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Tag: Irina Bokova

  • 264m children worldwide are not in school – UNESCO

    264m children worldwide are not in school – UNESCO

    Some 264 million school-age children and young people worldwide were not in education in 2015, the United Nations culture and education agency UNESCO said on Tuesday.

    The agency, in a progress report on the UN’s development goals for education, said that after a decline in the early 2000s, out-of-school rates have started to stagnate.

    “Worldwide, there was a completion rate of 83 per cent for primary education, falling to 45 per cent for upper secondary schooling,’’ the agency said.

    The agency meanwhile quoted household survey data from 128 countries for the 2010 to 2015 period.

    There were 40 countries where fewer than one in four young people had completed secondary education, but only 14 where no less than 90 per cent had done so.

    UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova, however, called for more government accountability.

    The report noted that while 82 per cent of national constitutions mention a right to education, only 55 per cent of countries make that right enforceable in the courts.

    “Governments are the primary duty bearers for the right to education, yet this right is not justifiable or capable of being the basis for a court case in almost half of countries, and the primary course of action for those with a complaint is lost,’’ Bokova wrote.

    While calling for accountability at all levels, the report said accountability measures for schools needed to be flexible and carefully designed.

    “Schools may adjust to performance-based accountability systems in negative ways, gaming the system and avoiding sanctions to the exclusion of longer-term reforms,’’ the agency warned.

    NAN

  • Iraq: UNESCO condemns killing of 2 journalists

    Iraq: UNESCO condemns killing of 2 journalists

    The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) on Thursday strongly condemned the killing of two journalists working on assignment in Iraq.

    Kurdish journalist Bakhtyar Haddad and French reporter Stéphane Villeneuve were working together in Mosul, Iraq, on a programme for France II when they were killed as a result of a roadside bomb explosion.

    UNESCO Director-General, Irina Bokova, said it was regrettable that journalists faced tremendous hazards on the job while trying to provide information to the public.

    “Journalists face tremendous dangers in carrying out their job, a job where they provide us with vital information enabling us to build towards peace.

    “Their names will be added to UNESCO’s dedicated webpage commemorating the lives of journalists killed in the line of duty,” the UNESCO chief said.

    The UN agency is tasked with defending press freedom and the safety of journalists.

    NAN reports that Reporters Without Borders in May said that 28 journalists  have been  killed so far in 2017

    According to the charity’s annual report, in Syria, it said 19 journalists were killed  in 2017.

    It also said that Syria was the world’s most deadliest country for journalists to work in.

    Afghanistan, where 10 journalists have been killed, was listed as the second deadliest, followed by Mexico, where nine journalists lost their lives.

    Among the dead is 19-year-old Osama Jumaa, a photojournalist for the British news agency Images Live, who was killed on June 5 while covering a rescue operation in Aleppo.

    The Syrian conflict is particularly dangerous to cover due to constant, indiscriminate shelling, as well as the risk of being detained by the Syrian regime or kidnapped by jihadist groups.

    The Reporters Without Borders also said that 74 professional and non-professional journalists lost their lives in 2016 in connection with their work.

    The number of deaths in 2016 is slightly lower than the previous year, when 101 journalists – including 12 at the satirical French magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris – were killed.

    Reporters Without Borders said the fall in deaths was partially due to the fact that many journalists have already fled dangerous countries such as Syria, Iraq, Libya and Afghanistan.

  • UNESCO, IOM urge countering threats to cultural diversity

    UNESCO, IOM urge countering threats to cultural diversity

    Cultural diversity, widely acknowledged as the driving force of change and development, is increasingly under threat, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said.

    The UN agencies, in their messages marking the 2017 World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, reaffirmed support for the cultural diversity that particularly stemmed from migration.

    “Across the world, violent extremists have targeted cultural minorities and destroyed our shared heritage, to weaken the essential links between people and their history,” Irina Bokova, the Director-General of UNESCO, said.

    Bokova called for a new humanism for the 21st century, to renew the fundamental aspirations to justice, mutual understanding and dignity that guide all women and men.

