New Marine National Monuments

On January 6, 2009, President George Bush signed a proclamation “to protect three beautiful and biologically diverse areas of the Pacific Ocean as new Marine National Monuments”. President Bush enacted the preservation of these three regions, which will make up the largest area of ocean set aside for marine conservation in the world (195,280 sq. miles), using the 1906 Antiquities Act. This Act was first used by President Theodore Roosevelt to set aside public lands such as the Grand Canyon as national monuments. Many of the areas created under the act were later acknowledged as national parks.

Additionally, Bush announced that the United States will submit a request to establish George Washington's Virginia home, Mount Vernon, and the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument as UNESCO world heritage sites. Although, environmentalists haven’t been first in line to praise Bush for the past eight years they are welcoming his current support and enthusiasm for environmental and historical preservation.

The Marines Conservation Biology Institute and the Environmental Defense Fund partnered to identify eight of the nine sites that the President identified for preservation. The identified areas; Rose Atoll, Wake Island, Johnston Island, Palmyra Island, King Reef, Baker Island, Howland Island, and Jarvis Island. Noting the intent for preservation Bush provided gravity to the decision, "For sea birds and marine life, they will be sanctuaries to grow and thrive. For scientists, they will be places to extend the frontiers of discovery. And for the American people, they will be places that honor our duty to be good stewards of the Almighty's creation."

All but one of these eight remote areas have Fish and Wildlife Service refuge areas at their cores. Rose Atoll, is the smallest atoll in the world yet it supports 97 percent of America Samoa’s seabird population, is a nesting ground for several threatened turtle populations and has more than 500 fish species that swim and thrive in the surrounding waters. The Pew Environmental Fund identified the ninth site: the waters around the northern Marianas and the deepest ocean canyon in the world, the Mariana Trench, 11,033 meters (36,201 feet) at its deepest. This unique site claims the deepest point on earth. It is more than five times longer than the Grand Canyon and deeper than Mt. Everest is tall. As rare earthly treasure it is scattered and surrounded with hydrothermal vents, undersea volcanoes, and it is the only known location of liquid sulfur this side of Jupiter.

The new designations will expand protection to a 50 nautical mile area off the islands. Commercial fishing will be prohibited but with a permit recreational fishing will be allowed in moderation. This is certainly a promising step on America’s behalf to begin to work more closely with UNESCO and like organization to perverse the environment, historical sites, and culture.

Watch Bush dedicate the central Pacific sites »

"Press freedom and development:

an analysis of correlations between freedom of the press and the different dimensions of development, poverty, governance and peace"

Guseva, Marina; Nakaa, Mounira; Novel, Anne Sophie; Pekkala, Kirsi; Souberou, Bachir; Stouli, Sami
UNESCO, 2008. (133 pages)

This study is the outcome of a research project implemented by the Centre for Peace and Human Security (CPHS) at Sciences Po University with support by UNESCO. The initial idea was to gather and collate quantitative and qualitative evidence of correlations between the indicators of environments conducive to media freedom and independence and the indicators of human development, human security, stability, poverty reduction, good governance and peace.

Welcome to the Year of the Gorilla 2009

The UNEP Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), the UNEP/UNESCO Great Ape Survival Partnership (GRASP) and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) have joined hands to declare 2009 the Year of the Gorilla (YoG).

Dr. Jane Goodall is the official campaign patron.

A Comment on Science, Diplomacy and the Role of International Scientific Cooperation

An important aspect of diplomacy is the peaceful negotiation of disputes. There are many disputes that concern the exploitation of resources that cross borders. Examples might be oil deposits, rivers and aquifers. Indeed, the debates over climate change might be seen as based on the resource of an unpolluted atmosphere.

It is hard to see how negotiations over the ownership and management of such resources can be successful unless the resources are mapped and their dynamics understood. Thus it seems to me that countries sharing a river can not successfully negotiate a plan for river basin management, river water quality assurance, and water allocation without a detailed understanding of the river, its watershed, and the relevant meteorology and climatology.

International scientific cooperation is then called for to establish the basic information on which such diplomatic negotiations can take place. In the case of a river shared by two or more nations, it seems likely that an appropriate knowledge base would best be constructed by scientists from the nations involved collaborating in studies of the river. Indeed, it might well be that the presence of highly respected scientists from a neutral nation might lend greated authority to the knowledge base.

There are many ways to get such cross-border scientific cooperation. The obvious one is to form a specific "border" science program or problem specific international research project. But what does one do when the nations involved are at each other's throats? Water shortages may exacerbate the international problems in the Middle East, but it is hard to get middle eastern nations to set up bilateral cooperation programs or projects.

The United States has taken the lead in setting up many such collaborations. (I was once responsible for managing a U.S. government program funding research collaboration between Israel and its Arab neighbors.) Multinational organizations can also play an important role, as UNESCO has done in catalyzing the SESAME project headquartered in Jordan.

One might ask why the multinational mechanism is important to the United States, since we generally have good relations with our neighboring countries, and there are strong scientific linkages with Mexico and with Canada. That may be less true as we look at the management of the resources in the Gulf of Mexico which we share with many nations, including Cuba.

More generally, the status of the United States as the most powerful economic and military power in the world tends to pull us into disputes that escalate anywhere in the world. The more disputes that can be settled by peaceful negotiations the better.

UNESCO is the key intergovernmental organization for the earth sciences, oceanography, hydrology and bioreserves. It has a significant cross sectoral program focusing on climate change. In all of these elements of UNESCO's natural science program it can play an important role in catalyzing research cooperation and in legitimating the results of the collaborative research it sparks.

In its cultural program it is the lead program on archaeology, and this program together with its World Heritage program can be helpful in creating the knowledge base on which diplomatic negotiations can take place. It is not only in Jerusalem that the cultural property becomes the subject of controversy so severe that it has led to violence.

