volume-4 issue-2 unesco new delhi...

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UNESCO New DelhiVolume-4, Issue-2

UNESCO New Delhi e-Newsletter

Volume 4, Issue 2, April to June 2013

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

I am pleased to share with you the second issue of the 2013 UNESCO New Delhi

e-Newsletter. As in the first quarter, a host of important events were held during the second quarter as well. The national launch of the Hindi and Tel-egu version of the “EFA Global Monitor-ing Report, 2012: Youth and skills putting education to work” took place in New Delhi on 26th April 2013. It was launched by Dr Karan Singh, India’s Representa-tive to UNESCO’s Executive Board and President of Indian Council of Cultural Research (ICCR), in the presence of Ms Tine Staermose, Director ILO, high-level government officials and other dignitaries. On 3rd May, UNESCO New Delhi, the

Institute of Rural Research and Development (IRRAD) and the United Na-tions Information Centre, commemorated World Press Freedom Day 2013, by organizing a conference on the theme ‘Rural Voices: Upholding Freedom of Expression through Mainstream and Alternative Media’ in New Delhi.Biodiversity continued to be the focus of a range of programmes organized by UNESCO New Delhi dur-ing this quarter. While India added a new biosphere reserve to the UNESCO’s World Network of Biosphere Reserves, the SACAM (South & Central Asia MAB) Network focused prominently at the Strategic Meeting of Asia and the Pacific Biosphere Reserves held in Hanoi, Vietnam in April 2013.

One of the major obligations of a country which is a signatory to the UNESCO 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) is to establish an inventory of ICH elements available in its national territory. Towards this, an eight-day workshop on Community-based inventorying took place in Sri Lanka (March 2013) and Bhutan (April 2013) to introduce the concept of inventorying and discuss vari-ous approaches and methodologies. I wish you all an enjoyable read and I look forward to forging more partnerships in advancing the mandate of UNESCO. Shigeru Aoyagi Director and UNESCO Representative to Bhutan, India, Maldives and Sri Lanka

Mr Shigeru Aoyagi, Director UNESCO New Delhi at the National Launch

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Feature Articles 2 Education 5

Natural Sciences 7

Social and Human 10Sciences

Culture 11

Communication and 13Information

Calendar of Events 16

Publications 18

IN/2013/PI/52

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FEATURE ARTICLE

On 18th April 2013, the UN System in India took a decisive step towards establishing a National Social

Protection Floor Initiative by launching a Joint UN Study on a Social Protection Floor for India. The author of the study, Prof. Ravi Srivastava of Jawaharlal Nehru University pre-sented key findings of the study during the event, which was attended by Chief Guest, Ms Sudha Pillai, Former Member-Secretary, Planning Commission and Former Member of the High Level UN Advisory Panel on Social Protection Floor and Shri. A. C. Pandey, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Employment, among others.

The study is an important follow-up and key milestone in UNESCO’s work in the area of social protection and UNESCO`s involvement in UNDAF processes, which has been ongoing since the UNESCO Forum of Ministers in charge of Social Development on Social Protection in South Asia in Colombo, Sri Lanka (20-22 February 2011), where Ministers and Heads of Delegations of SAARC countries signed and adopted the Colombo Declaration 2011, solidify-ing their commitment to expanding the scope and outreach of social protection policies and programmes for the South Asia region. During the concluding remarks, UNESCO reiterated the contents of the Colombo Declaration (2011) and the process leading to it, the involvement of Indian and

South Asian research institutes and civil society, as well as the endorsement of the Indian Government.

Social Protection has been an important theme of the UN Task Team on Employment and Social Protection (UNDAF India 2013-2017) and the Poverty and Livelihoods Thematic Cluster (UNDAF India 2008-2012) and this study is the result of the active involvement of a number of key UN agencies, such as UNESCO, UNICEF, ILO, UNDP, UNWOMEN and UNESCAP.

The study shall serve as an important reference in the years to come, to inform policy makers and generate debate within policy circles and civil society, on advancing the agenda for a universal social protection floor for India.

For background documents: http://www.unesco.org/new/en/newdelhi/about-this-office/single-view/news/launch_of_joint_un_study_on_a_social_protection_floor_in_india/

A UN Study Pleads for a Universal Social Protection Floor in India

_____________________________

Contact: [email protected]

http://www.unesco.org/new/en/newdelhi/about-this-office/single-view/news/launch_of_joint_un_study_on_a_social_protection_floor_in_india/

http://www.unesco.org/new/en/newdelhi/about-this-office/single-view/news/launch_of_joint_un_study_on_a_social_protection_floor_in_india/

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EDUCATIONFEATURE ARTICLE

One of the major obligations of a country which is a signatory to the UNESCO 2003 Convention for

the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) is to establish an inventory of ICH elements available in its national territory. Developing a fair understanding of the ICH elements and their conditions, through an inventory, indeed constitute a vital step towards develop-ing any safeguarding measures. Inventory is also crucial as the Operational Directory of the Convention foresees that any element which is to be nominated for inscrip-tion on the UNESCO Representative List or the Urgent Safeguarding list needs to be on the national inventory.

