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Grandir à l’heure des fake news 2021-04-12 Hopping from one social network to another, young people in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region now get their information from YouTube, Instagram and Facebook. To be able to distinguish between reliable information and fake news while navigating this flood of information, it is urgent to develop critical thinking. Hadil AbuhmaidA doctoral candidate at the School of Journalism and Communication, University of Oregon, United States, she is co-author of How The Middle East Used Social Media in 2020 an annual review. Some days ago, my nephew asked me who my favourite YouTuber was. Without hesitation, I said “no one”, because I rarely watch YouTube. He gasped and asked, “Then what do you do on your laptop all day?” Well, I am a 34-year-old Ph.D. student, not an 11-year-old. But his reaction reflects the power and influence that platforms like YouTube have on many young people around the world – including the Middle East, the region where I am from and which I continue to study. In one of the most youthful regions in the world – where over twenty-eight per cent of the population is between 15 and 29 – it should come as no surprise that nine out ten young adults use at least one social media platform to converse, access information, and share content, according to the 2019 Arab Youth Survey. Juggling between multiple platforms “I check my Facebook and Instagram about fifty times a day,” Tabarek Raad, 28, a translator from Basra, Iraq, said. “I use these two social media accounts to connect with friends and keep myself in the loop of what’s going on in the world,” she added. Using social media platforms to check the latest news, watch and interact with friends’ stories, share something, or just passively browse through the newsfeed, is universal among youth everywhere today. But what is interesting about internet users in the Middle East is that they have an average of 8.4 social media accounts, according to GlobalWebIndex (GWI), the market research firm. Mohammed Haraba, 28, who works for a large oil company in Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia, has nine social media accounts – including WhatsApp, Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook. “I check WhatsApp every hour, unless I am too busy. It is the only platform on which family and friends gather. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t have an account,” he said. Facebook, which used to be Haraba’s main platform for socializing four years ago, now ranks low on his list. With over seven out of ten Arabs using Facebook and WhatsApp, the platform still has a big presence in the region, with 45 million Facebook users only in Egypt, Statista reports. Social media platforms are now the dominant source of news for young Arabs. Statistics from the Arab Youth Survey show that in 2020, seventy-nine per cent of young Arabs receive their news from social media, compared to only twenty-five per cent in 2015. “Facebook is one of my main sources of news and communication with friends. I check it more than ten times a day,” Pamella Hadawar, 24, from Palestine said. “And depending where the news comes from, I check with other news agencies and sources to make sure it is accurate.” This trend has resulted in a decline in news consumption through newspapers and television. Saudi Arabian youth, for example, reported an almost thirty per cent decline in TV news watching in the past four years. An infodemic The widespread use of social media in the region is both fascinating and scary – with information bombarding us constantly, it has become harder to filter the content. Fake news and misinformation have become especially prevalent during the pandemic. False and inaccurate news has spread even more rapidly on social media, resulting in an infodemic. The deluge of information has been overwhelming for some. “I used to get most of my news from Twitter, but I deactivated my account when the pandemic started,” says Tala Zabalawi, 31, a digital marketing specialist in Amman, Jordan. “It was so stressful to read about the pandemic, that I decided to focus on happy thoughts instead.” The growth of media consumption and the increasing affordability of new technologies point to an even further expansion in the use of social media in the MENA region. Big tech companies have been quick to take advantage of this emerging market. This has initiated an important discussion around media literacy. Realizing the value of media education for young adults, several organizations in the region have been offering training and workshops to increase awareness. Other initiatives – like Jordan’s Fatabayyano platform in Arabic – offer fact-checking services. This is a start. In order to develop critical thinking that allows us to distinguish between truth and lies, between facts and opinions, we need the widespread introduction of media education, particularly in schools. UNESCO combats the disinfodemic Read more: Zoomers, in their own words, The UNESCO Courier, July-September, 2020The health crisis: Fertile ground for disinformation, The UNESCO Courier, July-September 2020Developing a critical mind against fake news, The UNESCO Courier, July-September 2017 Subscribe to The UNESCO Courier for thought-provoking articles on contemporary issues. The digital version is completely free.Follow The UNESCO Courier on: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram URL:https://en.unesco.org/courier/2021-2/growing-age-fake-news 
