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Catch up on what’s happening in the world of global citizenship education.
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IIEP-UNESCO and NORRAG launch specialized course on “Using data and information for crisis-sensitive educational planning” 2021-02-19 Natural hazards and conflicts can devastate education systems. When faced with multiple risks – such as insecurity and severe weather – the stakes are even higher. Today, many governments, humanitarian, and development partners recognize the need to use evidence-informed risk reduction strategies to address threats head on, to prepare, and secure the right to quality education for all. Yet this requires reliable data – and especially for forcibly displaced persons, who are among the most marginalized in the world. As a response to this challenge, the UNESCO International Institute for Education Planning (IIEP-UNESCO) is launching, in collaboration with NORRAG, a specialized online course: “Using data and information for crisis-sensitive educational planning”. The course provides in-depth training on the issues, tools and strategic approaches to crisis-sensitive educational planning; risk prevention; and reduction. During eight weeks, participants will gain the technical skills to use data – from gathering, processing, to analyzing – for planning education in crisis contexts. Course data: Duration: 3 May to 25 June (8 weeks), with a preliminary 10-day phase beginning on 21 April to be acquainted with the virtual platform. 12 hours per week. Course fees: 1,600 USD for an individual | 1,400 USD for individuals in a team of four. Application deadline: 5 March 2021Follow the link below for contacts and more information. URL:https://www.norrag.org/iiep-unesco-and-norrag-launch-specialized-course-on-using-data-and-information-for-crisis-sensitive-educational-planning/ 
France: Les clubs pour l’UNESCO se mobilisent en faveur de la Saison Africa2020 2021-02-14 Initiée par le Président de la République, Emmanuel Macron, en 2017, la Saison Africa2020 est un projet panafricain et pluridisciplinaire centré sur l’innovation dans les arts, les sciences et l’entrepreneuriat. Les Clubs pour l’UNESCO s’associent à cette Saison culturelle panafricaine. Initialement prévue en 2020 et reportée en 2021 au vu du contexte sanitaire, la Saison Africa2020 « invitation à regarder et comprendre le monde d’un point de vue africain », est un projet qui met à l’honneur les femmes et cible en priorité la jeunesse. La mise en œuvre opérationnelle de la Saison est assurée par l’Institut français, opérateur du ministère de l’Europe et des Affaires étrangères et du ministère de la Culture. Il s’articule autour trois priorités transversales : Placer l’humain au centre, Femmes, Éducation. Des projets donnant la parole aux femmes de sociétés africaines auront lieu durant toute la Saison et réfléchiront au futur des arts, des sciences et de l’entrepreneuriat. Enfin, le volet Éducation donnera lieu à diverses initiatives entre instances gouvernementales françaises, africaines et organismes non gouvernementaux ; ceci pour créer de nouveaux outils pédagogiques à destination du corps enseignant et des jeunes. Dans le cadre de la promotion des valeurs de l’éducation à la citoyenneté mondiale et du respect de la diversité culturelle, cette Saison culturelle constitue un « laboratoire de production et de diffusion de savoirs et d’idées » entre jeunes citoyens et citoyennes de toutes les nationalités, afin de créer de nouvelles relations au monde et d’impacter les sociétés civiles de France et d’Afrique. Cette Saison accorde une place toute particulière à l’Éducation avec 274 projets labellisés Africa2020. Le volet Éducation de cette politique culturelle est une opportunité de proposer des pistes de formations pluridisciplinaires aux enseignants et comporte donc l’organisation d’ateliers thématiques, de journées de formation et d’une Journée de l’Innovation pédagogique (avril 2021). Depuis 70 ans, les Clubs pour l’UNESCO dans le monde apportent une contribution essentielle à la réalisation des objectifs de l’UNESCO et favorisent la visibilité de l’UNESCO dans la société civile. Associations à but non lucratif, les Clubs sont accrédités par les Commissions nationales et leurs actions visent à mettre en exergue les orientations fondatrices de l’UNESCO en faveur de l’éducation culturelle pour assurer un développement durable. Aujourd’hui, les Clubs de l’UNESCO manifestent leur soutien au volet Éducation de la Saison culturelle Africa2020, dans le cadre d’un partenariat stratégique avec le ministère de l’Éducation nationale, de la Jeunesse et des Sports. Nous vous invitons à découvrir un projet de cette Saison en partenariat avec le Lycée des métiers Sainte Marie de Saint-Sernin (Toulouse), le Club pour l’UNESCO Floconville et l’établissement Sainte Jeanne d’Arc Dakar, établissement scolaire bi-culturel français & sénégalais homologué par le ministère de l’Éducation nationale. Le Club pour l’UNESCO Floconville soutient le projet intitulé « Te vois-tu comme je te vois ? ». Ce projet vise à « mieux faire connaître l’Afrique contemporaine en développant la coopération entre la France et le