UNESCO-private sector partnerships: making a difference; 2006

UNESCO-Private SectorPartnerships:

Making a Difference

UNESCO is a multi-stakeholder forum which seeks to bring the best out of a variety

of global, regional, national and local networks. Our primary purpose, therefore, is not the

generation of supplementary funds but the promotion of linkages and dialogue through

which private and corporate entities can contribute to peace, development and other goals

pursued by the Organization.

Koïchiro Matsuura Director-General, UNESCO

’’‘‘

Ovveerr tthhee ppaasstt ffeeww yyeeaarrss,, tthhee nnuummbbeerr

ooff UUNNEESSCCOO’’ss ppaarrttnneerrss ffrroomm tthhee pprriivvaattee

sseeccttoorr hhaass iinnccrreeaasseedd ttoo sseevveerraall hhuunnddrreedd,,

rraannggiinngg ffrroomm mmuullttiinnaattiioonnaall ccoommppaanniieess,, ttoo

ssmmaallll aanndd mmeeddiiuumm ssiizzeedd eenntteerrpprriisseess,,

pphhiillaanntthhrrooppiicc ttrruussttss aanndd ffoouunnddaattiioonnss,, eeccoonnoommiicc

aanndd bbuussiinneessss aassssoocciiaattiioonnss aanndd iinnddiivviidduuaallss..

FFuurrtthheerrmmoorree,, tthhee ssccooppee ooff UUNNEESSCCOO’’ss

ppaarrttnneerrsshhiippss wwiitthh tthhee pprriivvaattee sseeccttoorr hhaass

eevvoollvveedd aanndd rreeaacchheedd aa nneeww ssttrraatteeggiicc lleevveell..

IInn aaddddiittiioonn ttoo ttrraaddiittiioonnaall pphhiillaanntthhrrooppiicc aanndd

ssppoonnssoorrsshhiipp rreellaattiioonnsshhiippss,, UUNNEESSCCOO aanndd tthhee

pprriivvaattee sseeccttoorr nnooww wwoorrkk ttooggeetthheerr bbyy sshhaarriinngg

rreessoouurrcceess aanndd eexxppeerrttiissee ttoo ddeevveelloopp ppaarrttnneerrsshhiipp

pprrooggrraammmmeess.. TThheessee pprrooggrraammmmeess pprroommoottee

aaddvvooccaaccyy,, eennhhaannccee ppoolliiccyy ddiiaalloogguuee,, bbuuiilldd

iinntteerrnnaattiioonnaall rruulleess aanndd nnoorrmmss,, hhaarrnneessss mmaarrkkeettss

ffoorr ddeevveellooppmmeenntt,, aanndd ccaarrrryy oouutt pprroojjeeccttss tthhaatt

ccoonnttrriibbuuttee ddiirreeccttllyy ttoo ttaacckklliinngg gglloobbaall

cchhaalllleennggeess,, aacchhiieevviinngg wwiiddee rreeaacchh aanndd ggrreeaatt

iimmppaacctt..

WWoorrkkiinngg iinn ffiivvee ffiieellddss ooff ccoommppeetteenncceess --

eedduuccaattiioonn,, nnaattuurraall sscciieenncceess,, ssoocciiaall aanndd hhuummaann

sscciieenncceess,, ccuullttuurree aanndd ccoommmmuunniiccaattiioonn aanndd

iinnffoorrmmaattiioonn -- UUNNEESSCCOO iiss aabbllee ttoo ssuuppppllyy

ppaarrttnneerrsshhiipp ooppppoorrttuunniittiieess ttoo tthhee pprriivvaattee sseeccttoorr

iinn aannyy oonnee ooff tthheessee ffiivvee sseeccttoorrss aanndd aaccrroossss

tthheessee ddiiffffeerreenntt sseeccttoorrss,, ffoorrggiinngg iinntteerr--ddiisspplliinnaarryy

aanndd mmuullttii--ddiisspplliinnaarryy ppaarrttnneerrsshhiippss.. TThhuuss,,

UUNNEESSCCOO’’ss ssppeecciiffiicc ggooaallss aanndd aasssseettss pprroovviiddee

ppaarrttnneerrss wwiitthh aa uunniiqquuee ssttrraatteeggiicc eennggaaggeemmeenntt

ppllaattffoorrmm ffoorr ttaacckklliinngg gglloobbaall ddeevveellooppmmeenntt

cchhaalllleennggeess aanndd ccoonnttrriibbuuttiinngg ttoo tthhee aalllleevviiaattiioonn

ooff ppoovveerrttyy.. UUNNEESSCCOO’’ss ccoorree pprrooggrraammmmeess --

EEdduuccaattiioonn ffoorr AAllll,, pprroommoottiioonn ooff ccuullttuurraall

ddiivveerrssiittyy,, ssaaffeegguuaarrddiinngg ooff tthhee wwoorrlldd’’ss wwaatteerr

rreessoouurrcceess,, ddeevveellooppiinngg eeqquuiittaabbllee kknnoowwlleeddggee

ssoocciieettiieess aanndd ffoosstteerriinngg tthhee eetthhiiccaall ddiimmeennssiioonnss

ooff sscciieenncceess -- rreepprreesseenntt aa rriicchh ppoorrttffoolliioo ooff

iinntteerrffaacceess wwiitthh tthhee ssppeecciiffiicc iinntteerreessttss aanndd

ccaappaacciittiieess ooff tthhee pprriivvaattee sseeccttoorr.. UUNNEESSCCOO ooffffeerrss

ttoo eexxpplloorree tthheessee iinntteerrffaacceess tthhrroouugghh aa vvaarriieettyy ooff

mmooddaalliittiieess aanndd tthhee aaccttiivvee ppaarrttiicciippaattiioonn ooff iittss

ppoowweerrffuull gglloobbaall,, rreeggiioonnaall,, nnaattiioonnaall aanndd llooccaall

nneettwwoorrkkss..

