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Caregiving for Elderly during the COVID-19 Crisis The #YouthOfUNESCO Story of Olga

I realized that in a selfish world no one could survive I stand for solidarity I hope that the pandemic will pass soon and that people will return to their normal way of life But will we be the same Olga Verbitskaya Belarus

UNESCO’s IOC Executive Secretary awarded for outstanding contributions to marine science and technology

Announcing its 2020 Awards the USbased Marine Technological Society presented the Compass International Award for outstanding contributions to the advancement of marine sciences and technology to Dr Vladimir Ryabinin Executive Secretary of UNESCOs Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission The Marine Technology Society MTS announced its 2020 Award Winners through a press release on 18 August 2020 to be followed by a presentation of the awards on 8 October at the virtual conference Global OCEANS 2020 SingaporeUS Gulf Coast 530 October 2020 As recipient of the MTS 2020 Compass International Award Dr Vladimir Ryabinin Executive Secretary of the UNESCOIOC since 2015 has been recognized for his leadership in the design of international initiatives such as the Global Ocean Observing System and the Joint Technical Commission of the World Meteorological Organization and IOC for Oceanography and Marine Meteorology JCOMM but also for his embracing the importance of including professional societies like MTS within the international processes of ocean science governance In announcing the award MTS highlighted his role as a champion for inclusivity in the planning team for the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development that includes MTS as a partner and a strong advocate for the Seabed 2030 global effort Our awardees work with unfailing commitment to tackle problems that impact our globally connected society in real and tangible ways that many people arent fully aware of completed the press release The 2020 MTS Awards also recognized Capt Ret Craig McLean Acting Chief Scientist and Assistant Administrator for Oceanic and Atmospheric Research at the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NOAA Capt McLean has been actively involved in the governance of UNESCOs IOC as longtime US representative to the Commission and since 2018 Member of the Executive Planning Group advising the IOC Secretariat on the design of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development 20212030 For more information please contact Vinicius Lindoso Communications Officer Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO vlindosounescoorg

August 24, 2020

The first International Day to Protect Education from Attack

On 9 September the world observed the first International Day to Protect Education from Attack that was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly last May Global leaders and celebrities from all walks of life stepped up support for actions against attacks on education during the commemorative highlevel virtual event organized by the State of Qatar UNESCO UNICEF and Education Above All Foundation

September 10, 2020

Seattle poetry brings solace and hope in times of confinement

The city of Seattle United States of America is a UNESCO Creative City of Literature since 2017 Its strong identity as a literary city has coalesced around a 10000year history of indigenous storytelling traditions Consistently ranked as Americas Most WellRead city it is one of the top three literate cities in the country Seattles writing traditions are guided by a sense of place especially in regards to the willingness of embracing diverse viewpoints and technologies Many events sustain Seattles striving literary ecosystem including the Short Run Comix and Arts Festival featuring indie comics and the selfpublished as well as the Pacific Northwest Writers Associations Conference amongst many others In response to the spread of Coronavirus the city of Seattle in close cooperation with the author Claudia Castro Luna Seattles inaugural Civic Poet uses its literary potential to counter the growing challenge of confinement and the lack of access to cultural activities Through the creation of an online forum Poems to lean On city dwellers are invited to share a link to a poem accompanied by a two or three lines message explaining how this particular poem resonates with them and how it brings to them comfort and joy The initiative aims to revive and recreate social ties amongst the community while respecting the rules on social distancing implemented to contain the spread of the virus The contributions are showcased on the same virtual space Poems to Lean On hosted on the Laureate Poets website Submissions can also be made digitally through the same online platform The project highlights the enabling role of literature and poetry to connect people and to offer solace and hope during such difficult times To participate in this meaningful initiative share your favorite poem or one of your inspiring creations on Poems to Lean On to offer fortitude hope resilience and humor For further information httpswapoetlaureateorgpoetrytoleanon

COVID-19: research partnership launched with Harvard’s Department of Sociology on racism and xenophobia