An eight-day workshop on Community-based invento-rying took place in Sri Lanka (March 2013) and Bhu-tan (April 2013) to introduce the concept of inventory-ing and discuss various approaches and methodologies. Attended by the government officers, academia and NGOs, the training sessions included lectures, group- exercises, discussions on new concepts and techniques of community based inventorying as well as field work. Presentations from the participants provided insight on the characteristics of intangible cultural heritage in the country, available data, traditional ways of transmission and the existing safeguarding initiatives, thus making the workshop participatory to develop recommenda-tions for locally relevant plans for inventorying work.

In both the countries, the workshop participants

underlined the critical need for developing owner-ship and involvement of the local ICH bearers in the inventory making, multi-sectoral involvement, as well as creating linkages between ICH safeguard-ing and livelihood generation of the ICH bearers.

Neither Sri Lanka nor Bhutan have a formal national in-ventory on ICH and both the governments are in the pro-cess of establishing national coordination mechanism for the implementation of the UNESCO 2003 Convention. Sri Lanka has so far made no submission to any of the Lists under the 2003 Convention, while Bhutan’s contri-bution to the Representative List is limited to Drametse Ngacham (Dance of Drum of Drametse) initially pro-claimed as UNESCO Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2005, and subsequently transferred into the Representative List of the 2003 Convention.

It is hoped that through the capacity building work-shops, Sri Lanka and Bhutan will take active part in the implementation of the Convention and their rich tradition will be adequately known to the interna-tional communities. The workshop is part of a pack-age of three trainings supported with the generous funding of the Japanese Government under Japan-UNESCO Funds-in-Trust. The third and the last workshop, to take place in early 2014 will address the preparation of nomination dossier under Representa-tive and Urgent Safeguarding Lists of the Convention.

Strengthening Capacities for Implementing the UNESCO 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding Intangible Cultural

Heritage

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FEATURE ARTICLE

UNESCO New Delhi, the Institute of Rural Research and Development (IRRAD) and the United Nations Information Centre for India and Bhutan (UNIC) commemorated World Press Freedom Day 2013, by

organizing a conference on the theme ‘Rural Voices: Upholding Freedom of Expression through Mainstream and Alternative Media’ in New Delhi on 3rd May.Every year UNESCO observes World Press Freedom Day (WPFD) on 3rd May to build awareness about the importance of press freedom; remind governments of their duty to respect and uphold the right to the freedom of expression; and pay tribute to journalists and organizations that have made an outstanding contribution to the defence and promotion of press freedom. WPFD 2013 sought to promote the voices of communities that are granted limited space in the mainstream media, and highlight the importance of media freedom to develop-ment and rural empowerment. It also reflected on the ways in which the media could help transform lives in the country’s rural and less accessible areas.The UNESCO-supported Press Freedom Report for South Asia 2012-13 (titled Building Resistance, Organis-ing for Change), produced by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), was launched on the occasion. This annual report monitors and reviews developments in the South Asian region that have a bearing on press freedom and quality journalism.The conference began with a keynote address by the eminent journalist and former Founding Editor of Mail Today, Bharat Bhushan. Bhushan argued that three features of the contemporary mainstream media in India have become disturbingly prominent: the tendency of media content to be dominated by the concerns of the growing middle class; the increasing corporatization of the media that has caused an erosion of media ethics; and a general decline in the analytical skills of Indian journalists. At the heart of the conference were two panel discussions with a number of leading journalists, development practitioners and media experts. The first discussion, on the theme ‘Media Responsibilities for Public Interest’, focused on the mainstream media’s social responsibilities in view of its role as an agent of social change and a watchdog of democracy. The second panel, on the theme, ‘Community Media: Our World, Our Voice, Our Media’ explored the power and importance of alternative media such as community radio, community video, grassroots newspapers, and examined how these have been used effectively in local contexts.The panel discussions were followed by an ‘open house’ interaction chaired by T.K. Arun, the Editor (Opin-ion) of The Economic Times. The session was designed as a space for the exchange of views and ideas among participants on the theme of the conference. If robbed of its authenticity and credibility, the Indian media will cease to matter to large numbers of people except as a source of entertainment and titillation. It will no longer be socially relevant – an honest, investigative, analytical, public-oriented and ethical pursuit. As Shigeru Aoyagi, the Director of UNESCO New Delhi remarked in his inaugural address, ‘The most critical role of a free media is to protect the public interest and uphold democracy. The media’s function as watchdog is fundamental, as is the belief that it is the only institution that can fulfil such a function. The media are not just anointed rep-resentatives of the public, their practices must be intrinsically bound up with the fostering of public trust and accountability.’On the second day of the conference – May 4, 2013 – participants visited the community radio station, Alfaz-e-Mewat FM 107.8, set up by IRRAD with the support of the Ministry of Agriculture at a village in Mewat, Haryana. The radio station gives a voice to farm communities in over 180 villages in the state of Haryana.