Sénégal grâce à la découverte des tissus wax », tissus culturels dont l’étude, dans le secteur de la recherche en Mode en France, est incarnée par Mme. Anne Grosfilley, docteur en anthropologie, spécialisée dans les problématiques identitaires soulevées par le textile et la mode en Afrique. Nous vous invitons à suivre les avancées de ce partenariat pour l’Éducation entre les clubs pour l’UNESCO, la France et l’Afrique sur la page dédiée : https://www.education.gouv.fr/la-saison-africa2020-12296 Les clubs pour l’UNESCO se mobilisent en faveur de la Saison Africa2020 : https://www.facebook.com/Association-Floconville-Club-Unesco-450319942010590 Bonne saison culturelle panafricaine à toutes et à tous ! URL:https://unesco.delegfrance.org/La-Saison-Africa2020-la-defense-de-la-diversite-a-l-honneur-en-2021-3932 
Appel à projets pour des projets internationaux 2021-02-14 La Ville de Besançon encourage et soutient les acteurs bisontins de la société civile souhaitant mener un projet international. A ce titre, le service Relations internationales a mis en place plusieurs dispositifs d’aide financière, selon le contexte des projets menés. Depuis plusieurs années, la Ville de Besançon aide au financement de certains projets associatifs internationaux par le biais d’un appel à projets annuel, d’un montant de 10 000 € en 2021. Sont concernés : les projets de développement ayant un intérêt à la fois pour les populations locales au Sud et pour le territoire bisontin, ainsi que les projets d’éducation à la citoyenneté mondiale à Besançon, pour leurs vertus de sensibilisation. Ce dispositif participe à créer les conditions d’une meilleure connaissance mutuelle et d’une citoyenneté active. Vous êtes une association loi 1901 à but non lucratif, ayant son siège sur le territoire bisontin et vous avez un projet de solidarité internationale ou d’éducation à la citoyenneté ?Reportez-vous au règlement de l’appel à projets 2021 (Pdf) pour savoir si votre projet est éligible à l’appel à projets de la Ville de Besançon. Si c’est le cas, vous pouvez télécharger votre dossier de demande de subvention : Projets de solidarité internationale (.doc) Projets d’Education à la Citoyenneté Mondiale (.doc) Ainsi que le Compte rendu technique et financier final (.doc) Le dossier complet doit être adressé avant le 31 mars 2021 :par courrier à :Ville de BesançonService des Relations Internationales2, rue Mégevand25034 Besançon CedexOu par courriel : secretariat.relations-internationales@besancon.fr Pour toute information complémentaire, contacter : 03 81 61 50 27 URL:https://www.grandbesancon.fr/demarche-administrative/les-subventions-appel-a-projets-pour-des-projets-internationaux/?fbclid=IwAR1HFQfTY0BsdPpPtuIH4ehKNeakeuHM0kxrpwAwiqCPOql3swPQdftPuDA 
Majority of countries do not ensure the right to pre-primary education, according to new UNESCO study 2021-02-07 A new UNESCO study on the right to pre-primary education shows that the legal provisions for free and compulsory pre-primary education are lacking in 2/3 of the world’s countries. Of the 193 countries examined in this study, 63 countries have adopted legal provisions for free pre-primary education and 51 countries have adopted pre-primary education as a compulsory level in national legal frameworks. “We are concerned about the status of pre-primary education from a legal rights perspective and the fact that too few countries have established pre-primary education as a right,” says Borhene Chakroun, Director of Policy and Lifelong Learning Systems at UNESCO. Despite the low take-up of legal frameworks, the study shows that enrolment in pre-primary education has been increasing since 1999 worldwide, with an acceleration since 2010. Yet, 1 out of 2 children still does not receive pre-primary education today. Early childhood care and education is increasingly recognized as an essential element in realizing a wide range of educational, social and economic rights. It enables all children, including the most vulnerable, to start school on an equal footing with their peers and improve overall educational achievement and enhance social equity. The paper has found that countries with free or compulsory pre-primary education have higher rates of early childhood well-being. The country cases in this study show that the adoption of free and compulsory education could affect the quality of education in some countries due to the level of teacher preparedness, and adequate training could be weakened with the sudden expansion of pre-primary education. Addressing the expanding capacity of teacher training institutes and the recruitment of trained pre-primary teaching personnel is therefore essential. By emphasizing a rights-based perspective to the implementation of pre-primary education, the study aims to complement existing literature on Sustainable Development Goal Target 4.2, which focuses mainly on policy outcomes. Based on the findings, the study proposes a set of levers for policymakers to promote the inclusion of early childhood and pre-primary education as a human right within long-term education and development objectives. Read also the advocacy brief accompanying the study and presenting the main findings UNESCO is convening an Innovative Dialogue on Early childhood care and education (ECCE) on 28 January 2021 to engage global leaders, policy-makers and ECCE stakeholders in a global partnership strategy. The COVID-19 response has relatively neglected young children, resulting in them becoming the greatest victims of the pandemic due to a lifelong impact on their education and well-being. Photo: fotorawin/Shutterstock.com URL:https://en.unesco.org/news/majority-countries-do-not-ensure-right-pre-primary-education-according-new-unesco-study 
