Resources
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33 Results found
Third collection of good practices: intercultural dialogue in support of quality education Year of publication: 2013 Corporate author: UNESCO Associated Schools Project Network (ASPnet) The UNESCO Associated Schools Project Network (ASPnet) conducts pilot projects aimed at reinforcing the humanistic and ethical principles of UNESCO in school curricula and throughout the learning process, often within the framework of UN and UNESCO International Day, Years and Decades, Promoting intercultural dialogue is thus an ASPnet priority. The initiatives presented in this Third Collection of ASPnet Good Practices were carried out by ASPnet schools and their partner institutions in the context of the International Year for the Rapprochement of Cultures (2010). The selected projects illustrate both multicultural education and intercultural education in action. 
Promoting the culture of dialogue between cultures in the Arab world Year of publication: 2013 Author: Selim El Sayegh Corporate author: UNESCO Beirut The major challenge of the Arab uprisings resides in the youth drive. Accounting for 60 per cent of the Arab population, Youth have been calling for political and economic reforms. During the revolts, these claims have become more radical seeking a fundamental change. This gradual evolution, from a relatively partial change to a more absolute comprehensive one, ushers in a new era with a different intellectual construct. With the ousting of dictatorships, all civil society forces are unleashed with huge actual and potential resources mobilized to contribute to building up the new order. Groups of solidarity, communities, parties, associations, and organizations of all nature among many others put forward new ideas and adequate action plans. Liberty thus acclaimed becomes the outcry for dignity, honor and pride. Never before in the Arab world has the individual had such a central place as it does today. An individual fully grasping the possibilities of restored liberty and recognized dignity gives birth to a new citizen acting in a new paradigm; a new citizen that seeks a transcendence of the ego to relate the individual to the common good. This fresh paradigm empowers the individual as a citizen in the name of equality, while simultaneously recognizing the right of difference of each citizen when it comes to belonging to a culture or sub‐culture. The right to be different involves more than the right to differ and to dispute and by the same token, the obligation of peaceful settlement. The right to be different, by belonging to a culture or a sub‐culture means in a new era of liberty and dignity, the obligation to conduct a transformation of the patterns generating disputes and conflicts among cultures. Henceforth, the issue of promoting the culture of intercultural dialogue in the aftermath of the Arab revolts represents major characteristics that will be reflected hereafter. 
Reflections on Progress, Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship Year of publication: 2013 Author: Georges Haddad Corporate author: UNESCO The arguments developed in this concise presentation demonstrate that sustainable development, progress and global citizenship, efficiently embedded in the context of the Knowledge Society, undeniably participate in the development of the New Humanism promoted by the Director-General of UNESCO, and which we all agree to consider essential for the wealth and prosperity of Humanity in an agreeable, peaceful and friendly common environment. 
Education for conflict prevention and peacebuilding: meeting the global challenges of the 21st century Year of publication: 2012 Author: Phyllis Kotite Corporate author: UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP) The 21st century is witnessing global concern over the interrelated effects of climate change, the economic crisis, energy depletion, food and water shortages, natural disasters and conflicts all of which have devastating effects on humanity and the future of the planet. These events impact education systems and can impair the ability of governments to provide quality education for their citizens. However, when governments and ministries of education analyse and anticipate the risk of such events through careful planning, education can play an important role in preventing violent conflict, and in supporting peacebuilding efforts. An estimated 1.5 billion people live in countries affected by repeated cycles of political and other forms of violence, and the same population is often affected by hunger and poverty. Furthermore, such countries have difficulty meeting development goals. For example, no low-income fragile or conflict-affected country has yet achieved a single MDG (World Bank, 2011). In 2010 world military expenditures reached US$1.6 trillion as a result of fifteen ongoing conflicts (SIPRI, 2011). Yet, it is estimated that only US$16 billion is needed to fill the education gap to reach the EFA goals (UNESCO, 2011b: 11). This paper argues that we have the knowledge, legal instruments and mechanisms to prevent conflict and to transfer resources to sustainable development and education to meet the challenges of the 21st century. The paper describes a range of conflict prevention initiatives and examines the role of policy-makers, youth, women, and the media in maintaining and restoring peace as part of a holistic vision of education. International institutions, governments and civil society are increasingly developing conflict prevention mechanisms and utilizing political and economic incentives to avoid conflicts. They are also creating new technology for sustainable development, adaptation to climate change and renewable forms of energy. Educational planning must therefore go beyond traditional mechanisms. It must take into consideration the unpredictable nature of our times; be flexible and rapid in implementation and responsive to local needs. Training and research in sustainable development; and skills for peaceful inter-human relations, good governance, the prevention of conflict and peacebuilding are priorities elaborated in the paper. In addition, specific recommendations are highlighted such as: capacity development for conflict prevention within the education sector and other ministries, analysing the root causes of conflict and the role that education can play in mitigating tensions. This paper is an elaboration of Chapter 1.2 of the IIEP-UNESCO Guidebook for Planning Education in Emergencies and Reconstruction (IIEP-UNESCO, 2010). A brief treatment of additional global challenges (e.g. water scarcity, food insufficiency, energy depletion and economic instability), which are beyond the educational focus of this paper, may be found in Annex I. 
