World Heritage Scholarships in U.S. National Parks

As part of a commitment to sharing its expertise, the US National Park Service (NPS) is offering training opportunities to qualified candidates who wish to learn from the US experience in managing and protecting World Heritage Sites. All expenses paid extended residencies in US parks designated as World Heritage Sites will be available to site managers and staff of World Heritage Sites in developing nations.

The training opportunity will allow selected individuals to work alongside NPS professionals in a variety of areas including resource management, concessions, interpretation and education, planning, and law enforcement. The NPS Office of International Affairs, in cooperation with park partners, will pay for and arrange for travel to the US, while individual host parks will provide housing and a modest living stipend.

Candidates should be English speakers willing to spend a minimum of 6 weeks in the US. Residencies of up to 4 months can be arranged. The Office of International Affairs will assist each selected individual in securing the appropriate visa to allow entry to the United States.

Introducing Democracy

Introducing Democracy

80 Questions and Answers

By David Beetham and Kevin Boyle with cartoons by Plantu

Democracy and Power series

Ce titre est disponible.

15,00 € €

Livre, 134 pages, figures, 2nd revised edition, first published in 1995

Format: 21 x 14.5 cm

2009, 978-92-3-104087-0
What is democracy? What is the relation between democracy and individual rights? Is majority rule always democratic? How can democracy be maintained and improved?

This book tackles these and other questions about democracy, covering six broad areas:
- basic concepts and principles,
- free and fair elections,
- open and accountable government,
- individual rights and their defence,
- democratic or civil society,
- the future of democracy.

This revised edition also takes into account new challenges facing our societies, from international terrorism to the HIV and AIDS pandemic.

Its clear exposition of democratic theory and practice will be of value to students, activists, civil servants and interested citizens across the world.

For Journalists * Press Releases * Media Advisories * Director-General * Contacts News Features * Interviews * In Focus

Entitled “The Future of Knowledge Acquisition and Sharing”, the forum will take place at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris on 11 May from 10.00 a.m. to 6.30 p.m. (Room IV). It will bring together international experts, decision-makers and private sector representatives to address three main questions: How will we acquire and share knowledge in 2025? How will technology shape lifelong learning in 2025? How will knowledge acquisition and sharing change in higher education and research?

The Forum will be opened by the Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura. Roberto Carneiro, Former Minister of Education of Portugal and now Dean of the Institute for Distance Learning at the Portuguese Catholic University, will give the keynote address.

Speakers will include:
Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, Chairman of the Talal-Ghazalah Organization;
Lidia Brito, Former Minister of Science and Technology of Mozambique;
Brenda Gourley, Vice Chancellor of the Open University of the United Kingdom; Thierry Karsenti, Canada Research Chair on Information and Communication Technologies in Education;
Bruno Lanvin, Executive Director of INSEAD eLab;
Gillian M. Marcelle, Wits Business School, South Africa;
Jai Menon, Vice-President of the Technical Strategy and Global University Programmes of IBM;
Claudia Morrell, Founder and CEO of the Multinational Development of Women in Technology (MDWIT);
Rinalia Abdul Rahim, Former Executive Director of the Global Knowledge Partnership, Malaysia;
Francisco Sagasti, former World Bank Director of Strategic Planning and current Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board to the Prime Minister of Peru;
Michelle Sellinger, of Cisco's Internet Business Solutions Group, Asia-Pacific.

UNESCO’s Future Forum series aims to contribute to the understanding of global trends and related societal challenges, to assess their impact and to determine UNESCO’s response.

Nollywood rivals Bollywood in film/video production

India remains the world’s leading film producer but Nigeria is closing the gap after overtaking the United States for second place, according to a global cinema survey conducted by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS).

According to the survey, Bollywood produced 1,091 feature-length films in 2006 compared to 872 productions (in video format) from Nigeria’s film industry, which is commonly referred to as Nollywood. In contrast, the United States produced 485 major films.

The three heavyweights were followed by eight countries that produced more than 100 films: Japan (417), China (330), France (203), Germany (174), Spain (150), Italy (116), South Korea (110) and the United Kingdom (104).

These and other findings were collected through a new international survey launched by the UIS in 2007 with financing from the Government of Québec.