UNESCO is also the lead agency for the Intergovernmental system of United Nations agencies in the social sciences. In this author's opinion it does unfortunately little in that field. Of course the International Financial Institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monitary Fund do a great deal of economic research and even catalyze research cooperation in economics, but in my opinion more needs to be done. There are many areas where shared understanding of economic issues could facilitate diplomatic negotiations.

I would suggest that the collaboration in area studies, sociology, anthropology and geography could similarly create a commonly agreed knowledge base that could facilitate diplomatic negotiations, and that UNESCO could play an important role in making such collaboration possible, were it to have the resources and a stronger mandate to do so from its governing bodies.

UNESCO was created in large measure to help build the defenses of peace in the minds of men. In the above paragraphs I have outlined a case that the sciences can help build those defenses by establishing common bases in scientific knowledge to enable diplomats to negotiate peaceful solutions to resource based conflicts. It is to the interests of the United States that UNESCO be further encouraged to work to fulfill this role in the international community.

John A Daly (The opinions expressed are those of the author. and do not necessarily represent those of Americans for UNESCO.)

Do You Want a Job at UNESCO?

UNESCO is Recruiting for the position of Executive Director of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission. The person selected will work in the Paris headquarters of UNESCO. Applicants must apply no later than January 14th, 2009.

You can find how to apply to this and other positions on this UNESCO website.

I have noticed that postings relating to employment at UNESCO continue to receive many visitors. If you are starting the process of getting such a job yu may find the following interesting:

• "Getting a Job with UNESCO", Americans for UNESCO website
• "Getting a Job with UNESCO", Blog posting
• "Jobs at UNESCO", Blog posting
  
• "Americans Still Underrepresented on UNESCO Staff", Blog posting
• "Editorial: How Young Should a Young Professional Be", Blog posting

The U.S. National Commission for UNESCO provides some information about opportunities at UNESCO on its website.

State Department's U.N. Jobs website

Go to the UNESCO employment website.

"Science, Technology, and Global Reengagement"

There is a good article by Gerald Hane in the Fall 2008 issue of Issues of Science and Technology, a journal of the National Academies, with a strong set of recommendations for means by which the Obama administration can improve U.S. international scientific cooperation and the use of science and technology in foreign policy. Hane was Assistant Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy for International Strategy and Affairs in the Clinton Administration.

It is endorsed with synergistic comments by a stellar lineup (Eugene Skolnikoff, Norm Neureiter, Tom Ratchford, and Cathleen Cambell) in the "Forum" of the Spring 2009 issue of the journal.

As any reader of this blog will realize, I strongly support an increase in international science and technology cooperation. The White House and the Agencies of the U.S. Government should lead in creating the policies that will enable such an increase in international S&T cooperation.

Editor's Note: My own experience has been in the applications of science and technology in development assistance. The capacity of USAID to lead in such efforts has been radically reduced, and should be restored by the Obama administration.

The Bush administration has also been largely unwilling to deal appropriately with intergovernmental organizations that provide scientific and technological assistance to poor nations. With leadership from the United States, these agencies can be much more effective instruments of U.S. international S&T policy. While UNESCO is the lead agency in the UN system for natural and social science, the World Health Organization, the Food and Agricultural Organization and other UN agencies and programs also have important scientific programs. JAD

"SESAME opens doors to international collaboration"

Source: Herman Winick, Science News, January 17th, 2009; Vol.175 #2 (p. 32).

The international Centre for Synchrotron-light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East(SESAME),created under the auspices of UNESCO, came into existence as an intergovernmental organization (IGO) on 15 April 2004. It is located in Allan (Jordan). The facility is now under construction as a "third-generation" 2.5 GeV (X-ray) light source which will have a total value of perhaps $100 million. The facility should offer great opportunities for scientists in the Middle East. "Nothing approaches the impact of X-rays as a tool for understanding materials — biological materials, semiconductor materials, catalytic chemical materials, environmental toxins, whatever."

I quote from the interview of Herman Winick, one of the originators of the concept of SESAME by Science News editor in chief Tom Siegfried:

The motivation for SESAME is as a facility for doing science and also for working together across countries and cultures as an example of how science can foster that kind of cooperation, right?

Precisely. UNESCO called it a model project for other regions.... It has brought together people. These nine countries include Turkey and Greek Cyprus, which sit at the same table. They don’t recognize each other. It includes Israel, the Palestinian authority, Iran and Pakistan

Editor's Note: The importance to U.S. long term science policy of a collaborative effort among the scientists of these often antagonistic countries is quite significant, especially as it has been achieved without major funding from the U.S. taxpayer. JAD

Physicist Herman Winick of the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center in Menlo Park, Calif proposed using equipment from a German synchrotron, BESSY, that was being replace as the seed for the international research facility in the Middle East. He also coined the name SESAME. Photo credit: Tom Siegfried

Next meeting of the National Commission for UNESCO

On May 19 and May 20, 2008, the U.S. National Commission for UNESCO will hold its Annual Meeting in Washington, DC.

Click here to see the tentative agenda!

