2003-2005 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

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Sixty Years of Standard-Setting in Education, Science and Culture - (Flash Info n°036-2006) 13-03-2006 - The Director-General of UNESCO, Mr Koichiro Matsuura, today opened a symposium on “UNESCO: Sixty Years of Standard-Setting in Education, Science and Culture”. More

Le Directeur général et la Présidente du Liberia plaident en faveur de la participation active des femmes à la vie politique - (Flash Info n°035-2006) 13-03-2006 - Dans le cadre des manifestations organisées à l’UNESCO à l’occasion de la Journée internationale des femmes, Mme Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Présidente du Liberia et M. Koïchiro Matsuura, Directeur général de l’UNESCO, ont ouvert le 8 mars, une table ronde sur le thème « Les femmes politiques ». More

Visite officielle du Directeur général au Portugal (5-7 mars 2006) - (Flash Info n°034-2006) 09-03-2006 - A l’occasion de la Conférence mondiale sur l’éducation artistique (Lisbonne, 6-9 mars 2006), dont il a ouvert les travaux aux côtés du Président de la République, Mr Jorge Sampaio, le Directeur général, Koïchiro Matsuura, a effectué une visite officielle au Portugal. More

The Director-General signs an agreement to establish the European Regional Ecohydrology Centre in Poland - (Flash Info n°033-2006) 09-03-2006 - On 8 March 2006, the Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, signed with the Minister of Science and Education of Poland, Mr Michał Sewerynski, an agreement on the establishment of the European Regional Ecohydrology Centre, under the auspices of UNESCO, in Lodz, Poland. More

Establishment of the International Centre for Water Hazard and Risk Management (ICHARM) in Tsukuba, Japan - (Flash Info n°032-2006) 09-03-2006 - Following the decision of the General Conference to create the International Centre for Water Hazard and Risk Management (ICHARM ) in Tsukuba, Japan, under the auspices of UNESCO, Mr. Koïchiro Matsuura, UNESCO Director-General, Mr. Teiichi Sato, Japanese Ambassador to UNESCO, and Mr. Tadahiko Sakamoto, Chief Executive of the Public Works Research Institute (PWRI ) signed, on 3 March 2006 at UNESCO Headquarters, agreements establishing the Centre, to govern its functioning and to establish the framework of cooperation between UNESCO, the Japanese government and PWRI. More

Director-General of UNESCO pays tribute to women in science - (Flash Info n°031-2006) 09-03-2006 - For ten years UNESCO and L’ORÉAL have joined efforts to promote the role of women in science. More

UNESCO and MBI Foundation sign an agreement for support to the reform and reconstruction of education in Iraq - (Flash Info n°030-2006) 06-03-2006 - The Director-General of UNESCO, Mr Koïchiro Matsuura, signed on Friday 3 March 2006 with Sheikh Bin Isa Al Jaber, President of MBI International Foundation, an agreement for the funding of an International Iraqi Centre for Educational Resources and Training. More

Réunion d’information sur la participation de l’UNESCO au sixième Sommet des chefs d’Etat de l’Union africaine - (Flash Info n°029-2006) 01-03-2006 - Le Directeur général, Koïchiro Matsuura, a organisé le 27 février une réunion d’information des délégués permanents auprès de l’UNESCO sur les résultats de la sixième session de l’Assemblée des chefs d’Etat et de gouvernement de l’Union africaine, tenue à Khartoum en janvier 2006. More

Réunion des présidents et coordonnateurs des chapitres du Groupe des 77 - (Flash info n°028-2006) 01-03-2006 - Le Directeur général, M. Koïchiro Matsuura, a ouvert le 27 février 2006, aux côtés de la Présidente du Groupe des 77 et la Chine du chapitre de Paris, Madame Samira Hanna-El-Daher, Ambassadeur déléguée permanente du Liban auprès de l’UNESCO, du Président du Groupe des 77 et la Chine, M. Dumisani Shadrack Kumalo, Ambassadeur de l’Afrique du Sud auprès des Nations Unies, et de M. Supachai Panitchpakdi, Secrétaire général de la CNUCED, la 39e réunion des présidents et coordonnateurs des chapitres du Groupe des 77 et la Chine. More