UUNNEESSCCOO ccoonnssiiddeerrss wwoorrkkiinngg wwiitthh tthhee pprriivvaattee

sseeccttoorr aass aa nneecceessssiittyy nnoott aann ooppttiioonn..

PPaarrttnneerrsshhiippss bbeettwweeeenn UUNNEESSCCOO aanndd tthhee pprriivvaattee

sseeccttoorr hhaavvee pprroovveedd ttoo bbee eexxttrreemmeellyy ssuucccceessssffuull

bbeeccaauussee tthheeyy aarree bbaasseedd oonn ccoommmmoonn vvaalluueess

aanndd ssyynneerrggeettiicc iinntteerraaccttiioonn.. BByy eennaabblliinngg

tthhee pprriivvaattee sseeccttoorr ttoo eennggaaggee ddiirreeccttllyy iinn

ddeevveellooppmmeenntt pprrooggrraammmmeess,, tthheessee ppaarrttnneerrsshhiippss

aallllooww ttoo mmoobbiilliizzee ssiiggnniiffiiccaanntt rreessoouurrcceess ffoorr

tthhee oobbjjeeccttiivveess sseett oouutt bbyy UUNNEESSCCOO’’ss MMeemmbbeerr

SSttaatteess..

RReessppoonnssiibbllee bbeehhaavviioorr,, gglloobbaall cciittiizzeennsshhiipp,,

ssoolliiddaarriittyy aanndd ppeeaaccee aarree aatt tthhee cceennttrree ooff

UUNNEESSCCOO’’ss vvaalluuee pprrooppoossiittiioonnss.. TThheeyy aallssoo mmaakkee

ggoooodd lloonngg--tteerrmm bbuussiinneessss sseennssee bbyy ppoossiittiioonniinngg

tthhee pprriivvaattee sseeccttoorr aanndd,, iinn ppaarrttiiccuullaarr,, tthhee

bbuussiinneessss ccoommmmuunniittyy aass kkeeyy ddrriivveerrss ooff

ssuussttaaiinnaabbllee ddeevveellooppmmeenntt.. TThhrroouugghh

ppaarrttnneerrsshhiippss,, UUNNEESSCCOO aalllloowwss pphhiillaanntthhrrooppiicc

aanndd bbuussiinneessss ssttrraatteeggiieess ttoo mmaattcchh mmoorree

eeffffeeccttiivveellyy wwiitthh tthhee nneeeeddss ooff tthhee ccoommmmuunniittiieess

iinn wwhhiicchh tthhee pprriivvaattee sseeccttoorr ooppeerraatteess..

TThhiiss bbrroocchhuurree pprreesseennttss ssoommee eexxaammpplleess ooff

UUNNEESSCCOO’’ss ccuurrrreenntt ppaarrttnneerrsshhiippss wwiitthh tthhee pprriivvaattee

sseeccttoorr.. IItt aallssoo pprroovviiddeess iinnffoorrmmaattiioonn oonn ssppeecciiffiicc

ooppppoorrttuunniittiieess ffoorr ddeevveellooppiinngg nneeww iinniittiiaattiivveess

jjooiinnttllyy,, iinn oorrddeerr ttoo mmaakkee aa ttrruuee ddiiffffeerreennccee ffoorr

tthhee ppeeooppllee ooff tthhee wwoorrlldd..

Ahmed SayyadAssistant Director-General

for External Relations and Cooperation

chemise private_UK last 1/11/06 16:51 Page 2

UNESCO’s vast global networks are one of its principal assets.

With 191 nations as Member States, UNESCO has more than 50 Field Offices around the world.

They work together with regional organizations, national governments, and civil society

partners to deliver programmes and activities on the ground.

Institutes and Centres, such as the UNESCO Institute for Water Education in the Netherlands and

the UNESCO Institute for Statistics in Canada, are essential institutional branches of UNESCO.

They work to build capacities of Member States in UNESCO’s fields of competence by training

professionals, conducting research, providing statistics, and setting standards.

The National Commissions for UNESCO form a vital link between UNESCO and civil society.

Set up by each Member State, they initiate and coordinate national governmental and non-

governmental actions to advance UNESCO’s mandates.

In addition, there is a diverse range of other specialized intergovernmental bodies to provide

essential mechanism for global cooperation for UNESCO’s programmes, such as the

Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) and the World Heritage Committee. They

are supported by their regional, national, and local entities such as, for example, the five IOC

Regional Committees, and more than 800 UNESCO World Heritage sites in over 135 countries.

Furthermore, more than 400 intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations and

3,600 clubs, centres and associations maintain close working relationships with UNESCO, and

hundreds of other groups and organizations work with UNESCO on specific projects. About

8,000 institutions in 176 countries are members of UNESCO’s Associated Schools Project -

ASPnet, which provides grassroots support for basic and secondary education. At the level of

higher education, the University Twinning and Networking Scheme (UNITWIN) and the

UNESCO Chairs programme work to build relationships across national boundaries so that

universities and colleges can share their research and expertise. There are now over

600 established Chairs and UNITWIN networks in 121 countries, involving thousands of

academics, scholars and graduate students, as well as other partners from economic bodies

and civil society.