Agenda for Americans for UNESCO for 2009

The Board of Directors of Americans for UNESCO will meet on January 13th to consider the program of activities for 2009 for the organization. Dick Nobbe has provided this list of possible activities to be considered. Your comments are invited:

1. GWU UNESCO Course - Offer for a third time a course on UNESCO for credit at George Washington University (N.B. AU has broken new ground in this area and there appears to be strong administrative and student interest in the topic. And AU has plenty of competence to handle it under the animated leadership of John Daly.).
2. GWU UNESCO Club - Assist further the students at GWU in founding a UNESCO Club. (N.B. As I understand it, this project is still in the developmental stage. We should regard this activity as resource building for American participation in UNESCO's youth programs which have gained in status and now become a permanent feature of UNESCO General Conference sessions .I personally have a valuable collection of books, magazines, reports etc which I would be glad to donate to its library. Perhaps others do too.).
3. U.S. National Commission for UNESCO - (N.B. We need to follow up on our transition paper calling for the restructuring of the US National Commission for UNESCO to its original legislative role of influencing policy direction at State and expanding knowledge about UNESCO's activities to the public.).
4. The Ray Wanner Manuscript- (N.B. Any organization worth its salt must publish something periodically (besides minutes of its meetings) if it is to remain visible and viable.We have in hand a unique , ready-to-go publication which needs to see the light of day. AU should take advantage of GWU's lay-out and composition department while we still have access to their services. Funding may be difficult, but we should calculate the cost, earmark a portion of AU's budget to it, and pass the hat .My experience is that original publications of this kind eventually obtain funding.)
5. UNESCO Reports of Meetings- (N.B. The principal end-product of UNESCO is the reports of its numerous technical meetings at considerable cost,yet they seldom see the light of day. AU should undertake a study of this problem with the view to cataloguing some of the more important ones for internet or website distribution to higher education institutions, NGOs, and other technical bodies in the US.)
6. New US`Ambassador to UNESCO - Arrange a substantive dinner meeting for the new Ambassador early in the game accompanied with selective written materials such as our transition paper, previous brochure, and UNESCO publication on national commissions. (N.B. We did this for the previous US Ambassador and it was a great success by all accounts).
7. Former US`Ambassador - Solicit her interest post haste in becoming an AU Board member in a Vice-President capacity. (N.B.In my opinion, she is very knowledgeable about UNESCO's programs and activities, is an excellent spokesperson and could be a real resource for us. Besides, she has undergone an epiphany, and we need converts and money for our cause. Nothing ventured, nothing gained !)
8. UNESCO ADG Briefings. Arrange for one or two seminars during CY 2009 on a UNESCO sector.(N.B. It will be recalled that AU did this in cooperation with the UN Foundation and the UNESCO Liaison Office in New York in 2008 involving the ADG for Communications, and it was a big success. .I would give priority to the Social Science Sector after the incumbent ADG leaves since knowledge about the entirety of this sector's program is practically non-existent in the US Government and private sector).
9. AU Social Science and Natural Sciences Committees (N.B.) These two committees need to be strengthened. For all practical purposes, they are leaderless or memberless.)
10. US MAB Committee- Play a lead role in assisting the State Department to encourage Congress to provide support for a robust role of the US MAB Committee in UNESCO's program (N.B. I realize this matter is on State's agenda, but AU could help if we brought on Tom Gilbert and Sam McKee as AU Board members since both have formerly and prominently been involved with this program).
11. Sid Passman's UNESCO News Bulletins. Explore with Sid ways of expanding his audience to include not just AU members, but all NatCom members, selective higher education institutions, NGOs (especially religious ones), and philanthropic foundations (N.B. I realize that not everyone is enthralled by what Sid selects but the fact remains Sid is the only source providing us with information about the totality of UNESCO activities., and he devotes considerable time to this effort. Frankly, without. his contributions, most of us would be in the dark about what UNESCO does).
12. Universal Access to Cyberspace - Continue to monitor UNESCO's program activities contributing to the creation of an international strategic partnership to reduce the digital divide and to the development of knowledge societies through the implementation of the WSIS Plan of Action. (N.B. AU should team up with other NGOs to further this goal and participate in important international conferences to keep abreast of developments in this field).

I would add to this list, continued production of this blog and management of the AU website, with the possible recruitment of added volunteers to provide content.

In order to carry out an ambitious agenda, funds will be required. You can donate using the button above, or contracting Americans for UNESCO directly.

"World Engineers' Convention Identifies a Shortage of Engineers"

President Lula addressing the Convention

Source: Tony Marjorem, UNESCO, December 2008

The World Engineers' Convention was held in Brasilia on December 5, 2008 with the participation of UNESCO. President Lula of Brazil addressed the participants, describing the needs for engineers in his country, and the inability of the university system to train enough engineers to meet national needs.

There are in many countries shortages of engineers to address national priorities in infrastructure, energy, manufacturing, construction, transport and communications. In the oil and gas and mining industries, for example, recent peaks in the price of commodities were partly attributed to the shortage of engineers. Engineering and technology are also vital for sustainable development and addressing climate change mitigation and adaptation – where shortages of engineers to develop renewable energy are also indicated. The same is true for many fields of engineering - civil, mechanical, electrical and electronics, chemical and new and emerging areas such as materials engineering and nanotechnology.

"2011 Will Be International Year Of Chemistry"

Source: Chemical and Engineering News, December 31, 2009.

I quote from the article:

The United Nations General Assembly has passed a resolution formally declaring 2011 as the International Year of Chemistry. Ethiopia, which is the host country for the Federation of African Societies of Chemistry, submitted the resolution calling for the year, which will highlight the achievements of chemistry and its contributions to humanity.

"The International Year of Chemistry will give a global boost to chemical science in which our life and our future are grounded," says Jung-Il Jin, president of the International Union of Pure & Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) and a professor of chemistry at Korea University, in Seoul, South Korea.

"We hope to increase the public appreciation and understanding of chemistry, increase young people's interest in science, and generate enthusiasm for the creative future of chemistry," he adds.

The IUPAC Committee on Chemistry has established a management panel that will work with chemical societies; the UN Educational, Scientific & Cultural Organization (UNESCO); and others to plan and implement activities during the year.

Reportedly the American Chemical Society and the National Academy of Sciences both played a very helpful role in winning support by the U.S. for the commitment of the United Nations for the celebration of chemistry.
The year 2011 is the centennial anniversary of the award of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry to Marie Curie. Thus the International Year of Chemistry will provide a natural opportunity to celebrate the contribution of women to science.