UNESCO embraces the momentum of global youth action on climate change 2020-11-17 Photo: A large group of youth, including young members of the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere programme (MAB Youth) programme, came together at the COP25 in Madrid in 2019 to attend the launch of the Youth UNESCO Climate Action Network (YoU-CAN). Results of UNESCO’s World in 2030 Survey show that climate change is the most important topic the world needs to address in the coming decade. For UNESCO, this means doubling down on its climate action and transforming its operations to find new and innovative ways of addressing the issue. The Youth UNESCO Climate Action Network (YoU-CAN) can help UNESCO in this effort, as a hub of knowledge, a pool of potential partners, a source of innovative projects, and a resource for transdisciplinary climate solutions. Strengthening strategic partnerships and meaningfully engaging with youth are complementary pursuits – mutually compatible ways of making UNESCO more dynamic, agile and engaged. Born of the Strategic Transformation’s working group on partnerships and officially launched last December at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP25) in Madrid, YoU-CAN is an excellent example of how innovative thinking can help put this into practice. Peter Dogsé, Co-Chair of the UNESCO Task Team on Climate Change, explains: “The ambition behind YoU-CAN is to promote and support youth climate action networks around the world. Young people are increasingly driving the change needed and YoU-CAN will recognize and support their mobilization and advocacy efforts to address the climate crisis”. Youth ownership driven by a group of diverse young people Successful youth engagement calls for meaningful collaboration and partnership. In line with UNESCO’s Operational Strategy on Youth (2014-2021), YoU-CAN aims to improve youth ownership in UNESCO’s activities. “Youth ownership is very important, especially for addressing climate change. No other organization in the UN system offers young people so many pathways for engagement. UNESCO can build on their knowledge and innovative ideas in all its fields of competence and can count on their incredible energy as advocates,” says Alexander Schischlik, Chief of the Youth and Sport Section, Social and Human Sciences Sector. To this end, an Ad-Hoc Steering Group of youth network representatives was established in July 2020, following consultations with UNESCO Sectors and Field Offices and a thorough selection process conducted by YoU-CAN’s project team. This Steering Group is composed of three representatives per region, keeping in mind UNESCO's global priorities Gender Equality and Africa, and Small Island Developing States among its priority targets. Accompanied by the UNESCO Secretariat, its role is to advance the operationalization of YoU-CAN until it is formally replaced by a youth-elected body to run the Network. “The Climate emergency is everyone’s urgency. We have just one planet; one home where we can live. It’s time that we turn words into action. The knowledge, expertise and drive of youth are some of our greatest assets, and definitely put us in a better position for building a climate-resilient future. That future begins with us today. As a young, multidisciplinary team, our Steering Group has an opportunity to make YoU-CAN an innovative and comprehensive tool to both strengthen the voices of young people and tackle climate challenges.” – Statement from the YoU-CAN Ad-Hoc Steering Group The youth-led Steering Group started its work in August 2020 and will be establishing a strategic direction, a governance structure, and an outline of operations for YoU-CAN. The diverse profiles of these fifteen young professionals, scientists, activists, students and volunteers contribute valuable and complementary expertise, in order to develop the network in accordance with needs on the ground. Photo: YoU-CAN Ad-Hoc Steering Group (left-right): Neeshad Shafi, Curmira Gulston, Daniel Mahadzir, Ana Karen Proa, Irène Colonna d’Istria, Chamsia Ibrahim, Ismail Farjia, Robert Sakic Trogrlic, Joy Chiadika, Aeljandro Quecedo del Val, Meng Wang, Gabriela Martínez Mendieta, Malek Abidi, Toru Tanigaki, Michèle Okala Abega. Finding solutions together with youth “YoU-CAN is pivotal. Young people form the backbone of UNESCO, and they will be its future. It is strategically important that UNESCO embrace the passion and motivation of the world’s youth, to help the Organization think outside the box and find new solutions to the world’s very complex challenges,” says Nicole Webley, Youth Focal Point for the Natural Sciences Sector. While supporting the Strategic Transformation’s pursuit of a strengthened partnership culture, YoU-CAN will also help advance UNESCO’s Strategy for Action on Climate Change (2018-2021). It will facilitate, amongst many other things, sharing and upscaling of ideas, collaboration between networks and organizations, and wider implementation of successful grassroots projects. Crucially, it will provide youth with a safe space to communicate and generate solutions to a global issue that can be, in some cases, politically fraught. Not only this, networking can be a practical way for young people to participate in this important work in a way that circumvents many of the challenges and inequalities they are faced with. The power of youth networks to help create the “Next Normal” “Recognizing that the youth of today are some of the strongest voices for social change and particularly for climate action means that connecting and supporting these voices is vital. Establishing such a large network will help the global youth movement to maintain its momentum for advocacy and activism, as well as for seeking and implementing practical solutions to climate change,” says Kristina Balalovska of the Youth Team, Youth and Sport Section, Social and Human Sciences Sector. Numerous such challenges have revealed themselves acutely during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the project team, two key attendant issues that must be considered by YoU-CAN relate to, firstly, how the pandemic has influenced climate debate and action, and secondly, how COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted young people. Climate change has continued unabated despite COVID-19 lockdowns, and the fight against it has been hampered by impacts of the pandemic. There has similarly been deterioration in environmental protection around the world, not to mention issues like increased waste associated with single-use products. Despite this, there have also been global calls to use the crisis recovery as an opportunity to “build back better”, like UNESCO's Next Normal campaign. This momentum, which follows in the wake of a global youth uprising on climate issues, cannot be wasted, and YoU-CAN can be an incredibly pertinent and powerful tool to this end. COVID-19 has also brought to bear many of the challenges faced by youth around the world, including precarious access to education, employment, and social safety nets. Global lockdowns have increased precarity in youth employment which, hand-in-hand with associated vulnerability in housing, food security and so on, present a barrier to effective youth engagement in climate action. At the same time, young people have also spearheaded exemplary actions to fight the pandemic and its consequences. YoU-CAN represents a highly relevant way of handling such challenges, by strengthening supportive networks that link young people from all walks of life and valorizing their work. “Youth engagement in climate action is more prevalent – and vital – now than it has ever been. Around the world, young people have been actively contributing to recovery measures and calling for change from governments, the private sector, and the international community. They are the drivers of a sustainable future, and their ability to access capacity building, networking and collaboration opportunities is critical. YoU-CAN can help to create such synergies and enable their voices to be heard,” says Manon Frezouls, YoU-CAN coordinator. For queries regarding the YoU-CAN initiative, or if you wish to be involved in or support YoU-CAN, you can contact the project team at you-can@unesco.org YoU-CAN’s project team is a cross-sectoral team made up of members from the Social and Human Sciences (SHS) and Natural Sciences (SC) Sectors. The Project Team includes Manon Frezouls, Kristina Balalovska, Nicole Webley, Peter Dogsé, Alexander Schischlik, and Claudia Maresia. UNESCO’s Field Offices also played an integral role in the creation of YoU-CAN and will continue to do so during its operationalization. Useful resources Youth UNESCO Climate Action Network YoU-CANUNESCO Declaration of Ethical Principles in relation to Climate Change.UNESCO Strategy for Action on Climate Change (2018-2021)UNESCO Operational Strategy on Youth (2014-2021)Changing minds, not the climate: UNESCO mobilizes to address the climate crisis URL:https://en.unesco.org/news/unesco-embraces-momentum-global-youth-action-climate-change 
Declaración de Seúl sobre la Alfabetización mediática e informacional Para Todos y Por Todos 2020-11-04 On the 10th anniversary of Global Media and Information Literacy Week, stakeholders from all over the world gave a resounding affirmation as to the urgency to strengthen people’s media and information literacy competencies. The number of celebratory events increased from one hundred events in 2019 to over three hundred events in 2020. The outcomes of the deliberations in the Feature Conference and Youth Agenda Forum have been immortalized in the Seoul Declaration on Media and Information Literacy for Everyone and by Everyone: A Defence against Disinfodemics. This Seoul Declaration benefited from a consultation with close to one thousand registered participants. Through the Seoul Declaration, partners and participants called for media and information literacy for all. They: Emphasized that “media and information literacy (MIL) is a core competency for addressing the disinfodemic, and that MIL also contributes to access to information, freedom of expression, protection of privacy, prevention of violent extremism, promotion of digital security and combating hate speech and inequality”. Recognized “UNESCO’s effort to promote a Global MIL Cities Framework to stimulate creative learning about MIL in city spaces and the involvement of non-traditional actors in promoting MIL”. Called on duty bearers at the national to city levels to “commit to advancing ‘Media and Information Literacy for Everyone and by Everyone’ through policy and resource allocation across all relevant areas, including education, health, elections, child protection, climate, gender equality, governance and regulation, to mention some examples”. Urged technological intermediaries to “play an accountable role, through institutionalized multi-stakeholder systems, as part of the social endeavor to tackle disinformation and to build communities that are media and information literate”. Requested UNESCO, in cooperation with other UN Agencies, to “maintain a focus on inclusion of disadvantaged groups in MIL engagements, and to continue to foster gender equality in relation to MIL.” Read the full Seoul Declaration on Media and Information Literacy for Everyone and by Everyone: A Defence against Disinfodemics. UNESCO is thankful to all our partners, chief among these the Republic of Korea for hosting and co-organizing the Global MIL Week 2020 Feature Events. UNESCO is also grateful to long standing supporters of the Organization’s global media and information literacy actions such as the European Commission and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency. UNESCO gives a big thank you to members of the UNESCO MIL Alliance and all our other partners. URL:https://en.unesco.org/news/seoul-declaration-media-and-information-literacy-everyone-and-everyone-0 
UNESCO Green Citizens showcases grassroot projects at the service of biodiversity and sustainable development 2020-10-20 Today UNESCO will launch the Green Citizens initiative to amplify the voice of some 100 local citizen projects worldwide in key domains of biodiversity and sustainable development, including the Ocean, Water/Hydrology, Education for sustainable development, Indigenous and local knowledge. UNESCO has witnessed a great increase in the number and pertinence of local citizen projects over decades of scientific research in biodiversity, oceanography and hydrology, and conservation work in its protected sites around the world (Biosphere Reserves, Geoparks, natural World Heritage sites). The Organization wishes to highlight and support local, innovative, duplicable citizen projects with a verifiable impact on their community and stimulate the dissemination of new change driving ideas worldwide. The project reflects the conviction that changes in our relationship with living ecosystems will only be achieved by bringing together the complementary actions of the different actors at all levels and the reinforcement of networks of committed individuals and organizations. It is also a call on decision-makers to act quickly and a reminder that it is only together that we can make the change that is needed. UNESCO Green Citizens is a collective endeavour bringing together the Klorane Botanical Foundation as a founding partner, Adveris digital agency, Passion Pictures Paris, Twitter (for Good), artists including Juan Delcan, Roxane Campoy, Desta Hailé, students and volunteers, as well as partners, dubbed Watchers such as Solar Impulse Foundation, Sparknews or ChangeNow that are critical in identifying outstanding local projects. The Initiative enriches UNESCO’s extensive and growing range of programmes and partnerships aiming to protect biodiversity. **** More information UNESCO biodiversity URL:https://en.unesco.org/news/unesco-green-citizens-showcases-grassroot-projects-service-biodiversity-and-sustainable 
Our most pressing transnational challenges must be addressed together 2020-10-12 Photo: Ho-Young Ahn, academic and Korean diplomat. “What are the world’s most pressing challenges?” asks Ho-Young Ahn, academic and Korean diplomat. “For obvious reasons, the pandemic. Then, of course, climate change. Summers are getting hotter everywhere, and natural disasters more often and more serious. Climate change weighs very heavily on my mind. And the third is international security. The observations for this are becoming more and more worrisome.” These trends, he says, highlight more than ever the need for international cooperation. “Let us just think about the pandemic – this is a transnational challenge,” says Ho-Young. “We cannot respond to it alone. Well, of course, we can try, but if we work together, that will be far more efficient. The same thing must be said about climate change and our security challenges. We could be dealing with them at a national level, but we can do it far better if we do it together.” The transnational nature of these challenges is one of the reasons, according to Ho-Young Ahn, that multilateralism remains so relevant. As we celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the United Nations, he says we should take a moment to reflect on the role of multilateralism since the United Nations was established. “Let us think about the meaning of multilateralism after seventy-five years. Even before the war was over, world leaders had a vision of what international cooperation would look like afterward. And now, thinking about our transnational challenges, multilateralism is more important than ever. Overall, I am very thankful for how the United Nations has functioned over the past seventy-five years.” Results of the UNESCO’“World in 2030” survey indicate that while a strong majority of respondents believe that international cooperation is vital to address our global challenges, many also have low confidence in the world’s ability to respond. To this, Ho-Young Ahn offers some advice. Rather than saying we can’t do it – we must ask how we can do it. First, we have to think about all the United Nations has done since its inception. Think about where we started. Then we need to come up with concrete solutions to challenges and demonstrate them to global citizens.-- Ho-Young Ahn Besides its multilateral role, it is in such concrete solutions that UNESCO can provide tangible tools for peace building. To this end, UNESCO’s interdisciplinary mandate is a strong platform to start with. “From day one, building peace has been the most important issue for the United Nations. And for UNESCO, it is literally in the mandate, ‘building peace in the minds of men and women’. Thinking about UNESCO’s areas of work – education, science, culture – are they separate issues? I don’t think so. I think they are inseparable. UNESCO’s strength is that you combine them with peace as the goal.” Global citizenship education a vital tool for peaceful societies “Access to education, science and culture must be used for building peace, not sowing the seeds of hatred,” says Ho-Young Ahn. “For instance, following the Korean War, Korea was in great need. It put a big emphasis on education as a way of building back, but it did not have the resources to do so. UNESCO came in, and they gave us what we needed. All those textbooks – they were printed on printers provided by UNESCO.” UNESCO’s concrete actions serve a higher mandate of peace-building. In a global context of transnational challenges, UNESCO can tap into the spirit of multilateralism – global cooperation – to help deliver this. One key tool it has at its disposal is global citizenship education. “UNESCO has been promoting this idea of global citizenship education, and it is right to do so. But why is global citizenship education important? Take climate change. A typical discussion surrounding this challenge is that of ‘economy versus climate change action’. This dichotomy occupies the minds of many people – and yet it is not true! One way to communicate this is by strengthening global citizenship education, so that we can see ourselves as global citizens dealing with transnational problems.” One area UNESCO can work in, says Ho-Young Ahn, is advocating for global citizenship education to be incorporated in national curriculums. UNESCO is one of the most trusted voices on education, he says, and therefore has a duty to help children broaden their perspective and become global citizens. Children learn in their civics classes what it means to be a good citizen in their societies. This horizon must be extended so they can become transnational citizens – good citizens of the world.-- Ho-Young Ahn Being a global citizen means understanding the international nature of contemporary challenges, and helping contribute globally to more peaceful, tolerant, inclusive, secure and sustainable societies. This 75th Anniversary of the United Nations gives us an opportunity to reflect on this, and on how multilateralism and global citizenship can work together in the face of transnational challenges. “There is no shortage of transitional challenges. And we need a new perspective on them. Well – not a new perspective. We have known for seventy-five years that the challenges we face are global. We just need to be committed to addressing them together.” URL:https://en.unesco.org/news/our-most-pressing-transnational-challenges-must-be-addressed-together 
لمديرة العامة لليونسكو تضم صوتها إلى قادة العالم في دعوتهم لتوطيد الالتزام السياسي لتحقيق المساواة بين الجنسين 2020-10-07 UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay has cautioned that much remained to be done for gender equality as world leaders gathered at a High-Level Meeting during the UN General Assembly to mark the 25th anniversary of the visionary Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (1995) that set a global agenda for the empowerment of women and girls and called for the recognition of women’s rights as human rights, "Much has been achieved since the 4th World Conference on Women took place in 1995, and yet the struggles to achieve full Gender Equality remain dire in all societies [...] I call upon women worldwide to be inspired by the extraordinary achievements of the Beijing Declaration and to take control and full leadership in every aspect of life and domain of society to build back a better future for all." --- UNESCO's Director-General, Audrey Azoulay Evidence suggests that women and girls are hit hardest by economic down-turns, violence, conflict and climate change, and the COVID-19 crisis has proved no different. The pandemic and its associated school closures and lockdowns have had a disproportionate impact on the life and wellbeing of millions of women, putting many of the Beijing Declaration’s objectives at risk. The exacerbated burden of unpaid care has further limited the time women and girls are able to dedicate to learning; more than 767 million girls were out of school due to the COVID-19 lockdowns, 11 million of whom are unlikely to return to school. According to UN-Women, the pandemic will push 47 million more women and girls below the poverty line. Gender-based violence increased dramatically during lock downs around the world. Women scientists, journalists, artists and creators found and continue to find themselves at increased risks of different forms of harassment, censorship and abuse, both online and offline. We also learned how wide the gender digital divide really was with only 54% of women connected to mobile internet. This limits the access of millions of women to information and to a diversity of information sources that is necessary to sift out disinformation. 767 million girls were out of school due to the COVID-19 lockdowns 11 million of these girls might never go back to school 47 million more women will be pushed below the poverty line Only 54% of women are connected to mobile internet Recognizing the vision of the women who made history in Beijing in 1995, UNESCO’s Director-General declared that “The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action are the most powerful examples of how the global agenda can be written for women and by women. Twenty-five years after their launch we still owe a lot to those visionary women leaders, and we remain accountable to the new generations in ensuring that the multilateral system amplifies their voices and strives towards full equality in all societies.” With signs of an impending recession likely to have a devastating impact on the poorest and as social spending appears likely to shrink, decision makers worldwide have a collective responsibility to prioritize work on gender equality. Ambitious legislation, measures and policies to ensure gender equality are needed to avoid detrimental economic, social, cultural, political and environmental consequences that will jeopardize the achievement of the internationally agreed 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. UNESCO is determined to work with its partners to make gender equality, the empowerment of women and girls a central driving force in optimizing recovery from the socio-economic and cultural impact of COVID-19. Now is the time to defend and advance women and girl’s human rights. Now is the time for the Beijing Declaration and its legacy to be fully delivered. Now is the time to work toward a new Generation Equality. URL:https://en.unesco.org/news/unesco-director-general-joins-world-leaders-call-highest-political-commitment-achieve-gender 
جائحة كوفيد-19: حثّ البلدان على اتخاذ إجراءات أكثر قوة لوقف انتشار المعلومات الضارة 2020-10-02 The World Health Organization (WHO) together with the UN, specialised agencies and partners today called on countries to develop and implement action plans to promote the timely dissemination of science-based information and prevent the spread of false information while respecting freedom of expression. WHO, the UN, UNICEF, UNAIDS, the UN Development Programme (UNDP), UNESCO, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the UN Global Pulse initiative and the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), together with the governments of Indonesia, Thailand and Uruguay held a webinar on the margins of the 75th UN General Assembly to draw attention to the harm being done by the spread of misinformation and disinformation, the latter being deliberate misinformation to advance an agenda. “As soon as the virus spread across the globe, inaccurate and even dangerous messages proliferated wildly over social media, leaving people confused, misled and ill-advised”, said UN Secretary-General António Guterres. ”Our initiative, called “Verified”, is fighting misinformation with truth. We work with media partners, individuals, influencers and social media platforms to spread content that promotes science, offers solutions and inspires solidarity. This will be especially critical as we work to build public confidence in the safety and efficacy of future COVID-19 vaccines. We need a ‘people’s vaccine’ that is affordable and available to all.” “Misinformation and disinformation put health and lives at risk, and undermine trust in science, in institutions and in health systems,” said WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “To fight the pandemic we need trust and solidarity and when there is mistrust, there is much less solidarity. False information is hindering the response to the pandemic so we must join forces to fight it and to promote science-based public health advice. The same principles that apply to responding to COVID-19 