UNESCO’sGlobalNetworks

UNESCO’s G lobal Networks


Partnersh ipFrameworkPartnersh ip Framework

UNESCO works to build partnerships with the private sector within the framework of “The

United Nations Global Compact”, and the “Guidelines on Cooperation between the United

Nations and the Business Community of July 2000”.

The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr Kofi Annan, challenges world business leaders

to “embrace and enact” the Global Compact, both in their individual corporate practices and

by supporting appropriate public policies. The Global Compact, which is a set of ten universal

principles for business concerning human rights, labour, the environment and anti-corruption,

offers engagement opportunities to all participants from businesses through dialogue, information

sharing and learning, and partnership projects.

The guidelines recognizes that United Nations’ relationship with the business community has

become more important as the role of business in generating employment and wealth through

trade, investment and finance has grown, and as UN Member States have increasingly stressed

the importance of private investment in development.

The guidelines also recognizes that the business community is increasingly appreciative of the

role of the United Nations in promoting peace and security, in providing norms and standards

in such diverse areas of trade and services, and in addressing issues of vulnerability, poverty,

environmental degradation and social conflicts, because all of these are seen as helping

to provide a stable and favourable framework for business and development.

The report “We the Peoples: Civil Society, the United Nations and Global Governance” (the

Cardoso Report), presented by the Panel of Eminent Persons on United Nations-Civil Society

Relations to the United Nations General Assembly in June 2004, is another milestone in the

UN’s relationship with the private sector, which it positions as a major component of the UN’s

alliances with civil society. It points out: “the rise of civil society is indeed one of the landmark

events of our times. Global governance is no longer the sole domain of Governments. The

growing participation and influence of non-State actors is enhancing democracy and reshaping

multilateralism. Civil society organizations are also the prime movers of some of the most

innovative initiatives to deal with emerging global threats”.

Within this overall framework, UNESCO has developed and formulated a full set of policies for

enhancing its relations with civil society, which underpins all of UNESCO’s strategies and

operations in working together with the private sector to create innovative partnerships which

contribute to sustainable development and world peace and security.


Educat ion

Hewlett-Packard

World Economic

Forum

PROMOTING PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS IN BASIC EDUCATIONa partnersh ip with the Wor ldEconomic Forum

In recent years UNESCO has worked veryclosely with the World Economic Forum - the Geneva-based foundation whose membership includes the world’s 1,000 leading companies.

UNESCO shares the same view as the World Economic Forum that education isthe key for sustainable social and economicdevelopment, and that there is a growingneed to bring together global and localprivate sector companies to partner withgovernments of developing countries toaddress the needs for the advancement of education in these countries.

In 2004 and 2005, The World EconomicForum’s Financing for DevelopmentInitiative organized two roundtable meetings to discuss building public-privatepartnerships in basic education.

The first roundtable took place in Brasiliain November 2004, as a side event of thefourth meeting of the “High Level Groupon Education for All” of UNESCO. Key recommendations from the first roundtablewere reported to and shared with the participants of the High Level Groupmeeting. The High Level Group meetingcommuniqué stated: “Donor countries,international funding agencies and govern-ments must extend collaboration with the

private sector in the mobilization ofresources for the full EFA agenda”.

The second roundtable was hosted by UNESCO in Paris in April 2005. It was opened by the Director-General of UNESCO Koïchiro Matsuura, who emphasized the importance of partneringwith the private sector to meet theMillennium goal of achieving universal primary education in all countries by 2015.The second roundtable agreed on the needto build both global and local strategicalliances between corporate, public, and civil society sectors to enhancesocial and economic opportu-nities for learners, and to promote good practice in private sector support to public institutions.

ALLEVIATING BRAIN DRAIN INSOUTH-EAST EUROPEa partnersh ip with Hewlett -Packard

Since the Balkans conflict in the 1990s,many South-East European countries havesuffered greatly from the emigration ofskilled professionals. Up to two-thirds ofthe teaching and research staff has lefttheir universities, devastating higher education and scientific research.

In an effort to change this trend, UNESCOand Hewlett-Packard have developed a“Piloting Solutions for Alleviating BrainDrain” programme to help re-establish

fiches_partners_UK 1/11/06 16:47 Page 2

AmericanChamber

of commerce

MalagasyChamber of

Commerce

Coca ColaRotary

links between researchers who have stayedon in their own countries and those whohave left.

The project provides grid computing technology to universities in Albania,Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia,Montenegro and Serbia to assist teaching staff and researchers to accessinternational research networks, enter intointernational partnerships, and identifyfunding opportunities. It also gives financial support to encourage young scientists to remain in their country to carry out research.

By helping to build the human capital inthese countries, this partnership betweenUNESCO and Hewlett-Packard has contributed to cooperation and stability in this whole region, which serves as a catalyst for its successful integration intothe global community.

PROMOTION OF BASICEDUCATION FORMALAGASY CHILDRENa partnersh ip with RotaryInternat iona l , the Coca-Co laCompany, and the French –Malagasy Chamber of Commerce

The project of the “Promotion of BasicEducation for All Malagasy Children” is apartnership between UNESCO and RotaryInternational, the Coca-Cola Company andthe French-Malagasy Chamber ofCommerce, supported also by individualcontributions from a direct mail campaignin Switzerland.

The project, which provides “catch up” literacy classes, enables “out-of-school” children to complete the traditional five-year primary education cycle in ten months

through an accelerated primary educationcurriculum. The classes follow theAmbohitsoratra method, which uses story-based learning techniques.

After just 48 days of intensive learning, 75 per cent of the children who take partin the programme become familiar withreading, writing and numeracy. At the endof the course, younger children can transferinto the formal education system, whileolder learners can continue to the secondphase of a 36-day class that provides basictechnical and professional training. A totalnumber of 44,500 children have benefitedfrom the programme since 2001.