Welcome to the International Year of Astronomy

The Opening ceremony of the International Year of Astronomy will take place in Paris, January 15-16, 2009, under the aegis of the UN, UNESCO and the International Astronomical Union (IAU). It is also supported by a number of sponsors including French and international organizations and institutions .

About 600 people will be invited, including students from IYA09 participating countries. Attendance will be by invitation only.

Preliminary Program : 15 January 2009, 16 January 2009

Send UNESCO E-Cards to Ring in the New Year

Have a thought you want to send someone? Want to bring encouragement to loved ones to ring in the New Year? UNESCO has free education-themed e-cards you can give to brighten someone's day.

Click here for more information.

Happy 2009: The International Year of Astronomy

Massive Young Stars Trigger Stellar Birth

This UNESCO card recognizes that 2009 has been designated the International Year of Astronomy and UNESCO has been designated its lead agency in the United Nations system.

Electing the Next Director General

The process for the election of the next Director General of UNESCO is spelled out in a recent report by UNESCO's Executive Board.

• Member states are to submit information on their candidates for the post by May 31, 2009.
• The Secretariat will provide a list of candidates (in confidence) to the member states and Executive Board by the first week in June.
• Candidates will then have until August 1st to submit statements of their views about the future of UNESCO.
• At the 182nd session of the Executive Board (7-23 September 2009) the candidates are to be interviewed, and one is to be selected by secret ballot to be recommended to the General Conference (which is expected to meet 6 to 23 October 2009).
• The General Conference is to elect the next Director General, but in the past the General Conference has always ratified the recommendation of its Executive Board.

Thus the race is getting hot. In 1999, when the current Director General was elected to his first five year term, there were eleven candidates for the post. Several have already been identified publicly (click on the "governance" tag below to see the list).

Al-Ahram in November had an interview with the Egyptian candidate.

Another Candidate for UNESCO DG

According to Topposts, Musa Bin Jaafar Bin Hassan has been nominated by Oman for the post of Director General of UNESCO. According to Wikipedia:

Ambassador Dr. Musa Bin Jaafar Bin Hassan is a career diplomat and academic. Dr. Hassan is one of the longest serving diplomat to UNESCO as Ambassador, Permanent Delegate of Oman from May 1984 to present. He has been decorated with 1 UNESCO Gold Medal, 3 UNESCO Silver Medals as well as the honorary title of "Ambassador for Peace."

He was President of the 33rd session of the General Conference, UNESCO's supreme governing body.

Read the Ambassador Dr. Musa Bin Jaafar Bin Hassan's biography.

Pope Salutes UNESCO International Year of Astronomy

According to the Associated Press, Pope Benedict XVI in marking the 400th anniversary of Galileo's use of a telescope saluted UNESCO's World Year of Astronomy.

The United Nations has proclaimed 2009 the International Year of Astronomy (IYA 2009) and designated UNESCO as its lead agency.

Read more from UNESCO about the International Year of Astronomy.

The UNESCO Thematic Initiative “Astronomy and World Heritage” launched in support of this International Year aims to establish a link between science and culture with a view to highlighting the scientific value of cultural sites connected with astronomy.

Read more about the International Year of Astronomy!

Egyptian periodical reports a campaign to prevent Farouk Hosni becoming the next UNESCO director-general is taking shape

Source: "Settling scores," Nevine El-Aref, Al Ahram (Cairo), 18-24 December 2008, Issue No. 926.

I quote:

It was not an easy week for Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni and the members of his 2009 UNESCO election campaign committee. Hosni was caught up in yet another drive against his nomination for the post of UNESCO director-general and its impact lingers on.

Earlier this week a rumour began circulating suggesting that Israel had convinced the current US administration to oppose Hosni's nomination. According to leaks the Bush administration has already started a counter campaign and is keen to convince Barack Obama's incoming administration, as well as some European and Latin American countries, to follow its lead.

Read more....

Editor's note: I have no way of checking on this story, but thought it might be of interest to Americans interested in UNESCO. JAD

Season's Greetings!

Bookmarked References on UNESCO

I have posted links to more than 300 references relating to UNESCO on delicious.com, a social bookmarking cite. You are more than welcome to use the bibliography. The following is a tag cloud from Tag Crowd for the bibliography.

anniversary article assembly aug book bookmarks celebrate culture dec delicious diversity education explore financing general history human institute international learn nations natural network online options page people policy popular program publication published recent report rights save science short sort tags theme unesco unescobibliography united universal used user view website years

created at TagCrowd.com

Ambassador Irina Bokova presents candidature for UNESCO director general in Belgrade

Source: Focus News Agency

Bulgaria’s ambassador to France, Irina Bokova, has presented her candidature for the position of UNESCO director-general according to the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry press office.

Photo via Radio Bulgaria

Earlier, Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov had announced her nomination in the following terms:

I avail myself the opportunity to inform you about the decision of the Bulgarian government to nominate Mrs. Irina Bokova – Bulgarian ambassador in France and Permanent Representative of Bulgaria to UNESCO, for Director General of UNESCO.

As a career diplomat in UN, UNESCO and a number of other international organizations ambassador Bokova has intense experience in the area of multilateral international relations. As Deputy Foreign Minister, as State Secretary and Minister of Foreign Affairs she has a longlasting managerial experience. She is skilled to held a dialogue and to reach a consensus for taking decisions at the highest level. I would like to express our hope that the countries from South Eastern Europe will support the nomination of Mrs. Bokova and I believe that she will contribute creatively for the promotion and strengthening the role of UNESCO in the area of education, science, culture and communication.

Rosental C. Alves Elected President of Orbicom

Rosental C. Alves, the Knight Chair in Journalism and UNESCO Chair in Communication at The University of Texas at Austin, has been elected president of Orbicom, a UNESCO network that links international communication leaders in an effort to affect social justice, democracy and good governance.