The Director-General opens the first consultation meeting of WSIS Action Line Facilitators - (Flash Info n°027-2006) 24-02-2006 - Geneva, 24 February. Mr Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO, opened with Mr Yoshio Utsumi, Secretary-General of ITU, and Ms Odile Sorgho-Moulinier, Director of the UNDP Office in Geneva, the first consultation meeting on the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Action Line Facilitators. More

Nicaragua and UNESCO preserve Latin American cultural heritage - (Flash Info n°025-2006) 23-02-2006 - On 17 and 18 February, Mr Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO paid an official visit to the Republic of Nicaragua to hold talks with the President of the Republic, Mr Enrique Bolaños Geyer, and members of his cabinet. Mr Matsuura also received the ‘Orden Rubén Darío en el Grado de Gran Oficial’ during a special performance of ‘El Güegüense’, which was declared a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of UNESCO in 2005. More

The Director-General pays his first Official Visit to El Salvador - (Flash Info n°024-2006) 23-02-2006 - The Director-General of UNESCO, Mr Koïchiro Matsuura, paid his first official visit to El Salvador from 16 to 17 February 2006. More

Réunion du Comité scientifique international du Projet « La route de l’esclave » - (Flash Info n°026-2006) 22-02-2006 - Afin de clarifier le rôle du Comité scientifique international du Projet « La route de l’esclave », faciliter son fonctionnement, le rendre plus opérationnel, et l’harmoniser avec les autres organes consultatifs de l’Organisation, de nouveaux statuts ont été soumis au Conseil exécutif de l’UNESCO qui les a adoptés en octobre 2005. More

L’UNESCO célèbre la Journée internationale de la langue maternelle - (Flash Info n°023-2006) 22-02-2006 - En présence de Mme Finnbogadóttir, ancienne Présidente de la République d’Islande et ambassadrice de bonne volonté de l’UNESCO pour les langues, de M. Samassékou, Président de l’Académie africaine des langues et de M. Musa Bin Jaafar Bin Hassan, Président de la Conférence générale de l’UNESCO, M. Koïchiro Matsuura a ouvert la cérémonie organisée à l’occasion de la Journée internationale de la langue maternelle. More

UNESCO and Mexico strengthening cooperation - (Flash Info n°022-2006) 20-02-2006 - On 14 February 2006, the Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, held talks with Mr Vicente Fox Quesada, the President of Mexico, and Mr Jose Natividad Gonzalez Paras, Governor of the State of Nuevo Leon, on the sidelines of the Sixth E-9 Ministerial Review Meeting on Education for All. More

Opening of the Sixth E-9 Ministerial Review Meeting in Monterrey, Mexico - (Flash Info n° 021-2006) 16-02-2006 - On 14 February, the Sixth E-9 Ministerial Review Meeting being held over two days in Monterrey, Mexico, was opened by Mr Vincente Fox Quesada, President of Mexico, and Mr Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO. The Ministerial Review Meeting, organized by UNESCO with the cooperation of the Government of Mexico, is a biennial event aimed at promoting cooperation among the nine high-population countries: Brazil, Bangladesh, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Nigeria and Pakistan. The opening ceremony also included introductory remarks from the State Councilor of China, Mrs Chen Zhili, Mr Reyes Tamez Guerra, Minister of Education of Mexico and Mr Natividad Gonzalez Paras, Governor of the State of Nuevo Leon. More

The Director-General launches a Fellowships Programme for Students from Post-Conflict Countries during the 20th Winter Olympic Games in Turin - (Flash Info n°020-2006) 12-02-2006 - On 10 and 11 February, the Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, attended the 20th Winter Olympic Games in Turin at the invitation of Jacques Rogge, President of the International Olympic Committee. More

Réunion d’information sur la Convention pour la sauvegarde du patrimoine culturel immatériel - (Flash Info n°019-2006) 09-02-2006 - Le 20 janvier dernier le trentième instrument de ratification de la Convention pour la sauvegarde du patrimoine culturel immatériel est parvenu à l’UNESCO, ouvrant la voie à son entrée en vigueur trois mois plus tard, soit le 20 avril prochain. More