Données ouvertes sur les écoles : mode d’emploi 2021-04-12 Open school data is a powerful tool. When used properly, open data can promote citizen control over the transfer and use of financial, material, and human resources. Open data can hold local and school authorities to account, improve service delivery, and detect malpractice at the school level – and most importantly, enable citizens to stand up for their right to a quality education. There are a variety of open school data initiatives operating around the world. IIEP-UNESCO, as part of its long-standing research in this area, has explored many of them in-depth. Now, a new guide for educational decision-makers, planners, and managers goes behind the scenes to illustrate – in concrete, applicable terms – how to foster effective and usable open school data. “The publication is designed to be a key resource for education actors seeking to confront corruption head-on, and remove it as a barrier to the attainment of equitable and inclusive quality education for all,” says author Muriel Poisson and IIEP expert on ethics and corruption in education. Open School Data: What planners need to know addresses five key questions: from how to choose the content and format of data, to how to link them with accountability, while also understanding inherent risks. Covering Australia to Zambia, these questions are brought to life with real-world examples and lessons from 50 countries and several hundred interviews with school-level actors. The book also argues that education authorities have much to learn from the experience of civil society in the area, emphasizing the need to shift from an administrative approach to a more citizen-centred perspective. Voices of impact The book features a number of interesting voices and testimonies, which highlight the impact of open school data: “With the Dapodik system in place, it is much more difficult for schools to inflate their student numbers. For each student, schools have to submit many variables including their demographic background, family background, academic progress, and even the distance between the student’s home and her/his school. It is much more difficult to manipulate students’ data now.” -- A provincial district representative in Indonesia. “Previously, school management decisions had been taken by a handful of school staff without really involving parents or the community, even though everyone in Malawi knew this type of arrangement was conducive to corruption.” -- A project manager from the non-governmental organization LINK in Malawi, which decided to use open school data to encourage collaborative planning approaches. “We became more conscious because we are being checked. We managed the resources better based on needs, pursued the right strategy, and improved governance of resources. If you don’t do that, the collected data will show it.” -- A secondary school teacher in Bangladesh. At the same time, the book does not ignore the risks that sometimes accompany the disclosure of school data. This can include misinterpretation or over-simplification of complex issues, possible stigmatization or school competition, and issues around data privacy and overall security, among other issues. One policy officer in Australia also raised the issue of the inherent shortcomings of data: “Schools are complex places that are hard to ‘capture’ through any data sets. Our principals tend to be passionate educators who know that what schools deliver is not solely based on a list of data. They change lives and My School can’t accurately represent all that is done.” -- A policy officer in Australia. Seven steps to design and implement open school data initiatives Making school data public is an important step in itself – but it is not enough to provoke significant changes in education systems. A number of other steps must be taken – both before and after publication – to bring open school data to the attention of citizens. As this can raise many questions for planners, the book proposes practical guidelines on how to design and implement open school data policies. It also includes a useful checklist, outlining what needs to be done and by whom. Design a clear open data policy framework: Review motivations for an open school data policy, clarify roles and responsibilities, and set expectations building on a theory of change. Prioritize data that can lead to positive change: Select meaningful data highlighting the current situation of schools and consider indicators that are comparable over time and between schools. Set up a strong information management system: Introduce open school data initiatives as part of existing educational management information systems (EMIS), organize technical trainings to teach school staff how to monitor data, and disseminate information in a timely manner. Present data attractively: Make sure data are accessible both online and offline in public areas where they are easy for all to view. Provide explanations to avoid misinterpretation, use simple language and incorporate tables and graphics. Make sure data are accessible to all: Send school report cards to all school principals, adopt legal provisions regarding the disclosure of data, and conduct advocacy campaigns in local languages to alert citizens. Strengthen stakeholder capacities to act on information: Enhance awareness among school administrators and teachers of the core principles of open school data, inform citizens about their rights and entitlements about education, and organize information sessions for pupils. Support efforts to improve accountability and fight corruption: Select data that can shed light on areas most vulnerable to corrupt practices, clarify the consequences of corrupt practices, and make the objectives of an open school data initiative evolve over time, from an information and communication tool to one of accountability. By taking these recommendations into consideration, open school data policies and initiatives can have greater success and impact in the education sector. And once the initial foundation is laid for open school data, its architects can find ways to evolve and further engage with users over time. For example, the publication suggests incorporating private schools into databases, designing data presentations for different formats (e.g. mobile, tablets, and computers), developing interactive tools that allow users to engage in more complex data presentations, or creating a dedicated space for students to discuss issues related to open school data. URL:http://www.iiep.unesco.org/en/open-school-data-heres-your-go-guide-13721 