Alves, who was unanimously elected by the Orbicom board of directors, will serve a two-year term. He succeeds outgoing president Alain Modoux, a communication consultant from Geneva, Switzerland.

As the chairman of the board of Orbicom, Alves will work with the organization's secretariat based in Montreal, Canada, to coordinate the efforts of the network, especially in research of global communication issues.

Read the rest of the press release from the University of Texas at Austin.

Telephone Conference of U.S. National Commission for UNESCO

The United States National Commission for the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) will conduct a meeting by telephone conference on Monday, December 22, 2008, at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time.

The open teleconference portion of the meeting will be approximately twenty minutes and will address a variety of issues and projects currently before the Commission. During this session, the Commission will accept brief oral comments or questions from the public or media. The public comment period will be limited to approximately ten minutes in total, with about three minutes allowed per speaker. Like other members of the public, media representatives who wish to present oral comments or listen to the conference call should make arrangements with the Commission by December 18, 2008.

The second portion of the teleconference meeting will be closed to the media and public to allow the Commission to discuss applications for the UNESCO Young Professionals Program. This portion is closed pursuant to Section 10(d) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act and 5 U.S.C. § 552b(c)(6)because of the likely discussion of information of a personal nature regarding the relative merits of individual applicants where disclosure would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.

For more information or to arrange participation in the open portion of the teleconference meeting, contact Andrew Doran, Deputy Executive Director of the U.S. National Commission for UNESCO, Washington, D.C. 20037. Telephone: (202) 663-0028; Fax: (202) 663-0035; E-mail: DCUNESCO@state.gov.

The New Issue of the UNESCO Courier

Sixty years of views on the world

The UNESCO Courier is celebrating its 60th anniversary. An opportunity to explore the present while looking back at the past. A way, also, to highlight some developments in how we view and think about the world - each paper refers to an article from a back issue of the magazine.

You can read interviews with Wangari Maathai (Kenya), Martti Ahtisaari (Finland), Luc Montagnier (France), just to mention the three Nobel laureates who have contributed to this special issue, alongside other distinguished personalities.

Did you know UNESCO has online resources you can use?

Here are a couple of very useful resources free for you to download:

The UNESCO Thesaurus is widely used to standardize the terminology used to describe content in the areas of education, science, culture, social and human sciences, information and communication, and politics, law and economics. It also includes the names of countries and groupings of countries: political, economic, geographic, ethnic and religious, and linguistic groupings. Check it out!

Micro CDS/ISIS is an advanced non-numerical information storage and retrieval software developed by UNESCO since 1985 to satisfy the need of organizations to streamline their information processing activities by using modern (and relatively inexpensive) PC technologies.

• CDS/ISIS for Windows


• GenISIS: DB publishing


• Information Processing Tools


• IsisAscii


• IsisMarc


• Javaisis


• WEBLIS

Jane Lubchenco for NOAA

Jane Lubchenco is to head up President Obama's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admninistration (NOAA). She is an outstanding choice with a deep background in marine biology. Jane is also a past AAAS president, and past president of the International Council for Science and the Ecological Society of America. She founded the Aldo Leopold Leadership Program that teaches outstanding academic environmental scientists to be effective leaders and communicators of scientific information to the public, policy makers, the media and the private sector.

The Scientific and Technological Community should strengthen its cooperation and coordination with programs of the UN system, especially UNESCO and UNEP.
From a statement made to the U.N. Commission on Sustainable Development by Professor Lubchenco when she was President of the International Council for Science , 2004.

Dr. Lubchenco was one of two conveners of a workshop sponsored by UNESCO's Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission in June of this year.

Jane Lubchenco on Science Debate 2008


This is a very welcome appointment, and it bodes good things for international scientific cooperation in the Obama administration.

International Migrant Day and Radio 1812

December 18 marks International Migrant Day; it also marks the third anniversary of a global radio marathon that highlights the struggles and achievements of migrants all over the world. It seeks to unite migrant groups and radio stations to produce, broadcast, and share content that will help build momentum and draw attention to migrant issues.



The event is supported by UNESCO and is organized by Radio 1812, which is an initiative developed by the Belgium-based NGO December 18. Since its start in 2006, the event has more than tripled in size. Over 50 radio stations broadcast in over 25 countries in 2006. Around 152 radio stations from 34 countries participated in the event last year, and organizers hope to link even more communities together in tomorrow's event. They are making the event increasingly visible as well via their Web site, its audio programs and other media publications, and even its Facebook page.

For more information on how to get involved or learn more about migration, visit Radio 1812's resource center. or UNESCO's International Migration and Multicultural Policies page.

New Orleans: a Model Urban Biosphere

Christine Alfsen informed me that the City of New Orleans has endorsed the project "New Orleans: a Model Urban Biosphere". Ms. Alfsen is the Senior Program Specialist for Sciences at the UNESCO Office in New York.

The program has the following specific objectives:

1. Actively conduct and network research linkages between social and ecological issues;
2. Provide a forum for the general public to inform and create community-driven solutions;
3. Facilitate development of action-based, multidisciplinary projects working at the interface of human security and management of the natural environment; and
4. Provide technical expertise and inform policy to international initiatives, programs and projects.

Hurricane Katrina has set the stage for urban and rural ecological transformations in and around New Orleans on a scale never before witnessed in United States modern history.

The brochure describing the project notes:

UNESCO has partnered with the Center for Bioenvironmental Research of Tulane University and the Stockholm Resilience Center in post-Katrina New Orleans and coastal Louisiana to create a world-class program to research urban ecosystems at risk.

The work in New Orleans is one of a number of coordinated studies networked via ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability. You can see descriptions of the cases at this website.