Etablissement du Centre régional de l’eau pour les zones arides et semi-arides d’Amérique Latine et des Caraïbes (La Serena, Chili) - (Flash Info n°018-2006) 03-02-2006 - A la suite de la décision de la Conférence générale de placer sous les auspices de l’UNESCO, le Centre régional de l’eau pour les zones arides et semi-arides d’Amérique Latine et des Caraïbes, (CAZALAC), installé au Chili, le Directeur général et l’Ambassadeur du Chili auprès de l’UNESCO ont signé, le 2 février 2006, un accord qui régit le fonctionnement du centre et fixe le cadre de la coopération entre l’UNESCO et le gouvernement chilien. More

Information meeting on deliberations and outcomes of the WSIS - (Flash Info n°017-2006) 03-02-2006 - On the occasion of an information meeting with Permanent Delegates held on 2 February 2006 at UNESCO Headquarters, the Director-General outlined several important outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) and the process planned for the implementation of recommendations arising from the Geneva and Tunis phases of the WSIS process. More

Official Visit of the Director-General to Equatorial Guinea (27-28 January 2006) - (Flash Info n°016-2006) 30-01-2006 - At the invitation of the President of the Republic, Mr Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, the Director-General of UNESCO, Mr Koïchiro Matsuura, paid his first official visit to Equatorial Guinea on 27 and 28 January 2006. More

Official visit of the Director-General to the Central African Republic - (Flash Info n°015-2006) 30-01-2006 - On the invitation of the President of the Republic, Mr François Bozizé, the Director-General of UNESCO, Mr Koïchiro Matsuura, paid his first official visit to the Central African Republic from 25 to 27 January 2006. More

Sudan and UNESCO reinforce cooperation - (Flash Info n°014-2006) 26-01-2006 - On the occasion of his participation at the Sixth African Union Summit in Khartoum (see Flash Info n°013-2006), the Director-General of UNESCO, Mr Koïchiro Matsuura, discussed the strengthening of cooperation between the Organization and Sudan during his bi-lateral meeting with President Al Beshir. More

Participation of the Director-General at the Sixth Ordinary Session of the Summit of Heads of State and Government of the African Union, Khartoum, Sudan (23-24 January 2006) - (Flash Info n°013-2006) 25-01-2006 - Following the invitation of the President of the Commission of the African Union, Mr Alpha Oumar Konaré the Director-General of UNESCO, Mr Koïchiro Matsuura, was the special guest of the Sixth Ordinary Session of the Summit of Heads of State and Government of the African Union (Khartoum, Sudan, on 23 and 24 January 2006), devoted to education and culture. More

Signing of a cooperation agreement between the African Union and UNESCO - (Flash Info n°012-2006) 25-01-2006 - On 23 January 2006 during the Sixth African Union Summit of Heads of State and Government in Khartoum, Sudan, Mr Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO and Alpha Oumar Konaré, President of the African Union Commission, signed an agreement which updates, the cooperation framework between UNESCO and the African Union which was set up in 1968. More

La ratification par la Roumanie de la Convention pour la sauvegarde du patrimoine culturel immatériel permet son entrée en vigueur prochaine - (Flash Info n°011-2006) 23-01-2006 - La Roumanie, 30e Etat[1] à ratifier la Convention pour la sauvegarde du patrimoine culturel immatériel, permet à ce texte d’entrer en vigueur dès le mois d’avril 2006. More

Information Session meeting with the Executive Board (UNESCO, 19 January 2006) - (Flash Info n°010-2006) 23-01-2006 - On 19 January 2006,Mr Xinsheng Zhang, Chairman of the Executive Board, opened an information session whose purpose was to outline the follow-up to decisions taken during the 172nd session of the Board (September 2005) and to prepare the 174th session, which will be held next April. More

Jane Goodall receives UNESCO’s 60th Anniversary Medal - (Flash Info n°009-2006) 20-01-2006 - On Tuesday 17 January, the Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, awarded UNESCO’s 60th Anniversary Medal to Jane Goodall, the British-born primatologist, at the Organization’s Headquarters in Paris in presence of the President of the Republic of Slovenia Mr Janez Drnovšek and the Chairman of UNESCO’s Executive Board, Mr Zhang Xinsheng. More

Koïchiro Matsuura pays first official visit of a UNESCO Director-General to St Kitts and Nevis - (Flash Info n°008-2006) 18-01-2006 - The Director-General, Mr Koïchiro Matsuura, paid his first official visit to St Kitts and Nevis from 13 – 14 January 2006. More

