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Culture as a Global Public Good: Member States Rally for Culture as a Stand-Alone Goal in Post-2030 Agenda
For the first time since the MONDIACULT 2022 Declaration was adopted Permanent Representatives to the United Nations have jointly advocated for the deeper inclusion of culture at the UN specifically calling for the inclusion of culture in upcoming global milestones such as this years SDG Summit the Declaration on Future Generations the 2024 Summit of the Future and the 2025 World Social Summit
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Empowering Diversity: Inclusive Education as a Catalyst for Change
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UNESCO Urges for the full Respect of the Right to Education and Cultural Rights in a Changing World
18 October New York At the United Nations General Assembly Ms Farida Shaheed the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Education and Ms Alexandra Xanthani the Special Rapporteur in the field of Cultural Rights presented reports on the challenges and opportunities related to education and cultural rights UNESCO joined the call to ensure the full realization of these rights emphasizing its mandate to ensure access to quality and inclusive education and protection of culture worldwide
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Towards the Inclusion of Culture in “A Pact for the Future”: UNESCO Presents Report on Culture and Sustainable Development at the General Assembly
New York On 6 October 2023 UNESCO presented the report on culture and sustainable development at the Second Committee of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly highlighting the growing momentum in acknowledging cultures agency for sustainable development
Group of Friends for Education and Lifelong Learning
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The Group of Friends for Education and Lifelong Learning comprises 40 members including 5 coChairs
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Urgent calls to protect education in conflict
On November 6 2023 the Permanent Missions of Colombia Malta Nigeria Norway and Switzerland to the United Nations in New York UNESCO the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack GCPEA and Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict organized an event to discuss the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2601 emphasizing its implications in safeguarding the right to education during conflict The discussions also revolved around effective implementation strategies to be applied by international and regional human rights mechanisms to ensure continuity off education in conflict
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Ambassadors from the UN Group of Friends for Education and Lifelong Learning lead the #ImALifelongLearner Campaign at the SDG Summit
Education and lifelong learning stand are not only at the heart of Sustainable Development Goal SDG 4 but are also fundamental pillars critical to the realization of all 17 SDGs by 2030 However as the world reaches the midway point of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development progress toward SDG 4 and many other SDGs remains inadequate
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Education to take center stage at the United Nations in 2022
On 29 November gearing up for major educations milestones in 2022 the Group of Friends for Education and Lifelong Learning met to discuss its strategic positioning to take forward the global education advocacy ? Ambassadors deliberated how to scaleup commitments on education and advance key stakeholders engagement in the year 2022 Chaired by HE Ambassador Kimihiro ISHIKANE Permanent Representative of Japan to the UN the Ambassadorial meeting also featured the participation of UNESCO Assistant DirectorGeneral for Education Ms Stefania GIannini and Dr Fernando Reimers Director of the Global Education Innovation Initiative at the Harvard Graduate School of Education ? Opening up meeting HE Ambassador Ishikane voiced concerns on the global trends in education and the unprecedented shock caused by the COVID19 pandemic to the education systems worldwide Highlighting the driving force of education for development he commended the Group for being an active champion as it had raised visibility and ascertained the centrality of education for all sustainable development goals at the UN Headquarters Referring to momentum around education he stressed the need for the Group to reimage its role and become a stronger complementary player for mainstreaming SDG4 into the latest most pressing global issues such as peace climate change and digitalization Importantly the 4th edition of the International Day of Education 24 January 2022 is expected to kick off the preparatory process of the Transforming Education Summit as well as the indepth review of SDG4 by the High Level Political Forum thus paving the way for increased political will to ensure every child and young person goes to school and learns