Du discours de haine au génocide, les leçons à tirer du génocide de 1994 contre les Tutsis au Rwanda 2021-04-08 On the International Day of Reflection on the Genocide in Rwanda, 7 April, UNESCO will hold an online panel discussion from 15:00 to 16:30 CEST, which can be viewed here. It was on 7 April 1994 that the Hutu extremist-led government in Rwanda launched a systematic attack that within 100 days killed more than 1 million members of the Tutsi minority. The day is both a time to honor the victims and survivors, and to extract from this senseless slaughter the lessons that can still be learned to prevent genocide in the future. The online event will begin with introductory remarks from UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay and Ambassador François Xavier Ngarambe, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Rwanda to UNESCO, to be followed by a conversation between Mr. Freddy Mutanguha, a survivor of the Genocide, and Dr. Tali Nates, Director of the Johannesburg Holocaust and Genocide Centre. Participants in the panel discussion are: Ms. Susan Benesch (USA), Director of the Dangerous Speech project, Mr. Marcel Kabanda (France), Historian and former President of Ibuka France, Mr. Paul Rutayisire (Rwanda), Historian. Ambassador Silvia Fernandez de Gurmendi (Argentina), Chair of Global Action Against Mass Atrocity Crimes and former President of the International Criminal Court, will deliver a video message. Closing remarks will be delivered by Ms. Alice Wairimu Nderitu, United Nations Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide. Dr. Stephen Smith, UNESCO Chair on Genocide Education and Finci-Viterbi Executive Director of the University of Southern California Shoah Foundation, will moderate the event. Hate speech and hate propaganda were identified as catalysts of the genocidal violence in Rwanda. The United Nations Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech (2019) seeks to strengthen the UN response to the global phenomenon of hate speech and placing specific emphasis on the role of education as a tool for addressing and countering hate speech, while at the same time upholding legitimate freedom of expression and access to information. The commemoration is being organized by UNESCO and the University of Southern California Shoah Foundation UNESCO Chair on Genocide Education, with the Permanent Delegation of Rwanda to UNESCO, in partnership with Global Action Against Mass Atrocity Crimes (GAAMAC). As the only UN agency with a mandate to promote the prevention of genocide through education, UNESCO is committed to promoting genocide remembrance and education to sensitize learners about the causes, dynamics and consequences of such crimes and to strengthen their resilience against all forms of discrimination. URL:https://en.unesco.org/news/hate-speech-genocide-lessons-1994-genocide-against-tutsi-rwanda 
Connectivity, gender and teachers: How the Global Education Coalition is supporting COVID-19 learning recovery 2021-04-05 The COVID-19 pandemic hit the education sector with full force, disrupting schools globally and threatening to strip off decades of progress made towards learning. A year into the crisis, the situation remains bleak: Half of the world’s student population is still affected by full or partial school closures; nearly one-third cannot access remote learning; more than 11 million girls may never return to the classroom; and over 100 million children will fall below the minimum proficiency level in reading due to the impact of school closures. Unless urgent action is taken today, over 24 million children and youth are at risk of dropping out of school. As the pandemic revealed and amplified inequalities in education, UNESCO quickly mobilized support to ensure the continuity of learning around the world by establishing the Global Education Coalition in March 2020. This multi-sector Coalition brings together 175 institutional partners from the UN family, civil society, academia and the private sector currently working in 112 countries around three central themes: Connectivity, gender and teachers. A new report, published ahead of a high-level ministerial meeting, is showcasing the innovative responses that have been achieved through this unique partnership in the past year. How is the Global Education Coalition operating and what are its achievements? The Global Education Coalition has become an essential platform to support Member States to respond to the unprecedented challenges facing the education sector. Coalition contributions do not replace national responses, but rather engage new actors that would not have been obvious partners, such as technology and media organizations, to complement and support national efforts to ensure the continuity of learning. Coalition members are currently engaged in 233 projects across 112 countries. At least 400 million learners and 12 million teachers are benefitting directly or indirectly from the actions of the Coalition. Here are a few global, regional and country-specific examples of actions that have been achieved so far. In West Africa, the Francophone African regional online learning platform Imaginécole was launched as a key component of a Global Partnership for Education project to improve the quality of distance education in 10 countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Chad and Togo. The platform offers a large-scale experience in distance education for 6.6 million students and 200,000 teachers with over 600 educational resources. More than 5 million girls in the 20 countries with the greatest gender disparities in education will be supported to fulfil their right to education, with a focus on bringing back to school the most marginalized girls through wide range of actions. This includes information and awareness