UNESCO recruits Chief of ICT in Education, Science and Culture Section

The post of the Chief of the ICT in Education, Science and Culture Section is presently open for recruitment at the Information Society Division of UNESCO's Communication and Information Sector.

The major responsibilities of the post are the planning, implementation and evaluation of the strategy, regular program activities and extrabudgetary projects of the Section.

More particularly, the incumbent of the post will provide intellectual, strategic and operational leadership of the Section; ensure the management of its staff; advise Member States on the use of ICT in education, science and culture; plan and execute projects of strategic nature.

Applications must be made to UNESCO. It is recommended, however, that Americans applying to the post also inform the U.S. Permanent Delegation to UNESCO and/or the State Department secretariat to the U.S. National Commission for UNESCO of their application.

Apply before 4 September 2008
quoting the post number: CI-004.

Click here for more details!

Final Total of World Heritage Committee Meeting

The World Heritage Committee, meeting for its 32nd session, finished inscribing new sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage List on 8 July with the addition of 19 cultural sites and eight natural sites to the List. UNESCO’s World Heritage List now numbers a total of 878 sites, 679 cultural and 174 natural sites and 25 mixed in 145 countries.

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Armenian monasteries in Iran added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List

Fortified Armenian monasteries in Iran were added to the new sites inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List on 6 July.

The Armenian Monastic Ensembles in Iran, in the north-west of the country, consists of three monastic ensembles of the Armenian Christian faith: St Thaddeus and St Stepanos and the Chapel of Dzordzor. These edifices - the oldest of which, St Thaddeus, dates back to the 7th century – are examples of outstanding universal value of the Armenian architectural and decorative traditions. They bear testimony to very important interchanges with the other regional cultures, in particular the Byzantine, Orthodox and Persian. Situated on the south-eastern fringe of the main zone of the Armenian cultural space, the monasteries constituted a major centre for the dissemination of that culture into Azerbayjan and Persia. They are the last regional remains of this culture that are still in a satisfactory state of integrity and authenticity. Furthermore, as places of pilgrimage, the monastic ensembles are living witnesses of Armenian religious traditions through the centuries.

This is the fourth cultural site to be added onto UNESCO’s World Heritage List since the start of the current session of the World Heritage Committee today. The three properties inscribed earlier today were: Le Morne Cultural Landscape in Mauritius, The Al-Hijr Archaeological Site (Madâin Sâlih) in Saudi Arabia, and the Fujian Tulou in China.

Microsoft Education Leadership Forum

How can e-technology help higher education better prepare students for the future? This key question will be explored by education ministers, senior officials and other policy leaders from all over the world at the Education Leaders Forum (ELF) organized by Microsoft at UNESCO Headquarters on 7 and 8 July.

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Eight new sites added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List

Vauban designed fort

The World Heritage Committee meeting in Quebec City has added eight new cultural sites to UNESCO’s World Heritage List on the morning of the 7 of July. With these inscriptions, Papua New Guinea and San Marino enter the World Heritage List for the first time.

The new sites inscribed are:

• Melaka and George Town, historic cities of the Straits of Malacca (Malaysia)
• Kuk Early Agricultural Site (Papua New Guinea)
• Stari Grad Plain (Croatia)
• Fortifications of Vauban (France)
  
• Berlin Modernism Housing Estates (Germany)
• Mantua and Sabbioneta
• San Marino Historic Centre and Mount Titano (San Marino)
• The Wooden Churches of the Slovak part of Carpathian Mountain Area (Slovakia)

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Click here to see video of the sites
(Windows Media Player required)

The Medium–Term Strategy of the IBI for 2008–2013

The International Bureau for Education (IBE) has published its medium term strategy covering the years 2008 through 2013. Click here to access the PDF file for the 32 page document.

The IBE's main mission is to act as UNESCO's center specialized in contents, methods and structure of education. It builds networks to share expertise on curriculum development in all regions of the world and aims to introduce modern approaches in curriculum design and implementation, improve practical skills and promote informed policy dialogue at national, regional and international levels.

The IBE strategy is of course linked to the overall medium term strategy of UNESCO for the same period.

"Asia and Arab States join forces on Community Learning Centers"

© UNESCO/Françoise Pinzon Gil
Tents housing schools, Kashmir, Pakistan

The last week in June saw an international seminar in Bandung, Indonesia on Community Learning Centers (CLCs) which provided an opportunity to take stock of research findings on these community-based education initiatives. Over 25 countries internationally, including eight in the Arab region, use CLCs as key delivery mechanisms for literacy and continuing education programs. These flexible, open centres enjoy high local participation and empower marginalized groups that have had little or no access to formal education in their lives.

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