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Shaping a new global agenda for cultural policies in the Arab States towards the UNESCO World Conference on Cultural Policies – MONDIACULT 2022

On 16 and 17 February as part of the preparatory process leading to the UNESCO World Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development MONDIACULT 2022 the Minister of Culture of Saudi Arabia chaired an online Regional Consultation bringing together stakeholders to devise priorities for cultural policies in the Arab States Region

UNESCO-MONDIACULT 2022: Countries in Latin America and the Caribbean advocate for a paradigm shift in cultural policies

On 14 and 15 February 2022 more than 30 Ministries of Culture and highlevel representatives from Latin America and the Caribbean Region together with some 40 intergovernmental organisations nongovernmental organisations development banks academia and representatives of the civil society highlighted cultural policy challenges and priorities of their region in the context of the recovery process from the COVID19 pandemic and for the years to come

Call for Proposals: Final Evaluation of the Advanced Regional Training Programme on Education for Sustainable Development - ‘Sustainability Starts with Teachers’ (DEADLINE EXTENDED)

January 13, 2022

UNESCO supports new research on journalism, social media and self-regulation in North Macedonia

January 17, 2022

RFP Social Media 4 Peace: Enhanced promotion and support of peacebuilding narratives and initiatives through digital technologies and social media in Bosnia and Herzegovina (deadline : 28 January 2022)

Dear SirMadam You are invited to submit an offer for Social Media 4 Peace Enhanced promotion and support of peacebuilding narratives and initiatives through digital technologies and social media in Bosnia and Herzegovina project in accordance with the attached Terms of Reference TOR Your offer comprising of technical proposal and financial proposal for one or both phases of activities in the TOR should reach the following address no later than 28 January 2022 via email in PDF format courier and person Antenna in Sarajevo UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe Address Zmaja od Bosne bb UN House Sarajevo Bosnia and Herzegovina Email mnikolicunescoorg Ref 549INT5001BIH2 This letter is not to be construed in any way as an offer to contract with your firminstitution Your proposal could however form the basis for a contract between your company and UNESCO You are requested to acknowledge the receipt of this letter and indicate whether you will be submitting a proposal For this purpose and or any requests for clarification please contact Ms Melisa Durak mdurakunescoorg and Ms Maja Nikolic mnikolicunescoorg

January 18, 2022

Agreement signed between Italy, UNESCO and Palestine

The Conservation and management of Tell EsSultan ancient Jericho Agreement signed between Italy UNESCO and Palestine Ramallah 24 January 2022 The Consulate General of Italy in Jerusalem UNESCO Ramallah Office the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities MoTA and the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation AICS Jerusalem celebrated the signing of the agreement between Italy and UNESCO to enable the implementation of the project The Conservation and management of Tell EsSultan Ancient Jericho This agreement is part of a larger multistakeholder partnership through which a collaboration is established between the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities UNESCO the Sapienza University of Rome and the Italian Agency of Development Cooperation Jerusalem Office The project aims to ensure the effective conservation and management of the cultural resources within the area and to promote sustainable tourism development that benefits the site and the local communities Through the generous funding of Italy amounting at Euros 24 million the project partners shall leverage their respective expertise to implement the designated project interventions under the overall supervision of a steering committee chaired by MoTA