raising, skills acquisition and providing evidence-based recommendations to decision-makers. The Global Skills Academy, established to help equip 1 million youth with digital skills to adapt to changes in the workplace, reaching to date 142,000 beneficiaries. Since its launch, the Academy has mobilized more than 150 TVET institutions across 56 countries and is actively working with 15 partners to enroll 75,000 additional students and teachers in the coming days. In response to the explosion that rocked Beirut, Lebanon in August 2020, Coalition members mobilized financial commitments, technical assistance and capacity building support to rehabilitate damaged schools, provide technical assistance to teachers, ensure access to distance learning with content and support higher education. UNESCO and partners are supporting the rehabilitation of 55 public schools, 20 public Technical and Vocational Education and Training institutions, and 3 universities. In South Africa, a phone app-based support service for teachers developed with a partner was launched to provide a real-time chat-based learning and mentorship platform, along with a wellness and safety feature. It currently has over 67,200 users and plans to reach 400,000 more teachers in the upcoming months. UNESCO is supporting an open source platform for home-based distance learning and a regional repository of curriculum aligned resources for learners and teachers in Kiribati, Marshall Islands (Republic of), Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Tuvalu. With GIZ’s support, UNESCO is launching a teachers’ training programme for 20 Caribbean countries and a digital and social emotional skills training for migrants and refugees in Peru. Read and explore the Global Education Coalition’s latest progress report.Access the first progress report from September 2020. UNESCO is convening a high-level ministerial event on 29 March to take stock of lessons learnt, the greatest risks facing education today and strategies to leave no learner behind. It will show how the Global Education Coalition has mobilized partners to support learners, teachers and policy-makers with new tools and knowledge. URL:https://en.unesco.org/news/connectivity-gender-and-teachers-how-global-education-coalition-supporting-covid-19-learning 
#كافحوا_العنصرية: اليونسكو تدعو إلى اتخاذ إجراءات حازمة لمكافحة العنصرية والتمييز 2021-04-04 "Fighting racism is part of UNESCO's DNA. It's history. We are working to erect effective bulwarks against racism in people’s minds." -- Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO With these words, Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, opened the first Global Forum against Racism and Discrimination, co-hosted with the Republic of Korea, mobilizing a powerful global effort to step up UNESCO’s actions to tackle the alarming increase in racism and discrimination in all regions of the world. Organized on 22 March 2021, in the context of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, the Forum was a direct response to the strong ‘Global Call against Racism’ adopted by UNESCO Members States. © UNESCO Bringing together Ministers from several countries – including France, Mexico, Republic of Korea, Slovakia, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates – experts, practitioners, and champions, the Forum built concrete insights and solid commitments through which UNESCO will construct an ambitious new Roadmap against racism and discrimination. The Roadmap aims to mobilize UNESCO’s crosscutting expertise, based on solid evidence-based social and human science research, to tackle the legal and institutional foundations which continue to perpetuate discrimination, and change mindsets to favour inclusion and mutual respect. It will position UNESCO to effectively combat racism and discrimination within the post-COVID context, building on its more than 70 years of moral and intellectual leadership on the issue, and leveraging its strong capacity to find intersectoral solutions through existing work on global citizenship education, the promotion of cultural diversity, the fight against hate speech, the combatting of mis and dis-information, and the mobilization of the social and human sciences to understand the problem. "We need to look deeper than just the individual racist attack. We need to focus on racism at the institutional level. We need to get the laws right" -- Denise Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, Mayor of Freetown, Sierra Leone The discussions at the Forum underscored that whilst racial discrimination remains prevalent and pervasive in contemporary societies, strong and independent national institutions can help to provide solid legal and regulatory protections to counter discrimination. The importance of practical approaches to support such efforts, such as UNESCO’s forthcoming scanning exercise and integrated anti-discrimination toolkit, was repeatedly underlined. "Racism and discrimination are a clear challenge, and it is a challenge that requires an immediate response. To this end, there is a need more than ever for international cooperation and the support of multilateral institutions, including UNESCO." -- H.E. Choi Jongmoon, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Korea "We need to develop an official mechanism and enact legislation for banning discrimination and realizing equality." -- H.E. Young-ae Choi, Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission of the Republic of Korea Panelists addressed the mutability of racism, and the need for policymakers to understand emerging forms of discrimination that require innovative responses to be effectively tackled. COVID-19 has exposed many of these new manifestations of racism, not least those related to inequities in the access to, and benefits from, digital technologies. Calls were made for a strong ethical foundation to ensure technological progress is inclusive and absent of bias, and the work UNESCO is advancing to prepare a