unesco. executive board; 151st; report by the director...

151 EX/INF.4PARIS, 15 May 1997English & French only

UNITED NATIONS EDUCATIONAL,SCIENTIFIC AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATION

EXECUTIVE BOARD

Hundred and fifty-first Session

Item 3.1 of the provisional agenda

REPORT BY THE DIRECTOR-GENERALON THE EXECUTION OF THE PROGRAMMEADOPTED BY THE GENERAL CONFERENCE

SUMMARY

This document contains information on the implementation ofprojects addressed to the four priority groups: women, youth, leastdeveloped countries and Africa, in the framework of the executionof the programme dealt with in document 151 EX/5, Part I.

ULIS

- Electronic document. Pagination of this document might differ from that of the original. - Document électronique. La pagination de ce document peut différer de celle de l'original. - Documento electrónico. La compaginación de este documento puede ser diferente a aquella del original.

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CONTENTS

PROJECTS ADDRESSED TO THE FOUR PRIORITY GROUPS:WOMEN, YOUTH, LEAST DEVELOPED COUNTRIES AND AFRICA

Page

M AJOR PROGRAMME I - TOWARDS LIFELONG EDUCATION FOR ALL

1. Promoting girls’ and women’s education in Africa.............................................. 12. Enhancement of learning and training opportunities for youth............................. 23. Scientific, technical and vocational education of girls in Africa............................ 54. Women, higher education and development........................................................ 6

M AJOR PROGRAMME II - T HE SCIENCES IN THE SERVICE OF DEVELOPMENT

5. Women, science and technology......................................................................... 86. Biotechnologies for development in Africa......................................................... 97. Promotion of UNISPAR in Africa...................................................................... 118. Solar villages in Africa........................................................................................ 129. Modernization of geodata handling in Africa...................................................... 1310. Arid and semi-arid land management in Africa.................................................... 1411. Young scientists’ involvement in the MAB programme....................................... 1512. Women and water resource supply and use......................................................... 1613. Empowering women: community development programmes in rural areas.......... 1814. An approach to social development: fostering active partnerships between

local communities and government..................................................................... 19

M AJOR PROGRAMME III - C ULTURAL DEVELOPMENT : THE HERITAGE AND CREATIVITY

15. African itinerant college on culture and development.......................................... 2016. Young people’s participation in world heritage preservation and promotion........ 2117. Music crossroads................................................................................................ 2318. Training of craftswomen in Africa and Central America...................................... 2419. Science reading for young Africans..................................................................... 24

M AJOR PROGRAMME IV - COMMUNICATION , INFORMATION AND INFORMATICS

20. International survey of young people’s perception of violence on the screen....... 2521. Women speaking to women: women’s rural community radio in

least developed countries.................................................................................... 2622. Improving communication training in Africa....................................................... 2823. Video libraries for young people in Africa........................................................... 2924. Computer-based educational materials for teaching informatics in Africa............ 30

ENVIRONMENT AND POPULATION EDUCATION AND INFORMATION FOR DEVELOPMENT

25. Empowering women as agents of change in communitydevelopment, population programmes and environmental protection................... 32

26. Enhancing the contribution of youth to development.......................................... 32

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Page

TOWARDS A CULTURE OF PEACE

27. Promotion of the democratic process in Africa................................................... 3428. Intercultural dialogue in everyday life................................................................. 3529. Women in the service of civil peace.................................................................... 36

151 EX/INF.4

PROJECTS ADDRESSED TO THE FOUR PRIORITY GROUPS:WOMEN, YOUTH, LEAST DEVELOPED COUNTRIES AND AFRICA

M AJOR PROGRAMME I - TOWARDS L IFELONG EDUCATION FOR ALL

Project No. 1 Promoting girls’ and women’s education in Africa(28 C/5, para. 01108)

Duration Four years (1996-1999)

Budget $490,000 for 1996-1997 (to be supplemented by extrabudgetaryresources)

Location Sahelian countries in Africa

Objective To reinforce girls’ and women’s education, female literacy andcontinuing education

Implementing Division Division of Basic Education

Activities

Focus on providing essential information on educational opportunities and on social andfinancial services for women through guidance and counselling services, and through the mediafor school-age girls; evaluating strategies and revising national plans of action for improvingthe education of girls and women; and promoting national advocacy programmes among girlsand women. The project activities are executed primarily by the participating Member States.Guidance and counselling for school-age girls aim at providing training for teacher trainers,social workers and non-formal educators on how to help girls to cope with the changing socio-economic climate. It is anticipated that by the end of the project all the teacher traininginstitutions in the participating countries will offer guidance and counselling as part of theirtraining course. This is an evolving project designed to cover as many countries as possible; todate, 22 countries (13 English-speaking and 9 French-speaking African countries) areparticipating in this initiative.

Approvedbudget

Allotmentto date

Expenditure as of31 March 1997

Rate ofexecution

Extrabudgetaryresources

$490,000 $306,250 $275,630 90% $850,082(DANIDA)

Activities executed by Headquarters

A technical working group meeting was held in Zambia (November 1996) to review theexperiences of the first regional training seminar of English-speaking countries held in Malawi(July 1996), and to plan the future activities, namely, national workshops andinstitutionalization of the results. The national Chapters of the Forum for African WomenEducationalists (FAWE) have been involved in preparing orientation and training materials.While the materials for English-speaking countries are being tested, the materials for French-speaking countries are being elaborated.

151 EX/INF.4 - page 2

Ministers of education and senior officers of the participating countries met during the45th session of the International Conference on Education (Geneva, October 1996) and agreedto form a Board of Governors for the programme. The Director-General is scheduled toaddress the first meeting of the Board (Malawi, 28 April 1997). A regional training seminar onguidance and counselling services for girls and women for seven French-speaking countrieswas launched in Mali (November 1996) with the financial support of the Islamic Educational,Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO). The media and advocacy component, ‘Educateto empower’, was launched in the United Republic of Tanzania (January 1997) for English-speaking countries. This included a workshop for radio-producers to produce gender-sensitiveradio and post-literacy materials, covering such areas as child-marriage, entrepreneurship,reducing women’s workload, advocacy for women’s education, rural sanitation and women’sskills in gardening and marketing. The workshop produced ten post-literacy booklets and eightradio programmes, which have since been broadcast in the countries concerned. Theprogramme has been reported in Countdown, a newsletter prepared by the Basic EducationDivision, as well as on various local televisions, radios and newspapers. Booklets to be utilizedfor non-formal and post-literacy programmes were also produced and UNESCO will explore,with UNICEF, the possibility of printing these at the country level with assistance frompublishing houses.

Partners

Close collaboration is maintained with National Commissions of the participatingcountries. Partners also include FAWE for activities concerning gender-sensitivity for policy-makers and the preparation of orientation and training materials, in co-operation with nationalspecialists; DANIDA, the Rockefeller Foundation, UNICEF, UNFPA, USAID, the FrenchMinistry of Co-operation and ISESCO, which contributed to financing the regional andnational workshops.

Overall assessment of project progress/prospects

Using a participatory approach and emphasizing teacher training and capacity-building atboth regional and national levels, the project activities are co-ordinated with similar ongoingactivities; the project receives strong support, in particular from Ministries of Education ofparticipating Member States.

* * *

Project No. 2 Enhancement of learning and training opportunities foryouth(28 C/5, para. 01128)

Duration Six years (1996-2001)

Budget $1,150,000 (to be supplemented by extrabudgetary resourcesestimated at $1,500,000)

Location Least developed countries, countries in post-conflict situationsand countries in transition

Objective To provide diversified learning and training opportunities tomarginalized youth in selected countries

Implementing Division Global Action Programme on Education for AllCollaborating Division Division of Youth and Sports Activities


Activities

Focus on field research and actions through NGOs and public institutions to develop orstrengthen training programmes and materials for basic non-formal education and skills trainingfor out-of-school youth. Special skills training packages are being produced in nationallanguages, along with audiovisual materials and instructional computer programs where thenecessary infrastructure and energy supply exist. At the same time, the training of tutors and ofother supervisors is given due attention.

Approvedbudget

Allotmentto date


Rate ofexecution


$1,150,000 $718,750 $524,521 73% $3,967,204 fromAGFUND,DANIDA,Germany,Norway


In order to mobilize local human resources to assist excluded youth, mostly in urbanareas, a pragmatic approach to basic education and practical training activities of direct benefitto out-of-school youth has been developed. Upon the request of field offices and/or afterraising extrabudgetary funding earmarked for specific countries, a series of identification andtechnical support missions have been organized to launch the following activities.