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UN Security Council calls for the protection of education in conflict
New York On 6 December the UN Security Council convened an inperson Arriaformula meeting on the protection of education in conflict organized by Niger and Norway in their capacity as copenholders on resolution 2601 on the protection of education in armed conflict Norways Minister of Foreign Affairs Anniken Huitfeldt chaired the meeting and HRH?Crown Prince Haakon of Norway provided opening remarks Briefers included among others Ms Virginia Gamba Special Representative of the SecretaryGeneral for Children and Armed Conflict Ms Henrietta Fore UNICEF Executive Director and Mr Eliot Mincheberg Director ai and UNESCOs representative to the United Nations? Building on the momentum following the unanimous adoption of resolution 2601 and its unique contribution to the children and armed conflict agenda the meeting provided a platform to discuss other instruments lessons learned and good practices on the protection of education such as the Safe Schools Declaration Opening the meeting HRH Crown Prince Haakon of Norway underscored that the adoption of resolution 2601 by the Security Council is an important landmark as the first of its kind to be uniquely dedicated to the protection of education More particularly the resolution highlights the invaluable role that education plays for peace and security calls upon Member States to protect schools and education facilities from attacks and urges all parties to fulfil their obligation to facilitate the continuation of education during conflict Prince Haakon concluded his intervention by noting that the fact that 99 countries cosponsored the resolution underlines the truly global commitment to this important cause and urged governments UN agencies and civil society partners to continue working together to ensure its full implementation By reiterating that education is not only a fundamental right for children but also the foundation for sustainable peace stability and development Ms Virginia Gamba Special Representative of the SecretaryGeneral for Children and Armed Conflict called on Member States and the international community at large to join forces to protect schools and to protect students and teachers from violence She also expressed her willingness to foster cooperation with UNESCO to ensure the implementation of resolution 2601 including through strengthened collaboration aimed at improving students access to connectivity and at protecting and supporting teachers during armed conflict and postconflict phases During the meeting Member States highlighted the negative impact of the COVID19 pandemic and subsequent school closures that have exacerbated schools vulnerability to attack More particularly they emphasized the gendered aspects of attacks on schools and noted that protecting the education of adolescent girls in emergencies and conflict demands urgent and dedicated attention particularly in Afghanistan where threats to eliminate education for girls are already prompting huge spikes in GenderBased Violence including sexual violence By recognized the importance of remote and digital learning as an important tool in facilitating the continuity of education in challenging circumstances several Member States called on more investment on digital literacy and remote learning infrastructure in regions affected by armed conflict in order to provide valuable support to education especially when schools are subject to attacks The?need to improve data collection to enhance the international community understanding of the impact of conflict on education was also stressed? Mr Eliot Minchenberg Director of the UNESCO New York Office and Representative to the United Nations expressed UNESCOs readiness to supporting Member States in the implementation of the UNSC Resolution 2601 Recalling that the disruption of education is one of the longestlasting and detrimental consequences of armed conflict he stressed the need to accelerate further concrete action to protect education from attack He also highlighted the importance of improving data collection?supporting the continuity of learning and building on the lessons from the pandemic He concluded by expressing UNESCOs willingness to continue working closely with its partners notably the Office of the Special epesentative of the SecretaryGeneral for Children and Armed Conflicts UNICEF and other UN agencies to support Member States ensure equitable and inclusive quality education for all? ? Watch the recordings of the event here ?
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UNESCO calls for sharing of global science
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Resilience and Inclusion: the Culture of Peace in Post-Covid Recovery
On 7th September 2021 the General Assembly held a Highlevel Forum on the Culture of Peace under the theme Transformative Role of The Culture of Peace Promoting Resilience and Inclusion in PostCovid Recovery Since 1997 the Culture of Peace remains one of the crucial items for the General Assembly and it became more relevant than ever with its scope expanded over the years Taking place at the time when humankind faces enormous challenges intensified by the ongoing COVID19 pandemic the Forum strived to address the widening inequality and the rising violence highlighting the imperative to implant the values of the Culture of Peace with particular attention to the younger generation The annual highlevel forum on the Culture of Peace also provided the opportunity to the Member States and observers to the General Assembly to renew their commitments to effectively implement the UN Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace to build resilience and promote a fair recovery against the continued ravages of COVID19 ? In his opening remarks HE Mr Volkan Bozkir President of the 75th Session of the UN General Assembly pointed out how humanity was brought together by the pandemic He stressed the need to build on this shared sense of grief and anxiety and work together to not only tackle COVID19 but all other challenges that stand in our path When brought up the crisis in Afghanistan Mr Bozkir said that the international community will?have?to?draw?on?its?shared sense of humanity of empathy of compassion to go the extra mile and provide necessary humanitarian support?? ? Peace is much much more than the absence of conflict Peace is a conscious effort by each of us each moment to talk to listen and to engage It is a sustained effort to understand and overcome differences he added The opening segment also featured the remarks delivered by Ms Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti Chef de Cabinet of the UN SecretaryGeneral who highlighted the foundational role of Culture of Peace for building a better fairer more sustainable future for allthe future in which human rights are realized for every person She called attention not only to the devastating consequences of climate change and the threatening effects of the pandemic on health and economics but also to the rising conflicts and genderbased violence She also stressed the need for universal access to quality education and skills so that every child can look to the future with hope not fear ? Mr Eliot Minchenberg Director ai of the UNESCO Liaison Office in New York underlined that the very notion of Culture of Peace was born in UNESCO in 1992 and reaffirmed that the Organization together with its partners stands ready to build peace and overcome the challenges of today In addition to touching on the increases in hate crimes triggered by intolerance and misinformation and the effect of the COVID19 pandemic on economics he mentioned the impact of the climate change as both a cause and effect of conflict Mr?Minchenberg also pointed out that education has been gravely affected particularly among girls and young women and stressed that economic and political arrangements are not enough to build peace and prosperity and that it must therefore be constructed upon the solidarity of humankind nurture by behaviors encouraged by education rooted in cultures Culture of peace is no longer limited to peace among people and nations but it includes also living in peace with nature making peace with the planet and all the living beings We must work together United to create fairer more inclusive and more sustainable societies We must harness the power of diversity as a source of creativity and innovation and equip individuals and communities with the skills they need to understand and cooperate with each other he concluded Also participating in the opening session was HE DR AK Abdul Momen Minister for Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh who among others suggested that the principles of Culture of Peace be mainstreamed in all pandemic recovery efforts and its concept is kept at the core to ensure timely implementation of Agenda 2030 HE Mr Miguel ?ngel Moratinos High Representative of the United Nations Alliance of Civilization stressed the importance of considering peace as a continued process and not a onetime feelgood action and highlighted that Goal 16 Promote peaceful and inclusive societies is more imperative now than ever before ? Click here to watch the recordings of the event
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International community rallies behind technological transformations for quality, equitable and inclusive education
New York 29 September 2021 At the margins of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly the Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations and UNESCO?organized a virtual event titled Education and Technological Transformations for Humancentered Recovery Heeding the call of the United Nations General Assembly to leverage the potential of technological transformations for quality equitable and inclusive education the Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations teamed up with UNESCO to organize a highlevel dialogue at the sidelines of 76th session of the UNGA Bringing together key stakeholders the event highlighted the unprecedented technological changes in education both as means to mitigate the negative impact of COVID 19 and as a trend to be reckoned with It also explored opportunities to unlock the potential of the Global Education Coalition to recover and further promote SDG4 through innovative technological solutions Chairing the meeting Ms Stefania Giannini Assistant DirectorGeneral for Education of UNESCO recalled the focus on reopening schools safely and brought the attention to the nearly 120 million learners who are still affected by school closures in 60 countries In this context she urged the international community to ensure access to distance and hybrid learning for all including by providing devices and training teachers She underscored the urgency to make education systems more adaptive and resilient to future shocks with an aim to make technology work for inclusion equity and quality in education Recalling the digital revolution happening during COVID19 pandemic she informed that UNESCO and partners are working to launch a Declaration on connectivity and education Recalling the importance of connectivity teachers and gender equality she emphasized the need to equip all students with digital skills as to also address exacerbated gender divides in access to technology She further highlighted that teachers as the most critical influence on learning must be supported with professional development to be able to use technologies effectively