Local policies for cultural diversity

This is a study commissioned by the Division of Cultural Policies and Intercultural Dialog of UNESCO.

Institute for Culture,
Barcelona City Council,
as Chair of the United Cities and Local Governments’ Working Group on Culture
20 September 2006

The book includes several reports:

• "Exploring local policies for cultural diversity: synthesis report" by Jordi Pascual

• "Local policies and expressions of cultural diversity: Canada and the United States" by Nancy Duxbury, Derek Simons and Katie Warfield

• "Local Policies for Cultural Diversity. With emphasis on Latin America and Europe" by Annamari Laaksonen

• "Local policies for cultural diversity: systems, citizenship, and governance. With an emphasis on the UK and Australia" by Colin Mercer

There are also three annexes:

• Case studies

• Websites and portals

• Agenda 21 for culture

Local policies for cultural diversity

This is a study commissioned by the Division of Cultural Policies and Intercultural Dialog of UNESCO.

Institute for Culture,
Barcelona City Council,
as Chair of the United Cities and Local Governments’ Working Group on Culture
20 September 2006

The book includes several reports:

• "Exploring local policies for cultural diversity: synthesis report" by Jordi Pascual

• "Local policies and expressions of cultural diversity: Canada and the United States" by Nancy Duxbury, Derek Simons and Katie Warfield

• "Local Policies for Cultural Diversity. With emphasis on Latin America and Europe" by Annamari Laaksonen

• "Local policies for cultural diversity: systems, citizenship, and governance. With an emphasis on the UK and Australia" by Colin Mercer

There are also three annexes:

• Case studies

• Websites and portals

• Agenda 21 for culture

Bob Maybury's tribute to Al Baez

Albert V. Baez, Ph.D.

Robert Maybury has written a moving tribute to his friend and mentor, Albert V Baez, who died last week.

Read also the memorial posted on this blog yesterday.

Bob Maybury's tribute to Al Baez

Albert V. Baez, Ph.D.

Robert Maybury has written a moving tribute to his friend and mentor, Albert V Baez, who died last week.

Read also the memorial posted on this blog yesterday.

Frontline: Requiem

The PBS series, Frontline, on March 27, broadcast the fourth in a series that it has titled "News War". The series series "examines the political, cultural, legal, and economic forces challenging the news media today and how the press has reacted in turn." A portion of the broadcast, title "Requiem" is described as follows:

At a time when fair and accurate news coverage is more essential than ever, 2006 marked one of the deadliest years on record for journalists. Surprisingly, despite the fierce fighting in Iraq, most of the slain journalists did not die in combat. They were deliberately targeted, hunted down, and murdered for investigating corruption, crime, or human rights abuses in countries around the world. In Requiem, FRONTLINE/World essayist Sheila Coronel looks at the dangers journalists confront as they try to tell their stories and pays special tribute to reporters working in the Philippines, Russia, Turkey, Zimbabwe, China and Iraq who have been killed, jailed, or exiled for daring to speak truth to power.

Watch "Requiem" online and/or read a transcript.

UNESCO is the lead agency in the United Nations system supporting Freedom of Expression. Its Communications and Information program includes components promoting

• Freedom of Expression,
  
• Press Freedom,
  
• Independence and Pluralism of the Media,
  
• Democraty, and
  
• Peace and Tolerance.

UNESCO promotes freedom of expression and freedom of the press as a basic human right through sensitization and monitoring activities. It also fosters media independence and pluralism as prerequisites and major factors of democratization by providing advisory services on media legislation and sensitizing governments, parliamentarians and other decision-makers.

Read more:

• Media in Conflict and Post-Conflict Situations


• Media Laws


• Press Freedom

The Director General of UNESCO speaks out frequently in support of freedom of the press, and regularly protests individual offenses against reporters. Read some of the most recent protests:

• Director-General condemns the killing of Iraqi journalists Hamid al-Duleimi and Hussein al Jaburi (March 26)
• Director-General condemns killing of Iraqi journalists Mohan al-Zaher and Jamal al-Zubaidi (March 9)
• Director-General condemns killing of Haitian press photographer Jean-Rémy Badio (January 29)

World Press Freedom Day will be celebrated on May 3rd.

Go to the World Press Freedom Day website.

Check out the Reporters Without Borders
Press Freedom Barometer

Frontline: Requiem

The PBS series, Frontline, on March 27, broadcast the fourth in a series that it has titled "News War". The series series "examines the political, cultural, legal, and economic forces challenging the news media today and how the press has reacted in turn." A portion of the broadcast, title "Requiem" is described as follows:

At a time when fair and accurate news coverage is more essential than ever, 2006 marked one of the deadliest years on record for journalists. Surprisingly, despite the fierce fighting in Iraq, most of the slain journalists did not die in combat. They were deliberately targeted, hunted down, and murdered for investigating corruption, crime, or human rights abuses in countries around the world. In Requiem, FRONTLINE/World essayist Sheila Coronel looks at the dangers journalists confront as they try to tell their stories and pays special tribute to reporters working in the Philippines, Russia, Turkey, Zimbabwe, China and Iraq who have been killed, jailed, or exiled for daring to speak truth to power.

Watch "Requiem" online and/or read a transcript.

UNESCO is the lead agency in the United Nations system supporting Freedom of Expression. Its Communications and Information program includes components promoting

• Freedom of Expression,
  
• Press Freedom,
  
• Independence and Pluralism of the Media,
  
• Democraty, and
  
• Peace and Tolerance.

UNESCO promotes freedom of expression and freedom of the press as a basic human right through sensitization and monitoring activities. It also fosters media independence and pluralism as prerequisites and major factors of democratization by providing advisory services on media legislation and sensitizing governments, parliamentarians and other decision-makers.

Read more:

• Media in Conflict and Post-Conflict Situations


• Media Laws


• Press Freedom

The Director General of UNESCO speaks out frequently in support of freedom of the press, and regularly protests individual offenses against reporters. Read some of the most recent protests:

• Director-General condemns the killing of Iraqi journalists Hamid al-Duleimi and Hussein al Jaburi (March 26)
• Director-General condemns killing of Iraqi journalists Mohan al-Zaher and Jamal al-Zubaidi (March 9)
• Director-General condemns killing of Haitian press photographer Jean-Rémy Badio (January 29)

World Press Freedom Day will be celebrated on May 3rd.

Go to the World Press Freedom Day website.

Check out the Reporters Without Borders
Press Freedom Barometer

UNESCO and infoDev conclude Memorandum of Understanding for future cooperation

Read about the new partnership and its particular emphasis on providing education planners, policy-makers and practitioners with resources for the use of ICTs in education.

UNESCO and infoDev have signed a Memorandum of Understanding that lays the ground for future cooperation, particularly in in the areas of education and communication.

The Memorandum foresees that UNESCO and infoDev will share ideas, resources, and expertise to launch joint projects and improve the impact of their action.

In terms of the agreement, particular emphasis will be placed on providing education planners, policy-makers and practitioners with resources for the use of information and communication technologies in education.

infoDev is a partnership of international development agencies, coordinated and served by an Secretariat housed at the World Bank. Thus its offices are in Washington D.C. While there have been close informal relationships between the U.S. government and infoDev and U.S. citizens in the Secretariat, and while the U.S. is a member nation of the World Bank, the U.S. government has not been a donor to infoDev.