Crimea: in co-operation with the United Nations Crimean Integration and DevelopmentProgramme, UNESCO is financing group activities to develop income-generating skills and toaddress, specifically, youth sociocultural issues.

Egypt: a mission from Headquarters, in January 1997, co-operated with a national NGOin identifying and supporting a basic education and training programme for youth, linked to therecycling of town waste (extrabudgetary funding).

Georgia: a pilot project for the training of adolescents has been launched in co-operationwith the Georgian National Commission; the project is dedicated to the rehabilitation ofGeorgian culture and history, and development of the tourism in Mstketa (included on theWorld Heritage List).

Haiti : in co-operation with local NGOs and public institutions, a comprehensive trainingprogramme for street youth has been identified and practical training courses will be provided.This project is closely related to the MOST/MAB project activities in Port-au-Prince.

India : using local materials and techniques developed by the Indian NGO ‘Centre ofScience for Villages’, selected French marginalized youth who have received alternativeeducation and training have assisted, through French and Indian NGOs, the Wardha villagepeople in India to construct family homes; this activity aims to encourage cross-culturalcommunication.

Lao People’s Democratic Republic: a project targeted at ethnic minorities, particularlyamong rural women and youth, is being launched, with extrabudgetary funding support, todevelop a multi-channel learning system to deliver non-formal basic distance education in the


central region of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. This will involve the combination ofseveral learning channels, mainly: radio, print material, audiocassettes and ‘travellingfacilitators’. The project seeks to enhance the sustainability of rural development activities inthe central region of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic and stem rural exodus towardsurban centres.

Mongolia: based on experiences gained during the Gobi Women Project, a new andextended project, supported by extrabudgetary funding, will include the whole country byconsolidating and expanding the non-formal distance education system already established. Thetarget group will be family members and youth in urban areas.

Palestine: in co-operation with the Ministry of Social Affairs, a project has beenidentified to support the rehabilitation of two centres in Nablus where marginalized youth -boys and girls - receive basic education and practical training to assist with their reintegrationinto the economic and social life of their communities (extrabudgetary funding).

Philippines: in co-operation with a national NGO, a new project is being developed tocater to the needs of street youth by setting up apprenticeship shelters and offering a widerange of educational and cultural activities as well as social assistance (extrabudgetaryfunding).

Senegal: in co-operation with an NGO (Environment and Development in the ThirdWorld), a project on basic education, community, civic and environment education andpractical training for jobs, has been identified for unemployed youth in the framework of thelocal non-formal economy (extrabudgetary funding).

South Africa, Mozambique and Eritrea: this project is being designed andimplemented in co-operation with local youth centres to offer vocational training in a non-formal education context to some 1,200 out-of-school youth. The training will cover activitiesin the field of culture (music, dance), sports, local radio productions, and will seek to develop aconstructive social network through a conflict prevention approach. It will also enable thethree participating countries to establish close contacts and exchange experiences, resourcepersonnel, and ideas about their activities and policies for youth marginalized by war and civilviolence (extrabudgetary funding).

Activities executed by field office(s)

More than 80 per cent of the regular budget funds are decentralized to the RegionalOffices with responsibilities for project preparation and implementation.

Partners

Projects across the world have been launched mostly in close co-operation withcompetent national and international NGOs, which have a sound knowledge of the targetgroup, and with multilateral as well as bilateral funding sources; United Nations agencies andother units at Headquarters (such as MOST/MAB, ED/LWF and SHS/YSA) participate in theactivities.

* * *


Project No. 3 Scientific, technical and vocational education of girls inAfrica(28 C/5, para. 01223)



Location Member States of sub-Saharan Africa

Objective To enhance the access of girls to science, technical andvocational education. Specifically, the project is designed topromote the development and implementation of gender-inclusive policies, and to assist in revising school-basedprogrammes and activities to enhance awareness of therelationship between science, technology, health, environmentand society

Implementing Division Division for the Renovation of Secondary and VocationalEducation

Activities

In co-operation with UNESCO field offices in Africa, national surveys concerning theparticipation of girls and women in scientific, technical and vocational education have beencompleted in 19 countries of the region (Benin, Burundi, Chad, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya,Malawi, Mali, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Swaziland, Togo, Uganda,United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe). Reports are being finalized in threecountries (Botswana, Guinea and Mozambique). Eight additional countries have beenrequested to undertake the surveys (Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, EquatorialGuinea, Eritrea, Gambia, Madagascar and Mauritania).

The results of the surveys, depending on availability of funds, will be presented inVolume VII of Innovations in Science and Technology Education in 1998. This series waslaunched in association with the International Network for Information in Science andTechnology Education (INISTE) and is addressed, in particular, to science educators inuniversities and colleges, especially those involved with teacher training and curriculumplanning, Ministry of Education officials and practising science and technology teachers.

Approvedbudget

Allotmentto date


Rate ofexecution


$250,000 $156,250 $111,200 71% -


An advisory meeting of IGOs and international NGOs on science, technology andenvironmental education for all was organized (16-18 September 1996) at UNESCOHeadquarters to outline the design of the new UNESCO Source Kit on science education. Thiskit will underline the gender issue and health and environment education. The Spring issue ofthe newsletter Connect includes articles concerning women and science and technologyeducation, notably the special project and information on NGOs working in this field, in order


to spread the information on the actions planned and to receive feed-back and proposals forsuitable action.


Two subregional meetings are planned in Harare (4-8 August 1997), and in Abidjan (22-26 September 1997). On the basis of the findings of the national surveys, these meetings,intended for NGOs and representatives of ministries of education, are expected to proposeconcrete actions for: making curricula, textbooks and teacher training more gender sensitive;and influencing sociocultural constraints and negative role modelling which impede women’saccess to scientific, technical and vocational education and training. Following these meetings,grass-roots level activities will be initiated, including a series of workshops for renewal ofcurricula, teacher training and materials development, in co-operation with local NGOs andteacher associations. Support will be given to an international workshop (Mauritius, June1997), specifically intended for African delegates, on improving access of girls to science andtechnology education.

Partners

Partners include National Commissions and NGOs, such as: the Forum for AfricanWomen Educationalists (FAWE), the Gender and Science and Technology (GASAT), theThird World Organization for Women in Science (TWOWS), the Tanzanian Association forWomen Professionals in Science and Technology (TAWOSTE), as well as the FEMSA projectof the Association for Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) Working Group onFemale Participation.


The implementation phase, which will follow the two subregional meetings, is planned tobe financed mainly by extrabudgetary resources which are presently being sought from variousdonors.

* * *

Project No. 4 Women, higher education and development(28 C/5, para. 01243)


Budget $100,000 from this subprogramme; a further $175,000 will befinanced from other major programmes, which will besupplemented by extrabudgetary resources

Location All regions, with emphasis on Africa and countries in transition

Objective To strengthen the status and empowerment of women inprofessional fields directly related to development

Implementing Division Division of Higher EducationCollaborating Divisions Division of Management of Social Transformations and

Capacity-building; Division of International CulturalCo-operation; Preservation and Enrichment of Cultural Identities


Activities

Activities focus on the promotion of training, action research and information. Theseactivities are implemented through existing UNESCO networks and UNESCO Chairs andthrough the creation of new ones.

Approvedbudget

Allotmentto date


Rate ofexecution


$100,000 $90,000 $89,569 99% -


As part of the networks objective to promote women in higher education management,two further seminars have been held: one in Sri Lanka (Colombo, January 1997) for SouthAsian countries of the Commonwealth, in collaboration with the Commonwealth Secretariatand the Association of Commonwealth Universities; and the other in Chile (Santiago,December 1996) on women graduates and the labour market, in co-operation with the Inter-American Association for Higher Education. In addition, the study on feminine leadership inLatin American universities has been completed, further training modules related to womenand university management have been produced with UNESCO support, and a review of theeffectiveness of Equal Opportunity Offices, established in certain Commonwealth universitiesto encourage equal opportunities between men and women, is continuing.

The two UNESCO Chairs with the Association of African Universities on ‘Women inscience and technology’ have been appointed. The first Chair, at the University of Swaziland,held a training seminar and is engaged in a wide-spread campaign to raise awareness ofwomen’s role in the sciences; the second, located at the University of Ghana, has commencedtraining and research activities.

The Chair in sustainable development at the University of Rio de Janeiro is scheduled tohold a training seminar in advocacy strategies in May 1997, and is continuing the researchprogramme that supports the social insertion of marginalized women.


UNESCO field offices in countries where Chairs and networks are located or active areinvolved in programme activities (e.g. Brazil, Chile, Kenya).