    She quoted Martin Luther King Jr., saying: “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny”.

    “By embracing cultural diversity, the international community can more easily achieve the 17 Sustainable Development Goals which draw upon “the strength and creative potential of humanity’s diversity of cultures,” she said.

    Similarly, the Director-General of the IOM, William Swing, urged Governments and their citizens to embrace migration, despite its challenges, and help to develop common understandings, values and perspectives.

    “It is sometimes asked whether the West’s multiculturalism, its diversity, has reached its limits. Can a society only cope with so much diversity?

    “The answer is no. There has never been a city or a country brought down by too much ‘diversity,’” Swing said.

    IOM had compiled stories from some of the migrants with whom it had worked, highlighting their lives and journey, and how they were making their families and their new community better through its ‘I am a migrant’ collection’.

    Swing noted that all societies were so-called multi-ethnic because no single State lived with a single culture..

    “Even States averse to permitting entry to more ‘foreigners’ must acknowledge the multiple ‘cultures’ within their own borders.

    “All countries have them: religious, ethnic, social, societal, sexual, occupational, educational, dietary specificities,” she said.

    The World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in December 2002 and celebrated annually on May 21.

    It is meant to be an opportunity for mobilisation on the part of governments, policy makers, civil society organizations, communities and cultural professionals to promote culture in its diversity and in all its forms.

  • Power of Jazz to promote dialogue among cultures – UNESCO

    Power of Jazz to promote dialogue among cultures – UNESCO

    Marking the 2017 International Jazz Day, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has stressed the power of jazz music to unite people and its contribution to peace.

    UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova in her message on the Day, called for a reflection on how jazz music had promoted dialogue among cultures.

    “Today, we celebrate the international art form of jazz and its power to promote dialogue among cultures, to make the most of diversity, to deepen respect for human rights and all forms of expression,”

    “The story of jazz is written into the quest for human dignity, democracy and civil rights,” Bokova said.

    The UNESCO chief quoted Nina Simone as saying “jazz is not just music, it is a way of life, it is a way of being, a way of thinking.

    She noted that its rhythms and variety had given strength to the struggle against all forms of discrimination and racism.

    The Cuban capital of Havana is hosting this year’s celebration of International Jazz Day, reflecting the city’s profound ties to jazz.

    Hometown of renowned bandleaders, Mario Bauzá and Frank ‘Machito’ Grillo, the city, and more broadly, Cuba’s thriving musical culture gave birth to the Afro-Cuban jazz movement, inspired by a great mix of cultures and peoples across the region.

    The celebration features an all-star global concert that displays the world’s greatest talents from Cuba, Latin America and around the world.

    This includes legendary jazz pianist and composer UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Intercultural Dialogue, Herbie Hancock, and Cuban jazzman, Chucho Valdés.

    The International Jazz Day is a yearly event marked on April 30, organised by UNESCO to celebrate “the virtues of jazz as an educational tool, and a force for peace, unity, dialogue and enhanced cooperation among people’’.

    The Day was proclaimed during the UNESCO General Conference in November 2011.

    The first annual International Jazz Day was kicked off in Paris by UNESCO chief, Bokova, and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Herbie Hancock.

    According to the UNESCO, for more than a century, jazz has helped soothe and uplift the souls of millions of people in all corners of the world.

    The UN’s cultural arm also organises International Jazz Day to harness “the virtues of jazz as an educational tool, and a force for peace, unity, dialogue and enhanced cooperation among people’’.

    Since 2012, International Jazz Day, celebrated annually on April 30, has highlighted the power of this musical art form as a force for freedom and creativity.

    It also promotes intercultural dialogue through respect and understanding and uniting people from all corners of the globe.

  • World leaders urged to rise against cultural genocide

    World leaders urged to rise against cultural genocide

    A call has gone out to world leaders and stakeholders in the culture and tourism sector to rise against cultural genocide.