“Film and video production are shining examples of how cultural industries – as vehicles of identity, values and meanings – can open the door to dialogue and understanding between peoples, but also to economic growth and development. This conviction underpins the UNESCO Convention on Cultural Diversity” said Koïchiro Matsuura, the Director-General of UNESCO. “And this new data on film and video production provides yet more proof of the need to rethink the place of culture on the international political agenda.”

Overall, the survey yielded data from 99 countries. It is important to note that response rates were limited especially among African countries where there is a general lack of statistical information on cultural issues.

Despite its limited coverage, the survey provides a unique perspective on how different countries and regions are transforming traditional approaches to the art and industry of filmmaking especially in video and digital formats.

In particular, the explosive growth of Nollywood attracts considerable attention, especially in developing countries looking for alternatives to the U.S. or European models of film production and distribution, which require considerable investment. To begin with, Nigerian filmmakers rely on video instead of film to reduce production costs. And as the survey points out, Nigeria has virtually no formal cinemas. About 99% of screenings occur in informal settings, such as “home theatre.”

Finally, the UIS survey reveals another key element of the Nigerian success story: multilingualism. About 56% of Nollywood films are produced in Nigeria’s local languages, namely Yoruba (31%), Hausa (24%) and Igbo (1%). English remains a prominent language, accounting for 44%, which may contribute to Nigeria’s success in exporting its films.

The survey also revealed considerable linguistic diversity in film production in Spain and Canada. In Spain, almost 69% of films were produced in Spanish, 12% in Catalan, about 9% in English, 4% in Basque, almost 3% in French and 4% in other languages. In Canada, 67% of films were produced in English and 31% in French in 2006.

Despite these results, English remains the dominant language in filmmaking globally. In total, 36% of films produced in 2006 were shot in English, according to the survey.

U.S. films continue to dominate admissions globally. Although the survey is not exhaustive, a clear trend emerges when considering the provenance of the top ten films viewed in diverse countries (see Figure 1 below).

All of the top ten films seen in Australia, Bulgaria Canada, Costa Rica, Namibia, Romania, and Slovenia were made in the U.S., according to the survey. There were however some notable exceptions.

Bollywood productions were the obvious favourite in India. In France, seven out of the top ten films were French. And in Japan and Morocco, domestic productions accounted for five out of the ten most widely viewed films.

The survey also addressed additional issues related to the digitalization of films, the types of cinemas available in selected countries and information concerning co-productions and distribution networks. The UIS has prepared a short analytical paper on these data (available in English and French). All of the results can also be accessed at the UIS Data Centre.

International media professionals adopt Doha Declaration

Some 250 media professionals from around the world adopted a declaration emphasizing the importance of media in communicating across cultural differences at the close of a two-day international conference entitled “Potential of Media: Dialogue, Mutual Understanding and Reconciliation” in Doha (Qatar).

The “Doha Declaration on the Potential of Media: Dialogue, Mutual Understanding and Reconciliation”, was one of the major outcomes of the conference on press freedom organized by UNESCO and the Doha Center for Media Freedom in the Qatar city on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day 2009.

The Declaration stresses that independent and pluralistic media are essential for ensuring transparency, accountability and participation as fundamental elements of good governance and human rights-based development. It furthermore notes that freedom of opinion and expression are essential for free and democratic societies and contribute to a better understanding of and a dialogue among cultures.

The Doha Declaration urges media and professional associations to commit themselves to improving the professional qualifications of journalists, and to exercise the highest ethical and professional standards in their work.

It calls on States to provide the conditions that will enable journalists and media professionals to do their work freely and safely without intimidation, such as the establishment of legal frameworks that guarantee freedoms of expression, thought, conscience and religion. The Declaration furthermore calls on States to ensure rigorous and independent investigations and prosecutions in cases of harassment and violence against journalists and bloggers, and to put an end to impunity.

UNESCO is called upon to use the Declaration as a reference for the Organization’s activities in the area of freedom of expression.

World Press Freedom Day (2-3 May) celebrations and the award ceremony of the 2009 UNESCO World Press Freedom Prize were held in Doha to mark the 12th anniversary of the creation of the Prize.

The late Lasantha Wickrematunge was awarded this year’s Press Freedom Prize posthumously. Mr Wickrematunge was assassinated on 8 January this year. His niece, Ms Natalie Samarasinghe was at the ceremony to receive the award. “By recognizing Lasantha’s achievement, we are sending the message to the perpetrators that killing the messenger is not the solution,” Ms Samarasinghe said. The award is supported by the Cano and Ottaway family foundations and by JP/Politiken Newspaper LTD.

In his award presentation speech, the Director-General of UNESCO Koïchiro Matsuura stated that the Prize “seeks to draw attention to the importance of press freedom and the danger media professionals face in many parts of the world.” He furthermore added that by challenging attitudes and stereotypes, “the media can help strip away the prejudices and ignorance that breed suspicion. It can promote an acceptance of difference that values diversity as an opportunity for learning and understanding.”

As he handed over the award, Mr Matsuura declared that “today we pay tribute to Lasantha Wickrematunge’s struggle for freedom of expression and give thanks for the life of this remarkable journalist.”

H.E. Dr Hamad Bin Abdulaziz Al Kuwari, Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage of Qatar welcomed and addressed the participants at the start of the ceremony.

Also in attendance at the award ceremony were Her Highness Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al-Missned and H.E. Sheikh Hamad Bin Thamer Al Thani, Chairman of the Board, Doha Center for Media Freedom.

Her Highness Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al-Missned later took the floor. In her closing remarks, Her Highness spoke of the essential role of responsible and professional press in bridging cultural divides. “This, in my view, is the path towards achieving reconciliation among people and cultures,” she said.

The Conference was co-organized by UNESCO with the Doha Centre for Media Freedom.

UNESCO’s International Bioethics Committee will meet in Mexico City

UNESCO’s International Bioethics Committee (IBC) will meet in Mexico City (Mexico) from 4 to 6 May. This 16th session, organized in cooperation with the Consejo Consultivo de Ciencias of the Presidency of Mexico, will be followed by a European Commission-UNESCO conference, which will bring together experts and members of national bioethics committees from all over the world from 7 to 9 May.

Three main topics will be presented at this session of the IBC: social responsibility and health, the principle of respect for human vulnerability and personal integrity and the issue of human cloning and international governance. Furthermore, there will be an overview of the situation of bioethics in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The 16th session will be opened on 4 May (9.15 a.m.) by Alonso Lujambio Irazábal*, the Mexican Minister of Education, Pierre Sané, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Social and Human Sciences and Adolfo Martínez-Palomo, Chairperson of IBC. The opening ceremony will be followed at 10.00 a.m. by a progress report on the UNESCO bioethics programme, especially the REDBIOETICA initiative, which concerns Latin America and the Caribbean. The topic Bioethics in Latin America and the Caribbean: experiences and perspectives will take up the rest of the day.

On 5 May (10 a.m. to 1 p.m.) there will be a presentation of the draft IBC report about human cloning and international governance. The IBC was a pioneer in the field of cloning, creating the foundations of the Universal Declaration on the Human Genome and Human Rights (1997), which condemned cloning for human reproduction as contrary to human dignity. Since then, more than 50 countries have passed laws to forbid cloning for reproduction. However, voices have been raised, especially by scientists, to demand a different treatment for therapeutic cloning. At the request of UNESCO’s Director-General, an IBC working group has started to consider this issue in order to determine whether the latest scientific, ethical, social, political and legal developments justify a new initiative at the international level. The afternoon session will be devoted to the draft IBC report about social responsibility and health.

The session on 6 May will concern the principle of respect for human vulnerability and personal integrity (morning) and the IBC’s work programme for 2010-2011 (3 p.m. to 4.30 p.m.), before the closing by Patricia Espinosa Cantellano, Mexican Minister of Foreign Affairs, Pierre Sané, Adolfo Martinez Palomo, and the new IBC chairperson, to be elected during this session.

The European Commission-UNESCO Conference, which will follow on 7 May, aims at strengthening the capacities of bioethics committees. It will bring together experts and members of national committees at all stages of development. The conference, organized with the financial support of the European Commission, will be structured around three major themes: emerging bioethics issues, building an international network of national bioethics committees and the committees’ engagement in ethical discourse.