Partners

UNESCO Chairs/UNITWIN network focal points; the Commonwealth Secretariat;African Association of Universities; Inter-American Organization for Higher Education;Association of Commonwealth Universities; participating universities.


Overall progress continues to be satisfactory; support from donor groups and theinterest of universities to join the project has grown. Moreover, the various projects havegenerated some $250,000 in extrabudgetary funding, the outreach of the activities covers some70 countries worldwide and the project now offers a pool of human resources withtransdisciplinary expertise in gender issues related to development.


* * *

M AJOR PROGRAMME II - T HE SCIENCES IN THE SERVICE OF DEVELOPMENT

Project No. 5 Women, science and technology(28 C/5, para. 02111)


Budget $280,000 for 1996-1997

Location Two or three developing countries per region

Objective To improve the access of women to scientific and technologicaleducation, training and careers

Implementing Division Division of Basic SciencesCollaborating Division Division of Higher Education

Activities

The first phase of the project ‘Women, science and technology’ focused on training andretraining activities for young female researchers in developing countries. The objectives ofthese activities were to update knowledge and to facilitate access to positions of responsibilityin universities or research institutes. They focused on molecular and cell biology and onneurobiology. Certain workshops concentrated more specifically on mathematics orinformatics. Several seminars dealt with the theme of the project ‘Women, science andtechnology’ from a more general point of view.

Approvedbudget

Allotmentto date


Rate ofexecution


$280,000 $178,900 $122,893 68.7% -


Training courses of three months’ duration have been organized in scientific institutionsin Egypt, France, Hungary, Kenya and the Netherlands in several high-tech disciplinesincluding soil microbiology, plant biotechnology and biological nitrogen fixation techniques.Six young female scientists from Albania, Lithuania, Romania, Mexico, Tunisia and Sudanhave benefited from them.


UNESCO Cairo Office: a workshop was held from 1 to 5 December 1996 to trainyoung female scientists from universities in computer technologies and the use of the Internet.It was attended by 16 young women from several universities (Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar,Syrian Arab Republic and Yemen). This activity was co-financed by the British Council andseveral universities in Arab countries.


UNESCO Jakarta Office: a regional secretariat on women, gender, science andtechnology for South-East Asia and the Pacific has been established at Jakarta, in co-operationwith the Indonesian Institute of Sciences.

UNESCO Montevideo Office: activities were devoted to the launching of the networkon the theme ‘Gender, science and technology’ designed to establish programmes for researchand action geared to the MERCOSUR countries (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay).

UNESCO New Delhi Office: a training workshop on the theme ‘Women, science andtechnology’ was prepared by the Iranian National Commission. This workshop, organized onthe occasion of World AIDS Day (1 December 1996), brought together about 100 participantsbelonging to several Iranian institutions and organizations.

UNESCO Venice Office: a conference on ‘Women and mathematics’ was held inMarseilles in December 1996. About 40 women mathematicians working in France and in theRussian Federation attended. Financial assistance was provided to young femalemathematicians so that they could benefit from the activities of the Centre international demathématiques pures et appliquées (CIMPA) and the International Centre for MechanicalSciences (CISM).

Partners

National Commissions; Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA);International Cell Research Organization (ICRO); International Brain Research Organization(IBRO).


This project is currently being renewed. While retaining a large ‘training’ component, itwill lay increasing emphasis on communication and solidarity among female scientistsworldwide, on the enhancement of their work and on their mobilization, with the support of allpartners concerned, for the launching of national and international projects.

* * *

Project No. 6 Biotechnologies for development in Africa(28 C/5, para. 02112)


Budget $150,000 for 1996-1997

Location Africa, with emphasis on least developed countries

Objective To upgrade research and development in national laboratoriesand/or centres, and to promote advanced training in microbialand plant biotechnologies

Implementing Division Division of Basic Sciences/Life Sciences Section

Activities

Activities focused on: providing advanced training to researchers, with particularemphasis on young scientists and women scientists, through established regional networks (e.g.


MIRCENs) and UNESCO Chairs; providing light laboratory equipment and reagents tolaboratories in the least developed countries, to strengthen ongoing local research; andimproving access to authenticated peer-reviewed scientific and technological information.

Approvedbudget

Allotmentto date


Rate ofexecution


$150,000 $103,900 $93,836 90.3% -


Completion of the updating of scientific collections of microbial germplasm of medical,environmental, industrial and academic significance for distribution to Member States in theregion of southern Africa (June 1996-December 1997); extension of catalytic support to theNairobi-MIRCEN two-week regional course on ‘Legume inoculant production and qualitycontrol’ in Marondera, Zimbabwe (April 1997); and the award of two UNESCO/MIRCENprofessorships in Kenya for initiation of research programmes in the taxonomy of microbialdiversity, through nucleic acid fingerprint analysis and electron microscopic research; theseawards were given within the framework of collaboration between the MIRCENs in Kenya andGermany, and the International Training Programme at the Gesellschaft für BiotechnologischeForschung mbH.


The UNESCO Dakar Office organized intensive training for one researcher from Maliin a six-week course on ‘Biotechnology in agriculture, plants and micro-organisms’, inRehevot, Israel (September 1996).

The UNESCO Nairobi Office: provided hydrobiological equipment to the Departmentof Microbiology, University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana, for microbiologicalanalysis and quality control of water (September 1996); fielded a two-week expert missionfrom the MIRCEN in Nairobi to the Institut des Sciences Agronomiques du Rwanda (ISAR),to advise on human resource development for biological nitrogen fixation research andextension and inoculant production in Rwanda (September 1996); provided support for thepreparation of a workshop on ‘Global Change Impact Assessment Approaches to Vectors andVector-borne Diseases’ scheduled from 3 to 6 September 1997 at the International Centre ofInsect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE), Nairobi, Kenya; secured the participation of twoKenyan researchers in the First African Crop Science Congress in Pretoria, South Africa(January 1997) to exchange scientific research results in controlling seasonal soil loss and onstudying responses by legumes to rhizobia inoculation, and nitrogen and phosphorusfertilization in Kenya; and continued to support the UNESCO Chair on ‘Post-Harvest FoodTechnology’ at Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda, following the visit of the Director-General to Uganda (January 1997).

Partners

The Institut supérieur de formation et de recherche appliquée (ISFRA); the RhizobiumMIRCEN, Department of Soil Science, University of Nairobi (Nairobi, Kenya).


As a result of the different initiatives undertaken by Headquarters and field offices,UNESCO, through consultation with the UNESCO Biotechnology Action Council (BAC) and


the Council of MIRCEN Directors, awarded 15 short-term fellowships to candidates fromdeveloping countries in Africa.

* * *

Project No. 7 Promotion of UNISPAR in Africa(28 C/5, para. 02119)

Duration Two years (1996-1997)

Budget $153,000

Location Ten African countries

Objective To enhance the transfer of the results of scientific andtechnological research from African universities and researchinstitutes to industry; and to enhance the endogenous capacitiesof African universities and research institutes in development-oriented research in food production and processing, health,renewable energy and low-cost materials

Implementing Division Engineering and Technology Division

Activities

To strengthen the endogenous capacity of African universities and research institutes andstimulate the transfer of their research results to local industry.

Approvedbudget

Allotmentto date


Rate ofexecution


$153,000 $122,700 $68,678 56% $35,000 (privatefunds)

In addition, the interest ($106,500) of the International Fund for the TechnologicalDevelopment of Africa was allocated to UNISPAR in Africa.


The UNESCO Nairobi Office is responsible for the implementation of thisdecentralized project.

As a follow-up to the three UNISPAR Africa conferences (United Republic of Tanzania,December 1994; Ghana, September 1995; and Paris, July 1996), some 300 project proposalshave been received by UNESCO, to date. Twenty projects from ten countries have receivedsupport, mainly in the area of biotechnology, renewable energy, food processing and medicinalplants. Contributions to the International Fund for the Technological Development of Africaset up by UNESCO will be mobilized for supporting scientific and technological projects thathave immediate relevance to the African industrial development.

Partners

African universities and local industry.



Several of the 20 projects that UNESCO has sponsored are beginning to yield tangibleresults. An external evaluation is being organized in June-July 1997 in order to assess theprogress made in the implementation of the 20 projects and the management of theInternational Fund for the Technological Development of Africa, in particular, fund raisingfrom other sources.

* * *

Project No. 8 Solar villages in Africa(28 C/5, para. 02123)


Budget $142,000

Location The sub-Saharan countries

Objective To demonstrate and enhance the utilization by rural communitiesof low-cost ecotechnologies for power generation and localproduction of construction materials; and to involve anincreasing number of women in using ecotechnologies to meettheir domestic needs

Implementing Division Engineering and Technology Division

Activities

Focus on the elaboration of four sets of training materials and the training of about120 community leaders, including women.