The programme, which is carriedout by UNESCO in collaborationwith the Government ofMadagascar, UNDP and WFP, provides businesses with anopportunity to become activelyengaged in a local communityinitiative that assists Madagascarto move closer to the second ofthe Millennium Goals of achievinguniversal primary education.

FIGHTING AIDS IN CHINA a partnersh ip with the Amer icanChamber of Commerce in Ch ina andHoglund Foundat ion

With the financial support from theAmerican Chamber of Commerce in China(AM-Cham China) and the HoglundFoundation, UNESCO’s Beijing office hassince 2004 piloted two projects to developcommunity-based responses to helpHIV/AIDS-affected children in China.

The projects are implemented in two ruralcommunities in central China to provideeducation and psychological support forchildren who have been orphaned or madevulnerable by HIV/AIDS.

The work of

UNESCO on the Brain

Drain Alleviation

project in South-East

Europe has enabled

HP to help several

universities in the

region to resume

their research and

teaching mission and

reconnect with the

scientific community.

Such objectives for

HP would have been

impossible to reach

alone without the

very strong partner-

ship of UNESCO.

Wayne JohnsonVice-President of UniversityRelations, Hewlett-Packard Company

‘‘

’’


ere

GBCf The projects’ activities included assessingat baseline level the needs of the childrenaffected by HIV/AIDS, developing community-based partnerships betweengovernmental and non-governmentalorganizations through participatory planning, training parents, teachers andhealth workers, providing financial supportfor children’s schooling and subsistence,and organizing community campaigns tofight against AIDS-related stigma anddiscrimination.

The project has contributed tremendouslyto the effort of fighting AIDS in China.

REINFORCING MOBILIZATION AGAINSTHIV/AIDSa partnersh ip with the G lobalBus iness Coa l i t ion (GBC)

A new partnership agreed in January 2006between UNESCO and the Global BusinessCoalition, will serve to advocate for greaterattention to prevention education in theglobal development agenda. The partnerswill press for adapting preventive educa-tion to the diversity of needs and contexts,for encouraging behaviour on the part of

all relevant actors that reduces risk and vulnerability to the effects of AIDS, and forincreases in public-private partnerships atthe local level between GBC member companies and UNESCO partners.

The Global Business Coalition againstHIV/AIDS, founded in 1997, is an alliance of 200 international companies, employingmore than 54 million people worldwide.

UNESCO and GBC have already workedtogether, organizing a joint forum atUNESCO Headquarters in December 2004.GBC encourages its members to committhemselves to the fight against the AIDSpandemic and helps them developHIV/AIDS policies adapted to their specificneeds, globally and locally, for the benefitof employees, families, and in some cases,

communities. In the fight against AIDS,UNESCO – one of the co-sponsors ofUNAIDS – focuses on prevention educationthrough EDUCAIDS, the global initiative onHIV/AIDS, which aims to raise awareness,increase knowledge and skills, and modifybehaviour and values so as to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS and its impact on theeducation sector. Future programmes willcreate synergy between the focus areas ofthe two organizations.


Educat ion

HCAabc

Foundation

FRIENDLY SCHOOLS IN EGYPT a partnersh ip with Hans Chr i s t ianAndersen abc Foundat ion

The poorest children are the first to dropout of schools. They are also the first toenter into under-age labour, to becomestreet children or victims of trafficking, orto suffer other forms of discrimination,exploitation and abuse. In Egypt, nearly1.6 million children between the ages of 8 and 15 are out of school.

Hans Christian Andersen abc Foundationcollaborates with UNESCO to support aschool project for children in need inEgypt, called “Friendly Schools for Childrenin Difficult Circumstances”. The project iscarried out in association with the EgyptianMinistry of Education and the World FoodProgramme (WFP) in Cairo.

Children at these innovative multi-grade“Friendly Schools” not only follow a specially developed curriculum, but also

are taught with methodsspecially designed fortheir needs. To encourageclass attendance, the children are also givenlunches and clean clothes.

The project complementsthe Egyptian Government’seffort in trying to encourage these childrento re-enter the school system.

Since April 2005, twenty-two “Friendly Schools”have been established in Egypt, ten ofwhich are financed by the Hans ChristianAndersen abc Foundation. The project has brought hope for a better future to the street childrenthroughout Egypt.

Similar activities are now being planned forYemen, Sudan, Jordan and Lebanon.


L’Oréal

Natura l Sc iences

“FOR WOMEN IN SCIENCE” a partnersh ip with L’Oréa l

The L’Oréal-UNESCO “For Women inScience” programme is one of the world’sleading awards programmes.

This partnership is developed with theobjective of improving the position ofwomen in science and creating new careeropportunities for women scientists world-wide. It endeavours to contribute to thethird Millennium Goal “to promote genderequality and empower women”.

The L’Oréal-UNESCO programme has threecategories. The first – the L’Oréal-UNESCOAward, worth US$100,000 per award, celebrates each year the achievements offive outstanding women research scientistsfrom five continents: Africa, Asia-Pacific,Europe, Latin America, and North America.The jury includes Nobel Prize winning scientists. The second – the L’OréalFellowship, worth up to US$40,000 each, isawarded to three winning women scientistsfrom each of the above five continents inorder to contribute towards their doctoralor post-doctoral research projects. Thethird category includes national initiativessuch as national sciences fellowships andmentoring programmes that involveNational Commissions for UNESCO andL’Oréal branch offices.

Since its creation, the “For Women inScience” programmehas recognized theachievements of over 100 women scientists from more than 45 countries.