new normative standard on the ethics of artificial intelligence was strongly welcomed in this regard. "It goes back to human decency and respect. We need to treat people as we want to be treated. If we start off with that notion "Treat my human fellow being as I want to be treated" we'll be halfway towards winning the battle." -- Martin Luther King III The importance of forging partnerships and coalitions across different sectors and levels of government was also highlighted. Broad recognition was made to the critical nature of such collaboration for tackling the compounding effects of racism with other forms of discrimination, particularly that leveled on the grounds of gender. Additionally, the importance of providing support to local decision makers as those who are on the frontline of tackling racism and discrimination was stressed, and the essential role that networks such as UNESCO’s International Coalition of Inclusive and Sustainable Cities provide in this regard was recognized. Martin Luther King III, emphasized the importance of strong collaboration in his intervention, saying ‘we must create a partnership. For it is when you bring all the stakeholders together that it becomes possible to develop strategic plans and effect change.’ "Racism does not only hurt those directly affected; it challenges the trust and cohesion that holds our societies together." -- Gabriela Ramos, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Social and Human Sciences Closing the Forum, Gabriela Ramos affirmed that the Forum had equipped UNESCO with the strong insights and ideas needed to take forward this critical agenda through the new UNESCO Roadmap against Racism and Discrimination. She committed to continue the process of inclusive partnership to ensure the Roadmap represents an ambitious, intersectoral vision and practical strategy, echoing the words of Stefania Giannini, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Education, and Firmin Edouard Matoko, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Priority Africa and External Relations, who also participated in the Forum. Accompanying the Forum, the Republic of Korea launched a social media campaign using the Forum’s hashtags #FulfillTheDream #FightRacism, bringing together a significant number of Ambassadors of the Group of Friends for Solidarity and Inclusion with Global Citizenship Education in UNESCO to reaffirm their commitment to this important issue. UNESCO intends to make the Global Forum against Racism and Discrimination an annual occurrence, providing an opportunity for the organization and its partners to take stock of progress at the same time next year. Watch the Forum on YouTube Programme Concept Note More on UNESCO’s work to foster inclusion and non-discrimination More on the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination URL:https://en.unesco.org/news/fightracism-fulfillthedream-unesco-calls-strong-action-against-racism-and-discrimination 
Mathematics for a Better World, UNESCO marks International Day of Mathematics, 14 March 2021-03-15 14 March, proclaimed by UNESCO as International Day of Mathematics (IDM), will be held under the theme “Mathematics for a Better World". Celebrating the beauty and relevance of mathematics, the Day highlights the essential role played by this discipline in reaching the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Organized by the International Mathematics Union, IDM will feature a mixture of virtual and face-to-face celebrations, notably in classrooms. Celebrations are scheduled in more than 70 countries with over 410 individual events. Mathematics, with its many technical applications, now underpins all areas of our lives. Together with algorithms, mathematics plays a key role in artificial intelligence and technological disruptions – and, as we address global issues such as the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change, we are reminded of the importance of mathematics in responding to the challenges of our time. -- Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO Director-General The new feature of IDM 2021 is the Poster Challenge to which more than 2,100 schools and organizations responded, producing their own IDM poster to illustrate one facet of the theme of “Mathematics for a Better World”. The posters will be made available to all under an open licence. IDM 2021 is celebrated on all continents. From Madagascar to Gambia, from Panama to Chile, from Albania to Malaysia, from Bangladesh to Australia, people all over the world are organizing festivities. An international live celebration in English, French and Spanish will take place on 14 March, 2 to 6pm, UTC. Also, 48 hours of live coverage on the IDM website will start at 00:00 New Zealand time and end at 24:00 Pacific time. The international celebration is complemented by national and local competitions, conferences, exhibitions, and talks, organized by mathematical societies, research institutes, museums, schools, universities, etc. In Algeria, many events will take place all over the country to show how mathematics helps improve our world. They consist in the organization of webinars, national mathematics competitions, recreational mathematics, and classroom activities. A special event involving blind pupils shows that mathematics is a universal language. Celebrations are in partnership with the public television El Maarifa channel (TV7) which will report on the different events to promote them to the wider population. -- Djamel Eddine Cheriet, Vice-President of the Algerian Mathematical Society In a joint project with the Simons Foundation, the mathematical societies of Algeria, Senegal, and the Republic of Congo will organize online and on site activities on mathematics and artificial intelligence, as well as mathematical games, for a large audience in French, Arabic, and English. They will also offer special training programmes for teachers and educators in Africa and the Arab region. The IDM is an opportunity