment opportunities and bringing political groups together As the UNs lead agency for physical education and sport UNESCO is driven to ensure sport contributes positively to global development In Vietnam UNESCO is looking to see how it can best assist the Ministry of Culture Sport and Tourism MOCST and Vietnam Sports Administration in their effort to strengthen sport for development work To begin this process UNESCO in consultation with Football for All Vietnam hosted a roundtable with Vietnamese organizations working in sport for development The meeting provided one of the first opportunities for organizations working in sport for development in Vietnam to reflect together on the possibility to increase joint collaboration in 2020 and beyond The roundtable was held at UN headquarters in Hanoi and was attended by representatives of organizations who have demonstrated work in the sport for development area Representatives from the following organizations attended the roundtable Vietnam Sport Administration as represented by Vice Chairman Lê Hoàng Yến Plan International Football for All Vietnam FFAV Vietnam Olympic Committee Good Neighbours Vietnam Stop Human Trafficking Vietnam Blue Dragon Church World Service Child Fund and the UNESCO National Commission For the representatives it was an opportunity to connect with UNESCO and understand their role and the way in which sport can effectively contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals Representatives were interested to learn that there is strong evidence of sport being effective in contributing towards seven sustainable development goals 3 Good Health and Wellbeing 4 Quality Education 5 Gender Equality 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities 16 Peace Justice and Strong Institutions and 17 Partnerships for the Goals After being asked How can we unite by the FFAV director the representatives shared their organisations interesting and impactful work in sport for development While each organisation had a slightly different approach and focused on different development areas all were using the power of sport for good The work of these organisations was predominantly in the areas of youth empowerment building life skills and ensuring the protection of children in sport While understanding the sport for development activities being completed in Vietnam was key there was a strong interest in the ongoing collaboration between UNESCO the Vietnam Sports Administration and each organisation working in sport for development Importantly representatives emphasised that to achieve advances in sport for development work in Vietnam a bridge between development of sport and sport for development is required Development of sport is all about participation and nurturing talent to create the most highly skilled athletes Sport for development focuses on the role sport can play in contributing to the achievement of development outcomes beyond sport Connecting these commonly separated areas allows for greater pooling of resources and knowledge to reach a greater number of people with sport While sport for development projects are widely implemented globally there there are still many ways in which they could improve Through the simple task of hosting a roundtable UNESCO Vietnam was able to connect sport for development organisations and understand the importance of diverse partnerships This connection and understanding lays the foundation for stronger and more sustainable sport for development work in the future