"Unfinished Business: A Comparative Survey of Historical and Contemporary Slavery"

Unfinished Business was commissioned by UNESCO’s Slave Route project and prepared by Joel Quirk of the Wilberforce Institute for the study of Slavery and Emancipation (WISE, U.K).

The publication is divided into five chapters:

• defining slavery in all its forms;
  
• presenting data on the scale of slavery, slave trading and other forms of human bondage;
  
• examining differences and similarities between historical and contemporary practices;
  
• identifying, via case studies in the United States, Saint Domingue/Haiti, Great Britain and Portugal, the main paths through which abolition of slavery has historically occurred; and,
  
• through a further series of case studies, exploring the key limitations of the legal abolition of slavery.

This book provides a history that is important for the understanding of our American culture. I would be a useful text for a unit on slavery.

Slavery may have been legally abolished around the world, but it remains “a widespread and deeply rooted component on contemporary life” concludes the first-ever comparative analysis of historical slave systems and modern forms of human bondage, published online today by UNESCO.

Click here to download the 141 page report.

IEC Ministers: Don’t cut education funding

The global financial crisis should not serve as a justification for cuts in education funding, concluded ministers and representatives from 153 countries attending the 48th session of UNESCO’s International Conference on Education which closed on 28 November.

Related links

• 48th ICE Conclusions and Recommendations
• Press release

Celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

UNESCO is celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Originally created by the UN in 1948, The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was created as the first universal declaration of inalienable human rights, a common standard to which all nations would be held accountable. Even on it's 60th birthday, the UDHR is more relevant than ever. It still stands as a banner proclaiming the innate rights of every human being. It is a battle cry to those who would strip even the most basic rights from their fellow man. And point at which the world may rally in defense of the defenseless. 

To learn more about what UNESCO is doing to commemorate this grand event, please click here. 

Spread the word. 

UNESCO designates Iowa City as the world's third City of Literature

UNESCO has designated Iowa City, Iowa, a City of Literature, making the community part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network. It is the third city to receive the honor.

"This is at once a celebration of the literary riches and resources of Iowa City and a spur to action," said University of Iowa International Writing Program Director Christopher Merrill, who led the UI Writing University committee that submitted the city's proposal. "We look forward to working with our new partners in the Creative Cities network -- to forging dynamic relationships with writers, artists and others committed to the life of discovery. This is a great day for Iowa City."

Iowa City joins Edinburgh, Scotland, and Melbourne, Australia, as UNESCO Cities of Literature. Other cities in the Creative Cities Network -- honoring and connecting cultural centers for cinema, music, crafts and folk arts, design, media arts and gastronomy, as well as literature -- include Aswan, Egypt; Santa Fe, N.M.; Berlin, Germany; Montreal, Canada; Popayan, Colombia; Bologna, Italy; Shenzhen, China; and Seville, Spain.

Read more!

"Shift on U.N. Seen in Rice Nomination"

Susan Rice
Paul J. Richards
Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

The Washington Post today analyzes the implication of the appointment of Susan E. Rice to be U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. Dr. Rice was a senior foreign policy advisor to Barack Obama during two years of his campaign, and was expected by many to be appointed to a position in the White House.

But Obama decided instead to put her in New York, in a more visible role -- ambassador to the United Nations -- and thereby send a message to the world's diplomats: The United States will look more kindly, come Jan. 20, on multilateralism and U.N. peacekeeping missions.

Obama said yesterday that he is restoring Rice's position to a Cabinet-level rank, an indication that he views the job as central to his goal of fostering more international cooperation.......

U.N. officials welcomed the selection of Rice, an unapologetic proponent of multilateralism, and said the decision to upgrade the post to Cabinet rank showed the Obama administration meant to pay greater attention to the world body.

"She's a woman of intellect, a woman of passion and somebody who would like to get things done," said Ibrahim Gambari, a senior U.N. troubleshooter who first met Rice when he was Nigeria's U.N. ambassador during the military rule of Sani Abacha.

Read Dr. Rice's biographical sketch in the New York Times.

Comment: Dr. Rice is obviously brilliant, with experience in the White House and State Department, and an apparently close relationship with the president elect. All to the good. Best of all, her appointment and inclusion in the Cabinet apparently signals an intention of the new administration to return to multilateralism, including strong involvement with the United Nations family of organizations. JAD

UNESCO: HIV and AIDS

UNESCO HIV/AIDS Prevention Program for street children
© UNESCO/Michel Ravassard

UNESCO supports comprehensive education sector responses to HIV and AIDS in five essential areas:

• quality education;
  
• content, curriculum and learning materials;
  
• educator training and support;
  
• policy, management and systems and
  
• the use of multiple approaches and entry points.

Related links

UNESCO’s response to HIV and AIDS

EDUCAIDS, the UNAIDS Global Initiative on Education and HIV & AIDS
UNESCO is the lead agency for EDUCAIDS

UNAIDS Inter-Agency Task Team (IATT) on Education

"Putting culture first: commonwealth perspectives on culture and development"

This report discusses, among other things, the role of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expression "in providing a framework for countries, particularly those with limited government capacity, to implement successful cultural policy designed to support creative production and enhance cultural diversity."

Putting Culture First is the product of extensive consultation with representatives from government, civil society, and the culture and development sectors across the Commonwealth, carried out between February and October 2008.