to share the knowledge that men and women have developed throughout history. It is also a space to create, share, motivate and inspire future generations with mathematics. It is a day to remember that mathematics empowers us, sets us free, and makes us better citizens. -- Laura Vanessa Gomez Bermeo (Colombia) Through the gloom of the pandemic, IDM is an opportunity for exciting and challenging activities in schools. Students can explore how mathematics helps to understand the spread of an epidemic and how the theory of fair division allows for more equitable policies. -- Christiane Rousseau, University of Montreal, initiator for the IMU of the IDM project The date of 14 March is already known as Pi Day and celebrated in many countries. It is named after the important number π, the ratio between the circumference and diameter of a circle, approximately equal to 3.14. The IDM celebration expands Pi Day to include the whole spectrum of mathematics. In view of the pandemic, the 2021 theme of “Mathematics for a Better World” reminds us that athematics and statistics are essential tools for decision-makers in that they enable us to predict the evolution of the disease and optimizemitigation strategies with limited resources. But the role of mathematics in building a better world goes well beyond the pandemic response, and schools are invited to explore the mathematics of fair division, which has so many applications in designing economic and social policies. The IDM website is the main hub for the International Day of Mathematics. It hosts information material to be used by press and organizers (including logos and flyers in different languages) as well as proposals for activities related to the theme for everyone interested in hosting an event. All the official material provided through the website is under an open license, which means it can be freely shared, translated, and adapted. Partners: The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), is headquartered in Paris. As the United Nations’ “House of Peace,” UNESCO serves to develop mutual understanding and the strengthening of bonds among nations through international cooperation in education, the sciences, culture and communication. More information At the 40th session of its General Conference, UNESCO proclaimed 14 March of every year International Day of Mathematics. More information The International Mathematical Union (IMU) is an international non-governmental and non-profit scientific organization, with the purpose of promoting international cooperation in mathematics. IDM is communicated and supported by the IDM website, which is hosted by IMAGINARY, a non-profit organization dedicated to communication about modern mathematics. Sponsors: The Klaus Tschira Foundation (which supports natural sciences, mathematics, and computer science in Germany) sponsor of the IDM website and communication. The Simons Foundation sponsor of the special IDM celebrations in Africa. The Canadian Commission for UNESCO sponsor of the 2021 IDM Poster Challenge. Contacts for further information: Helge Holden, Secretary General of the International Mathematical Union, secretary@mathunion.org Christiane Rousseau, Chair of the IDM Governing Board, idm@mathunion.org, +1 514 9156081 Andreas Matt, Managing Director of IMAGINARY and of the IDM website, andreas.matt@imaginary.org, +49 151 51836352 The International Mathematical Union, Hausvogteiplatz 11A, D-10117 Berlin, Germany, imu.info@mathunion.org Pictures: The logo and all pictures below can be used freely for articles about the International Day of Mathematics. Please find high-resolution versions via the “Download Link”. The pictures are from locally organized events (exhibitions, workshops, festivals) celebrating mathematics. Logo of the International Day of Mathematics Press Kit page with images and press releases URL:https://en.unesco.org/news/mathematics-better-world-unesco-marks-international-day-mathematics-14-march 
Teachers, have your say about educating for sustainable development and global citizenship 2021-03-04 Text by: Education International EI and UNESCO launch a global survey of teachers on their readiness to teach education for sustainable development and global citizenship. EI and UNESCO have today launched a global survey on teachers’ readiness to teach education for sustainable development (ESD) and global citizenship (GCED). The study is being conducted as a part of the monitoring of UN’s Sustainable Development Goal target 4.7, which aims for all learners to acquire knowledge, skills and attitudes needed to promote sustainable development. The survey aims to understand teachers’ experience of teaching four topics in particular: climate change, sustainable consumption and production, human rights and gender equality, and cultural diversity and tolerance. It seeks to measure teachers’ perceptions of their individual capacities (motivation and competences) and the extent to which they are empowered and enabled (by schools and systems) to teach these topics which are so crucial for the realisation of all other sustainable development goals. It explores questions such as: To what extent and how are teachers currently teaching these issues? What are the obstacles encountered? How is the teaching of these subjects affected by the COVID-19 pandemic? And how could they be better supported? Currently there is limited data on the extent to which governments are meeting their commitments to ensure quality education for sustainable development and global citizenship for all. Therefore, this project was proposed by Education International to contribute to filling this gap, bearing in mind that teachers’ perspectives are crucial to accurately assess progress made towards SGD 4.7. The survey report will be launched at the UNESCO global forum on education for sustainable development and global citizenship in 2021. Education International will use the findings to advocate for improved policies and support for teachers to teach