Approvedbudget

Allotmentto date


Rate ofexecution


$142,000 $100,300 $98,238 98% -


The project has resulted in the setting up of a demonstration solar village in N’gaoundere(Cameroon) and the production and distribution of five sets of training materials (French)addressed to schoolchildren, technical college students and community leaders. About60 community leaders and representatives of women associations have also been trained. Theresults of the project and the training materials will be disseminated to African countries in thesubregion.


The UNESCO Nairobi Office has organized two meetings: an expert group meeting onthe development of the concept of solar villages in Africa (Dakar, Senegal, 2-4 December1996), in co-operation with the Senegalese Ministry of Scientific and Technological Research;and a seminar on the use of solar energy and development: concept of solar villages (Yaoundé,


Cameroon, 25-28 February 1997), under the auspices of the President of the Republic ofCameroon.

Partners

National Commission of Cameroon; the International Union of Technical Associationsand Organizations (UATI); the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF); the Islamic Educational,Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO).


The development of a solar village concept, the realization of an on-site study of soil andlocal building materials, the organization of a meeting in Yaoundé with representatives from allgovernment ministries involved in energy development, and representatives from FAO, UNDPand the World Bank, and a meeting for the target population in N’gaoundere (including avideo show of the installation of solar voltaic cells and exhibition of an operationalphotovoltaic system) have all created favourable conditions for the development of similarprojects in the subregion.

* * *

Project No. 9 Modernization of geodata handling in Africa(28 C/5, para. 02315)


Budget $100,000

Location The sub-Saharan countries

Objective To improve non-renewable resource management throughmodernization of geodata handling

Implementing Division Division of Earth Sciences

Activities

Activities focus on training and institution-building in geodata handling, within theframework of the Pan-African Network for Geological Information Systems (PANGIS).

Approvedbudget

Allotmentto date


Rate ofexecution


$100,000 $66,100 $57,500 87% -


Expert missions and training projects were carried out in the field of bibliographical andfactual geological data handling. A standard computer software program was developed andintroduced to facilitate data retrieval and analysis among the 30 participating African countries.

The first volume of the 1996 African Bibliography has been published and disseminatedto African earth science institutes; the second volume will be disseminated in June 1997. This


biannual bibliography contains some 100 bibliographic records relevant to Africa. Pilot projectsare presently being developed with a view to assisting and facilitating access of geological datato decision-makers, planners and industrialists, for better management of resources.

The third annual PANGIS conference is planned to be held in Pretoria, South Africa, inSeptember 1997. Three new African members are expected to join the PANGIS network,bringing the total number of participating African countries to thirty-three.


The UNESCO Cairo and Nairobi Offices collaborate in the implementation of theactivities, while the latter will also contribute to the publication of the 1997 AfricanBibliography.

Partners

The UNESCO National Commissions; Geological Surveys of 30 African Member States;International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS); Royal Museum for Central Africa(Belgium).

* * *

Project No. 10 Arid and semi-arid land management in Africa(28 C/5, para. 02330)


Budget $200,000 for 1996-1997

Location Selected Member States in sub-Saharan Africa

Objective To contribute to the combating of desertification and theimprovement of agricultural productivity in arid and semi-aridlands through the application of appropriate managementtechniques and the transfer of germplasm of multipurpose plantspecies

Implementing Division Division of Ecological Sciences (in collaboration with LifeSciences Section)

Activities

These focused on the training of scientists in the management and conservation of aridand semi-arid lands.

Approvedbudget

Allotmentto date


Rate ofexecution


$200,000 $152,300 $128,000 84% -



Provision of support for the participation of African scientists, specializing in themanagement and conservation of arid lands, in an international workshop organized within theframework of the International Programme on Arid Land Crops (IPALAC) in Israel (BerSheva, 30 March-4 April 1997). Eight development experts from five African countriesattended this workshop. An orientation course for African decision-makers within theframework of appropriate dryland agriculture (such as using the ‘improved diguette system’ ordrip irrigation) was organized from 31 March to 4 April 1997 in the Negev desert (Israel). Inattempts to combat desertification and improve agricultural productivity in arid lands, nineshort-term fellowships, each of three-months’ duration, were awarded to nine youngresearchers (including one woman scientist), from Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali, Nigeria andSenegal, for advanced training in the fields of desert crop and arid land biotechnology at theBen-Gurion University, Ber Sheva, within the framework of IPALAC.


The UNESCO Cairo, Dakar and Nairobi Offices collaborate in the implementation ofthe project activities.

Partners

IPALAC, the International Development and Research Centre (IDRC), the PermanentInterstate Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS), the IntergovernmentalAuthority on Development (IGAD), African UNESCO Member States.

* * *

Project No. 11 Young scientists’ involvement in the MAB programme(28 C/5, para. 02334)


Budget $100,000

Location Global, with emphasis on least developed countries, in particularAfrica

Objective To increase the participation of young scientists in R&D, and tosensitize local communities to environmentally sound socio-economic development in rural areas through the involvement ofyoung scientists in campaigns and demonstration activities onappropriate technologies and conservation measures

Implementing Division Division of Ecological SciencesCollaborating Division Division of Youth and Sport Activities

Activities

Focused on the selection of Young Scientists for the 1996 and 1997 MAB Awards andthe development of an international network of MAB Young Scientists, through the MABnetlinked to the Internet. Associated with the project are a number of youth-related MAB


activities in the framework of the UNESCO-Cousteau Ecotechnie Programme (UCEP) and theMOST-MAB project on cities.

Approvedbudget

Allotmentto date


Rate ofexecution


$100,000 $96,500 $89,900 93.2% -


While selecting the ten candidates for the 1997 MAB Young Scientists Awards from thelist of applicants recommended by their respective MAB National Committees, the MABBureau decided that candidates from developing countries should be given high priority in theirselection of the 1998 awardees.

During 1996, the São Roque pilot project (Brazil) provided young students witheducation and training in eco-job related activities. Drawing on the success of the project, twoadditional courses will be held in 1997. Under the auspices of the UNESCO-CousteauEcotechnie Chairs, young researchers and students have been provided valuableinterdisciplinary training in line with the MAB philosophy. In 1996, the Asian EcotechnologyNetwork (AEN) under UCEP (co-ordinated by Professor M.S. Swaminithan, India) hasstrengthened its activities in the region, linking a number of universities and research centres.In China (Sichuan and Yunnan Universities), two highly appreciated ecotechnie projects,focusing on providing young researchers with training in natural resource management,biodiversity conservation and ecotourism, were conducted in 1996. For 1997, AEN plans toorganize a number of travelling seminars for young scientists from the region to exchangeviews and experiences on a number of case studies that combine environmental protection anddevelopment.

Partners

MAB National Committees; UNESCO National Commissions; UNESCO-CousteauEcotechnie Chairs.


The MAB Young Scientists Awards will be evaluated by the MAB Council 1997, andcomments are being sought on how best to assist young scientists around the world. Prospectsappear good for the development of the special project into a ‘MAB Young ScientistsProgramme’ which will include the MAB Young Scientists Awards.

* * *

Project No. 12 Women and water resource supply and use(28 C/5, para. 02351)


Budget $150,000 for 1996-1997

Location Sub-Saharan countries

Objective To improve the quality of life of women by facilitating theiraccess to water resources through the development andextension of appropriate techniques with the full participation of


women at community level; and to contribute to theimprovement of water resources surveying and management insemi-arid and arid areas

Implementing Division Division of Water SciencesCollaborating Sectors Education, Culture, Social and Human Sciences

Activities

Focus on the further development of the pilot projects launched in 1996 in arid and semi-arid rural areas; support to the NGOs working in the villages; encouraging governmentplanners to draw up regulations in favour of women empowerment in water resourcesdevelopment programme; organization of training courses for trainers and seminars forrepresentatives of national institutions, NGOs and women’s associations; provision ofadvanced training fellowships to young women scientists; establishing co-operation withUnited Nations agencies, national and international associations and NGOs; updating andpublishing learning material in collaboration with international organizations; and strengtheningNational Committees for UNESCO’s International Hydrological Programme (IHP) regardingtheir activities in favour of women and water supply and use.

