Flash Info - Archives The Director General Spokeperson informs media, stakeholders and partners through Press releases and Flash Info. The Organization also publishes Press releases, media advisories, features as well as a calendar of events, available online under UNESCOPRESS. Contact: the Spokeperson

  1 | 2 | 3 | 4       Page 3 of 4  

Dialogue of cultures and cultural diversity - (Office of the Spokesperson) 14-10-2002 - ODG/SP/70 - “Dialogue of cultures and cultural diversity” is the theme of the 9th Summit of the International Organization of “La Francophonie”, which is to take place on 18 to 20 October 2002 in Beirut, Lebanon. More

Design for development - (Office of the Spokesperson) 09-10-2002 - ODG/SP/69 - The six laureates of the fourth Design 21 competition, organized by UNESCO and the Japanese Felissimo Group received their awards on Wednesday, 9 October 2002, from the Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, and the President of the Felissimo Group, Kazuhiko Yazaki. The ceremony took place within the framework of the “Continuous Connection” exhibition, which is being held at Headquarters from 30 September to 25 October. More

Opening of the 165th session of the Executive Board - (Office of the Spokesperson) 07-10-2002 - ODG/SP/67 - Addressing the representatives of Members of UNESCO’s Executive Board at the opening of its 165th session, the Director-General welcomed the announcement of the return of the United States of America to membership of the Organization. More

L’UNESCO et le Comité Olympique international renforcent leur coopération - (La Porte-parole) 03-10-2002 - ODG/SP/66 - Le Président du Comité Olympique international, Jacques Rogge et le Directeur général de l’UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, ont décidé de renforcer la coopération entre les deux institutions. Un nouvel accord de coopération sera élaboré et servira de cadre à des initiatives communes visant à la promotion des valeurs éthiques et morales du sport au service du développement ainsi qu’à des actions de sensibilisation, d’information et d’éducation sur la prévention du virus HIV/SIDA. More

Director-General de-briefs UNESCO Member States on the results of the Johannesburg Summit - (Office of the Spokesperson) 29-09-2002 - ODG/SP/65 - At a meeting with Ambassadors and Permanent Delegates to UNESCO, the Director-General, Mr Koïchiro Matsuura, gave a comprehensive overview of the overall outcomes of the Summit, its successes and shortcomings, the significance of its results for UNESCO’s priorities on the sustainable development agenda, and the implications these had for the Organization’s future strategies and programmes. More

The Director-General awards the 2002 UNESCO Prize for Peace Education for Peace Education to City Montessori School - (Office of the Spokesperson) 22-09-2002 - The Director-General of UNESCO awarded today, 23 September 2002, the 2002 UNESCO Prize for Peace Education to Jagdish and Barthi Gandhi, founders of the City Montessori School (India) at UNESCO Headquarters. More

First meeting of intergovernmental experts on a preliminary draft convention for the safeguarding of intangible heritage (23-27 September 2002) - (Office of the Spokesperson) 22-09-2002 - ODG/SP/63 - Governmental experts from Member States, observers and associate members of UNESCO are meeting from 23 to 27 September 2002 at the Organization’s Headquarters to examine, for the first time at intergovernmental level, a first preliminary draft convention for the safeguarding of the intangible heritage. More

Intangible Heritage: Adoption of the Istanbul Declaration - (Office of the Spokesperson) 18-09-2002 - ODG/SP/61 - Recognizing that “the intangible heritage constitutes a set of living and constantly recreated practices, knowledge and representations enabling individuals and communities, at all levels, to express their ways of seeing the world through systems of values and ethical standards”, the Declaration stresses that “an all-encompassing approach to cultural heritage should prevail, which takes into account the dynamic link between the tangible and intangible heritage and their deep interdependence.” More

Official visit of the Director-General of UNESCO to Romania (18-21 September 2002) - (Office of the Spokesperson) 18-09-2002 - ODG/SP/62 - The Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, is undertaking an official visit to Romania from 18 to 21 September 2002. More

Le patrimoine culturel immatériel, miroir de la diversité culturelle - (La Porte-parole) 16-09-2002 - ODG/SP/60 - S’adressant à la centaine de ministres de la culture et aux nombreuses personnalités experts et observateurs qui participent à Istanbul (Turquie) à la troisième table ronde ministérielle organisée les 16 et 17 septembre 2002 à l’initiative de l’UNESCO, sur le thème : Le patrimoine culturel immatériel, miroir de la diversité culturelle, le Directeur général de l’UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura a déclaré: More