these subjects from systems across the world. David Edwards said: “Education for sustainable development and global citizenship education are central to the achievement of the SDG agenda. They are crucial to create a better a world. Systems need to urgently ensure that these important subjects are mainstreamed into national policies, curricula and teacher training. To ensure teachers are sufficiently prepared, we need to listen to them and meet their needs.” Are you a primary or secondary school teacher? Then please fill out the survey. It takes approximately 30 minutes to complete. Your feedback is valued and much appreciated. The survey is available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Kiswahili, Korean, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish. Click here to take the survey and share it with your networks: https://survey.alchemer.eu/s3/90310926/EI-UNESCO-teacher-survey Please note that it is open until 25 April. URL:https://www.ei-ie.org/en/detail/17143/teachers-have-your-say-about-educating-for-sustainable-development-and-global-citizenship 
UNESCO figures show two thirds of an academic year lost on average worldwide due to Covid-19 school closures 2021-03-02 Paris, 25 January — One year into the COVID-19 pandemic, over 800 million students, more than half the world’s student population, still face significant disruptions to their education, ranging from full school closures in 31 countries to reduced or part-time academic schedules in another 48 countries, according to new data released on UNESCO’s interactive monitoring map. The map shows that globally, schools were fully closed for an average of 3.5 months (14 weeks) since the onset of the pandemic. This figure rises to 5.5 months (22 weeks) – equivalent to two-thirds of an academic year – when localized school closures are taken into account. The duration of closures varies greatly by region, from as many as 5 months (20 weeks) of complete nation-wide closures on average in Latin America and the Caribbean countries, to 2.5 months (10 weeks) in Europe, and just one month in Oceania. Similar regional variations are observed when accounting for localized closures: The duration of complete and localized closures exceeded seven months (29 weeks) on average in Latin America and the Caribbean compared to the global average of 5.5 months (22 weeks). Governments have endeavoured to minimize country-wide closures – down from 190 countries at the peak in April 2020 to 30 countries now –in favour of partial and/or local closures. Schools are now fully open in 101 countries. Prolonged and repeated closures of education institutions are taking a rising psycho-social toll on students, increasing learning losses and the risk of dropping out, disproportionately impacting the most vulnerable. Full school closures must therefore be a last resort and reopening them safely a priority. -- Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO Data released today by UNESCO’s Global Education Monitoring Report shows that, even before the COVID-19 crisis, only 1 in 5 countries demonstrated a strong commitment to equity in education through their financing mechanisms, and there is little evidence of a strong equity angle in COVID-19 responses. We need an adequately financed recovery package to reopen schools safely, targeting those most in need and setting education back on track for the COVID-19 generation. Today, on International Day of Education, I call on countries and partners to prioritize education, a global common good, in the recovery.-- Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO UNESCO’s celebration of International Day of Education calls for increased and better financing of education, and draws attention to the low priority allocated to education in recovery efforts. UNESCO data shows that the sector only receives an estimated 0.78% of relief packages worldwide. Additionally, aid to education looks set to decline by 12% as a result of the pandemic. According to our findings, the pandemic also stands to increase the funding gap for education by one third to as much as $200 billion annually in low and middle-income countries, representing close to 40% of total cost. Upfront investment in catch-up and remedial programmes will save money down the line reducing by 75% the cost of repairing the damage caused by COVID-19. At the Global Education Meeting convened by UNESCO in October 2020, governments and partners committed to protect education budgets and to focus the recovery on the safe and inclusive re-opening of schools, and support for teachers, skills development and connectivity for all. To enable a safe return to school, UNESCO has called for the world’s 100 million teachers and educators to be given priority in vaccination campaigns. To mark the International Day of Education, UNESCO and the Global Partnership for Education, with UN Headquarters, are co-organizing an event to stress the necessity to protect and mobilize equitable funding for education, give voice to 'community heroes' who acted to leave no learner behind during school closures, and present innovations that pave the way towards more resilient and inclusive education systems. URL:https://en.unesco.org/news/unesco-figures-show-two-thirds-academic-year-lost-average-worldwide-due-covid-19-school 