Intercultural dialogue: involving young people around the world Year of publication: 2010 Author: Elizabeth Khawajkie Corporate author: UNESCO | DAIMLER It is hoped that this review will help to highlight why there is a persistent call for the continuation of such endeavors, like Mondialogo, which promoted dialogue among cultures and people, mutual respect and understanding so effectively. The Mondialogo journey, begun as an exploratory exercise, ended with compelling and often moving experiences. 
Considerations on the follow-up of the United Nations International Year for the Rapprochement of Cultures with regard to implementation of the Kyiv Statement towards Mutual Understanding and Dialogue Year of publication: 2011 Corporate author: UNESCO As one of the co-initiators of the International Year for the Rapprochement of Cultures, Ukraine proposed to initiate a general discussion regarding the protection of monuments and sites with religious or spiritual meaning (hereinafter referred to as religious2 and sacred3 properties) at the international level. This discussion was timely and in line with one of the four themes, selected to build an action plan for the Year in the fields of UNESCO’s competence, namely to promote reciprocal knowledge of cultural, ethnic, linguistic and religious diversity. 2. This initiative, having constituted one of the essential elements of the International Year of Rapprochement of Cultures, is aimed at enhancing protection and management of religious properties. It stems from the appeal of the Ukrainian authorities, launched at the 35th session of the UNESCO General Conference (2009), inviting all Member States to participate in the International Seminar “The Role of religious communities in the management of World Heritage properties” (2-5 November 2010). This announcement was welcomed by UNESCO within the framework of the Year. Numerous Member States expressing their support for the proposal designated representatives to participate in this Seminar. The elaboration of the Kyiv Statement (as one of the main outcomes of the Seminar) and its adoption in close cooperation with representatives of religious communities contributes to the creation of a culture of dialogue. 
Echoing Voices: Tenth Anniversary of the Adoption of the UNESCO Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity Year of publication: 2011 Corporate author: UNESCO This founding text was the first to acknowledge cultural diversity as “the common heritage of humanity”. It is with great pride that UNESCO is commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Declaration. Commemorate – from the Latin cum memorare – means quite literally “to remember together” or “to remember with”. This collection is compiled the voices of all those who have contributed to the heightening of human awareness by throwing into relief the inestimable value of cultural diversity. These excerpts from books, articles and statements by global intellectual and political leaders, artists and Nobel Prize-winners all call for the safeguarding of cultural diversity, which is inseparable from respect for human dignity. Their voices resound in bearing witness to the strength of cultural diversity and to its capacity to enlighten the minds of women and men. We are duty-bound to ensure that it is central to public policies and a resource for development and dialogue among nations. The United Nations was born of the determination of men and women “to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war...”. In accordance with that principle, UNESCO was established on a key idea, expressed at the very beginning of its Constitution: “... since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must be constructed”. In the world today, globalized, connected and interdependent as never before, this mission is more vital than ever. The rapprochement of peoples and cultures requires a commensurately global awareness. Cultural diversity has always been at the heart of international relations. It is also, increasingly, a feature of the contemporary mixed and plural societies in which we live. In view of this reality, we must formulate appropriate public policies and rethink the mechanisms of social cohesion and civic participation. How can we build common ground on the basis of such diversity? How can we construct genuine moral and intellectual solidarity of humanity? Any new vision of humanism must be grounded itself in the dynamism and diversity of cultural heritage. It is a source of inspiration and knowledge to be shared and a means of broadening our horizons. The goal of the UNESCO Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity is to provide keys and benchmarks for capitalizing on this wealth. There can be no sustainable governance if cultural diversity is not acknowledged. There can be no economic and social development if specific features of every culture are belittled and ignored. 
Review of UNESCO culture sector's work on intercultural dialogue with a specific focus on: the general and regional histories, the slave route and cultural routes projects, plan Arabia, alliance of civilizations 'International vademecum' projects Year of publication: 2011 Author: Julie Carpenter Corporate author: UNESCO This review was commissioned from Education for Change Ltd by Internal Oversight Services (IOS) in UNESCO during June 2011 and completed in September 2011. The purpose of the review was to generate findings and recommendations regarding the relevance and effectiveness of the following priority initiatives on intercultural dialogue: • The General and Regional Histories (and related activities) • The Slave and Cultural Route projects (and related activities) • Plan Arabia • The Alliance of Civilizations (AoC) projects funded by the Government of Spain. The majority of activities in these flagship initiatives have been HQ-led and implemented with limited or no input from the field. Intersectoral work, essential to the effective implementation of the flagship initiatives and associated activities, was constrained by structural and budgeting factors common to most cross-sectoral work in UNESCO. Dissemination of the outputs of all the projects, with the possible exception of The Slave Route Project, has been a major and continuing challenge. The conception, writing, editing and direction of the Histories over more than 50 years have been the responsibility of an individual ISC for each History collection, supported by the UNESCO Secretariat in CLT. This highly participatory but complex process has caused delays and frustrations. However, the relevance of the Histories’ approach to history has not diminished over time. The interdisciplinary Histories have also been subject to the typical constraints within UNESCO of working across sectors. The use and re-use of the content in the Histories has recently been constrained by complex issues relating to co-publication and copyright covering volumes and illustrations and authors rights. The urgency of resolving these issues has arisen because of pressure from Member States to make the content of the Histories freely available online to enable access by institutions and individuals unable to afford the high costs of the published, printed volumes. The expensive printed formats selected for the Histories were predicated on the flawed assumption that university, college and public libraries exist in all countries that could afford to purchase relevant volumes and thus make available the content to researchers and the public. Overall effectiveness of these publications to date is impossible to measure, in terms of levels of takeup and use in universities or research for example, because over the years very limited data have been consistently or systematically collected, and little research or analysis has been done to determine the influence of the content of the Histories on written or broadcast material on history, on conference presentations etc. 2 Despite these constraints, the successful end in 2009 of this massive effort of developing, writing and publishing the history collections can and should be regarded as a significant achievement in itself, in which UNESCO has been effective in overcoming many problems and set-backs to achieve the completion of a project that only UNESCO itself, unique among all the international and UN bodies, could have achieved. 
Learning to live together: an intercultural and interfaith programme for ethics education Year of publication: 2008 Corporate author: Interfaith Council on Ethics Education for Children | Arigatou Foundation (Switzerland) Learning to Live Together has been developed for use in different religious and secular contexts as a resource for everyone concerned with promoting ethics and values. The objective has been to develop a resource that is relevant on a global level and yet flexible enough to be interpreted within different cultural and social contexts. The resource has been tested in many different regions and cultural contexts to assure that it is relevant in regional and local contexts (see ‘We did it like this’, p.187).Test workshops have been held in 10 different countries, where the GNRC was able to bring together various religious and secular organisations working with children. During the test workshops, this resource manual was used to the benefit of more than 300 children and youth, representing African Traditional Religions, Bahá’í Faith, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, members of Brahma Kumaris and a number of people of secular thinking. Test workshops as well as input and comments from experts in the area of education, ethics, spirituality, intercultural and interfaith learning and child rights have contributed important experiences and opportunities for learning for the development of this resource. Learning to Live Together is already having an impact. In a GNRC programme in Israel, the resource material was used during a six-day journey made by a group of Jewish, Christian, and Muslim youth to the historical sites of Israel and Palestine, all of which have symbolic relevance to the conflict in their region. At each stop, youth participants discussed their values and their differing perceptions of their shared history.Learning to Live Together is an adaptable resource that can be used with children from many different cultural, religious and social contexts to nurture common values and a mutual respect for different backgrounds and traditions. The resource provides space for enhancing children’s innate potential for spirituality and hope for a better world, as a contribution to changing the situation for children worldwide. The Users Guide provides all necessary information for its use. UNESCO and UNICEF have been closely involved in developing Learning to Live Together and have endorsed the material as an important contribution to a quality education, which takes a multicultural and multi-religious society into consideration. UNESCO’s Guidelines for Intercultural Education underpin the philosophy and the approach of the resource: “Religious education can be described as learning about one’s own religion or spiritual practices, or learning about other religions or beliefs. Interfaith education, in contrast, aims to actively shape the relations between people from different religions”. 
EIU Best Practice Series No. 29: Promoting EIU through globally connected classrooms in Thailand Year of publication: 2012 Author: Ajarn Kanchaphat Chaoplaina Corporate author: APCEIU This issue presents a multilateral project in Thailand, which interconnected students from Thailand, United Kingdom, Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Vietnam to share their values and thoughts on EIU issues. Through the portals of connection, students from different regions were able to collaborate in doing group works and activities, which were focused on sharing ideas on students’ interest and every day experiences. This case highlights the specific practice that encouraged students to actively learn from one another and understand the cultural diversity, which optimized the outcome of the students’ capacity in communication skills, language skills, and personal development as global citizens. In addition to strengthening the network among participating schools, the impact of the multilateral project extended to teachers while they were engaged in exchanging pedagogical methods and knowledge to support and inspire each other.