Koïchiro Matsuura pays first official visit of a UNESCO Director-General to St Vincent and the Grenadines - (Flash Info n°007-2006) 18-01-2006 - The Director-General, Mr Koïchiro Matsuura, paid his first official visit to St Vincent and the Grenadines from 12 – 13 January 2006. More

Mobilization against HIV/AIDS: Director-General welcomes the agreement signed between UNESCO and the Global Business Coalition - (Flash Info n°006-2006) 17-01-2006 - On 16 January 2006, Mr Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO, and Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, President of the Global Business Coalition (GBC) on HIV/AIDS, signed an agreement[1] which covers a broad spectrum of potential cooperation between the two entities. More

First official visit of a Director-General of UNESCO to Barbados - (Flash Info n°004-2006) 17-01-2006 - Mr Koïchiro Matsuura paid his first official visit to Barbados from 9 – 11 January 2006. It was the first official visit of a UNESCO Director-General to the country, which has been a UNESCO Member State since October 1968. More

Tsunami and Other Coastal Hazards Warning System for the Caribbean and Adjacent Regions: Opening of the first meeting of the Intergovernmental Coordination Group (Bridgetown, Barbados) - (Flash Info n°003-2006) 11-01-2006 - On Tuesday 10 January 2006 in Bridgetown, in the presence of Ms Elizabeth Thompson-MacDowell, Minister of Housing, Land and the Environment of Barbados, the Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, opened the first session of the Intergovernmental Coordination Group for the Tsunami and Other Coastal Hazards Warning System for the Caribbean and Adjacent Regions. More

UN project “Isolated and Disenfranchised Communities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory” receives new financial assistance - (Flash Info n°002-2006) 10-01-2006 - On Monday 9 January 2006, the Government of Japan announced its decision to provide financial assistance totalling 5,276,745 US dollars through the United Nations Trust Fund for Human Security[1] to the project “Isolated and Disenfranchised Communities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory” which will be implemented by several United Nations Agencies, including UNESCO. More

The Federal Minister of Education and the Minister of Education, Science and Technology of Southern Sudan attend working sessions at UNESCO - (Flash Info n°001-2006) 06-01-2006 - In October 2005, the 33rd Session of the General Conference of UNESCO adopted a resolution reinforcing cooperation between UNESCO and Sudan, thus expressing the determination of the Organization to support the country during its reconstruction phase. More

Recent visit of the Director-General to Japan - (Flash Info n°226-2005) 02-01-2006 - The Director-General, Mr Koichiro Matsuura, visited Tokyo, Japan from 12 to 20 December 2005, on the occasion of the twelfth session of the International Bioethics Committee (IBC) hosted by Japan. More

Director-General of UNESCO opens the twelfth session of the International Bioethics Committee (IBC) in Tokyo, Japan - (Flash Info n°222-2005) 23-12-2005 - On 15 December 2005, the Director-General, Mr Koïchiro Matsuura, opened the twelfth session of the International Bioethics Committee (IBC) at Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan. More

The Task Force on the Information Society discusses the implementation of the decisions taken at the World Summit on the Information Society - (Flash Info n°224-2005) 22-12-2005 - On 22 December 2005, the Director-General convened the 8th meeting of the Task Force on the Information Society to discuss UNESCO’s follow-up to the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), which had been held in two phases in Geneva (10-12 December 2003) and Tunisia (16-18 November 2005). More

Rehabilitation of Cultural Heritage in Kosovo: international donations represent tangible actions towards the protection of a heritage that should be transmitted to future generations - (Flash Info n°223-2005) 22-12-2005 - The United States of America has donated US$ 1 million for the protection and preservation of the cultural heritage in Kosovo, as was announced during the Donors Conference on the Rehabilitation of the Cultural Heritage in Kosovo, held in UNESCO Headquarters in Paris on 13 May 2005 and confirmed following the first meeting of the UNESCO Experts Committee on the Rehabilitation and Safeguarding of the Cultural Heritage in Kosovo held on 9 December 2005 in UNESCO Headquarters (see Flash Info n°218-2005). More

The Director-General of UNESCO invites the African Ministers of Culture of the African Union to promote clear-sighted and determined cultural policies - (Flash Info n°221-2005) 15-12-2005 - On the occasion of the African Ministers of Culture of the African Union meeting in Nairobi, Kenya on 13 and 14 December 2005, the Director-General of UNESCO sent a message inviting the Ministers to develop “clear-sighted and determined” cultural policies in order to allow culture to take its “just place in the process of sustainable development.” More

Signature of the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions - (Flash Info n°220-2005) 12-12-2005 - On 9 December 2005, the Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, and the President of the General Conference, Ambassador Musa Bin Jaafar Bin Hassan, signed, the text of the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, adopted at the 33rd session of the General Conference last October. More

UNESCO and AMAR Foundation sign Memorandum of Understanding - (Flash Info n°219-2005) 11-12-2005 - The Director-General of UNESCO, Mr Koïchiro Matsuura, signed today with Baroness Emma Nicholson of Winterbourne, Chairperson of the AMAR International Charitable Foundation and Member of the European Parliament, a Memorandum of Understanding between UNESCO and the AMAR Foundation. More

UNESCO hosts the First Session of the Committee of Experts on the Rehabilitation and the Safeguarding of the Cultural Heritage in Kosovo - (Flash Info n°218-2005) 09-12-2005 - In May 2005, during the International Donors Conference on the Protection and the Preservation of the Cultural Heritage in Kosovo organized by UNESCO with the agreement of the Secretary-General of the United Nations and at the request of the President of Serbia and Montenegro, the Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, announced his intention to set up a committee of experts on the rehabilitation and the safeguarding of the cultural heritage in Kosovo. More

A special posthumous honourable mention awarded to Sergio Vieira de Mello during the Award Ceremony for the René Maheu International Civil Service Prize 2005 to the FICSA - (Flash Info n°217-2005) 09-12-2005 - In 1991 the René Maheu International Civil Service Prize was established by the STU to honour international civil service and as a tribute to René Maheu, staff member of UNESCO from 1946 to 1974 and its Director-General from 1961 to 1974. More

International Conference “Towards a New Education System for Rebuilding the Iraqi Society: From Vision to Practice” - (Flash Info n°216-2005) 08-12-2005 - “Within the broader perspective of national development, education is indeed a motor for rebuilding a democratic and peaceful society.” With these words, the Director-General of UNESCO, Koichiro Matsuura, opened the two-day International Conference “Towards a New Education System for Rebuilding the Iraqi Society: From Vision to Practice” which is being held at UNESCO on 8-9 December 2005. More

Information meeting on deliberations and outcomes of the fifth meeting of the High-Level Group on EFA - (Flash Info n°215-2005) 08-12-2005 - The Director-General of UNESCO, Mr Koichiro Matsuura, today reported on the deliberations and outcomes of the fifth meeting of the High-Level Group on EFA that was held in Beijing on 28-30 November 2005. More

Second Official Visit of the Director-General of UNESCO to the Republic of Indonesia - (Flash Info n°213-2005) 07-12-2005 - The Director-General of UNESCO, Mr Koichiro Matsuura undertook his second official visit to the Republic of Indonesia from 1 to 3 December 2005 on the occasion of the “International Conference on the Right to Basic Education as a Fundamental Human Right and the Legal Framework for its Financing”, co-organized by UNESCO and the Government of Indonesia as part of the 60th Anniversary Celebrations of UNESCO. More

Bilateral Meetings during the Director-General’s Fifth Official visit to the People’s Republic of China(27 November to 1 December 2005) - (Flash Info n°212-2005) 02-12-2005 - On the occasion of the 5th High-Level Group Meeting on Education for All (EFA) held in Beijing, the Director-General of UNESCO, Mr Koichiro Matsuura, paid his fifth official visit to the People's Republic of China from 27 November to 1 December 2005. More

Fifth meeting of the High-Level Group on Education for All (EFA) - (Flash Info n°211-2005) 30-11-2005 - The fifth meeting of the High-Level Group on Education for All (EFA), convened by the Director-General, Koichiro Matsuura, and organized by UNESCO in cooperation with the Government of the People’s Republic of China, has been held in Beijing on 28-30 November 2005. More

Hommage à Jean-Paul Sartre et Simone de Beauvoir - (Flash Info n°210-2005) 24-11-2005 - Le 24 novembre 2005, à l’occasion du centenaire de la naissance de Jean-Paul Sartre, un débat a été organisé à l’UNESCO, dans le cadre des Chemins de la pensée[1] sur le thème« Que nous disent aujourd’hui Jean-Paul Sartre et Simone de Beauvoir ? » More