Broad commitment to education for sustainable development leads Espoo towards a sustainable future 2021-03-01 Sustainable development is the leading paradigm for learning city advancement in Espoo, Finland, one of the first UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities (GNLC) members to be given a UNESCO Learning City Award, which it received in 2015. A key to the city’s success is a strong focus on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). On 21 February 2021, Espoo shared its achievements with members of the UNESCO GNLC ESD Cluster. Officials from around 50 cities and representatives of the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) also participated in the event. ESD: A job for all One of Espoo’s learning city goals is to empower its citizens to work towards a sustainable future by mainstreaming ESD through development programmes such as Sustainable Espoo and Participatory Espoo. Mr Markku Markkula, Chair of the Espoo City Board, presented the Espoo Story, which outlined the city’s strategy to involve its citizens, learning institutions, NGOs, private enterprises and research institutions in building a sustainable learning city together. Next, Deputy Mayor Mr Harri Rinta-Aho showcased the cross-cutting role played by ESD in national and local education curricula, and stressed that ‘ESD is not a matter only for education, but a matter for all of us.’ To put its strategic goals into practice, the city has set up cross-sectoral ESD teams and programs, and is mainstreaming a participatory mindset throughout the city. Empowering youth A powerful example of citizen engagement in the city is the Espoo Youth Council, which is made up of 40 elected members aged between 13 and 18 who regularly meet with the mayor and other city leaders to discuss issues pertaining to Espoo’s young people. Seventeen-year-old Oscar Smith, Head of Espoo Youth Council’s Sustainable Development Team, stressed the importance of giving young people an opportunity to have their say in decisions that will affect them. Moreover, he emphasized that ‘ESD is much more than classroom teaching’ and shared examples of how the youth council has supported the expansion of contraception policies and objected to budget cuts in education. The whole city as a learning environment Ms Annika Forstén, Senior Planning Officer for Espoo Education and Cultural Services, shared some examples of the city’s efforts to engage the local community in ESD. To empower citizens to co-create and feel a sense of ownership over their city, a team of participatory designers at Espoo’s public works department engaged residents in the planning of the city landscape. Recent projects have included, for instance, artwork in subway passages designed with youth groups and a health nature trail planned together with residents and NGOs. Moreover, to inspire a love of nature in even the youngest residents, kindergartens grow fruit and vegetables in urban gardens. The city has also developed an online game, My Espoo 2050, wherein players experience a future affected by climate change to help them understand and work to address environmental challenges. Culture as a vehicle for ESD Ms Forstén also shared how appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development are promoted in Espoo. Examples include the Culture Call programme, wherein art and cultural professionals visit municipal kindergartens to engage children aged three to five in creative projects, and the activities of the Espoo City Library, which has received international awards for its efforts to provide citizens with the knowledge and skills needed for the future. Educators about ESD Educators are of course key actors in fostering ESD. Ms Minna Kokora and Ms Marianne Leppänen, experts on early childhood education, shared how capacity-building for educators in Espoo is provided through a combination of pedagogical leadership, educational support, pedagogical tools and extra resources. Representing the Espoo Adult Education Centre, Ms Saana Karlsson from Espoo Adult Education Centre at Omnia shared how the capacities of adult educators have been elevated through a development project based on an eco-social approach to education by Professor Arto O. Salonen at University of Helsinki. According to the approach, taking care of ecological boundaries and a profound respect for human rights determine the possibilities for economic growth. To raise adult educators’ understanding of eco-social education, joint workshops have been arranged, educational materials have been drafted, and the required competencies of educators has been identified. The Espoo Adult Education Centre now has an exam in sustainable development, sustainability is part of annual staff development discussions, and an interactive platform for sharing experiences has been set up. A joint learning journey The UNESCO GNLC ESD Cluster will continue to identify examples of best practice and share them with the network and beyond in order to realize the potential of ESD to become fully integrated into lifelong learning strategies at the urban level. Further information UNESCO Global Network of Learning CitiesVideo tutorial: Learning cities and Education for Sustainable Development URL:https://uil.unesco.org/lifelong-learning/learning-cities/broad-commitment-education-sustainable-development-leads-espoo 
France: Appel à projets - Solidarité internationale 2021-02-21 La ville de Montreuil soutient les projets des acteurs de la solidarité internationale et de l'éducation à la citoyenneté mondialeL’action internationale de la Ville se décline dans le cadre des actions de coopération avec des collectivités étrangères et également à Montreuil, dans les quartiers, dans les associations. Parce que chaque habitant de Montreuil est aussi un citoyen européen et un citoyen du monde, il peut être un acteur de la solidarité internationale. Cet appel à projets à vocation à soutenir les actions de solidarité internationale portées par les associations montreuilloises dont c'est l'objet, promouvoir la participation des habitants aux projets de coopération, informer et sensibiliser, promouvoir l’ouverture à l’Europe et au monde. A travers cet appel à projets, la Ville de Montreuil encourage par ailleurs l'engagement des structures associatives et éducatives du territoire en faveur de l'apprentissage d'une citoyenneté mondiale qui se décline dans de nombreux projets socio-culturels, sportifs, de développement durable ... Date limite de transmission du dossier jusqu'au 1er octobre 2021. Télécharger le cahier des charges URL:https://www.montreuil.fr/actualites/detail/appel-a-projets-solidarite-internationale-edition-2021