© Thahitun Mariam Bronx Mutual Aid Network for Covid19 UNESCO has launched a partnership with the AAPI COVID19 Project housed in Harvard Universitys Department of Sociology The AAPI COVID19 Project is a multimethod project investigating how COVID19 is shaping the lives of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders AAPI communities in the United States focusing on the intensification of racism and xenophobia faced by these groups

Transforming Education: an Imperative for the Future We Want

24 January 2022 Celebrating the power of education to uplift individuals and transform societies the global community honored teachers and champions for education Amidst the 3rd year of the global pandemic the fourth International Day of Education marked an increased focus on continuing learning and sent out a message of hope Coorganized by UNESCO and UN Group of Friends for Education and Lifelong Learning under the theme Changing Course Transforming Education the celebration brought together diverse perspectives on the crucial triggers of transformations for a more equitable and inclusive education system In the opening segment moderated by Ms Stefania Giannini UNESCO Assistant DirectorGeneral for Education leaders and education advocates such as UN Secretary General UNESCO Director General President of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly Chair of the Global Partnership for Education and the Permanent Representative of Argentina to the UN championed education as key driver for progress across all SDGs as well as peace and human rights UN leaders called on international communities to unite around education as a public good Mr Antonio Guterres UN Secretary General will convene the Summit on Transforming Education in September 2022 to identify innovative approach for the transformation of the national education systems

January 27, 2022

Statement by Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, on the occasion of the Withdrawal by the United States of America from UNESCO

October 12, 2017

International Symposium on "Healing the Wounds of Slavery: Towards Mutual Recovery"

October 20, 2018

UN General Assembly highlights UNESCO’s leading role in the Education 2030 Agenda

On 19 December 2019 the UN General Assembly adopted the resolution Education for Sustainable Development in the framework of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development The General Assembly resolution Education for Sustainable Development in the framework of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development introduced by the Group of 77 and China calls upon the international community to scale up education for sustainable development in order to achieve the 2030 Agenda The decision relates to various aspects of education for sustainable development and more broadly the implementation of SDG 4 as it recognizes among others the gendered barriers faced by girls in accessing education and the need to deliver quality education to children in conflict and postconflict situations With the adoption of the resolution the international community stresses UNESCOs mandated role in leading and coordinating the Education 2030 Agenda as well as its position as the lead agency for education for sustainable development It also highlights the new framework entitled Education for Sustainable Development Towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals ESD for 2030 which builds upon the experiences of the Global Action Programme in its five Priority Action Areas of policy education and training educators youth and communities ESD for 2030 will be launched officially in June 2020 in Berlin Germany For the first time the resolution explicitly emphasizes the importance of further developing and implementing educational programmes to address climate change challenges thus reaffirming the relevance of ESD for 2030 today Furthermore this years resolution notes the significant progress made by the Global Action Programme particularly through its Key Partner Network that has exposed 26 million learners to education for sustainable development curricula and trained two million educators in this domain Through the resolution the UN General Assembly invites UNESCO to support Member States in their efforts to promote education for sustainable development It also reiterates its call to Member States to provide inclusive and equitable quality education at all levels and ensure that all people may have access to lifelong learning opportunities that can help them participate fully in society and contribute to sustainable development During the negotiation process Member States welcomed the findings and recommendations of the UNESCO DirectorGenerals report on the implementation of education for sustainable development This report emphasized the importance of global cooperation for SDG 4 and education for sustainable development The UN SecretaryGeneral is requested to submit a report on the implementation of the present resolution to the General Assembly at its seventysixth session

December 20, 2019

Celebrating the International Day of Education in New York!

