Safeguarding Traditional Cultures: A Global Assessment

Smithsonian Folklife Festival

Safeguarding Traditional Cultures: A Global Assessment of the 1989 UNESCO Recommendation on the Safeguarding of Traditional Culture and Folklore, Peter Seitel (Editor), Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, The Smithsonian Institution.

The following review of the book was provided by J. S. Jones:

This volume of collected writing was created from the conference “A Global Assessment of the 1989 Recommendation of the Safeguarding of Traditional Culture and Folklore: Local Empowerment and International Cooperation. UNESCO-Division of Cultural Affairs, and the Smithsonian Institute-Center for Folk life and Cultural Heritage produced the conference and publication.

The three day event took place in Washington DC, in June 1999. Interesting to note that the US participated in this event and in the production of the publication, but was not serving as a Member State of UNESCO at this time.

The importance of this subject brought together UNESCO and the Smithsonian to do this conference and then compiled this publication because of the value and importance of cultural heritage. The conference gathered 37 participants from 27 nations from an array of backgrounds and expertise.

This publication provides insight into the conference and the various reports, questionnaires and analyses that were discussed at the conference. The texts come from writing produced before, during and after the conference. All provide insight into the value of protecting traditional practices and culture.

Safeguarding Traditional Cultures: A Global Assessment

Smithsonian Folklife Festival

Safeguarding Traditional Cultures: A Global Assessment of the 1989 UNESCO Recommendation on the Safeguarding of Traditional Culture and Folklore, Peter Seitel (Editor), Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, The Smithsonian Institution.

The following review of the book was provided by J. S. Jones:

This volume of collected writing was created from the conference “A Global Assessment of the 1989 Recommendation of the Safeguarding of Traditional Culture and Folklore: Local Empowerment and International Cooperation. UNESCO-Division of Cultural Affairs, and the Smithsonian Institute-Center for Folk life and Cultural Heritage produced the conference and publication.

The three day event took place in Washington DC, in June 1999. Interesting to note that the US participated in this event and in the production of the publication, but was not serving as a Member State of UNESCO at this time.

The importance of this subject brought together UNESCO and the Smithsonian to do this conference and then compiled this publication because of the value and importance of cultural heritage. The conference gathered 37 participants from 27 nations from an array of backgrounds and expertise.

This publication provides insight into the conference and the various reports, questionnaires and analyses that were discussed at the conference. The texts come from writing produced before, during and after the conference. All provide insight into the value of protecting traditional practices and culture.

Accelerated ratification of UNESCO's Convention against Doping in Sport for Olympic Games

Following a call by President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Jacques Rogge, to render cities in countries that have not ratified the International Convention against Doping in Sport ineligible to host the Olympic Games, the Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, urged the international community to speed up the ratification process.

Read the full UNESCO press release.

Read more about UNESCO's anitdoping campaign.

Accelerated ratification of UNESCO's Convention against Doping in Sport for Olympic Games

Following a call by President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Jacques Rogge, to render cities in countries that have not ratified the International Convention against Doping in Sport ineligible to host the Olympic Games, the Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, urged the international community to speed up the ratification process.

Read the full UNESCO press release.

Read more about UNESCO's anitdoping campaign.

M&E at the 176th meeting of the UNESCO Executive Board

UNESCO's Executive Board is elected by UNESCO's General Conference and is one of the three constitutional organs of UNESCO. Its meetings provide a means for the representatives of the member states to monitor the work of the organization. While all of the reports provided by the secretariat for each meeting serve that end, or deal with proposed initiatives for UNESCO, some of the reports deal specifically with the results of recent evaluation studies or with the performance of UNESCO's monitoring and evaluation systems. Those reports for the current meeting of the Executive Board are linked below.

Report by the Director-General on conclusions and recommendations of the expert team on the overall review of Major Programmes II and III

Report by the Director-General on the evaluation of the first phase of the International Basic Sciences Programme (IBSP) and proposals regarding Draft Document 34 C/4 and Draft Document 34 C/5

Report by the Director-General on the UNESCO Evaluation Policy and elaborated elements of the UNESCO Evaluation Strategy

Comments by the Director-General on the evaluations undertaken during the 2006-2007 biennium and the cost-effectiveness of the programmes evaluated during the period of the Medium-Term Strategy for 2002-2007 (31 C/4)

Monitoring of the implementation of UNESCO's standard-setting instruments

Comments by the Director-General on the implementation of the Internal Oversight Service (IOS) Strategy in 2006-2007: Annual report 2006

Report by the External Auditor on the procedures used to hire consultants for the restructuring of the Education Sector and Comments by the Director-General (176 EX/INF.12)

Progress report by the Director-General on the implementation of International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS)

Reports by the Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) of interest to UNESCO and the status of implementation of approved/accepted recommendations of Joint Inspection Unit reports

M&E at the 176th meeting of the UNESCO Executive Board

UNESCO's Executive Board is elected by UNESCO's General Conference and is one of the three constitutional organs of UNESCO. Its meetings provide a means for the representatives of the member states to monitor the work of the organization. While all of the reports provided by the secretariat for each meeting serve that end, or deal with proposed initiatives for UNESCO, some of the reports deal specifically with the results of recent evaluation studies or with the performance of UNESCO's monitoring and evaluation systems. Those reports for the current meeting of the Executive Board are linked below.

Report by the Director-General on conclusions and recommendations of the expert team on the overall review of Major Programmes II and III

Report by the Director-General on the evaluation of the first phase of the International Basic Sciences Programme (IBSP) and proposals regarding Draft Document 34 C/4 and Draft Document 34 C/5

Report by the Director-General on the UNESCO Evaluation Policy and elaborated elements of the UNESCO Evaluation Strategy

Comments by the Director-General on the evaluations undertaken during the 2006-2007 biennium and the cost-effectiveness of the programmes evaluated during the period of the Medium-Term Strategy for 2002-2007 (31 C/4)

Monitoring of the implementation of UNESCO's standard-setting instruments

Comments by the Director-General on the implementation of the Internal Oversight Service (IOS) Strategy in 2006-2007: Annual report 2006

Report by the External Auditor on the procedures used to hire consultants for the restructuring of the Education Sector and Comments by the Director-General (176 EX/INF.12)

Progress report by the Director-General on the implementation of International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS)

Reports by the Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) of interest to UNESCO and the status of implementation of approved/accepted recommendations of Joint Inspection Unit reports

What our friends to the north are doing

The Canadian Commission for UNESCO held its 47th Annual General Meeting in Ottawa on St. Patrick's Day, March 17, 2007. More than 200 persons from across Canada, representing the fields of education, the sciences, culture and communication and information, attended the meeting. The theme of the meeting was Linking Networks, Sharing Ideas. Thus, the meeting focused on the growth of both formal and informal networks in advancing and sharing knowledge around the world. The keynote speaker, Ahmed Djoghlaf, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, discussed links between biodiversity and cultural diversity.

Read the Communique from the meeting.