Celebrating World Press Freedom Day 2013


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EDUCATION

EFA Global Monitoring Report 2012: 200 million young people fail to complete primary school and lack skills for work

The National launch of the EFA Global Moni-toring Report, 2012: Youth and skills: putting

education to work took place in New Delhi on the 26th April 2013. The Hindi and the Telugu version were launched by Dr Karan Singh, India’s Representa-tive to UNESCO’s Executive Board and President ICCR, in the presence of Dr S. S. Jena, Chairman, National Institute of Open Learning, and Dr San-tosh Mehrotra, DG, Institute of Applied Manpower Research (IAMR). The 2012 Report, Putting Edu-cation to Work, reveals the urgent need to invest in skills for youth. 200 million young people in the world have not completed primary school and need a second chance to acquire basic skills for work. 91 million of these young people live in South and West Asia, making up more than a quarter of the region’s youth population and the greatest number of unskilled young people of any region in the world.

The Report looks in depth at youth skills and shows that young people need the foundation skills taught at primary and lower secondary school to find decent jobs. India accounts for a huge proportion of the 200 million youth lacking foundation skills worldwide. Over a third of 15-19 year olds in the country have less than a lower secondary education and lack the skills they need for work.

Skills development programmes can be improved to

boost young people’s opportunities for decent jobs and better lives. Such investment in skills is a smart move for improving economic growth. The EFA Global Monitoring Report calculates that every US$1 spent on a person’s education yields US$10-15 in economic growth over that person’s working lifetime. India has realized this potential and aims to train 500 million of its poor urban youth by 2022 in courses and appren-ticeships run by the public and private sector.

Mr Shigeru Aoyagi, Director UNESCO New Delhi, said “There is much that India can be proud of as regards its remarkable achievements and ambition for training young people in skills for work. However, it should be noted that the overwhelming majority of urban youth have little training to acquire skills. The skills shortage risks hampering the country’s growth and reinforcing inequality unless it is tackled imme-diately. Only if countries give their youth a second chance to learn basic skills such as reading, and skills in relevant trades will they make the full use of their potential.”

Present on the ocassion, Ms Tine Staermose, Director ILO New Delhi, said, “As one of the largest informal economies, the percentage of skilled workers in India with any formal plus informal vocational training has been estimated as being close to 10% compared to 60-80% in developed countries. The limited reach of skills development programmes not only affects the potential for socio-economic growth but also makes the transition from school to decent work more dif-ficult for Indian youth.

It identifies five key steps that should be taken, which can be tailored to fit country-specific circumstances:

1. Over 91 million young people in South and West Asia need to be given alternative pathways to learn foundation skills.

2. All young people need quality training in relevant foundation skills at lower secondary school.

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EDUCATION

3. Upper secondary curricula should provide a bal-ance between vocational and technical skills, includ-ing IT, and transferable skills such as confidence and communication which are indispensable for the work place.

4. Skills strategies must target the disadvantaged: par-ticularly young women and urban and rural poor.

5. Governments as well as donors and the private sector must help fill the funding gap of $38 billion to ensure all young people complete basic and lower secondary education.

The EFA Global Monitoring Report is developed an-nually by an independent team and published by UN-ESCO. The full report is available online at: www.efareport.unesco.org

Education Global Action Week: “Every Child Needs a Teacher”

Education for All - Global Action Week is celebrated every year – it’s a moment when children, teach-ers, parents and the like-minded people around the world unite in their demands for education.

UNESCO New Delhi and Na-tional Coalition for Education (NCE), the national country representative of Global Cam-paign for Education (GCE), this

year organized several national level campaign activities during the EFA Global Action Week. The EFA action week was celebrated from 21 - 27 April, 2013 on the theme “Every Child needs a Teacher”. The campaign every year takes this opportunity to highlight one area of the Education for All goal and make targeted efforts to achieve change on the ground, with the added support of education campaigners and millions of members of the public worldwide joining together for the cause.