The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 24 January as International Day of Education in celebration of the role of education for peace and development and invited UNESCO to facilitate its celebration worldwide Today 258 million children and youth still do not attend school 617 million children and adolescents cannot read and do basic math less than 40 of girls in subSaharan Africa complete lower secondary school and some four million children and youth refugees are out of school Their right to education is being violated and it is unacceptable In New York Member States joined the President of the General Assembly and UNESCO to call for action They reaffirmed that learning is the best tool we have to empower people preserve the planet build prosperity and foster peace Without education we cannot achieve the SDGs said the Amina Mohammed Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations Education has the potential to lift those furthest behind out of extreme poverty to stir hope in children trapped in conflict to equip communities to recognize and correct inequalities However current projections predict that in the year 2030 40 of youth will not complete secondary education As we enter the Decade of Action and Delivery we must accelerate our implementation of SDG4 President of the UN General Assembly Mr Tijjani MuhammadBande The UNESCO Deputy DirectorGeneral Mr Xing Qu opened the first debate by these strong statement Education is the best investment we can make for our future especially as we move towards a knowledge society I am thinking of the investments that need to be made in digital education at a time when one billion girls and women lack the necessary digital skills Then UNESCO presented a new online tool Education Progress which will enable members of the public as well as education planners and partners to check countries progress in achieving global SDG4 education The tool was developed by UNESCOs Global Education Monitoring Report with the support of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research of Germany and will be available in the six official languages of the UN Arabic Chinese English French Spanish and Russian and German UNESCO office in New York was pleased to facilitate a meeting of the UN Group of Friends of Education and Lifelong Learning cochaired by Argentina Czech Republic Kenya Japan and Norway The Group of Friends held its anniversary meeting at the eve of the International Day of Education to reaffirm the collective commitment to raise funds and coordinate efforts to work toward achieving the SGD4 The Group is an active informal platform for advocacy and outreach on education related initiatives It consists of members from all regions of the world who are committed to champion equitable and inclusive education for all But efforts should not stop at the end of the day UNESCO has started 2020 with a full programme of work starting with the launch of a global initiative to reimagine the Futures of Education The initiative is catalyzing a global debate on how knowledge education and learning need to be reimagined in a world of increasing complexity uncertainty and precarity Your voice counts and your perspective matters Inputs from individuals networks and organizations will inform the work of the International Commission and shape the global debate Join the debate here

January 25, 2020

Beyond the Education Day, let's keep talking about education

On the International Day of Education UNESCO launched its new meeting point at the United Nations Headquarter in New York A kiosk was inaugurated by the Deputy DirectorGeneral of UNESCO joined by several members of the UN Group of Friends of Education and Lifelong Learning cochaired by Argentina Czech Republic Kenya Japan and Norway The Kiosk is located at the Concourse level of the visitors entrance and proposes an interactive photo booth presented in French and English language modes A touch screen content control allows the visitor to choose from several videos that are displayed on the wall Education is critical to achieve the 2030 Agenda According to UNESCO figures 258 million children are still out of school and many of those attending school learn poorly as twothirds of the 411 million children who are deficient in reading and mathematics attend educational establishments To face the challenges of tomorrow not only do we need massive investment but an overhaul of educational systems is necessary said the DirectorGeneral What better way to convince stakeholders to increase their investment in education than to listen to those who believe that education makes dreams come true Come and listen to Rachidatou who live in BoboDioulasso the second largest city in Burkina Faso where literacy rates are steadily improving but are still markedly lower for women than men Rachidatou Sana 11 is already an outstanding pupil But she will have to find her own solution in the fight to keep on with her studies Like many girls her age in Burkina Faso Rachidatou was born to poor parents She is daily torn between home chores earning a living and studying to better her situation All she wants is an equal chance the same as everyone else I want to become a nurse to help others and my family Prathibha Balakrishnan 38 is a teacher to the Betta Karumba people at the village of Kadichanokolli deep in the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve in southern India Every day she overcomes very large obstacles on the 7 km dirt road she walks to get to school elephants When she arrived in the village 11 years ago there was no electricity no school and no healthcare The Betta Karumba community mostly work on tea and coffee plantations and the level of illiteracy is high All of us have stories about a wonderful teacher or about a moment when the acquisition of a new skill opened up a world of opportunities for us Let us continue the discussion beyond International Education Day to make an ongoing plea for education

January 28, 2020