    The call was made by the President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), at the on-going International Conference for the Safeguarding of Cultural Heritage in Conflict Areas.

    The conference is organised by The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) with the support of French and UAE Governments.

    The conference is to address the rising aggressions targeting humanity, cultural treasures and create an International Fund with 100 million Dollar seed fund to address the challenge.

    The President, represented by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed said “it has become a pattern that major victims of armed conflict are no longer just the human being and property but also cultural heritages like artefacts’’.

    He said the world is coming to the realisation that genocide could be in any form, including the deliberate annihilation of cultural symbols that binds people together and symbolises their existence.

    “What we are witnessing all over the world today is cultural genocide.

    “Cultural genocide can actually be more devastating than ethnic genocide in the sense that there are heritages that bind humanity and become a force for unity.

    “If you remove or destroy them, you are destroying humanity because it is not just about the people, but also about the minds and the Arts.

    “It is no longer true that in times of war, safeguarding natural heritage is a luxury, it is now a necessity,’’ he said.

    The President said that, like Syria, Afghanistan, Mali and others, Nigeria had its fair share of the destruction of its cultural heritage sites during armed conflict.

    “We have armed conflict in the Niger Delta and terrorism in the Northeast that has destroyed our heritage sites.

    “One of our UNESCO declared world heritage sites has been affected in Adamawa state by Boko Haram insurgency, which went there and looted artefacts that dated back to several centuries.

    “In Damaturu, Yobe, we have evidence of a vault that dates back to 8000 years that was also affected.”

    He said the activities of vandals destroying pipelines in the Niger Delta have also resulted in the flow of crude destroying the habitat and affecting the ecological and cultural sites in the area.

    The President underscored the need for deliberate efforts at early preparation to preserve cultural heritage even in times of peace.

    Corroborating Buhari’s position, the Director-General, National Commission for Museum and Monuments, Alhaji Yusuf Abdallah, said one of the affected sites in the North East is the Sukur Cultural Landscape, a UNESCO World heritage site in Madagali area of Adamawa.

    “The extremist went into the hill. Initially, the place was serving as a safe haven for the communities around the landscape because it is rugged up in the hill and people were taking refuge there.

    “The Boko Haram extremists discovered the place and went in there in December 2014. The community was able to repel them.

    “Although, the integrity and authenticity of the site remains but there is always the fear of the community going back to the hill.

    “The intangible component of the site is compromised because festival are not organised and other spiritual ceremonies are avoided because people do not want to congregate for fear of attack,’’ he said.

    Abdallah told journalists that Nigeria stands to gain a lot from the conference because some of the cultural sites that suffered from the destruction would get attention.

    He said when fully established, the UNESCO International Fund for the Safeguarding of Cultural Heritage in Conflict Zones would assist in training and capacity building for Nigerians on preservation and conservation of cultural heritage.

    Earlier, the Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova said the conference is crucial because “it brings a  coalition of partners and connects the doors between security and humanitarian in cultural issues’’.

    She said the conference would ensure that deliberate destruction of cultural heritage is recognised as a war crime and perpetrators are punished as such.

    Bokova said that the Fund to be created would have its headquarters in Switzerland and produce sustainable impetus supporting the implementation of short and long-term activities in safeguarding endangered cultural heritage.

  • Buhari urges ‘rich countries’ intervention for Lake Chad

    Buhari urges ‘rich countries’ intervention for Lake Chad

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday charged the “rich countries” to save the Lake Chad from going into extinction due to adverse effects of climate change.

    The President made the appeal while receiving the Director-General of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Ms Irina Bokova, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    Buhari, in a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, warned that the failure to regenerate the Lake Chad will lead to another round of migration by people living in the areas.

    The President, who led seven ministers to an interactive meeting with the UNESCO chief, said Nigeria and the other countries of the Lake Chad Basin lack the billions of dollars required to channel water from the Congo Basin into the lake to check its rapid depletion.

    He said: “Those living in the Lake Chad region have suffered untold hardship and displacement because of the violence perpetrated by Boko Haram terrorists.