Approvedbudget

Allotmentto date


Rate ofexecution


$150,000 $86,600 $75,909 87.7% -


The activities focused mainly on francophone African countries. A training workshop on‘Water resources in arid and semi-arid zones, exchange of knowledge and cultural practices:the contribution of women’ was convened under the patronage of the Secretariat of theGovernment of the Republic of Mauritania, in Nouakchott, from 2 to 5 November 1996. Theworkshop, organized in collaboration with the UNESCO Social Sciences Programme onHuman Habitats and the Culture Sector Network ‘Reunir’, paid special attention to socio-cultural practices and traditional methods. Training sessions were devoted to practicalexercises based on village dynamics and the simulation of a village water supply system. Thesesessions were led by the Director of the Amadou Hampate Ba Training Centre (Mali) forrepresentatives from the Ministries of Agriculture and Water Resources and Ministries ofWomen, Children and Social Affairs, of Burkina Faso, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Mali,Mauritania, Niger, Senegal and Togo. UNDP, UNICEF, the International Union of TechnicalAssociations and Organizations (UATI), the International Water and Sanitation Centre (IRC)and other national and international associations and NGOs were also represented at theworkshop. As a follow-up to the seminar, the UATI identified one village from each of thenine participating countries, with the aim of training women in rural areas in watermanagement related issues.

The International Water and Sanitation Centre organized a gender training course forspecialists from NGOs, in Paris, in February 1997 (IRC newsletter No. 4). A national seminarwill be organized in Congo by the ‘Foundation Maria Bounga’ on ‘Women and waterresources management in rural areas’, in May 1997. The Ministry of ‘Social Development andPromotion of Women’ of Niger is preparing, together with the Ministry of ‘Water Resourcesand Environment’, a co-operation programme with the aim of improving the participation of


women in national water resources projects and to ensure the proper management of theseresources.

Within the framework of the pilot project ‘Evaluation of water quality of the GondoAquifer’ in Burkina Faso, a study about women’s usual practices in water supply in the villagesof the Gondo plain has been realized. The evaluation of the water quality of the Gondo Aquiferhas been carried out jointly by the Department of Civil Engineering of the University of Laval(Canada) and the Hydrogeology Laboratory of the University of Ouagadougou.

Within the framework of the project ‘Integrated approach to the sustainable developmentof the oasis of Ouadane’ in Mauritania, two drilled wells were commissioned in 1996 with thefinancial support of BMZ. These wells will provide drinking-water for the people of the villageand will also enable them to develop agricultural practices and economic activities. A trainingprogramme was also organized for the women of the village on water resources managementand commercial activities development.


An evaluation mission to Mali was undertaken in February 1997, following the request ofthe National Commission for UNESCO. The aim of the mission was to visit the village ofSenko and to develop a project document on the ‘Improvement of the quality of life of thewomen of the Kayes region - development of local capacity for appropriate water resourcesmanagement’. Extrabudgetary funds will be sought for this project.

A seminar on ‘Women’s participation in water resources management’ for English-speaking countries of the region is currently being prepared and will be organized by the WaterResearch Commission in Pretoria, South Africa, in November 1997.

Partners

The Human Habitat programme - Social and Human Sciences Sector; FAO; the Onceand Future Action Network; the International Water and Sanitation Centre (IRC); theUniversity of Nice - UNESCO Chair; the International Union of Technical Associations andOrganizations (UATI); National Commissions of participating countries; IHP NationalCommittees; Ministries of Agriculture and Water Resources and Ministries of Women, Childand Social Affairs of Burkina Faso, Chad, Djibouti, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal andTogo; local and international NGOs.

* * *

Project No. 13 Empowering women: community development programmesin rural areas(28 C/5, para. 02410)


Budget $150,000 (to be supplemented by funding under the ParticipationProgramme and from extrabudgetary sources)

Location Two least developed countries


Objective To illustrate how community development programmes tailoredto meet the specific needs of women can contribute locally tocombating poverty and marginalization

Implementing Division Division of Social Science, Research and Policy

Activities

Two innovative pilot projects on community development have been developed, one inBurkina Faso, the other in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic.

Approvedbudget

Allotmentto date


Rate ofexecution


$150,000 $63,800 $15,826 24.8% -


Burkina Faso: on the basis of a feasibility study carried out in the autumn of 1996, amultidisciplinary project was prepared, covering eight villages that make up the department ofKokologo (situated 40 km from Ouagadougou), and designed to improve the quality of life ofthe poorest women in this rural area. It aims to create, with the assistance of the support fundfor women’s gainful activities (a micro-loan organization attached to the Ministry of theEconomy, Finance and Planning and supported by UNDP), synergy between a decentralizedcredit system, the strengthening of basic socio-economic infrastructure and training. Theproject therefore consists of several components: expansion of school enrolment; informaleducation focused on women’s priority needs and provided through community radio and atraining centre (with the assistance of the Education and Communication Sectors);improvement of access to drinking-water (with the assistance of the Natural Sciences Sector);development of income-generating activities financed by micro-loans. The project will besubmitted soon to donors for financing.

Lao People’s Democratic Republic: a project developing a methodology similar to theone used in Burkina Faso is being prepared. It will be linked to distance education project504 LAO 12 and, in that context, it will develop an informal education component thatspecifically meets women’s needs and priorities. Funding amounting to $150,000 has alreadybeen provided for this project by DANIDA. The feasibility study and the project should beready towards the end of September 1997.

Partners

FAO, WHO, UNFPA and local NGOs.

* * *

Project No. 14 An approach to social development: fostering activepartnerships between local communities and government(28 C/5, para. 02411)


Budget $210,100

Location Three or four least developed African countries


Objective To demonstrate how the role played by local institutions andorganizations of civil society in the mobilization for developmentand democratic administration can be strengthened throughnetworking with national or regional bodies

Implementing Division Division of Social Science, Research and Policy

Activities

Pilot activities have been carried out in Cape Verde, Nigeria and Senegal with the aim ofestablishing partnerships between local communities and the public authorities in order tocombat poverty and foster social insertion.

Approvedbudget

Allotmentto date


Rate ofexecution


$210,100 $140,300 $125,932 89.8% -


Cape Verde: pilot activities focused on an evaluation of partnerships between the centralgovernment and the various town councils, in the context of the process of decentralizationand definition of the national programme to combat poverty. In co-operation with UNDP, thefollowing activities have been carried out: an analysis of trends in social indicators and of thecauses of their deterioration at national level; an evaluation of access to social services(particularly health and education); an analysis of institutional capacities (of the centraladministration, town councils and civil society) that could participate in the execution of thenational plan to combat poverty.

Nigeria: case studies have been conducted on the various partnership models followed incombating social exclusion, above all, in relation with the problems of drug production andconsumption. They have resulted in a consolidated report on social and economictransformations linked to drug-trafficking in Nigeria and in other countries of sub-SaharanAfrica.

Senegal: 14 mayors and representatives of associations from Burkina Faso, Cape Verde,Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, Mauritania and Senegal took part in a workshop on ‘Social developmentand partnership between local communities and the authorities in West Africa’. Field visitswere organized and the participants devised an action methodology and organizational chartsfor the preparation of development micro-projects.

Partners

Environnement et développement du Tiers Monde (ENDA-TM); GSR Interurba; Clubdes chefs de projets urbains; UNDP; World Bank; French Co-operation Mission (Senegal).

* * *


M AJOR PROGRAMME III - C ULTURAL DEVELOPMENT :THE HERITAGE AND CREATIVITY

Project No. 15 African itinerant college on culture and development(28 C/5, para. 03010)


Location Africa

Budget $125,000 (to be supplemented by extrabudgetary resources)

Objective To develop human and institutional capacity on the culturaldimension of development in Africa through training, researchand networking; and, to promote dissemination and exchange ofinformation and public awareness in this field

Implementing Division World Decade for Culture Development Secretariat

Activities

Focus on the organization of seminars and workshops on the cultural dimension ofdevelopment planning and the setting up of UNESCO Chairs pertaining to the same theme.

Approvedbudget

Allotmentto date


Rate ofexecution


$125,000 $110,000 $103,000 93.6% -


Based on the detailed project documents prepared for the eight specific activitiesforeseen for 1996-1997: (i) two subregional workshops were organized in March-April 1997,one on culture, population poverty alleviation (Kampala, Uganda), the other on culture, genderand development (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia); some 60 participants attended these seminarsrespectively from southern and eastern African Member States; (ii) negotiations are under wayfor the creation of two UNESCO Chairs on culture and development, one in the UnitedNations Institute for Economic Development and Planning in Africa (IDEA) (Dakar, Senegal),and the other in the Pan-African Institute for Development (PAID) (Douala, Cameroon); thecorresponding agreement with IDEA is scheduled to be signed in June 1997; (iii) two regionalstudies have been launched: one on training needs and the other on training modules, with theobjective of introducing the theme of culture and development into African university curricula(in co-operation with the Pan-African Association of Anthropologists (PACA), Yaoundé,Cameroon); (iv) three seminars for high-level decision-makers and planners on the culturaldimension of development planning (in co-operation with IDEA) and for media professionals(in co-operation with PAID) will be held between May and July.