UNESCO welcomes return of the United States of America - (Office of the Spokesperson) 11-09-2002 - ODG/SP/59 - Following the announcement made by President Bush at the UN General Assembly of the return of the United States of America to UNESCO, the Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, has issued the following statement : More

11 September : commemorating to prevent - (Office of the Spokesperson) 10-09-2002 - ODG/SP/57 - On the occasion of a briefing meeting with representatives of UNESCO Member States, on the subject of the preparation of the World Summit on the Information Society, held on 11 September 2002, the Director-General, Koïchiro Matsuura, paid tribute to the victims of the attacks of 11 September 2001. More

Cooperation between UNESCO and Spain: signing of a framework agreement concerning the UNESCO/Spain Trust Fund for Development Cooperation - (Office of the Spokesperson) 10-09-2002 - ODG/SP/56 - The Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, and the Permanent Delegate of the Kingdom of Spain to UNESCO, Ambassador Francisco Villar y Ortiz de Urbina, signed a framework agreement concerning the Spain/UNESCO Trust Fund for Development Cooperation on Wednesday, 11 September 2002. More

UNESCO’s contribution to the World Summit on the Information Society - (Office of the Spokesperson) 10-09-2002 - ODG/SP/58 - Today, at a briefing session for the Permanent Delegations, the Director-General outlined how UNESCO is engaging with the preparations for the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), which will be held in a two-phase process in Geneva, Switzerland, on 10-12 December 2003 and then in Tunis, Tunisia, in 2005. More

Le Président Touré du Mali reçu par le Directeur général - (La Porte-parole) 09-09-2002 - ODG/SP/55 - Le Directeur général de l'UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, a reçu le mardi 10 septembre 2002, M. Amadou Toumani Touré, Président de la République du Mali, en visite officielle en France. More

UNESCO calls for universal ratification of the 1970 Convention, following the example set by key art market countries - (Office of the Spokesperson) 08-09-2002 - ODG/SP/54 - Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO, today congratulated Japan for its ratification of the 1970 Convention on the Prevention of the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property. More

The Director-General of UNESCO on official visit to Malawi - (Office of the Spokesperson) 02-09-2002 - ODG/SP/53 - After attending the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa, the Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, will visit Malawi from 5 to 7 September 2002. More

Second meeting of the Task Force on Reconstruction and Reconciliation in the Middle East - (Office of the Spokesperson) 01-09-2002 - ODG/SP/52 - On Thursday, 29 August 2002, the Director-General of UNESCO convened the Task Force on Reconstruction and Reconciliation in the Middle East, which he set up in June. After sectoral presentations on the progress of different projects, Mr Matsuura announced the calendar for the next few months. More

Annual “ducasse d’Ath” celebrations - (Office of the Spokesperson) 23-08-2002 - ODG/SP/51 - The Director-General visited Ath (Belgium) on Saturday 24 August to take part in the annual “ducasse d’Ath” celebrations, in the company of the Minister of Culture of the French Community of Belgium. More

Education for All - (Office of the Spokesperson) 21-07-2002 - ODG/SP/49 - On Monday, 22 July 2002, the Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, opened the third meeting of the Education for All working group. More

2002 UNESCO Children’s Performing Arts Festival of East Asia (Fukuoka, Japan, 1-3 August 2002) - (Office of the Spokesperson) 18-07-2002 - ODG/SP/48 - On 1 August 2002, Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO, will attend the opening ceremony of the second UNESCO Children’s Performing Arts Festival of East Asia, to be held in Fukuoka (Japan). More

Official visit of the Director-General of UNESCO to Mongolia (24-27 July 2002) - (Office of the Spokesperson) 17-07-2002 - ODG/SP/47 - The Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, will pay an official visit to Mongolia from 24 to 27 July 2002 on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of Mongolia’s entry into UNESCO. More

Science in the Service of Peace - (Office of the Spokesperson) 15-07-2002 - ODG/SP/46 - On 15 July 2002, Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO opened the eighth session of the International Interim Council of SESAME. This two-day meeting is the first to be held since the Executive Board of UNESCO decided, at its 164th session, to establish an International Centre for Synchrotron Light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East. (For more information about the SESAME project see www.unesco.org/science) More

The Fight Against AIDS - AIDS Research and Prevention in Africa - (Office of the Spokesperson) 07-07-2002 - The Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, informed Ambassador Francesco Caruso, Permanent Delegate of Italy to UNESCO, of his satisfaction following the announcement of the granting by the Government of Italy of a donation of two million US dollars to the project “Research and Prevention of AIDS in Africa”. More