L’Oréal’s commit-

ment alongside

UNESCO in the For

Women in Science

partnership is a

concrete expression

of our firm intention

to promote women

in scientific research

and to participate in

the creation of new

careers throughout

the world.

Sir Lindsay Owen-JonesChairman of the Board of Directors, L’Oréal

‘‘

’’

I am delighted to see

the role of women in science

highlighted, particularly in

the area of life sciences.

The commitment of a large

corporation like L’Oréal

alongside an organization like

UNESCO is a perfect example

of the partnerships we can

forge with the private sector.

A cooperative venture like this,

which aims to involve more

and more women in the great

scientific adventure, leads to

progress not only in science

but also in society.

Koïchiro MatsuuraDirector-General, UNESCO

‘‘

’’

2005 winner Zohra Ben Lakhdar, Laureate of the Prize for the Africa Region. Professor of Physics, University of Tunis El Manar, Tunisia.

© Micheline Pelletier / Gamma, Paris


ZaragozaExpo 2008

“A DREAM OF WATER”a partnersh ip with Zaragoza Expo2008

The 58-minute documentary film “A Dream of Water” was produced byZaragoza Expo 2008, together withUNESCO and the World Water AssessmentProgramme (WWAP).

The documentary, shot in a variety of locations in Chile, the PalestinianTerritories, Israel, Benin, the Netherlands,and India, is part of a campaign againstwater misuse and mismanagement. It raised the awareness both about theimportance of sustainable use of waterresources, and also about the “InternationalDecade for Action - Water for Life, 2005-2015”.

After being presented to water experts and country delegations at UNESCO’sheadquarters in November 2004, the documentary film has now been distributedto different public broadcasting servicesaround the world.

The city of Zaragoza has also been selectedto host the International Expo in 2008. Inrecognition of the significance of the WaterDecade, the Expo will be organized as aninternational celebration of the dynamicrelationships between water and humansociety, as part of a global project on waterand sustainable development.

Natura l Sc iences


Cul tureture

SamsungPRESERVING INTANGIBLECULTURAL HERITAGEa partnersh ip with SamsungElect ron ics

As part of its corporate social investment,Samsung Electronics was interested inworking with UNESCO to support culturaldiversity, and in particular to increase theawareness of the world’s richly varied livingheritage and the need to safeguard it.

In December 2004, UNESCO and SamsungElectronics launched its partnership projectto promote the visibility of UNESCO’sefforts in preserving the world’s intangiblecultural heritage – languages, rituals, festi-vals, music and dance, and oral traditionssuch as story telling and songs.

This dynamic initiative included a numberof programmes. A documentary filmcalled “Our Living Heritage” was producedin collaboration with BBC World, togetherwith a series of short episodes on differentelements of the world’s living heritage.These programmes were aired on BBCWorld and donated to UNESCO. Otheractivities included producing a manual onhow to implement the Convention for theSafeguarding of the Intangible CulturalHeritage, developing the UNESCOIntangible Heritage website, and financingexhibitions, performances, lectures andworkshops at EXPO AICHI 2005 in Japan tocelebrate the world’s intangible culturalheritage.

GLOBAL ALLIANCE FORCULTURAL DIVERSITYa partnersh ip with 500 companies

The Global Alliance for Culture Diversity isa partnership between UNESCO and arange of public authorities, civil societyorganizations and businesses in order todevelop creative industries and copyrightprotection in developing countries andtransitional economies.

More than 500 businesses,from multinationals tosmall and mediumsized enterprises inthe fields of publish-ing, music, film,design, and crafts, arepartners in the Alliance.

Projects implemented in theAlliance included, for example:Motion Picture Association trainingindependent film producers in Colombia;Vivendi Universal training sound engineersfor African recording studios; SesameWorkshop developing quality televisionprogrammes for children in Palestine;Spanish publishing group Santillana train-ing staff for cultural goods outlets in Cuba;PRISA Media Group sponsoring a scholar-ship programme for students to learncopyright law; and Maxilivres, the Frenchand Belgian chain of bookshops, support-ing a book donation programme forAfrican libraries.

fiche Culture_3 volets_UK 1/11/06 16:42 Page 1

Discovery

Ford Foundation

All of these projects have been imple-mented in order to transfer knowledgeand promote best practice.

The Global Alliance has also initiated theidea of building a network of “creativecities”. This initiative works to link upcities and local industries in the fields ofcinema, design, folk arts, gastronomy, literature, media arts and music, with the purpose of promoting diverse culturalproducts in national and international markets, and encouraging innovationthrough the exchange of know-how.

SAVING ENDANGEREDLANGUAGESa partnersh ip with DiscoveryCommunicat ions Inc.

The diversity of languages is an essentialpart of our cultural diversity. However,out of the more than 6,000 languages that are currently being spoken, less than 3,000 are likely to survive to the next century.

In order to save the world’s endangeredlanguages, Discovery Communication Inc.entered into a partnership agreement withUNESCO and the UN Works Programme in2002 to safeguard our linguistic diversity.

Eighteen endangered languages and locations were identified in close consulta-tion and cooperation with experts and thegovernments of the countries concerned.Discovery Communications Inc. produced18 short television programmes to highlightthe world’s endangered languages. Thefirst nine episodes were filmed in Argentina,Canada, India, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico,the UK and Sweden, and broadcasted in2003. A further nine episodes were filmedin Australia, Croatia, Gabon, Guatemala,India, Lithuania, Malaysia, Panama and

South Africa, and broadcasted in 2004.Stories of the few remaining people whospeak these endangered languages werewatched by more than 100 million viewersinternationally on the Discovery Channel.

As part of the partnership, DiscoveryCommunications Inc. also produced a documentary called “Archives of Babel”,which showed the attempts of trying toreconstruct the world’s first language.

OBSERVATORY OFCULTURAL POLICIES IN AFRICAa partnersh ip with the FordFoundat ion

The Observatory of Cultural Policies inAfrica (OCPA) is a partnership betweenthe Ford Foundation and UNESCO thatwas forged in 2002 with the support ofthe African Union.

OCPA is governed by an internationalBoard composed of senior specialists inthe field of cultural policy who representthe various sub-regions of the African continent. The Board defines the majororientations of the observatory’s programme, approves its budget andsupervises its project implementation.

As an independent pan-African professionalorganization, OCPA views the developmentof national cultural policies in Africa andtheir integration into human developmentstrategies as its primary objective. OCPAmonitors the cultural life of the AfricanStates, offering policy-oriented information,and providing scientific research and operational services to facilitate the development of cultural policies in Africato meet the priority needs of the Africanstates. It works actively to promote networking and partnership activities

Discovery’s

partnership with

UNESCO and the UN

Works Programme

works to protect

cultural diversity

and helps to pro-

mote languages as

a means of commu-

nication and

exchange.

Judith A. McHalePresident and Chief OperatingOfficer, DiscoveryCommunications Inc

‘‘

’’


ry

rd ion Felissimo

with relevant bodies to mobilize human,financial, material and technical resourcesin the field of culture.

Through its online services, which include a website, an electronic newsletter and a database on African national culturalpolicies and institutions, OCPA acts both asa resource centre and as a regional coordinating and reporting body to provide services to those who are involvedin cultural research, cultural training, andcultural policy and decision making.

“DECISION 21” AND “TRIBUTE 21”a partnersh ip with Fe l i s s imo

The Felissimo Corporation (Japan) is one ofthe enterprises with an innovative spirit toproduce goods and services that are aimedat creating an alternative life style. Thisapproach has lead to the creation in 1995,on the occasion of the 50th anniversary ofUNESCO, a fruitful partnership betweenFelisimo and UNESCO. This partnershiphas two main projects. The first project –the international biennial competition“Decision 21” which started in 1995,invites young designers in the world to create and present an original vision of art of living in the new century.

The competition aims at stimulatingdynamic interactions among creators inorder to construct a new world of fashiontranscending national borders. The secondproject, entitled “Tribute 21”, was initiatedin 1997. Under this project, the revenuesfrom the sale of plates designed by eminent artists are channelled to UNESCOthrough Felissimo to support an artisticprogramme for children in post-conflict situations by creating a “DREAM Centre”(Dance, Read, Express, Art, Music) wherethey can express themselves in a protected

environment. At present, three Centreshave been opened in Kabul, Port-au-Princeand Phnom Penh. A third projec “HopeRings” is under preparation and will belaunched during the biennum 2006-2007.

PROTECTING BIODIVERSITYFOR THE FUTURE OFMANKINDa partnersh ip with the UnitedNat ions Foundat ion (UNF) and the United Nat ions Fund forInternat iona l Partnersh ips (UNFIP)

The UN Foundation was created in 1998with a US$1 billion contribution from TedTurner, founder of CNN, to support UN


UNF

UNFIP

Shell

causes and activities. The Foundationbuilds public-private partnerships toaddress the world’s most pressing problems.An overall framework agreement wassigned in 1998 between UNF and UNFIP, afund designed to receive grants exclusivelyfrom UNF, to achieve the goals and objectivesof the Charter of the United Nations.UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre has beenworking in partnership with the UNF andUNFIP on a number of projects, valued atUS$40 million, that aim to conserve theworld’s biological diversity.

The World Heritage Centre and UNF are alsocooperating to mobilize additional financialand technical resources to achieve long termconservation of World Heritage. As a result,UNF has enlisted the support of private sector corporations including Gillette,Vodafone, Expedia Inc and conservationorganizations such as the NatureConservancy, Conservation International, theWorld Conservation Society, the FrankfurtZoological Society and many others.

SHARING BUSINESS SKILLSWITH CONSERVATION SITEMANAGERSa partnersh ip with She l l Group

Through the transfer of its business skillsinto conservation organizations, the ShellGroup helps to protect the world’s most precious ecosystems by ensuring that thescarce resources available for conservationare used as effectively as possible. Withthe support of a Shell Foundation grant toUNESCO’s World Heritage Centre, and withthe World Heritage Centre staff acting asintermediaries, experienced Shell Groupmanagers have the opportunity to workclosely with World Heritage site managersover a period of one year or more, helpingthem design and implement business planning practices in their daily activities.

This pilot programme is part of UNESCO’s“Enhancing our Heritage” initiative, whichis based on the principle that many of thepolicies and processes used by successfulbusinesses, such as human resources management, risk management and strategic planning, can be successfullyapplied to protected areas managementagencies.

Starting from the Aldabra Atoll in theSeychelles – one of the world’s few nearlyun-touched ecosystems, and extending toBwindi Impenetrable National Park inUganda, one of the last homes of themountain gorilla, the project undertakes avariety of activities ranging from buildingmanagement capacity to helping developsustainable financing strategies.

THE RAPID RESPONSEFACILITY FOR WORLDHERITAGEa partnersh ip with the UnitedNat ions Foundat ion and F lora andFauna Internat iona l

Natural World Heritage Sites represent theworld's pre-eminent areas of biodiversity,and their identification and protection are key parts of the global community'sresponsibility for conservation. Whenemergencies / urgent situations occur, critical time is often lost funnelling appropriate financial resources to the site, during which precious natural world heritage values may be irreparably damaged.

The Rapid Response Facility (RRF) wasestablished by a joint effort betweenUNESCO’s World Heritage Centre, theUnited Nations Foundation and Flora andFauna International (a UK based conversationNGO) to provide timely and flexibleresources to address threats and emergencies

This programme

aims to demonstrate

that solving

problems using

business skills is

more effective than

simply using money.

Managers of

protected areas are

incredibly good at

science and

conservation, but the

real issues emerge in

project management,

business plans,

financial plans and

marketing. This is

putting these areas

under threat. There

needs to be greater

control, which is

something that many

managers of these

sites realize.

Chris WestDeputy Director, ShellFoundation

‘‘

’’


Flora & Fauna

TOI

affecting Natural World Heritage sites and surrounding areas of influence. TheRRF aims to:

� Mobilize funds to respond quickly toemergency situations;

� Provide bridging funds in places wherelonger-term funding is being sought, and;

� Catalyse innovative financing mechanismsas part of long-term support programmes.

Together, the World Heritage Centre, UNF,and FFI make up the “project coordinatinggroup”. They receive grant applications,select those that are eligible, and monitorthe implementation of conservation measures on the ground. The RRF is beingdeveloped and tested in an initial PilotPhase (2006-07), during which it willaward small grants. Approximately five orsix such grants will be available each year.The objective is to turn it into a permanentfacility for World Heritage sites in need ofrapid access to emergency support.

THE TOUR OPERATORS’INITIATIVEa partnersh ip with the Tour i smIndustry

The Tour Operators' Initiative forSustainable Tourism Development (TOI) is anetwork of over 20 tour operators, of allsizes and specialities, that have committedto incorporating sustainability principles

into their business operations. The Initiativewas developed with the support ofUNESCO’s World Heritage Centre, theUnited Nations Environment Programme(UNEP), and the World TourismOrganization (WTO/OMT), which are alsofull members of the Initiative and provideTOI with resources as well as guidance andtechnical advice. The Centre forEnvironmental Leadership in Business (atConservation International) is an activepartner of the TOI, providing technical andfinancial assistance in all of the Initiative’sareas of activity.

Together, the TOI members are takingaction in three key areas:

� Supply chain management – to developa common approach and tools forassessing suppliers;


Cul ture

� Cooperation with destinations – to exerta positive influence and speak with acollective voice on the actions of all partners, tourist boards, customers, suppliers, governments and developers;

� Sustainability reporting – to develop andtest reporting guidelines and performanceindicators on sustainable development.

Members of the Initiative are movingtowards sustainable tourism by committingthemselves to integrating sustainability intotheir business practices and by workingtogether to promote and disseminate methods and practices compatible with sustainable development.

PROMOTING WORLDHERITAGEa partnersh ip with the Media Industry

The World Heritage Committee hasadopted four strategic objectives thatinclude the need to communicate aboutthe World Heritage conservation processand sensitize all stakeholders to the need to preserve the world’s natural and culturalresources. UNESCO’s World Heritage Centrehas been cooperating with television producers, broadcasters and large pressnetworks and, as a result, a wide variety of publications and films have been developed.

One example is the recently developedpartnership between Hewlett-Packard andthe National Geographic Society, throughwhich the popular World Heritage map hasbeen re-designed and printed to create amore effective communication tool.Moreover, in future years, the associationof the digital technology and printing skillsof Hewlett-Packard and the NationalGeographic Society’s mapping expertisewill help to identify solutions to technicalrequirements imposed by the annualupdating process of such a publication.

Other projects include the Digital Archiveof Heritage conducted in partnership withNippon Hoso Kyokai (NHK), Japan’s publictelevision channel. Over 100 films onWorld Heritage produced by NHK aredonated to UNESCO for educational purposes and will ultimately be incorporated into a visual databank ofimages accessible by an international audience through the Internet. Other partnerships have been concluded withSüdwestrundfunk (Germany), EvergreenDigital Contents (Japan), and TokyoBroadcasting System (Japan) and have generated close to one thousand filmsabout World Heritage sites.


Microsoft

Communicat ion& Informat ion

The partnerships that UNESCO has establishedwith the IT industry in the area of communicationand information are joint ventures between anethically-based approach and high-level technicalknow-how. This approach corresponds to theGeneva Plan of Action, adopted by the WorldSummit on the Information Society in December2003, promoting actions that “build on andaccelerate public-private partnerships, focusingon the use of ICTs for development” (GenevaPlan of Action, paragraph 26 b).

BRIDGING THE DIGITALDEVIDEa partnersh ip with Microsoft

Building partnerships for bridging thedigital divide is the core of Microsoft’scorporate citizenship strategy.

In order to help bridge the digital divide andto use information and communication technology (ICT) to enhance education andsocial and economic development in theworld, Microsoft and UNESCO signed a globalcooperation agreement in November 2004 towork jointly on a range of programmes world-wide over a period of five years.

The agreement identified eight areas inwhich the partnership between Microsoftand UNESCO will provide significant benefit in developing countries:

� Education and learning;� Community access and development;� Cultural and linguistic diversity and

preservation;� Digital inclusion and capacity building;� Exchange and promotion of best practices

on the use of ICT for development programmes;

� Fostering web-based communities ofpractice, including contentdevelopment, knowledgesharing and empowermentthrough participation;

� Sharing expertise andstrategies.

A variety of projects have been developedwithin this framework of cooperation. For example, after identifying teacher-training as an area where the cooperationof Microsoft and UNESCO will make a realand lasting difference in the developingcountries of the whole Asia-Pacific region,Microsoft and UNESCO’s Bangkok FieldOffice developed the “Next Generation ofTeachers” project.

