Archive - Press Releases

Archive - Press Releases (2002-2006)

04-07-2003Baku, Comoe and Kathmandu inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger
The Walled City of Baku in Azerbaijan, Comoé National Park in Côte d’Ivoire and Kathmandu Valley in Nepal were inscribed today on the List of World Heritage in Danger by UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee, which has been holding its 27th session at Headquarters since June 30 under the chair of Vera Lacoeuilhe (Saint Lucia). More

03-07-2003Brief description of 24 New Sites inscribed on World Heritage List
Twenty-four sites were inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, including, for the first time, sites in Gambia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan and Sudan. The inscriptions were carried out by the World Heritage Committee, which has been holding its 27th session, under the chair of Vera Lacoeuilhe (Sainte-Lucie) at UNESCO Headquarters since June 30. The World Heritage List now numbers 754 sites, including 149 natural, and 582 cultural and 23 mixed sites “of outstanding universal value”. More

03-07-200324 New Sites inscribed on World Heritage List
Twenty-four sites were inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, including, for the first time, sites in Gambia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan and Sudan. The inscriptions were carried out by the World Heritage Committee, which has been holding its 27th session, under the chair of Vera Lacoeuilhe (Sainte-Lucie) at UNESCO Headquarters since June 30. The World Heritage List now numbers 754 sites, including 149 natural, and 582 cultural and 23 mixed sites “of outstanding universal value”. More

02-07-2003Emergency Inscription of Bamiyan and Ashur on World Heritage List
The cultural landscape and archaeological remains of the Bamiyan Valley and Ashur (Qal’at Sherqat) in Iraq were simultaneously inscribed on both World Heritage List and on List of World Heritage in Danger, during the 27th session of UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee, meeting since June 30 at Organization Headquarters under the chair of Vera Lacoeuilhe (Saint Lucia). More

02-07-2003Kotor, Srebarna and Yellowstone are withdrawn from the list of World Heritage in danger
Paris – UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee, meeting since June 30 at Organization Headquarters under the chair of Vera Lacœuilhe of Saint Lucia, has withdrawn the following three sites from the List of World Heritage in Danger: the Srebarna Nature Reserve (Bulgaria), Yellowstone (USA) and the Natural and Culturo-Historical Region of Kotor (Serbia and Montenegro). More

01-07-2003OECD/UNESCO Study identifies regional disparities in student performance
Paris - Students in Finland are among the world’s best in terms of reading literacy, while students in Japan, Hong Kong-China and the Republic of Korea lead in mathematics and science, according to a newly published survey of 15-year-olds in 43 countries. By contrast, students in several Latin American countries lag seriously behind in all three areas, even after taking account of lower national income levels. More

27-06-2003United Nations Convention on Migrant Workers' Rights enters into force
Paris – On July 1, 2003, the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families* will enter into force. Its primary objective is to protect migrant workers, a particularly vulnerable population, from exploitation and the violation of their human rights. The first 22 nations to ratify the convention are essentially emigration countries, with none of the major immigration countries yet listed. More

18-06-2003Satellites to the rescue of world heritage
Paris – An agreement signed today between UNESCO and the European Space Agency (ESA) will encourage Earth observation satellites to be used to monitor more than 730 cultural and natural World Heritage sites, including national parks in Africa that are home to endangered mountain gorillas. More

06-06-2003UNESCO to provide five million science and mathematics textbooks for Iraqi school children
Paris - UNESCO will make five million science and mathematics textbooks available to Iraqi primary and secondary students for the forthcoming school year under a $10 million programme supported by, and undertaken in cooperation with, the US Agency for International Development (USAID). More

06-06-2003Timor-Leste becomes 189th Member State of UNESCO
Paris - The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste became the 189th Member State of UNESCO Thursday, when the country’s Chargé d’Affaires to the European Union, José António Amorim Dias, signed, on behalf of the Government, the Organization’s Constitution in London. More

02-06-2003Religious teaching on the rise?
Corrigendum: This press release replaces the text distributed on May 22 because of changes made to the reference to Pakistan.

Paris - Religious education appears to be on the rise in public school systems around the world and has become a key issue for education policy makers in many countries, according to the latest edition of Prospects*, UNESCO’s quarterly education review. More

28-05-2003UNESCO prize for peace education awarded to Fr. Emil Shufani (Israel)
Paris – UNESCO Director-General Koichiro Matsuura has awarded the Organization’s 2003 Prize for Peace Education to Father Emil Shufani, the Arab-Israeli principal of the Greek-Catholic St Joseph’s College, in Nazareth, on the recommendation of the prize’s international jury. More

27-05-2003South Asian countries call on G-8 to deliver promised education aid
Paris – Education ministers from the countries of South Asia have called on the governments of the G-8, due to meet in Evian (France) next week, to accelerate the delivery of promised financial aid to achieve the goal of Education For All (EFA) by 2015. They have also urged governments in the region to progressively increase their education spending to “a minimum of four percent of GDP”. More

27-05-2003Winners of UNESCO literacy prizes 2003
Paris – UNESCO’s international literacy prizes for 2003 pay tribute to programmes in Bangladesh, Zambia and South Africa, and to a network of 350 NGOs, the International Reflect Circle (CIRAC). These winners of the International Reading Association Prize, the Noma Prize and the two King Sejong Literacy Prizes were chosen by a jury that met at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris from May 20 to 23. More

14-05-2003Education in the Arab States: Five million girls still denied access to school
Paris - Some eight million primary school-age children remain out-of-school in the Arab States and five million of them are girls, according to a new report published by UNESCO. However, it finds that when given the opportunity to go to school, girls tend to repeat less than boys and to complete their primary and secondary schooling more often. More

28-04-2003Unpunished crimes against journalists: a strategy for reducing impunity
World Press Freedom Day, May 3, 2003
Paris – Haiti’s most popular radio commentator, Jean Leopold Dominique, was shot dead on April 3, 2000, as he arrived to work at his radio station. His killers remain free. Similarly, the murderers of Georgiy Gongadze, the editor in chief of the Ukrainian news website, pravda.com.ua, who was found decapitated on November 2, 2000, are still at large. Impunity is enjoyed by the slayers of many journalists around the world. More

17-04-2003Experts’ meeting at UNESCO issues recommendations to safeguard Iraqi Cultural Heritage
Some 30 experts* meeting at UNESCO today at the initiative of Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura, issued recommendations for an international effort to safeguard Iraq’s cultural heritage and prevent further destruction following the recent looting of the country’s museums, archives and libraries. More

16-04-2003Iraq’s Heritage, UNESCO’s Budget, Standard-setting Instruments debated at Executive Board
The 166th session of UNESCO’s Executive Board closed today at Organization Headquarters after almost two weeks of debates which focussed on the programme and budget for 2004-2005 and were marked by events in Iraq. More

15-04-2003UNESCO to make a preliminary assessment of the state of Iraq’s Cultural Heritage
In the wake of the heavy losses to Iraq’s cultural treasures, notably in Baghdad, Mosul and Tikrit, some 30 leading experts will meet at UNESCO Headquarters on April 17 to attempt a preliminary evaluation of the state of the country’s heritage. The meeting will seek to determine the urgent measures required to safeguard this heritage, which dates back thousands of years. More

07-04-2003Director-General voices grave concern about Freedom of expression in Cuba
UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura today voiced concern over freedom of expression and press freedom in Cuba following the arrest of at least 24 Cuban journalists and dozens of human rights activists whose trial began on April 3. More

21-03-2003UNESCO creates 'Water Cooperation Facility' to mediate water disputes
Kyoto (Japan), March 21 – A new facility to help nations prevent and resolve freshwater disputes will be created at UNESCO in Paris with the World Water Council and the Permanent Court of Arbitration, UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura announced at the Third World Water Forum in Kyoto today. More

07-03-2003Women very underrepresented in Southern Africa's Media
The southern African media give very little space to the views of women, and, when it comes to subjects such as politics, economy, sport or agriculture, their voice is virtually unheard. Women journalists are, however, given more exposure than men in reporting on subjects that have to do with the body, home and beauty. It is in television that they find the best professional opportunities – essentially as presenters – but they are only employed for a limited time, because in that part of the world it is uncommon to see women working beyond the age of 50 in any media. More

07-03-2003International women's day- march 8
Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso)– “To change the attitudes, values and types of behaviour which perpetuate inequality, affecting both men and women – this is the long-term challenge facing the twenty-first century,” says UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura in his message for International Women’s Day on March 8, which he will deliver tomorrow in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. More

06-03-2003Israeli Journalist Amira Hass Awarded World Press Freedom Prize 2003
Israeli journalist Amira Hass who has spent the last decade living in and reporting on the Palestinian Territories for the Israeli daily newspaper Ha’aretz, was today awarded the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize for 2003 by UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura, on the recommendation of an international jury. More

05-03-2003Political inertia exacerbates water crisis, says World Water Development Report First UN system-wide evaluation of global water resources

First UN system-wide evaluation of global water resources
Paris - Faced with “inertia at the leadership level”, the global water crisis will reach unprecedented levels in the years ahead with “growing per capita scarcity of water in many parts of the developing world”, according to a United Nations report made public today. Water resources will steadily decline because of population growth, pollution and expected climate change. More

28-02-2003UNESCO organizes seminar: UNESCO and NEPAD, from vision to action
Paris – Some 200 policy-makers, representatives of regional, sub-regional and non-governmental organisations, donors, members of parliament and experts will meet in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) from March 5 to 8, to examine the issues of education, water, biodiversity, cultural diversity and access to information and knowledge in Africa. These topics will form the core of debate at the seminar UNESCO and NEPAD: from Vision to Action, which will be followed by the first meeting of the UNESCO Committee for NEPAD. More

27-02-2003Prize-Giving Ceremony for 2003 L’ORÉAL-UNESCO 'Women in science' Awards
The 2003 L’ORÉAL-UNESCO Awards were given today to five outstanding women scientists during a ceremony at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. At the ceremony, which marked the fifth anniversary of the L’ORÉAL-UNESCO “For Women in Science” programme, 15 young scientific researchers received the annual UNESCO - L’ORÉAL fellowships. More

21-02-2003Towards a Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage
Paris – Whether on land, underwater, cultural or natural, mobile or immobile, humanity’s tangible heritage is safeguarded, in times of peace as in times of war, by four international conventions adopted by UNESCO’s Member States in 1954, 1970, 1972 and 2001. However, in just about every part of the world another very important element of peoples’ cultural legacy, their intangible heritage - for example, oral traditions, customs, music, dance, rituals, festivities and traditional medicine – runs a risk of disappearing unless appropriate safeguard measures are taken. More

19-02-2003Promoting immigrant minority languages
Paris - As regional minority languages gain increasing recognition and better treatment in Europe, what is the condition of the languages spoken by immigrant communities in the continent? Is their use encouraged, or are these languages seen as obstacles to the integration of these newcomers? Can they, should they, be taught in school to the children of these immigrant families? More

18-02-2003Investing in Education pays rich dividends confirms UNESCO/OECD study
Paris – Investing in secondary and tertiary education – and not just primary education - pays rich dividends. A study by UNESCO and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)* on 16 emerging economies finds that investments in human capital over the past two decades may have accounted for about a half a percentage point in the annual growth rates of those countries**. More

17-02-2003Public hearings to involve new parties in drawing up the declaration of genetic data
Paris – A day of public hearings on human genetic data is being organised by UNESCO in Monaco on 28 February as part of its project to draw up an international declaration on such data. Ten civil society groups and institutions – representing indigenous people, people with disabilities and doctors, but also the private sector and especially insurance companies – are expected to take part. More

14-02-2003UNESCO Director-General welcomes Israel Supreme Court decision to save historical houses in Old City of Hebron
Paris - Twenty-two Mameluke and Ottoman houses in the Old City of Hebron, some of them dating back to the 15th century, have had a reprieve from demolition yesterday when the Israel Supreme Court ruled against a decree of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) ordering their destruction. More

12-02-2003United Nations Literacy Decade to be launched in New York
Paris – “Literacy as Freedom” is the theme of the United Nations Literacy Decade (2003-2012), which will be launched at United Nations Headquarters in New York tomorrow (February 13) by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura and Natsagiin Bagabandi, the President of Mongolia. More

11-02-2003Discovery, UNESCO and the UN Works Programme mark International Mother Language Day with a celebration of cultural diversity
Paris - In celebration of International Mother Language Day – February – Discovery Communications, Inc. (DCI), in partnership with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and the UN Works Programme, will highlight some of the world’s endangered languages with a broadcast to over 100 million viewers internationally on the Discovery Channel. More

06-02-200319 UNESCO Goodwill Ambassadors issue statement on Iraq
Paris – Nineteen UNESCO Goodwill Ambassadors meeting in Paris have issued the following statement about Iraq:
More

05-02-2003High Commissioner for Human Rights and UNESCO reinforce cooperation
Paris – The High Commissioner for Human Rights, Sergio Vieira de Mello, and UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura signed a memorandum of understanding reinforcing cooperation between the two organizations in Paris today. More

04-02-2003UNESCO alarmed about situation in Okapi Wildlife Reserve in Democratic Republic of Congo
Paris - UNESCO has expressed great concern at damage to Okapi Wildlife Reserve in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and called on the UN Mission in the country to help remove the serious threat to the Reserve, which was inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1996 and on the List of World Heritage in Danger the following year. More

28-01-2003UNESCO and the government of Afghanistan launch nationwide literacy project
Paris – UNESCO and the Government of Afghanistan today launched a major project to boost literacy throughout Afghanistan, which suffers one of the world’s lowest literacy rates. UNESCO estimates that only 51.9 percent of Afghan men over the age of 15 and a mere 21.9 percent of women in the same age group can read and write. More

15-01-2003UNESCO prize for landscape architecture presented in Beijing
Paris - The 2002 UNESCO Prize for Landscape Architecture will be presented in Beijing on January 15 to four students of the Beijing Forestry University (China) - Zhang Lu, Han Pingyue, Li Zhengping and Liu Yanzhuo. The UNESCO Bureau in Beijing and the University organized the ceremony. More

14-01-2003Director-General invites young researchers to apply for UNESCO/Keizo Obuchi fellowships sponsored by Japan
Paris - UNESCO has invited young post-graduate researchers in developing countries to apply for 20 fellowships, each worth US$7,500, through the UNESCO/Keizo Obuchi Research Fellowship Programme, financed by Japan through funds-in-trust dedicated to capacity building of human resources. More

13-01-2003Her Highness Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Abdullah Al-Misnad today appointed UNESCO special envoy
Paris - UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura has appointed Her Highness Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Abdullah Al-Misnad, Consort of the Emir of the State of Qatar, UNESCO Special Envoy for Basic and Higher Education. More

10-01-2003103 countries ask UNESCO to prepare an international convention against doping in sport
Paris - The ministers and senior officials of physical education and sport from 103 countries today asked UNESCO to elaborate, with the United Nations and other competent agencies, an International Convention against doping in sport. More

09-01-2003Timor-Leste to become a member of UNESCO
Paris - The President of Timor-Leste, Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão, has announced his country's intention to become a member of UNESCO in a letter to the Organization's Director-General, Koïchiro Matsuura. More

23-12-2002Revitalizing education, the key to Afghanistan's future
According to education authorities in Afghanistan, some one and a half million school-age children cannot attend classes because there are not enough schools or teachers for them. This situation poses a direct threat to the country's fragile peace process and reconstruction, warned members of the Afghan High Commission on Education at the close of their week-long inaugural meeting at UNESCO's Paris Headquarters on Saturday (Dec. 21). More

16-12-2002Antonio Skármeta (Chile) and Jenny Robson (South Africa) win 2003 UNESCO Children's Book Prize
Paris - Antonio Skármeta from Chile and Jenny Robson from South Africa were today named winners of the 2003 UNESCO Prize for Children's and Young People's Literature in the Service of Tolerance by UNESCO Director-General Koichïro Matsuura. More

12-12-2002UNESCO designates Saudi Prince Talal as Special Envoy for Water
Paris - On the eve of the International Year of Freshwater, (2003), the Director-General of UNESCO, Mr Koïchiro Matsuura, is appointing HRH Prince Talal Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, of Saudi Arabia, as the Organization's Special Envoy for Water. More

10-12-2002World's coral reefs are recovering but for how much longer?
Paris - A report on the health of the world's coral reefs just published shows that some of the areas worst hit by massive bleaching in 1997-98 have begun to recover. More

09-12-2002Russian pianist Sergei Markarov to be named UNESCO Artist for Peace
Paris - UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura will appoint the distinguished Russian pianist Sergei Markarov a UNESCO Artist for Peace on December 12 in recognition of his "support for UNESCO programmes and activities promoting peace and tolerance and for his contribution to dialogue between cultures through classical music." More

09-12-2002International Year of Freshwater launched
Paris - The International Year of Freshwater, 2003, will receive its official launch at a ceremony at the United Nations in New York on December 12. More

05-12-2002African education ministers call for solidarity and action
Dar-es-Salaam - The Eighth Conference of Ministers of Education of African Member States (MINEDAF VIII) has appealed to both the international community and African governments themselves to make education one of the pillars of development in Africa. More

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

Archive - Press Releases (2002-2006)

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