January 24, 2022

Call for Proposals: ResiliArt Accelerator Zimbabwe Implementation Partner

January 24, 2022

Changing course, transforming education

On 24th January 2022 the United Nations UN celebrate the fourth International Day of Education Unesco believes that education is a human right for all throughout life and that everyone has the right to access quality education opportunities The Organization is the only UN agency with a mandate to cover all aspects of education It has been entrusted to lead the Global Education 2030 Agenda through Sustainable Development Goal focused around the provision of quality inclusive education for all The COVID19 pandemic has disrupted education worldwide in unprecedented ways Today like never before the multiple dimensions of learning institutions appear clear as learning wellbeing social and protection sites for children and youth alike With the spread of the Omicron variant governments have resorted once again to school closures As of today more than 635 million children and youth worldwide are affected by full or partial school closures Countries in the Gulf Region are no exception with schools only partially open in most of the countries Learning and learning poverty The effects of the crisis on learning are substantial It is said that many countries in the Middle East and North Africa MENA region could experience a learning catastrophe if urgent action is not taken to provide remedial digital and social and emotional learning for all learners Emerging evidence from over 28 countries worldwide shows that learning losses have been large and unequal Stemming from a preexisting learning crisis learning poverty is growing The share of 10yearold children who cannot read a basic text is expected to rise from 53 per cent preCOVID19 to 70 per cent in low and middleincome countries3 The rise is a result of the prolonged school closures and poor learning outcomes despite government efforts to deliver remote learning As an example almost 40 per cent 37 million children and youth in the MENA region were not reached with broadcast and distance education the majority of whom were already vulnerable and disadvantaged The learning and earning trajectories of a generation are at stake Growing inequalities The crisis has shown and exacerbated inequalities in education and magnified some of the preexisting weaknesses of education systems Children and youth in disadvantaged households are less likely to benefit from distance education due to a lack of connectivity devices and adequate caregivers support Children and youth with disabilities have often been left behind in education policy responses to the COVID19 pandemic and many struggle to be included in onlinebased learning Evidence and data The COVID19 pandemic has also disrupted education data collection which means governments have less data and evidence to inform their responses and policies Lessons learned Nevertheless the pandemic has generated some critical lessons and highlighted that transformation and innovation in education are possible and that readiness is key to prompt crisis responses The State of Qatar has established several platforms to expand elearning and teachers and educators in public schools were able to quickly adapt thanks to distance education training that they had already received prior to the pandemic and within the ministrys strategy of integrating technology in the education provision Particular attention was also paid to the continuation of education for persons with disabilities while tablets and home broadband Internet access were provided to students who lacked such assets The crisis as an opportunity The crisis could become an opportunity to build more equitable adaptive and resilient education systems to enable access to learning at all times for all children and youth in the MENA region Changing course and transforming education is imperative Today more than ever The crisis has highlighted the irreplaceable role of schools but also the need to extend where and when learning happens including through lifelong learning opportunities and networks of learning cities A new social contract is needed where all involved actors ought to share a similar vision of the public purposes of education Concerted and coordinated efforts participation partnerships including the private sector are key to deliver on the Sustainable Development Agenda Strengthening a range of learning modalities is urgently needed to ensure that all learners have access to both learning and services to support their wellbeing Reimaging schools and learning institutions as sites of inclusion and equity where the wellbeing of children and youth is promoted is pivotal to build the societies and futures we strive for Learning disparities need to be addressed through differentiated interventions and targeted policies that direct additional resources to those further disadvantaged Pedagogies need to be more strongly centred on the learning of each child and young person Developing pedagogies around 21st skills and competencies emphasizing ecological intercultural and interdisciplinary learning that help children and youth navigate the complex demands of their lives and steer the change they want to see in society is critical Teachers and parents need support with the challenges created by the disruption of facetoface learning Teaching should be further professionalized and teachers recognized in their roles as knowledge producers and agents of change key figures for educational and social transformation Reimagining education today is possible Widening the right to education throughout life and strengthening education as a public endeavour and a common good are key principles in the way we envision the futures of education Providing global and regional leadership in education Unesco has a unique capacity in convening and mobilising people ministries of education universities and learning institutions And it is precisely this capacity that is needed to shape our shared educational futures to build a new internationally agreed social contract for education and a new deal for implementing it

January 25, 2022

Remembering the Holocaust

It is imperative that the Indian youth are empowered with knowledge to remember the painful history of the Holocaust

January 26, 2022

SEE Youth Newsroom in Action: more than 50 articles published in 2021

January 26, 2022

A Spotlight on Girls and Women with Disabilities: We Must be Represented!

January 27, 2022

It is time for action to safeguard Beirut’s cultural heritage

January 21, 2022

International Day of Education 2022

Education is a human right a public good and a public responsibility In Palestine educational achievement at all levels continues to be affected by the political situation and resulting conflict While Palestine has one of the highest enrollment rates in the region for students in elementary education substantial challenges to access education remain especially for students from vulnerable groups and communities COVID19 has also deeply affected education for children with no access to digital learning opportunities This divide is often present in remote and disadvantaged areas in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip Many students lack internet access devices and adequate digital literacy Less than half of households with children between the ages of 1017 who are currently enrolled in schools have the desktop laptop or tablet they need for remote learning Prolonged and intermittent school closures have also resulted in learning loss only 37 of students attended educational classes during school closure and only an average of 64 of the curricula was covered during 20202021 The 11day escalation of IsraeliPalestinian hostilities in May 2021 aggravated existing vulnerabilities and affected childrens wellbeing and protection The damage to 136 schools run by the Palestinian Authority affected 121092 children worsening an existing shortage of classrooms in Gaza Sixtyfive percent of schools in Gaza operate on double or triple shifts shortening the school day sometimes to only 4 hours Message from the Director General of UNESCO In these exceptional times business as usual is no longer an option If we are to transform the future if we are to change course we must rethink education This means forging a new social contract for education as called for by the UNESCO report on the Futures of Education released last November We need to repair past injustices and orient the digital transformation around inclusion and equity And we need education to fully contribute to sustainable development for instance by integrating environmental education in all curricula and by training teachers in this field Message from Ms Audrey Azoulay Director General of UNESCO on the occasion of International Day of Education 2022 On this International Day for Education I invite all stakeholders to reflect on how to strengthen education including the digital transformation as a public endeavor for the common good in and for Palestine Lynn Hastings United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory from a statement on the International Day for Education 2022 2022 Celebrations On 24 January the day will be celebrated through a platform to showcase the most important transformations that have to be nurtured to realize everyones fundamental right to education and build a more sustainable inclusive and peaceful future It will generate debate around how to strengthen education as a public endeavor and common good how to steer the digital transformation support teachers safeguard the planet and unlock the potential in every person to contribute to collective wellbeing and our shared home In February UNESCO Ramallah will organize a webinar under the theme TVET and Digital Education Students and educators will discuss innovations digital skills and transversal competencies to make education more fit for the future and satisfy market needs

January 24, 2022