Koïchiro Matsuura laureate of the International Prize of St Andrew for Dialogue among Civilizations - (Office of the Spokesperson) 02-07-2002 - The International Prize of St Andrew for 2002, created by the Centre of National Glory of Russia, has been awarded to Mr Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO, for his “outstanding contribution to the development of dialogue among civilizations”. More

Education For All: Always Tomorrow’s Concern? - (Office of the Spokesperson) 17-06-2002 - - The 21st session of the 21st Century Talks series will be held on Tuesday, 18 June 2002, from 6 p.m. to 8.30 p.m. at UNESCO Headquarters (Room II). More

Land-use planning and environment Signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation between Algeria and UNESCO - (Office of the Spokesperson) 17-06-2002 - - The Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, traveled to Algiers on 17 June 2002 to attend an international conference for the launching and implementation of the Algerian National Plan of Action for the Environment and Sustainable Development. More

HIV/AIDS: Reinforcing Partnerships - (Office of the Spokesperson) 17-06-2002 - - On 18 June 2002, UNESCO's Director-General, Koïchiro Matsuura, met with Professor Luc Montagnier and Professor Robert Gallo, the co-discoverers of the HIV virus. More

Création d’une Chaire UNESCO de biotechnologie agro-alimentaire et de l’environnement au service du développement durable à l’Université de Provence - (La Porte-parole) 05-06-2002 - Un accord portant création d’une Chaire UNESCO de biotechnologie agro-alimentaire et de l’environnement au service du développement durable à l’Université de Provence a été signé, le 6 juin 2002, entre l’UNESCO, l’Université de Provence, l’Institut national de la recherche agronomique (INRA) et l’Institut de recherche pour le développement (IRD) More

World Environment Day, 5 June 2002 - (Office of the Spokesperson) 04-06-2002 - In his message for this year’s World Environment Day, whose motif is ‘Give Earth a Chance’, the Director-General stresses the appropriateness of this theme for the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa, 26 August - 4 September 2002. He urges everyone to help make the Johannesburg Summit a success “so that the world can be a safer, better place for people and for the environment that sustains us all.” More

Ligue des Etats Arabes - UNESCO : Vers une réactualisation de l’accord de coopération - (Cabinet du Directeur général) 04-06-2002 - Le Secrétaire général de la Ligue des Etats Arabes, M. Amr Moussa et le Directeur général de l’UNESCO, M. Koïchiro Matsuura sont convenus au cours d’une entrevue qui s’est déroulée au Siège de l’UNESCO, le 3 juin dernier, d’engager les travaux préparatoires à la réactualisation de l’accord de coopération qui lie les deux Organisations depuis novembre 1957. Un groupe de travail mixte va être constitué pour préparer un document qui pourrait être signé à l’automne 2002. More

For a renewed and enhanced commitment of UNESCO in the Middle East - (Office of the Spokesperson) 03-06-2002 - Statement by the Director-General on the launch of the Task Force on Reconstruction and Reconciliation in the Middle East More

Inauguration of the offices of the Permanent Delegation of Afghanistan to UNESCO - (Office of the Spokesperson) 30-05-2002 - On Friday, 31 May 2002, the Permanent Delegate of Afghanistan to UNESCO, Mohammad Zahir Aziz officially took possession of the new offices of the Permanent Delegation of Afghanistan. More

ISESCO – UNESCO Cooperation Programme for 2002-2003 - (Office of the Spokesperson) 27-05-2002 - Pursuant to the cooperation agreement concluded between the two organizations in August 1984, the Director-General of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), Mr Abdulaziz Othman Altwijri, and the Director-General of UNESCO, Mr Koïchiro Matsuura, signed the 2002-2003 cooperation programme in Paris on 28 May 2002. More

164th Session of UNESCO’s Executive Board (21 to 31 May 2002) - (Office of the Spokesperson) 21-05-2002 - The Chairperson of the Executive Board, Ms Aziza Bennani, and the Director-General of UNESCO, Mr Koïchiro Matsuura opened the 164th session of the Executive Board on Tuesday, 21 May. More

UNESCO 2002 Breakfast Race - (Office of the Director-General) 05-04-2002 - - On Saturday, 6 April 2002, the day before the the 26th Paris Marathon, the Director-General of UNESCO will start the UNESCO 2002 Breakfast Race. He will personally be taking part in this 5.2-kilometre race, flanked by numerous colleagues from the Organization with their families and friends. More

Joint Statement - (Office of the Spokesperson) 04-04-2002 - - Adopted by the ten countries of South-East Europe participating in the High-Level Conference on Strengthening Cooperation in South-East Europe (UNESCO Headquarters, Paris) More