Tulane/Xavier Center for Bioenvironmental Research Deputy Director, Douglas Meffert, serves as the New Orleans coordinator for UNESCOʼs Urban Biosphere International Partnership of Cities which also includes New York and Phoenix (USA), Stockholm (Sweden), Cape Town (South Africa), Istanbul (Turkey), and Canberra (Australia). Read more about the Center's UrbanEco effort.

UNESCO has been involved with a major effort on People, Biodiversity & Ecology for many years, built around the Man and the Biosphere Program. UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere Urban Group is specifically backing this program in conjunction with the Urban Biosphere Network (URBIS), a collaboration between UNESCO and the Stockholm Resilience Center.

This project illustrates one of the ways in which the United States can benefit domestically from UNESCO's ability to form international networks in the sciences. The work of the scientists in New Orleans will be strengthened by their collaboration with researchers from other nations, and the combined body of knowledge from the comparative case studies will enrich our general understanding of urban ecology, and understanding which will in all probability improve the effectiveness of the reconstruction in New Orleans.

After Katrina.

Editorial: UNESCO and the Rights to Scientific Knowledge

Sufferers have a human right
to access life-saving science
Flickr/Julien Harneis

David Dickson wrote an editorial for SciDev.Net making the important point that more should be done to enable people to exercise their rights to access to scientific information and the beneficial products of its application.

We must clarify the 'human right' to science — and remind governments of their contractual obligation to uphold it.

I agree completely!

The right is acknowledged in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights:

Article 27.

(1) Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits.

(2) Everyone has the right to the protection of the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic production of which he is the author.

Remember, the United States is not only a signatory to this Declaration, but encouraged its development and supported Eleanor Roosevelt as the chair of the committee that drafted the report.

It is also acknowledged in the United Nations in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights:

Article 11

2. The States Parties to the present Covenant, recognizing the fundamental right of everyone to be free from hunger, shall take, individually and through international co-operation, the measures, including specific programmes, which are needed:

(a) To improve methods of production, conservation and distribution of food by making full use of technical and scientific knowledge, by disseminating knowledge of the principles of nutrition and by developing or reforming agrarian systems in such a way as to achieve the most efficient development and utilization of natural resources;

Article 15

1. The States Parties to the present Covenant recognize the right of everyone:

(a) To take part in cultural life;

(b) To enjoy the benefits of scientific progress and its applications;

(c) To benefit from the protection of the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic production of which he is the author.

2. The steps to be taken by the States Parties to the present Covenant to achieve the full realization of this right shall include those necessary for the conservation, the development and the diffusion of science and culture.

3. The States Parties to the present Covenant undertake to respect the freedom indispensable for scientific research and creative activity.

4. The States Parties to the present Covenant recognize the benefits to be derived from the encouragement and development of international contacts and co-operation in the scientific and cultural fields.

The United States ratified this Covenant in 1977, and thereby obligated to abide by its provisions.

What Needs To Be Done?

The rights to science must be understood in the context of the overall set of rights. Half the world's population is extremely poor by American standards. That poverty is not merely lack of income and wealth, it also involves poor education, poor health services, poor access to knowledge and education, poor access to technology, poor access to food and inadequate housing. Unless poverty is ameliorated, there will be no real access to science and its beneficial applications.

Everyone, even those of us fortunate enough to live in affluent societies, obtain our access to science via institutions, including importantly educational institutions. However, market institutions provide us to products produced by corporate institutions applying scientific knowledge in their production. Assuring people the rights to knowledge involves implanting the needed policies and building the needed institutions. It also involves educating not only the consumers of science and its products, but also the vast workforce needed to develop, disseminate, and utilize scientific knowledge.

There are still government policies that deny people access to scientific knowledge, censoring information that government officials feel would be dangerous for the public to know or censoring information generally catching scientific information in the net as part of the total injunction. I find the deliberate obstruction of access to scientific knowledge even more unforgivable than failure to take the positive steps needed to promote such access.

The UNESCO Role

Not only does UNESCO seek to promote human rights through all of its programs, it has been intimately involved in the United Nations processes through which the nations of the world have agreed to honor those rights. Through its natural science programs it has fostered international cooperation in science. Its programs focusing on oceans, water, geology, and other sciences have helped to make information widely available on natural resources and their sustainable development.

Information from the social and human sciences is especially sensitive in many countries. While people must understand their societies and their economies if they are to progress, and indeed must understand human behavior, such knowledge can challenge traditional beliefs and threaten dysfunctional elites. UNESCO has been especially involved in improving the use of scientific knowledge in the policy making process.

Science education has been an important element of UNESCO's programs since its inception, involving both its educational programs and its science programs. UNESCO has focused not only on science in the pre-college years, but has also promoted university education, and indeed has helped establish post-graduate opportunities for students of the pure and applied sciences.

UNESCO's Communications and Information Program has worked to help developing countries to improve both the information and communications infrastructure and the content provided through that infrastructure. For many people in developing nations, the mass media are the most available means of access to scientific information, and thus it is critical that the content broadcast through the media be appropriate for their needs and interests.

Thus one way to promote peoples rights to scientific knowledge and its application is to support UNESCO and its programs.

John Daly
(The ideas expressed in this editorial are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Americans for UNESCO.)

Read about UNESCO's celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

"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 combines history and sociology to provide the reader with an understanding of the current problems of slavers (and there are tens of millions of slaves in the world) in their historical context.

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.

Editorial: UNESCO Withdraws from RWB Online Free Expression Day

Reporters Without Borders last week launched the "Online Free Expression Day".

“From now on, we will organise activities every 12 March to condemn cyber-censorship throughout the world,” Reporters Without Borders said. “A response of this kind is needed to the growing tendency to crack down on bloggers and to close websites."

The organization has issued an updated list of “Internet Enemies” as part of its actions to mark this day.

There are 15 countries in this year’s Reporters Without Borders list of “Internet Enemies” - Belarus, Burma, China, Cuba, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Zimbabwe. There were only 13 in 2007. The two new additions to the traditional censors are both to be found in sub-Saharan Africa: Zimbabwe and Ethiopia.

“This is not at all surprising as these regimes regularly hound the traditional media,” Reporters Without Borders says in the introduction to its report.“Internet penetration is very slight, but nevertheless sufficient to give them a few nightmares. They follow the example of their seniors and draw on the full arsenal of online censorship methods including legislation, monitoring Internet cafés and controlling ISPs.”

There is also a supplementary list of 11 “countries under watch.” They are Bahrain, Eritrea, Gambia, Jordan, Libya, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and Yemen. Unlike the “enemies,” these countries do not imprison bloggers or censor the Internet massively. But they are sorely tempted and abuses are common. Many of them have laws that they could use to gag the Internet if they wanted. And the judicial or political authorities often use anti-terrorism laws to identify and monitor government opponents and activists expressing themselves online.

Simultaneously, RWB reported:

Reporters Without Borders learned last night that UNESCO has withdrawn its patronage for today’s Online Free Expression Day. We were notified of the decision by the director of its Freedom of Expression, Democracy and Peace Division. Defending the move, UNESCO said it gave its patronage for the “principle of this day” but could not support the various demonstrations organised to mark it.

UNESCO's charter calls for it to support freedom of information and the press, and UNESCO has supported RWB in the past:

More than a third of the world's people live in countries where there is no press freedom. Reporters Without Borders works constantly to restore their right to be informed.

I was unable to find an explanation on the UNESCO website of its withdrawal, and indeed I was unable to find any mention of "Online Free Expression Day." However, the Latin American News Agency (headquartered in Havana, Cuba) Prensa Latina reports:

A UNESCO diplomatic source told Prensa Latina on Wednesday that the UN body had made the decision based on RSF´s "reiterated lack of ethics" and its attempts to discredit a given number of countries.

UNESCO"s profile or purposes are not in line with RSF"s performance for sensationalist interest nor it is acting as a court of inquisition for developing nations, the source said.

For this and other causes the UN body definitely declared the relation with RSF closed, and excluded any kind of collaboration in the future.

Editorial comment: It has always seemed to me that Reporters Without Borders is a highly reputable organization, performing an important function. I agree that the analysis by RWB is probably correct:

“We are not fooled,” Reporters Without Borders said. “Several governments on today’s updated list of 15 ‘Internet Enemies’ put direct pressure on the office of the UNESCO director general, and deputy director general Marcio Barbosa caved in. UNESCO’s reputation has not been enhanced by this episode. It has behaved with great cowardice at a time when the governments that got it to stage a U-turn continue to imprison dozens of Internet users.”

The United States Government should investigate UNESCO's conduct in this matter. If indeed UNESCO has yielded to the pressures of countries identified by RWB as impinging on freedom of expression on the Internet and is withdrawing from its charter responsibilities to safeguard freedom of expression the U.S. Government should make the strongest possible protest.

John Daly
(The opinion is that of the author and does not necessarily represent that of Americans for UNESCO.)

UNESCO Supports Environmental Journalism in Central Asia

Journalists from across Central Asia learned the basics of covering environmental issues on the web at a workshop in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan in late November.

The Digital Informational Network on Environment and Sustainable Development in Central Asia and Russia (CARNet) organized the regional training of trainers workshop, launched within the framework of UNESCO’s International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC) project Training in Central Asia in Reporting Environmental News Online. Fifteen journalists from five Central Asian countries (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan), participated to acquire the skills necessary to practice environmental journalism on the web – and spread the knowledge to more journalists in their countries.

The workshop drew widespread praise in Central Asia. The environmental ministers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan signed a letter supporting the goal of advancing trainers on education for sustainable development within the framework of UNESCO activities. The Interstate Commission on Sustainable Development for Central Asia (ICSD) formally backed the course as well, noting that the organization of such events will greatly enhance implementation of the Aarhus Convention, increase public awareness and improve the quality and timeliness of reporting on environmental issues.

The Chairman of the Tajik Government Committee on the Environment, Mr. Khursandkul Zikirov, voiced his support for the effort as well: “In my country, we are constantly looking for ways to improve interaction amongst journalists. For example, we organize press conferences for journalists twice a month in Tajikistan. But unfortunately the use of Internet technologies is not yet sufficiently widespread. I very much hope that with the support of UNESCO and through this initiative to improve the skills of journalists, we will address this issue and facilitate the rapid dissemination of information.”

UNESCO’s IPDC supported participants from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Trainers from Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan participated with co-financing from the Regional Environment Centre for Central Asia.

UNESCO commemorates the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

On 10 December 2008, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights will be 60 years old. UNESCO and all of its networks are organizing numerous events around the world to promote the rights contained in this Declaration and to offer a better understanding of the contribution made by UNESCO to develop the 4 rights which fall within its fields of competence.

Read more about:

• The overall approach of UNESCO to human rights
  
• The events run by the natural sciences program
• UNESCO's Dissemination of Knowledge on Human Rights
  

U.S. Database of World Heritage and Other Protected Area Images

Artificial Color Image of Area Around Mt. Kenya

The Global Land Cover Facility of the University of Maryland maintains The World Database of Protected Areas.

The WDPA Consortium provides a focal point through which information and ideas are both pooled and shared. The Consortium members through their own projects and programmes and by tapping into a network of in-country expertise, perform a vital information-gathering role. After such information has been entered into the WDPA, the Consortium provide a quality control function by cross checking/evaluating data holdings and suggesting improvements.