Partners

IDEA, PAID, PACA. Several other potential partners and funding sources have beenapproached, with a view to organizing a donors meeting in Autumn 1997 to mobilize financingfor further activities in the next biennium.

* * *


Project No. 16 Young people’s participation in world heritage preservationand promotion(28 C/5, para. 03111)


Budget $100,000 for 1996-1997 (supplemented by $20,000 under theASP project and by extrabudgetary resources)

Location States Parties to the World Heritage Convention in all regions ofthe world

Objective To promote through schools and out-of-school activities, youngpeople’s awareness of heritage, both natural and cultural, and ofthe ways and means to protect it; encourage action to safeguardcultural and natural sites through the enhancement of traditionalskills and the development of new methods

Implementing Division World Heritage CentreCollaborating Divisions Division for the Renovation of Secondary and Vocational

Education/ASP Co-ordination Unit; Division of Youth andSports Activities

Activities

Seek to introduce classwork on world heritage in ASP schools worldwide, and in thelonger term, to integrate world heritage into secondary school curricula. The aim is to inspirestudents and teachers to explore heritage in a broad sense - beyond the traditional realms ofhistory and geography and through an interdisciplinary approach.

Approvedbudget

Allotmentto date


Rate ofexecution


$100,000 $75,000 $53,085 70.8% -


The first World Heritage Youth Forum, held in Bergen (Norway, June 1995) involvedstudents and teachers from 30 nations. In the light of the success of that initial encounter, thefirst European World Heritage Youth Forum was held in Dubrovnik, Croatia(29-30 May 1996) and the first African Forum was held at the Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe,September 1996). Plans are under way to convene the first Asian Pacific World HeritageYouth Forum in China in the autumn of 1997.

A World Heritage Education Kit, currently being prepared, will be produced at the endof 1997 and available for testing in schools in 1998. The Kit will consist of ideas on how toteach world heritage using examples of activities gathered from different countries. It willcomprise interactive-visual material, such as posters, maps, cartoon and overhead projectionsheets, intended to be a source of inspiration. As teachers play a key role in awakeningstudents’ interest in world heritage, the Kit will offer guidelines and resource material.


Partners

National Commissions; the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS);the World Conservation Union (IUCN); the International Centre for the Study of thePreservation and the Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM); the International Council ofMuseums (ICOM); the Organization of World Heritage Cities (OWHC); Rhône PoulencFoundation; NORAD; etc.

* * *

Project No. 17 Music crossroads(28 C/5, para. 03208)


Budget $80,000 (supplemented by extrabudgetary resources)

Location Mozambique, South Africa, Zimbabwe

Objective To encourage music performances of young people inZimbabwe, Mozambique and South Africa, and to offer thembasic training in the performing arts

Implementing Division Division of the Arts and Cultural LifeCollaborating Division Division of Youth and Sports Activities

Activities

The project activities focus on organizing national and international music festivals inAfrica.

Approvedbudget

Allotmentto date


Rate ofexecution


$80,000 $70,000 $68,544 97.9% -


Co-ordination and contracts with international partners; feasibility study; and installationof a project officer in Harare.


Production of information material; setting up of local organizational committees;organization of national and provincial festivals in Zimbabwe; one national festival inMozambique and another in South Africa; organization of one international festival inZimbabwe.

Partners

Main partners include ministries and cultural centres of Zimbabwe, arts and youthorganizations, such as the International Federation of Jeunesses Musicales.



By May 1997, eight local festivals were held in Zimbabwe, with an average participationof 60 musicians. The events were covered by both local press and television. At a meeting atHeadquarters with the project officer and representatives of UNESCO’s Harare Office, inJanuary 1997, the working methods of the project were evaluated, and its outreach anddevelopment for 1997 were defined. A similar meeting is scheduled in Mozambique, in June1997. The salient elements of the project are the integration of young people in thedevelopment process, the promotion of cultural dialogue between ethnic groups and thetraining components. On the basis of the experience gathered in Zimbabwe, similar events areunder preparation in Mozambique and South Africa.

* * *

Project No. 18 Training of craftswomen in Africa and Central America(28 C/5, para. 03210)


Budget $100,000 (supplemented by extrabudgetary resources andthrough micro-loan mechanisms)

Location Sahelian countries and countries in Central America

Objective To upgrade the technical skills and know-how of craftswomen incharge of small associations as regards the promotion andmarketing of quality craft products

Implementing Division UNESCO Dakar and Havana Offices

Activities

The activities concern primarily the organization of training workshops for craftswomenin Africa and Central America.

Approvedbudget

Allotmentto date


Rate ofexecution


$100,000 $75,000 $42,000 56% -


The UNESCO Havana Office has organized a seminar on crafts and cultural tourism,the findings of which will be used to define the content and scope of the subregional workshopthat will be held in July/August 1997 in Guatemala.

The UNESCO Dakar Office, in co-operation with the Amadou Hampate Ba Centre(Mali), has launched a study on crafts as a means of combating poverty in Africa, and asubregional training workshop for craftspeople, currently under preparation, will be held inBenin in November/December 1997.

* * *

Project No. 19 Science reading for young Africans(28 C/5, para. 03223)



Budget $130,000 (supplemented by extrabudgetary resources)

Location Benin and Mali; Angola and Mozambique; South Africa andZimbabwe

Objective The Science for Africa Programme (SAP) aims to provide youngAfricans with up-to-date and practical scientific publications andto strengthen endogenous capacities in science writing andpublishing through training and information workshops forAfrican science writers, illustrators and publishers

Implementing Division Division of Books and CopyrightCollaborating Division Division of Youth and Sports Activities

Activities

Following a feasibility study financed by the Education Sector, the project wasdecentralized to the UNESCO Harare Office which is responsible for implementing the projectin collaboration with the UNESCO Nairobi Office.

Approvedbudget

Allotmentto date


Rate ofexecution


$130,000 $97,500 $76,000 78% -


As a follow-up to the interregional seminar on Children’s Co-publication Programmesand the Economics of Children’s Book-publishing, within the framework of the Pan-AfricanChildren’s Book Fair (May 1996), a seminar was organized (July 1996) by the UNESCOHarare Office and the execution of the project has been entrusted to the African Publishers’Network (APNET). Seven countries (Angola, Benin, Kenya, Mali, Mozambique, South Africaand Zimbabwe) are directly involved in preparing the publications in English, French andPortuguese. The production is expected to be supported through bilateral funding sourceswhich have shown interest in the project.

Partners

The African Publishers’ Network (APNET) in Harare; the Council for the Promotion ofChildren’s Science Publications in Africa (CHISCI), in Nairobi.

* * *

M AJOR PROGRAMME IV - COMMUNICATION , INFORMATION

AND INFORMATICS

Project No. 20 International survey of young people’s perception of violenceon the screen(28 C/5, para. 04109)


Budget $180,000


Location 22 countries in all regions

Objective To assess the effects of television and video violence on youngpeople

Implementing Division Communication Division

Activities

In operational terms the survey includes from 100 to 400 respondents equally dividedinto girls and boys of 12 years old in both urban and rural areas of 22 countries covering all theregions of the world. The results are expected to yield some 5,000 validated questionnairesthus providing a global sample with regional, subregional and in some cases countrydifferences. Once the results have been tabulated and analysed by the University of Utrecht,preliminary findings will be drawn up for discussion and published in 1998.

Approvedbudget

Allotmentto date


Rate ofexecution


$180,000 $135,000 $74,000 54.8% -


Planning and co-ordination of activities with the University of Utrecht for preparation ofmethodology and questionnaire; and with the World Organization of Scout Movements(WOSM) for field work and administering of the questionnaire in co-operation with localpartners in the countries selected. Some 5,000 questionnaires were distributed in Angola,Argentina, Armenia, Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, Croatia, Egypt, Germany, India, Japan,Mauritius, Netherlands, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, South Africa, Spain, Tajikistan, Togo,Trinidad and Tobago and Ukraine. The questionnaire distribution was done by the WorldOrganization of Scout Movements, based in Geneva, and the coding by the University ofUtrecht. A co-ordination meeting took place on 29 and 30 April 1997 in Utrecht. The resultsare currently being analysed and should be available in a pre-edition version in early September1997.

Partners

The University of Utrecht and the World Organization of Scout Movements, togetherwith their local organizations.

Overall assessment of the project progress/prospects

The key partners have shown strong commitment to the project and have generouslycontributed their professional time and resources to the work. The field work has now beensuccessfully completed and the results are being processed by the University of Utrecht. Whenpublished in 1998, these results will provide useful material for future research and debate inthis area.

* * *

Project No. 21 Women speaking to women: women’s rural communityradio in least developed countries


(28 C/5, para. 04207)


Budget $220,000

Location Two countries in Africa, two in Asia and three in the Caribbean

Objective To demonstrate the usefulness of low-cost radio stations forcommunity development, in particular for the empowerment ofwomen at the grass-roots level

Implementing Division Communication DivisionCollaborating Division Learning without Frontiers Unit

Activities

The project seeks to establish at least four fully operational community radio stationsdesigned for women and run by women. The radio stations will encourage women to speak outon issues of concern to them and to the societies in which they live. Collaboration is alsoforeseen with the Education Sector as a Learning without Frontiers activity for the communityradio station in Hyderabad, India.

Approvedbudget

Allotmentto date


Rate ofexecution


$220,000 $165,000 $122,400 74.2% $55,000 (IPDC)


Methodological backstopping and overall co-ordination.


UNESCO Windhoek Office: a technical feasibility study to set up a women’scommunity radio station in Malawi was completed and arrangements have been made toprocure the necessary equipment. In March 1997, additional resources were mobilized throughthe IPDC Intergovernmental Council, which had decided at its 17th session to allocate $55,000to the Women’s community radio for Nankumba peninsula and Lake Malawi National Parkarea.

UNESCO Yaoundé Office: the Regional Communication Adviser for West and CentralAfrica has identified a women’s NGO in Cape Verde to set up and run a community radiostation for women. The necessary equipment has been purchased and the station is expected tobe operational by June 1997. Additional funds for the project are expected from the UNICEFOffice in Cameroon.

UNESCO Kuala Lumpur Office: the Regional Communication Adviser for Asiaconducted exploratory missions to Banepa in Nepal and Pastapur in India. In India, the DeccanDevelopment Society has been identified to implement a project, which will target, inparticular, underprivileged Dalit women. The project was introduced at a consultative meetingwith 30 Dalit women from 20 villages. In Nepal, the suburban community of Banepa and theNepal Forum of Environment Journalists were identified as the main partners for the project


implementation. However, the implementation of these two projects has been delayed due tocomplications in the licence-issuing process.

UNESCO Kingston Office: in the Caribbean, after a slow start the project advancedfurther than expected. A community radio station called ‘Koni Ku Libi’ was launched inSuriname in March 1997 and the ‘Toco’ radio station is being launched in Trinidad andTobago (broadcasting equipment purchased in January 1997). A two-month basic trainingprogramme for the broadcasters began on 7 March 1997, with assistance from UNDP andtechnical support from the University of the West Indies Caribbean Institute of Technology andseveral existing radio stations.

Partners

The Malawi Media Women Association, the Malawi National Commission forUNESCO, the UNDP Office in Malawi and the UNICEF Office in Cameroon; the DeccanDevelopment Organization (India), All India Radio, the Municipal Council of Banepa (Nepal)and the Nepal Forum of Environment Journalists; the University of West Indies.


After a long preparatory phase and a slow start, the project’s implementation progressedrapidly in the Caribbean and in Africa, while some delays were recorded in Asia. The interestand the wish to participate in the project expressed by many other countries shows that thechosen modality is well suited to a real need. Given the success of the project’s idea, it is nowenvisaged to extend the project for another two years and broaden its geographic coverage.

* * *

Project No. 22 Improving communication training in Africa(28 C/5, para. 04211)

Duration Three years (1996-1998)

Budget $175,000

Location Eleven countries in Africa (Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana,Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Uganda, United Republicof Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe)

Objective The long-term goal is to design curricula for trainingcommunication specialists and media professionals in Africancountries, which respond to social, economic, political andcultural development needs and can be adapted to different kindsand levels of communication training needs and nationalcontexts. The immediate objective for the 1996-1997 period is toassess existing curricula and draw up draft model curricula forthe training of communication specialists and media professionalsin Africa

Implementing Division Communication Division

Activities


Activities focus on collecting and analysing a sample of existing curricula from a numberof communication and journalism training institutions and media organizations with trainingprogrammes in West, Central, Eastern and Southern Africa. After the discussion of the resultsof a workshop on curricula for communication training in Africa, a model curriculum will beprepared.

Approvedbudget

Allotmentto date


Rate ofexecution


$175,000 $131,400 $85,300 64.9% -


Preparation and harmonization of work plans with the three Regional CommunicationAdvisers in Africa; elaboration and drafting of the terms of reference for the consultants; andarrangements with the African Council for Communication Education to organize a three-dayworkshop on curricula for communication training.


UNESCO Nairobi, Windhoek and Yaoundé Offices ensured the identification andhiring of consultants to collect and analyse a sample of existing curricula in Cameroon, Côted’Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania,Zambia and Zimbabwe; and organized a three-day workshop on curricula for communicationtraining in Africa, held in Cape Town, South Africa, from 15 to 17 November 1996 andattended by 80 media specialists from the region.

Partners

The African Council for Communication Education (ACCE), Nairobi, Kenya; mediatraining institutions, media trainers and media practitioners in West, Central, East and SouthernAfrica; Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA), Windhoek, Namibia; and Media Instituteof East Africa, Nairobi, Kenya.


The implementation of this project has progressed in line with the work plan. The slightdelay in hiring the consultants was compensated by the rapid implementation of the subsequentstages of the project.

* * *

Project No. 23 Video libraries for young people in Africa(28 C/5, para. 04221)

Duration Three years (1996-1998)


Location Two selected countries in Africa (one English-speaking and oneFrench-speaking)


Objective To preserve the moving image heritage and to sensitize youngpeople to endogenous cultural material in video format

Implementing Division Information and Informatics DivisionCollaborating Division Division of Youth and Sports Activities

Activities

Focus on the training of staff in modern methods of television records preservation; thepromotion of the preservation of material under optimal conditions; the dissemination ofpreserved material in video libraries, and the publication of model guidelines on thepreservation of television material. The first phase is implemented in an English-speakingcountry.

Approvedbudget

Allotmentto date


Rate ofexecution


$160,000 $120,000 $9,900 8.3% -


Planning and backstopping of project activities and co-ordination with other bodies;organization of a consultant mission to identify host institutions for the video libraries.


The UNESCO Windhoek Office has been involved in negotiations with theGovernment of Namibia, which has now undertaken consultations with the key partners and iscurrently finalizing a plan of operation including a list of centres selected and the equipmentrequired.

Partners

The Union of National Radio and Television Organizations of Africa (URTNA); theAfrican Council for Communication Education (ACCE); the International Federation ofTelevision Archives (IFTA); the International Council of French-speaking Radio andTelevision Organizations (CIRTEF); local youth clubs and organizations.


Since the Government of Namibia wishes to integrate the project into a globaleducational project, activities which should have already been started are now delayed pendingthe preparation of the feasibility study. Other African bodies are interested in co-operating onthe project and it is expected that the objectives will be achieved once the project is fullyoperational.

* * *

Project No. 24 Computer-based educational materials for teachinginformatics in Africa(28 C/5, para. 04228)



Budget $150,000 for 1996-1997

Location African Member States (Portuguese-, English- and French-speaking)

Objective To contribute to the modernization of informatics teachingmethods and techniques in the region. For the present bienniumthe project will be implemented in Portuguese-speaking countries

Implementing Division Communication DivisionCollaborating Division Division of Youth and Sports Activities

Activities

Focus on designing and producing computer-based kits for teaching informatics atuniversity level in a Portuguese-speaking country (1996-1997). It is foreseen that at the end ofthe project about 500 CD-ROMs with adequate equipment will be made available touniversities in the Portuguese-speaking countries in Africa.

Approvedbudget

Allotmentto date


Rate ofexecution


$150,000 $112,500 $61,200 54.4% -


Identification of contractor(s) and signing of contracts, backstopping and co-ordination.

Under a contract with UNESCO, the Centre of Innovation and Transfer of Technologyat the University of Coïmbra (Portugal) carried out a feasibility study to identify participationby African Portuguese-speaking countries, define the topics to be taught using the educationalmaterial to be elaborated, identify equipment and software to be delivered, elaborate anexperimental programme to test the materials and prepare a detailed project estimation(workload, detailed time schedule, costs, etc.). On the basis of the study’s results, contractswere established in October 1996 to elaborate the didactic materials and to produce a first setof hardware and software. This first set has already been tested in co-operation with theInstituto Superior de Educação of Cape Verde. A draft version of the software is available onthe Internet at http://joana.dec.pt/Menu1.htm.