The week focused on the global gap in trained and professional teachers, as part of the campaign. The objective of the week was not only to commemorate Education for all Global Action Week involving all stakeholders, but also to create an awareness among all and to advocate the right of every child to have a ‘Teacher’ and a ‘Trained Teacher for All’ epecially among the policy makers.

The culmination event was organized by UNESCO and NCE on 25th April 2013 in New Delhi. The par-ticipants and speakers at the culmination event included representatives from schools, student community, parent-teacher association representatives, teacher unions, parliamentarians, academicians, international NGOs and INGOs, print and visual media representatives.

Research has shown that teachers, more than any other constituent group in education, determine educational quality and student learning outcomes. Due to their proximity to students, well-trained teachers can strength-en scientific and critical thinking skills, promote tolerance, encourage dialogue, improve gender equity, and advance important cultural and social values.


http://www.efareport.unesco.org



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NATURAL SCIENCES

Biodiversity in Focus

International Day for Biological Diversity The International Day for Biological Diversity was observed on 22nd May 2013 on the theme ‘Water and Bio-diversity’ which is in line with International Year of Water Cooperation 2013 being coordinated by UNESCO on behalf of UN-Water. The event was organized by the Bihar State Department of Environment and Forests to mark the day in Patna. Mr Ram Boojh participated as the Guest of Honour and delivered the keynote address highlighting UNESCO programmes in the area and the connection between water and biodiversity. The event was addressed by several high-level officials of the Government of Bihar including the Secretary Environment, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, and the Chief Wildlife Warden.

Great Nicobar added to UNESCO’s World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR) The International Coordinating Council of UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB), which met in Paris from 27 to 30 May, has added 12 sites to the World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR) including the Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve (GNBR) from India. The process to include Great Nicobar in the WNBR was initiated in 2009. The GNBR harbours a large number of endemic and endangered species of flora and also incorporates territories and traditional land of Indo-Mongoloid stock, namely the Nicobarese and Shompen peo-ple. The inclusion of GNBR in the list of World Network of Biosphere Reserves will provide global recognition to the region and increase the acceptance of conservation needs.

Seminar on Wetlands and Biodiversity Conservation and Role of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)UNESCO partnered with the Indian Environmental Society to organize the seminar on 4 - 5 June 2013. The Seminar was a post CBD COP11 event under the sponsorship of JFGE (Japan Global Fund on Environment) and with technical support from Ramsar Center, Japan. The seminar was attended by participants from Nepal,

Bangladesh, Thailand, Japan and India. Besides, representatives from Ministry of Environment and Forest and Department of Science and Tech-nology of the Government of India, The Japan Embassy, Ramsar Center of Japan, JICA and UN-ESCO also participated. The discussion mainly focused on the “wise use” concept of wetlands and the scientific understanding of wetland eco-systems. Role of ESD in raising public awareness was discussed in the overall context of wetlands conservation and management.


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NATURAL SCIENCES

The UNESCO-JFIT project for capacity building for joyful and effective teaching and learning in Science in Maldives is being im-

plemented with the objective of enhancing the quality of education in Maldives through ‘in-country’ capacity building, with focus on teacher training. Under this Project a three-day material development work-shop for teaching and learning in science in Maldives, was organized in Male on 23 - 25 April, 2013.

The workshop was facilitated by a team from CEE India, in close co-ordination with the National Institute of Education (NIE) and with support from the Maldives National Commission. The objective of the

workshop was to generate ideas and activities for effective teaching-learning of science at the middle school level. The workshop was attended by 27 teachers of science and environment. The participants with the help of facilita-tors and experts developed basic ideas for the training kit.

A five-day Training-cum-study programme was organized as part of the Project for professionals from Maldives from 9 - 13 June 2013 at CEE, Ahmedabad. Participants were a select group 10 Master Trainers from Maldives included formal Education practitioners engaged in improving quality of school education, developing Cur-riculum, Teacher Training, writing of text books, and teaching-learning in school classrooms. Besides classroom training sessions, the participants were also exposed to District Institute of Education and Training (DIET), Gan-dhinagar and a few schools. The visit provided them an opportunity to interact with Science teachers, visit some of the classrooms to see teaching-learning of science and also to visit the Science laboratories of the Schools and interact with the lab team. They were also taken to the Community Science Centre, Ahmedabad for a workshop on interactive teaching learning and how to develop equipments from locally available resources.

UNESCO- JFIT project on Science Education in Maldives

Jal Hai To Kal Hai

UNESCO New Delhi joined the Rotary Club Delhi West and the Presidency School for an inter-school short play competition in Delhi to spread awareness about water conservation under the banner of ‘Jal Hai To

Kal Hai’. Union Minister of Water Resources, Mr Harish Rawat was the Chief Guest and he spoke about the importance of conserving water to help tackle water scarcity currently being faced by 85% of Indians.

Mr Ram Boojh attended the programme on behalf of UNESCO and felicitated the winners. Special invitee, Ms Sushma Seth, famous film and television star was also present on the occasion. The programme was attended by over 400 students from 23 Delhi-NCR schools. This inter-school competition of short plays covered myriad is-sues on health, sanitation, water borne diseases like polio etc. thereby highlighting the importance of clean water.

“Jal Hai to Kal hai - Save Water Save Life’ campaign started in year 2009. Rotary District 3010 has taken a pio-neering lead in organizing awareness rally, pledge writing campaign, inter school play and dance competitions, release of Educational water kit and many more activities with complete support of Delhi schools.

contact: [email protected]

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NATURAL SCIENCES

UNESCO Malta Funds-in-Trust project on “Develop-ment of Science Kits to Facilitate hands on Science

in Secondary-Schools of Sri Lanka” aims at improving learning and teaching of Sciences at the secondary-level of the school system by facilitating hands-on activities in grades 6 to 9 of the junior secondary level and grades 10 to 11 of the senior secondary level. The project is sup-ported by the Government of Malta and is being imple-mented by the National Institute of Education, Sri Lanka in close association with UNESCO in which Science Ed-ucation Kits and Training manuals have been developed. These were launched on the 17th June 2013. The launch ceremony was organized in conjunction with the national

book exhibition of the Ministry of Education, Sri Lanka.

The event was opened by the Minister of Education – Mr Bandula Gunawardana who formally launched these training man-uals and handed over to Mr Lalin Fernan-do, Honorary Consul of the government of Malta. Mr Shigeru Aoyagi, Director UN-ESCO New Delhi addressed the event and spoke about the role of science education in the sustainable development of a nation. He stated that “The lack of enrolment of young people in science is a cause for con-cern, and the project in Sri Lanka has been initiated for a joyful and effective science teaching and learning in schools”.

Launch Ceremony of the Malta Science Education Kits

South Asian Cities Summit 2013

UNESCO was a knowledge partner of the South Asian Cities Summit 2013 organised by the Cities Network Campaign from 17 - 18 April 2013, in association with the Department of Environment (Delhi Govern-

ment), All India Institute of Local Self Government (AIILSG), World Resources Institute (WRI) – India and many other organizations. The Summit was attended by over 200 delegates from the South Asian countries. The highlights of the summit were the formation of the South Asian Mayors’ Forum and adoption of “South Asian Cities Delhi Declaration 2013”. The highlight of the declaration was to make cities climate resilient and disaster-resistant. It commits to develop effective policies, undertake strategic management and utilize green technology to reduce the carbon footprint and adopt low carbon sustainable urban management.


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SOCIAL AND HUMAN SCIENCES

Internal Migration and Youth: The Missing Link

UNESCO recently commissioned a Discussion Paper entitled Internal Migration and Youth in

India: Main Features, Trends and Emerging Challeng-es, in order to take stock of the latest available data on current trends in internal migration of youth in India. Prepared by Prof. S. Irudaya Rajan, Centre for Devel-opment Studies (CDS), Kerala, the research findings reveal that out of a total population of 274 million youth in India, 92 million youth are internal migrants, i.e. one out of three Indian youth is an internal mi-grant (Census of India 2001).

The other staggering figure is that out of a total popu-lation of 326 million internal migrants, nearly a third belongs to youth (15-29 age group). Further, there has been an increase in young migrants from 67 to 75 per cent of total internal migrants (NSSO 1993 and 2007-08). Despite their increasing mobility and economic contribution, young migrants suffer from serious shortcomings in their human capital formation and face major disadvantages in education, employ-

ment, transition from education to employment, and in access to skill training.

The research highlights that though the youth repre-sents a potential demographic dividend, they remain absent from migration policies and labour discourse. The draft National Youth Policy (2012) identifies migrant youth as a target group, however it remains silent on the proactive measures to be taken to address the issues related to young migrants. Migrant youth need to be incorporated into the labour force through a three-pronged approach, including labour market reforms, greater investment in education and skill-training. Age-sensitive and gender-sensitive policies for migrants should be developed, and increased research should be undertaken on trends of education, mar-riage, gender roles and other social norms that affect migration of youth.


http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0022/002214/221487E.pdf


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CULTURE

Explore the potentials of “Art for Life”: UNESCO New Delhi signs Partnership Agreement with

Contact Base

UNESCO New Delhi signed an agreement in April 2013 with an Indian NGO – Contact Base,

known under the trading style of banglanatak dot com, for undertaking a joint advocacy on the potentials of in-vesting in artistic and cultural skills of rural communi-ties as alternative strategy for livelihood improvement.