Draft recommendation on the promotion and use of multilingualism and universal access to cyberspace: second meeting of experts - (Office of the Director-General) 24-03-2002 - - In his opening address at the second meeting of the 18-member group of experts being held at Headquarters from 25 to 27 March 2002, the Director-General stressed that the promotion and use of multilingualism and universal access to cyberspace are amongUNESCO’s strategic priorities. More

World Poetry Day: Tribute to Nazim Hikmet - (Office of the Director-General) 20-03-2002 - - “My brothers, Despite my fair hair I am Asian, Despite my blue eyes I am African..." Nazim Hikmet More

L’UNESCO et la Francophonie rendent hommage à Léopold Senghor (Not available in English) - (Cabinet du Directeur général) 19-03-2002 - - La mémoire de Léopold Sédar Senghor sera honorée, le 22 mars 2002, au cours d’une manifestation organisée à l’UNESCO à l’occasion de la Journée internationale de la Francophonie. More

Preliminary draft Convention on the Intangible Cultural Heritage: the legal experts get down to work - (Office of the Director-General) 18-03-2002 - - Meeting at UNESCO Headquarters from 19 to 21 March 2002 at the invitation of the Director-General, some 10 experts in international law and cultural heritage have been entrusted with the task of mapping out the broad outlines of a Convention on the Intangible Cultural Heritage. More

Cultural diversity as a concern in public policy-making - (Office of the Director-General) 15-03-2002 - - The Director-General will be undertaking an official visit to Morocco from 17 to 19 March 2002. Cultural diversity and the tangible and intangible heritage will be high on his agenda during this visit. More

International Women’s Day: “Birds need their two wings to fly, and so do societies” - (Office of the Director-General) 06-03-2002 - - These words, spoken by a member of an Afghan women’s group and quoted by Mr Koïchiro Matsuura in his message on the occasion of International Women’s Day, together with the accounts that have reached us of the mental and physical suffering endured by women under the Taliban regime, point up the continuing relevance of the question of women’s rights and their place in society. More

Five cities have just been awarded the UNESCO Cities for Peace Prize - (Office of the Director-General) 06-03-2002 - - Five cities have just been awarded the UNESCO Cities for Peace Prize for the 2001-2002 biennium by the Director-General, Mr Koïchiro Matsuura, on the recommendation of five regional juries composed of eminent figures from the worlds of research, administration and politics. More

Afghan Minister of Information and Culture and Director-General discuss preservation and restitution of artefacts - (Office of the Director-General) 03-03-2002 - - The Afghan Minister of Information and Culture, Said Makhdoom Raheen, held several talks with UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura on February 28 and March 1, during a busy schedule of events scheduled at Organization Headquarters on the occasionof the official visit to France of the Chairman of Afghanistan’s Interim Administration and several ministers. More

Heritage for sustainable development: Signing of an agreement between AFD and UNESCO - (Office of the Director-General) 03-03-2002 - - Within the framework of the 1997 France-UNESCO Convention for the preservation and promotion of the monumental, urban and natural heritage, a Declaration of Intent was signed on 4 March at the Organization’s Headquarters by Mr Jean-Michel Severino, Director-General of the French Development Agency (AFD), and Mr Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO. More

Kabul Museum: Signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between UNESCO and the Afghan Interim Administration - (Office of the Director-General) 28-02-2002 - - A Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation for the Rehabilitation of the National Museum of Kabul was signed on Friday, 1 March between the Afghan Minister of Information and Culture, Mr Said Makhdoum Raheen, and the Director-General of UNESCO, Mr Koïchiro Matsuura. More

UNESCO gears up for Johannesburg Summit - (Office of the Director-General) 26-02-2002 - - The first meeting of the Task Force set up within the Secretariat by the Director-General to prepare UNESCO’s contribution to the World Summit on Sustainable Development, scheduled to take place in Johannesburg, South Africa, late this coming August, was held on Tuesday, 26 February 2002. More

Establishment of a new UNESCO Chair in Languages and Education - (Office of the Director-General) 24-02-2002 - - On Monday, 25 February 2002, the Director-General, in the presence of the Spanish Ambassador, His Excellency Mr Francisco Villar, signed an agreement establishing a UNESCO Chair in Languages and Education at the Institute of Catalan Studies in Barcelona. More

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations for Afghanistan received by the Director-General - (Office of the Director-General) 20-02-2002 - - The Director-General of UNESCO held talks on Thursday, 21 February 2002 with the Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations More