Dept of Ed Policy Attache to UNESCO Cut from U.S. Budget

Tuesday the Washington Post had a story that the White House had cut the position of Education Attache from the staff of the Permanent Representative of the United States to UNESCO. The cut is estimated to save between $631 thousand to $713 thousand.

That includes the following: one GS-15 salary, plus benefits; one Paris apartment, plus parking; travel and moving expenses; education costs for children of up to $60,000; and $170,000 for International Cooperative Administrative Support Services, an expenses-sharing mechanism used by agencies for overseas staff.

Sally Lovejoy, formerly a Congressional aid, was appointed to the job in 2006 and resigned at the end of the Bush administration. I assume that we will replace Ms. Lovejoy with a considerably junior officer, who has much less luxurious support services.

No Wonder This Woman Is Smiling
Photo credit: Susan Walsh - AP

Job: DIRECTOR, DIVISION OF CULTURAL OBJECTS AND INTANGIBLE HERITAGE

Level: D1
Location: Paris
Competition Closes: 14 May 2009
For more information: http://recrutweb.unesco.org/pdf/CLT188.pdf
To Apply: http://tinyurl.com/cgpn6h

Job: Chief of Section on the Diversity of Cultural Expressions

Level: P5
Location: Paris
Closing Date: 9 June 2009
To Apply: http://tinyurl.com/dk29j4
For More Info: http://recrutweb.unesco.org/pdf/CLT945.PDF

A Boom Time for Cultural Cooperation and Industries

Past weeks, certainly, have led to exciting milestones in bringing together cultural goods and services. The World Digital Library, for example, has rightfully generated buzz about the wealth of resources now available in sharing information from around the world. Further, projects cherishing cultural cooperation like UNESCO's Memory of the World project and today's World Press Freedom Day cherish diversity of expression in all forms.

These projects and events are just a few of the signs that indicate diversity is more often seen as an asset and not a threat around the world than in the past. In fact, UNESCO reports indicate that initiatives promoting diversity for development will increase in the future.

One upcoming initiative may be especially intriguing in this regard. UNESCO's first Forum of Cultural Industries will be held this coming September in Monza, Italy, and will focus on one specific segment of cultural industries in seeking to increase the capacity of cultural industries worldwide.


This September's forum will bring together hundreds of international experts and focus on promoting innovation and excellence in the craft and luxury industry. The specific goal is to generate discussion and ideas on how to strengthen multi-stakeholder partnerships in this area, especially in the private sector.

UNESCO hopes that this will be the first of many forums that will further strengthen links in cultural sectors at local, national, and international levels.