India’s labour force has reached 375 million approxi-mately in 2002 and the country has to generate 200 million additional employments by 2020. In addressing this gap, there is however a concern that the deprived communities lacking formal education and employable skills may not be sufficiently benefited by the more gen-eral growth promoting policies related to the conven-tional job sectors. Approximately three-fourth of about 35 million unemployed people are from rural areas and 40 % of them are not educated and unfit for the conven-tional job market. There is thus a critical need to iden-tify livelihood strategies for these poor communities be-longing to the low income segments of the labour force.

In addressing the above challenges, UNESCO sought the support of Contact Base, who developed its firm reputation in West Bengal for its successful imple-

mentation of Art for Life project in the 6 most eco-nomically backward districts of West Bengal. Target-ing 3200 rural artists since 2004, the initiative created a quantum leap in the socio-economic inclusions of the marginalized rural communities through the pro-motion of their traditional artistic skills. Through the official partnership, UNESCO intends to expand the Art for Life project model across India thus main-streaming traditional art and cultural skills as part of Goverment of India’s poverty alleviation strategy.


Rural artists of Purulia performing Chhau on stage

Art for Life has led to women’s econom-ic and social empowerment

mailto:[email protected]

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CULTURE

Cochin and Lorient Cities joined hands on the plan-ning of Urban Historical Areas

Following the city-to-city partnership agreement signed in September 2012, a first technical work-

shop between the cities of Lorient (Brittany, France) and Kochi (Kerala) took place for from 17 to 19 April 2013 at the Bolgatty Palace in Cochin under the ae-gis of Indian Heritage Cities Network Foundation (IHCN-F) and UNESCO. A team of experts from the City of Lorient led by Vice Mayor, Mr Jean Paul Sola-ro met with the Mayor of Kochi, Mr Tony Chammani and the technical team of the Municipal Corporation of Kochi, to agree on the concrete areas of collabora-tion. After two-day deliberation and field visits, both the teams agreed to work jointly, amongst others, on:

• documentation of the historical areas of Fort Kochi Mattanchery

• development of new museums on Spice and Maritime Trade;

• beautification of public spaces in historical ar-eas and proposed alternative use of historical buildings for socio-economic improvement of the city.


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COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION

During the last week of June 2013, two 5-day nation-al media training workshops were held in Bangla-

desh and Pakistan within the framework of UNESCO New Delhi’s intersectoral project, ‘Combating Climate Change in South Asia: Media Interventions for Public Awareness and Action’. As a result of the workshops, 44 journalists from the print and broadcast media from the two target countries were trained to report more competently on issues related to climate change (CC).

The workshop in Bangladesh was implemented by News Network, and the one in Pakistan by Rural Me-dia Network Pakistan, both of whom are long-standing partners of UNESCO. The training programmes com-bined the acquisition of knowledge about CC with the development of practical skills on reporting CC. The central theme was the impact of CC on the Hindu Kush Himalayan ecosystem as it affects the two countries.

The workshops included sessions on (a) the global im-pact of CC; (b) the effect of CC in Bangladesh and Pakistan (including the specific challenges posed to certain sectors and services; CC’s effect on the Hindu Kush Himalayan region; community-based mitiga-tion and adaptation measures; Government initiatives and inter-governmental cooperation to control the effects of CC); (c) the media’s role in reporting CC and the approach journalists should adopt; and (d) the development of story angles, research, informa-tion gathering and analysis, and writing and produc-

tion skills. The workshop also included visits to sites affected by natural disasters, allowing journalists to witness and report on the effects of CC. Journalists then produced sample stories based on their field visit.

Participants emerged from the workshop with increased confidence in developing stories on the impacts on people in affected areas, and people’s responses to CC. Following the workshop, each participant will pro-duce and publish at least two stories on issues relating to pre-selected themes. As a result of increased media coverage, it is expected that there will be a growth in public awareness of the linkages between environmen-tal issues, social problems, and the wider economy. Fi-nally, local media networks in the two countries will be strengthened and media relations in the region (on CC-related reporting and coverage) are likely to improve.

Building awareness about climate change among journalists in Bangladesh and Pakistan

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COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION

On 26th June 2013, UNESCO New Delhi partnered with Development Alternatives, a leading Indian

NGO that works on developing sustainable ecosolu-tions, to organize a day-long experts’ workshop titled ‘Re-gional Priorities for Knowledge Management and Strat-egies for Action on Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction in South Asia’. The workshop was part of the South Asia Regional Consultation on Climate Change Adaptation which opened in New Delhi on 24 June 2013, and was a component of UNESCO’s intersecto-ral project, ‘Combating Climate Change in South Asia: Media Interventions for Public Awareness and Action’.