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    ‘‘If there is no farming and fishing, they will dare the desert to migrate.

    “Unless the developed countries make concerted efforts to complete the feasibility study, mobilize resources and technology to start the water transfer from the Congo Basin, the Lake Chad will dry up.

    ‘‘The people will go somewhere and they will create problems for those countries.”

    He commended UNESCO’s support to Nigeria particularly on the ongoing rehabilitation work in the Northeast and reintegration of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

    He said the pathetic situation of IDPs require immediate and urgent response from international organisations such as UNSECO to provide infrastructure, health and education for the people in the area.

     

  • FG tasks UNESCO on teacher education

    FG tasks UNESCO on teacher education

    The Federal Government on Thursday called on the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to include the development of teacher education among its programmes to be undertaken in the country.

    The Minister of Education,  Adamu Adamu, made the call in Abuja while receiving the UNESCO Director – General, Ms Irina Bokova, who is on a three day official visit to Nigeria.

    The minister, who appreciated the impact of UNESCO especially in the areas of mass literacy and vitalization of Nigerian youths, pledged the government’s commitment towards deepening the existing relationship with the organization in its areas of engagements.

    Adamu said: “We appreciate what UNESCO has been doing since you became director general. We are very happy with UNESCO and I will like to assure you of the commitment of the federal government.

    “We will like to appreciate what you have been doing especially in all the areas that you are engaged in vitalizing the youths, adult education and mass literacy.

    “The teacher development programme is particular to us because from the ministry here we now have an action plan. The teachers’ development is one of the strongest. So I hope the new engagement we are going to get with the UNESCO will include development of teacher education.”

  • Celebrating world science day

    Celebrating world science day

    As the world celebrates this year’s World Science Day for Peace and Development (WSDPD), UNESCO has dedicated the day to underscore the importance of water in all aspects.

    This year’s theme is Science for Water Cooperation: Sharing Data, Knowledge and Innovations.

    In her message to mark the day, Irina Bokova, the Director-General of UNESCO, said even though there is enough water in the world, the challenge is to share and manage it sustainably and together,  “We believe that sharing data, knowledge and innovation is key to the sustainable management of water. Cooperation brings new ideas, it catalyses innovative solutions and it fosters new ways of working,” she said.

    Speaking further the UNESCO DG said; “Together we will continue to strengthen the link between science and policy, in order to make the most of scientific cooperation as a force for peace and development. Water resources pay no heed to borders – our cooperation must be guided by the spirit of solidarity. Together, we can harness the full power of water to strengthen human dignity and build a better future for all. This is UNESCO’s message today.”

    She added that one of the reasons behind the theme is that, in Africa, drought is one of the leading impediments to development, “The continent is heavily dependent on rain-fed agriculture and hence affected by climate variations. Recurring drought conditions in many regions of Africa have had devastating humanitarian impacts and impose significant reductions in gross domestic product for countries whose economies are tied to agriculture,” she explained.

    The WSDPD was established by UNESCO in 2001 and celebrated worldwide on November 10 each year. The celebration offers an opportunity to demonstrate to the wider public why science is relevant in our daily lives, by throwing bridges between science and society, the aim is to ensure that citizens are kept informed of developments in science, while underscoring the role scientists play in broadening our understanding of the remarkable, fragile planet we call home and in making our societies more sustainable.

    The purpose of the WSDPD is to renew the national, as well as the international commitment to science for peace and development and to stress the responsible use of science for the benefit of society. The World Science Day for Peace and Development also aims at raising public awareness of the importance of science.

    The WSDPD’s objectives are: to strengthen public awareness on the role of science for peaceful and sustainable societies, to promote national and international solidarity for a shared science between countries, to renew national and international commitment for the use of science for the benefit of societies and to draw attention to the challenges faced by science and raise support for the scientific endeavor.

    Every year, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, scientific research institutions, professional associations, universities, municipalities, the media, science teachers, schools and others are encouraged to organize their own celebration of World Science Day.