apply to managing the infodemic. We need to prevent, detect and respond to it, together and in solidarity.” “On top of the immediate impact on pandemic responses, disinformation is undermining public trust in democratic processes and institutions and exacerbating social divides”, said UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner. “It’s one of the most concerning governance challenges of our time. UNDP is actively collaborating with Member States, fellow UN agencies, and other partners to find holistic responses which respect human rights.” “Misinformation is one of the fastest growing challenges facing children today,” said Henrietta Fore, UNICEF Executive Director. “It takes advantage of the cracks in trust in societies and institutions and deepens them further, undermines confidence in science and medicine, and divides communities. In its most pernicious forms, such as when it convinces parents not to vaccinate their children, it can even be fatal. Because misinformation is more a symptom than a sickness, countering it requires more than just providing truth. It also requires trust between leaders, communities and individuals.” “We can beat COVID-19 only with facts, science and community solidarity,” said Executive Director, Winnie Byanyima. “Misinformation is perpetuating stigma and discrimination and must not come in the way of ensuring that human rights are protected and people at risk and those marginalized have access to health and social protection services.” “Since the start of the pandemic, UNESCO has mobilised its international networks of media partners, journalists, fact-checkers, community radio stations, and experts, to give citizens the means to fight against false information and rumours — phenomena that have been exacerbated by the pandemic,” said Audrey Azoulay, the UNESCO Director-General. ”Collective mobilisation to promote quality and reliable information, while strictly ensuring respect for freedom of expression, is essential. A free, independent and pluralistic press is more necessary than ever.” “Trust is a cornerstone of our digital world,” said Houlin Zhao, Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union. “Building on the long-standing WHO-ITU BeHe@lthy BeMobile initiative, ITU has been working with national ministries of telecommunications and health and mobile network operators since the beginning of this crisis to text people who may not have access to the internet, providing them with science- and evidence-based COVID-19 health advice directly on their mobile phones.” WHO and partners urged countries to engage and listen to their communities as they develop their national action plans, and to empower communities to build trust and resilience against false information. “Engaging communities on how they perceive the disease and response is critical to building trust and ending outbreaks,” said Jagan Chapagain, IFRC Secretary General. “If our response does not reflect the communities’ concerns and perceptions, we will not be seen as relevant or trusted by affected populations, and the epidemic response risks failure. More than ever, local responders are at the forefront of this crisis. We need to recognize the incredible role they play in understanding and acting on local knowledge and community feedback.” The co-hosts also called on the media, social media platforms, civil society leaders and influencers to strengthen their actions to disseminate accurate information and prevent the spread of misinformation and disinformation. Access to accurate information and the free exchange of ideas online and offline are key to enabling effective and credible public health responses. "UN Global Pulse was set up a decade ago inside the UN System to pioneer the use of real-time and predictive insights to protect vulnerable communities in times of crisis”, said Robert Kirkpatrick, Director of UN Global Pulse, the United Nations Secretary-General’s initiative on big data and artificial intelligence (AI). “During this pandemic we have seen a tremendous increase in requests for advanced analytics from across the UN System and Member States. We will continue to work with WHO and other partners to help identify and combat mis- and disinformation.” Note to Editors WHO defines an infodemic as an overabundance of information, both online and offline. It includes accurate information as well as mis- and disinformation. In May 2020, WHO Member States passed Resolution WHA73.1 on the COVID-19 response at the World Health Assembly. The Resolution recognises that managing the infodemic is a critical part of controlling the COVID-19 pandemic: it calls on Member States to provide reliable COVID-19 content, take measures to counter mis- and disinformation and leverage digital technologies across the response. The Resolution also called on international organisations to address mis- and disinformation in the digital sphere, work to prevent harmful cyber activities undermining the health response and support the provision of science-based data to the public. URL:https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/23-09-2020-covid-19-pandemic-countries-urged-to-take-stronger-action-to-stop-spread-of-harmful-information