The areas covered include:

• UNESCO World Heritage Natural and Mixed Sites
• UNESCO Man and Biosphere Reserves
• Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar)
• ASEAN Heritage Declaration Sites
• International Maritime Organization (IMO) Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas

as well as sites designated within many individual countries.

JAXA to Monitor World Heritage Sites

World Heritage sites have another valuable watchdog to monitor them from space per an agreement signed yesterday. Director General of UNESCO Koïchiro Matsuura and Dr. Keiji Tachikawa, president of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), signed an agreement that indicates JAXA will assist UNESCO in using space technology to examine and protect World Heritage sites such as the Great Wall.



This agreement brings the latest satellite technology to UNESCO member states and adds a significant member to the "Open Initiative on the use of space technologies for World Heritage sites” formed in 2001. The inclusion of JAXA in this group also mobilizes the Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS or also known as the Daichi) for the study and protection of World Heritage sites. For the full article and information on other space initiatives, click here.

Engineering Report Soft Release at the World Engineering Convention

The first ever international report on engineering from UNESCO, and it is intended to:

• Identify issues and challenges facing engineering
• Promote better public understanding of engineering and its role in society, and
• Highlight ways of making engineering and engineering education more attractive to young people, especially women

The report had a "soft launch" this week at the World Engineers’ Convention in Brasilia on 2-6 December 2008, and be published at UNESCO in spring 2009.

The U.S. Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning System

The U.S. Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning System (IOTWS) Program was funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented from August 1, 2005, to March 31, 2008. The $16.6 million US program involved several partner agencies with specialized expertise and technical resources for the region. In addition to USAID, these agencies included:

• the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
  
• the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS),
  
• the U.S. Department of Agriculture/Forest Service (USDA/FS), and
  
• the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA).
  

USAID’s Regional Development Mission for Asia (RDMA) in Bangkok managed the program with the coordination support of a contractor that served as the Program Integrator (PI), a consortium of technical organizations led by the IRG-Tetra Tech Joint Venture and including the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC) and the University of Rhode Island.

The objective of the U.S. IOTWS Program was to provide strategic support to the international effort led by UNESCO's Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission to develop an operational IOTWS that provides integrated end-to-end capabilities at the regional, national, and local levels within a multi-hazard framework.

Following the December 2004 Tsunami, the international community took a series of steps to initiate a coordinated effort to develop an Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System (IOTWS). Working through a series of meetings convened by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), the governments of the region agreed to develop an IOTWS within an interconnected network to be coordinated through an Intergovernmental Coordination Group (ICG) under the auspices of the IOC.

Following completion of the Program, U.S. Government agencies and Program partners will continue to provide technical guidance and capacity building through to help ensure the long-term sustainability of Program tools, products, and initiatives.

Click here for further information on the Program activities, outcomes, and plans for sustainability.

International Conference on Water Scarcity, Global Changes and Groundwater Management Responses

The UNESCO International Conference on Water Scarcity, Global Changes and Groundwater Management Responses is taking place December 1-5 at the University of California-Irvine.

Conference attendees will attempt to develop innovative technologies and approaches to address water scarcity and the effects of global climate change on water availability and quality.

The event brings together leading water management and climate change experts, scientists, engineers, policy-makers, lawyers, economists, and executives of water services from local and regional authorities.

International Conference on Water Scarcity, Global Changes and Groundwater Management Responses

The UNESCO International Conference on Water Scarcity, Global Changes and Groundwater Management Responses is taking place December 1-5 at the University of California-Irvine.

World AIDS Day 2008

UNESCO is committed to reducing the impact of the HIV epidemic. As one of the founding members of UNAIDS and one of the ten Cosponsor organizations, its response to HIV and AIDS is one of its key priorities.

UNESCO’s contribution is interdisciplinary. Efforts to combat HIV and AIDS are driven by the scientific discovery, research and scientific knowledge of the virus. The Organization therefore has a vital role to play in the promotion and support related to the dissemination of scientific information on:

• the biology of infectious organisms generally, and specifically about HIV
• advances in basic research in the area of HIV and AIDS and its role in combating the pandemic.

Related links:
:: Message from UNESCO Director-General (.pdf)
:: UNESCO's activities to commemorate the World AIDS Day 2008 (More)
:: UNESCO's activities worldwide (More)
:: UNESCO Intersectoral Programme (More)
:: UNESCO Education and HIV and AIDS (More)
:: UNESCO Natural Sciences and HIV and AIDS (More)
:: UNESCO Culture in response to and HIV and AIDS (More)
:: UNESCO Communication and Information on HIV and AIDS (More)

UNESCO, TWAS and SESAME

Science magazine recently covered the meeting of the Third World Academy of Sciences, noting that there had been considerable interest in South-South scientific cooperation. With the scientific growth of China, India and Brazil there is an increasing capacity for such cooperation.

Mambillikalathil G. K. Menon, a TWAS founder who advises India's Space Research Organization, is calling for projects funded by developing nations that might parallel Europe-wide ventures such as the European Space Agency and CERN......

One such regional effort seems likely to succeed, says Moneef R. Zou'bi, director general of the Islamic World Academy of Sciences: the Synchrotron-light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East (SESAME). It brings together scientists from 10 Middle Eastern countries to conduct experiments at a relocated German synchrotron that will start operating next year in Jordan.

SESAME was created under the auspices of UNESCO, and came into existence as an intergovernmental organization (IGO) on 15 April 2004.

TWAS & UNESCO

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is responsible for the administration of TWAS finance and staff, based on an agreement between the two organizations and the Italian government which provides the Academy with its core funding. TWAS collaborates closely with UNESCO's Natural Sciences Sector. Together with ICSU and UNU/IAS, TWAS and UNESCO co-sponsor the joint visiting scientist programme. UNESCO also provides financial support for the TWAS associateship programme at centres of excellence in the South.

"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