The event offered a platform for deliberation to over 80 participants from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Participants included CC and disaster management experts, development practitioners, researchers and academics, representatives of NGOs, government officials and policymakers. The workshop sought to equip stakeholders to collaborate more effectively to manage natural disasters and climate change (CC) at a sub-regional level. It helped build a deeper understanding of the role of scientific inquiry, technology and policy formulation for managing the risks associated with CC; explored means of sharing in-formation between various stakeholder groups; and dis-cussed the way forward for building resilience against CC.

In his opening address, Mr Shigeru Aoyagi, the Direc-tor of UNESCO New Delhi observed that UNESCO has adopted a multi-pronged approach to the issue of CC. The organization’s integration of climate change education (CCE) into school curricula worldwide is critical to its promotion of Education for Sustainable Development. UNESCO has also mainstreamed CC in its programmes and policy interactions in its other ar-eas of competence, and works to support and strength-en regional networks for cooperation and action.

The workshop in New Delhi was structured around

four thematic sessions: (i) Knowledge management (KM) perspectives and priorities; (ii) Practical ap-proaches for knowledge sharing and access to CC and DRR’ (which examined potential challenges and gaps in knowledge networks, and showcased solutions and good practices for facilitating the flow of knowledge among target groups); (3) ‘Institutional platforms for KM and sharing’ (which explored the strengths and weaknesses of existing institutional arrangements for storing and distributing knowledge); and (4) ‘A review of CC adaptation practices in South Asia’ (which took a close look at regional, national and community-level adaptation and mitigation initiatives in the region).

A series of important recommendations to strengthen KM systems were made over the course of the day. It was strongly felt that CC needed to be recognized as a challenge to human development and economic growth, and not just as an environmental issue. As such, adaptation and mitigation would have to be ad-dressed in a broad development context, and the effects of CC recognized as an additional threat to poverty reduction and sustainable development. The diver-sity of stakeholders involved in adaptation processes makes the exchange of knowledge a challenge. Hence the means for sharing knowledge need to be tailored to the particular needs and constraints of stakehold-ers. The Climate Action Network South Asia (CAN-SA) was held up as model initiative for customizing the flow of knowledge to specific stakeholder groups.

The workshop concluded with a session for framing joint strategies for action, which will subsequently be incorporated into policy briefs targeting governments and policymakers in the region. The event has made a major contribution to ongoing efforts to combat CC in South Asia by building a regional advocacy group or network of key stakeholders that will exchange knowledge and best practices, and will work towards the implementation of real changes at the ground level.

UNESCO Workshop: ‘Regional Priorities for Knowledge Man-agement and Strategies for Action on Climate Change and Dis-

aster Risk Reduction in South Asia’



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UN INTERNATIONAL DAYS CELEBRATED BY UNESCO

12 August - International Youth Day

8 September -International Literacy Day

15 September - International Day of Democracy

21 September - International Day of Peace

World Book and Copyright Day 23 April 2013

“This day provides an opportu-nity to reflect together on ways to better disseminate the culture of the written word and to allow all individuals, men, women and children to access it, through lit-eracy programmes and support for careers in publishing, book shops, libraries and schools. Books are our allies in spreading education, science, culture and information worldwide.”

Extract from the message by Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO_____________________________

World Press Freedom Day3 May 2013

“A climate of impunity persists -- nine out of ten cases of killings of journalists go unpunished. Too many media workers also suffer from intimidation, threats and violence. Too many experience arbitrary deten-tion and torture, often without legal recourse. We must show resolve in the face of such insecurity and injustice. The theme of this year’s World Press Freedom Day, “Safe to Speak: Securing Freedom of Expression in All Media”, aims to rally international action to pro-tect the safety of every journalist in every country and to break the vicious circle of impunity.”

Extract from the Joint message by Mr Ban Ki-Moon, Secretary General of the United Naitons and Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO

International Day for Biological Diversity22 May 2013

“Biodiversity is not just another factor – it is as crucial to the living world as is cultural diver-sity. Both sources of diversity are linked, and the future that we want to build depends on our collective ability to safe-guard them both.”

Extract from the message by Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO

________________________

World Environment Day5 June 2013

“Each of us must rethink our eating habits to have an impact throughout the food chain. This is how we will lay the foundations for greater sustain-ability.”

Extract from the message by Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO__________________________

World Oceans Day8 June 2013

“The challenge today is to use marine science to understand and protect oceans, in order to better manage their ecosystems and biodiversity for present and future generations.”

Extract from the message by Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO

16


CALENDAR OF EVENTS

UPCOMING EVENTS

International Conference on Climate Change and Himalayas

New Delhi, India

4-5 September 2013

Contact: Ram Boojh ([email protected])

Regional Conference ‘Strengthening Conservation and Management of Natural Heritage Sites: Lessons from the World Heritage Biodiversity Programme India’

India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, India

18 - 19 September 2013

Contact: Iskra Panevska ([email protected])

4th World Renewable Energy Technology Congress and Expo-2013

New Delhi, India

25 - 27 September 2013


PAST EVENTS

2nd ICH Workshop under Japan FIT project

Phuntsoling, Bhutan

1-10 April 2013

Contact: Moe Chiba ([email protected])

Deliver a lecture on cultural policy ARThinkSouth-Asia (ATSA) Residential Workshop 2013-14 on ‘Arts Management’

Manesar, Gurgaon, India

8 April 2013


South Asian Cities Summit 2013

New Delhi, India

17 - 18 April 2013


IHCN-F/Cochin-Lorient Technical Workshop be-tween the Cities of Lorient and Cochin to agree on areas of Collaboration

Cochin, Kerala, India

17 - 19 April 2013


Launch of Joint United Nations Study on “A Social Protection Floor in India”, UN Task Team on Em-ployment & Social Protection Floor

India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, India

18 April 2013

Contact: Marina Faetanini ([email protected])

National Workshop on Building Perspectives on Youth Policy

Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Develop-ment (RGNIYD), Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu, India

3-4 May 2013

Contact: Marina Faetanini ([email protected])

Regional workshop on the Global Initiative on Out-Of-School Children (OOSCI)

Kathmandu, Nepal

14-16 May 2013

Contact: S. Sigdel ([email protected])

Workshop on Punjab Heritage Policy

Chandigarh, Punjab, India

6-7 June 2013


National Workshop on Hampi World Heritage Sites

Bangalore, Karnataka, India

8 June 2013


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17


CALENDAR OF EVENTS

World Heritage Committee Meeting

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

16 - 27 June 2013


Launch ceremony of the Malta Science Education Kits and Training Manuals

Colombo, Sri Lanka

17 June 2013


STAFF NEWS

ARRIVALS

Mr Anand Kanitkar (June 2013)Senior Project Coordinator, Culture

Mr Satish Kumar (May 2013)Project Coordinator, Natural Sciences

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18


PUBLICATIONS AND E - RESOURCES

Internal Migration and Youth in India: Main Features, Trends and Emerging Challenges; Discussion PaperUNESCO New Delhi; Rajan, S.Irudaya 2013; 217 p.

Adding a new dimension to its existing research-base on the inter-linkages between internal migration and other topics such as human development, social protection, gender, children, right to the city and the right to education, UNESCO New Delhi has undertaken a new research on the main features and current trends of internal migration of youth in India, with the aim of facili-tating greater understanding of the age-sensitive motivations and features of internal migration.

Download Full Paper

This e-newsletter is published quarterly by UNESCO New Delhi. The document is produced by the Docu-mentation and Public Information unit,and it covers UNESCO news and activities in the New Delhi Cluster countries. All articles are free of copyright restriction, unless otherwise indicated, and may be reproduced sub-ject to an appropriate credit annotation.

Your feedback is much appreciated. To add your name to the distribution list, please send an email to the editorial team, Rekha Beri ([email protected]) and J. Rejimon ([email protected])

For more information, contact:

UNESCO New Delhi, B 5/29 Safdarjung Enclave, New Delhi 110029

Tel:+91-11-26713000 Fax:+91-11-26713001/002; Email: [email protected];

Website: http://www.unesco.org/new/en/newdelhi

Internal Migration in India Initiative (Brochure)

In order to raise awareness on the multifaceted challenges faced by internal migrants in India, estimated at 326 million (NSSO 2007-2008), highlight efficient policy responses and change negative perceptions towards migrants in society, UNESCO New Delhi has developed an eight-page flyer, summarizing critical information and recent research. Through the Internal Migration in India Initiative, launched in 2011, UNESCO and UNICEF wish to support the social inclusion of migrants in the economic, social, political and cultural life of the country, using a three-legged approach combining research, policy and advocacy. The Internal Migration In India Initiative (IMII) is now an informal network of 200 researchers, NGOs, policy makers, UN agencies and key partners, such as UN Women, UN-HABITAT, International Organiza-tion for Migration (IOM) and Sir Dorabji Tata Trust.

Download Flyer

http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0022/002214/221487e.pdf

http://www.unesco.org/new/en/newdelhi





volume-4 issue-2 unesco new delhi...

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