Partners

The Centre of Innovation and Transfer of Technology at the University of Coïmbra(Portugal), the Universidado Agostinho Neto (Angola); the Instituto Superior de Educaçãoand the Instituto Superior de Engeharia e Ciências do Mar (Cape Verde); the Centro deFormação Administrativa (Guinea-Bissau), the Centro de Informática - Universidade EduardoMondlane (Mozambique); and the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports and the InstitutoUniversitário de Contabilidade, Administração e Informática (Sao Tome and Principe).


http://joana.dec.pt/Menu1.htm


The project’s implementation progressed as planned with encouraging prospects for thesubsequent phases.

* * *

ENVIRONMENT AND POPULATION EDUCATION AND INFORMATION FOR

DEVELOPMENT

Project No. 25 Empowering women as agents of change in communitydevelopment, population programmes and environmentalprotection(28 C/5, para. 05115)



Location The nine high-population developing countries

Objective To create the conditions for empowering women as agents ofchange in community development, population programmes andenvironmental protection

Implementing Division Environment and Population Education and Information forDevelopment

Activities

The activities focus on organizing training programmes for teachers and trainers ofwomen’s organizations and grass-roots movements, in co-operation with national institutions.

Approvedbudget

Allotmentto date


Rate ofexecution


$100,000 $60,800 $33,000 54.3% -


Information and training programmes for trainers of women’s organizations and grass-roots movements, focusing on population and environmental issues, were promoted in five ofthe E-9 countries: Brazil, China, Egypt, India and Indonesia.

Partners

National Commissions of the participating countries.

* * *

Project No. 26 Enhancing the contribution of youth to development (28 C/5, para. 05120)




Location Least developed countries

Objective To enhance the participation of young people in communityactions on population issues, protection of the environment anddevelopment; and to promote among young people a healthy wayof life, tolerance and non-violence

Implementing Division Environment and Population Education and Information forDevelopment

Collaborating Division Division of Youth and Sports Activities

Activities

Focus on promoting training programmes designed to sensitize the leaders of youth andwomen’s organizations to the key population- and environment-related development issues.

Approvedbudget

Allotmentto date


Rate ofexecution


$80,000 $60,000 $21,100 35.2% -


Headquarters has been responsible for the development of the conceptual framework andthe strategies of action. The orientation materials have been shared with the UNESCONational Commissions in the selected countries. The work plan of activities in four Africancountries have been in operation and Headquarters will make arrangements for a subregionaltraining workshop in Africa.


In consultation with the UNESCO Offices in Dakar, Harare, Nairobi and Pretoria,activities in the least developed countries (Angola, Guinea, Malawi and Uganda) have beeninitiated. These Offices, in collaboration with National Commissions, government agencies andNGOs, have finalized the training programmes for Malawi, Guinea and Uganda. In the Asia-Pacific region, UNESCO National Commissions have been contacted for developing projectproposals for expanding the project to three countries, i.e. Fiji, Maldives and Uzbekistan.Contact has also been established with the UNESCO Offices in Guatemala and Mauritania toinitiate activities in Central America and the Arab states. The launching of pilot projects in allnine countries will be completed during the 1997-1998 biennium.

Partners

National Commissions in the participating countries, NGOs and concerned governmentdepartments.

* * *


TOWARDS A CULTURE OF PEACE

Project No. 27 Promotion of the democratic process in Africa(28 C/5, para. 05230)


Budget $194,100 with $1,000,000 expected in additional financing(Participation Programme and extrabudgetary sources)

Location Africa

Objective To encourage reflection and exchanges of information ondemocratic processes in Africa; to strengthen African researchcapacities in this field; to promote a culture of democracy inAfrica

Implementing Division Division of Human Rights, Democracy and Peace

Activities

The aim is primarily to carry out a survey and to make an assessment of democraticexperiments in Africa and to disseminate widely the findings of this research, in particular, inhigher education.

Approvedbudget

Allotmentto date


Rate ofexecution


$194,100 $82,070 $77,638 94.6% -


Contracts have been concluded with the Council for the Development of Economic andSocial Research in Africa (CODESRIA) to survey, review and evaluate democraticexperiments in Africa since 1989. The findings of this exercise should be available at the end of1997.

A UNESCO Chair in peace, democracy and development has been created at theUniversity of Fianarantsoa in Madagascar. Negotiations are under way with Cheikh Anta DiopUniversity in Dakar in order to create a Chair in democracy and development, and with theMarien Ngouabi University in Brazzaville in order to organize a subregional forum on‘Tribalism, nationalism and democracy’.

Partners

International non-governmental organizations and universities.

* * *


Project No. 28 Intercultural dialogue in everyday life(28 C/5, para. 05240)


Budget $106,000

Location Member States in Africa

Objective To highlight the role that young people can play in the service ofintercultural dialogue

Implementing Division Division of International Cultural Co-operation, Preservation andEnrichment of Cultural Identities

Collaborating Division Division of Youth and Sports Activities

Activities

To mobilize young people to undertake, individually and within youth associations andmovements, activities that are likely to encourage intercultural dialogue among young peoplethemselves and between young people and adults. The aim of the meetings organized underthis project is to stimulate intercultural dialogue and to formulate operational projects thatcould promote it.

Approvedbudget

Allotmentto date


Rate ofexecution


$106,000 $42,000 $38,870 92.1% -


The conceptualization and co-ordination of activities in concert with field offices havecontinued. A study on the role of young people in intercultural dialogue and the culture ofpeace in Africa has been produced, under contract, by the Pan-African Association ofAnthropologists (PAA) and will serve as a working document for regional workshops

A questionnaire for the identification of indicators relating to intercultural dialogue andthe types of activities that are likely to foster it has been prepared and will be tested by theparticipants in the various workshops planned. After validation, this questionnaire will be sentto youth organizations and associations.


UNESCO Yaoundé Office: a subregional seminar-workshop (19-21 December 1996)brought together 90 young people from Burundi, Cameroon, Congo, Gabon, Sao Tomé andPrincipe and Zaire. The proceedings of the workshop were based on three themes: mastery ofmodernity; the need for African models and forms of reference; and the degradation of theenvironment and its consequences in Africa. The seminar generated the following projectproposals: formation of an African network of youth NGOs for peace; establishment of acentre for the promotion of an African culture of peace; publication of a youth newspaper inAfrica; organization of an itinerant youth festival for the arts and the culture of peace. Afollow-up committee has been set up to raise the funds required to implement these projects.


Lastly, a video film on the workshop has been produced and will be distributed, together with acollection of messages for peace entitled ‘Messages from Youth to Youth’.

UNESCO Bangui Office: in the context of the activities of the inter-agency committeeset up to look for ways and means to help to solve the conflict situation prevailing in CentralAfrica, a national workshop of young people from various ethnic communities and of differentreligious persuasions will be held during the second half of 1997.

Gabarone: a contract has been signed with the National Commission of Botswana toorganize in 1997 a subregional workshop of young people of the Southern African subregion.Participation in this workshop will be extended to a delegation of young people from EastAfrican countries.

UNESCO Porto Novo Office: a subregional workshop for West Africa, initially scheduled tobe held in Dakar, will be held in Lomé at a date to be set with the Togolese authorities.

The regional seminar, initially scheduled to take stock of action taken and to decide onprojects that could be financed from extrabudgetary funds, will be held at the beginning of1998.

Partners

National Commissions for UNESCO, youth organizations and associations.

* * *

Project No. 29 Women in the service of civil peace(28 C/5, para. 05241)


Budget $88,000

Location Latin American and Caribbean Member States

Objective To highlight the new awareness emerging among women of waysof consolidating civil peace in the region

Implementing Division Division of International Cultural Co-operation, Preservation andEnrichment of Cultural Identities

Activities

Organization of subregional workshops to highlight new forms of participation availableto women in the context of ongoing processes of democratization in Latin American countries.

Approvedbudget

Allotmentto date


Rate ofexecution


$88,000 $59,000 $48,145 81.6% -



The project is entirely decentralized and entrusted to field offices.


Three workshops have already been held successfully in Mexico (Mexico City, July1996), Costa Rica (San José, November 1996) and Peru (Lima, February 1997). Asdecentralized activities, these workshops were organized by the appropriate institutions of thecountries concerned with financial support from UNESCO. The results of the workshops weresubmitted at a conference held in Mexico (Guadalajara, April 1997) by the working group onwomen of the Latin American Studies Association (LASA) with a view to being co-publishedwith UNESCO.

Partners

The field offices’ main partners in this project are the National Commissions and variousnational institutions of the participating countries.

* * *

unesco. executive board; 151st; report by the director...

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