Working closely with the nationalEducation Ministries, the project helpsteacher-training institutions in theRegion to integrate computers and ICTinto their training programmes. Theproject follows a flexible approach,ensuring that learning tools and activitiesmeet the needs of individual countries.The project has contributed toeducation and learning in thewhole Asia-Pacific region.

IMPROVING THEUSE OF ICT INCLASSROOMSa partnership with Intel Corporation

In order to improve the use of informationand communication technology (ICT) inclassrooms worldwide, and to enable today’s

Bill Gates& Koïchiro Matsuura

Through

global citizenship

efforts and local

partnerships, one

of the ways we are

helping to strengthen

communities is to

extend the benefits

of technology to

the people that can

benefit most.

Bill GatesChairman, Microsoft

‘‘

’’


Communicat ion& Informat ion

Alenia Space

Intel CorpAlcatel

students to prepare for the demands oftomorrow, Intel has signed a Memorandumof Understanding with UNESCO to share itsresources with UNESCO in developing withother stakeholders (Cisco and Microsoft) amodel syllabus that will set global standardsin ICT knowledge and skills.

The syllabus will be used to strengthenteacher-training programmes and helpteachers to integrate ICT into the classroom.

As well as providing a basis to develop practical tools to help teachers in the class-rooms, the syllabus will also be designed ina way so that all education policy-makers,

course providers and teachers can use it tomake sure that training programmes andcourses will keep up with the changing ICTstandards and contents.

SPACE FOR SCIENCEa partnership with Alcatel Alenia Space

Alcatel Alenia Space recently entered into apartnership with UNESCO and the EuropeanSpace Agency to support the Space forScience Programme.

A high-performance communication networkfor the scientific community in South-EastEurope is a key tool not only for strengthening education and research inscience and technology, but also for

re-establishing scientific cooperation in theregion, as well as for facilitating the integration of this region into the pan-European scientific network.

The aim of the Space for Science project is to establish such a network that will bringtogether the complementary roles of satelliteand terrestrial networks to serve the scientificcommunities better and faster. Contentmanagement, interactive communicationcollaboration services and portal serviceshave been identified as the means to createa community feeling that facilitates long-term cooperation programmes. The networkcomprises several scientific disciplines such as

life sciences (biology and biotechnology);environment sciences (with priorities in agriculture, water and ecosystem management); materials sciences (high-energy physics and chemistry); computer sciences and telecommunication.

As part of the programme, Alcatel AleniaSpace is providing, from its premises inFrance, broadband satellite connectivity,multimedia satellite services, and otherapplications such as video conferencing toscientific education and research institutionsin Southern and Eastern Europe.

The project is under study to be expanded in South-East Europe and it is also hopedthat it will be replicated and adapted to benefit other countries in the world, in particular in Africa.

© UNESCO / Serge Daniel

ICT teacher

Training


Soc ia l & Human Sc iences

UNESCO, in its social and human sciences programming, has revised itsapproach on some initiatives with thespecific aim to bring in new privatesector partners.

Examples of partnerships today involveevent sponsorships, joint research andawareness raising, multilingual publishing,etc. One example is a project in Gangjin,China, where, in partnership with SpaceGroup (an architectural/urban design firmbased in Seoul, Korea) and the municipality,UNESCO is sponsoring an internationalexperts meeting and seminar on historicpreservation and the management ofchange in the urban area, which willspecifically examine Gangjin’s problemswith managing rapid growth. It isintended that this will support the planning of policy and urban designchanges in Gangjin.

This example reveals how UNESCO has a unique capacity to unite agents from the public and the private, even acrosscountries – from Korea to China in thiscase. This is perhaps the best argumentfor donors that are “internationalizing” to turn to UNESCO as a partner to identify projects.

Several initiatives in the social sciences andhumanities today are seeking sponsors orexpert collaborators. The subjects touch onsocial change, youth, migrations, health,scientific development, ethics, democracy,human rights, and violence, among othersocial science and humanities themes.There are even annual events around thesubject of promoting philosophy education.Precise descriptions of all partneringopportunities are collected in a bookletcalled “UNESCO SHS Guide to Partnerships”,which can be found online at www.unesco.org/shs/partnership


http://www.unesco.org/shs/partnership

Across -Sec tors

MONDIALOGOa partnersh ip with DaimlerChrys ler

UNESCO’s partnerships with the privatesector sometimes involve two or moreprogramme sectors of UNESCO, trulyreflecting UNESCO’s inter-disciplinarityand multi-disciplinarity.

In October 2003, DaimlerChrysler andUNESCO launched the “Mondialogo” partnership, which is coordinated byUNESCO’s Bureau of Strategic Planningwith the Science and Education sectors.

Mondialogo consists of three pillars: the“Mondialogo Engineering Award” foryoung engineers, the “Mondialogo SchoolContest” for students between 14 and 18years of age, and the “Mondialogo InternetPortal” available in five languages, whichcomplements and supports the projectactivities while also offering an online dialogue forum and intercultural magazine.

Mondialogo encourages global dialoguebetween young people from diverse cultural,religious and linguistic backgrounds. Itputs into practice UNESCO’s UniversalDeclaration on Cultural Diversity andencourages students and future engineersto think about new ways to develop intercultural learning and to achieve sustainable development.

Mondialogo Engineering AwardFinding sustainable solutions

The Mondialogo Engineering Award promotes cooperation among youngengineers around the world and supports

human and institutionalcapacity building forengineering and technologyin developing countries.

Students from industrialized and developing countries team up to worktogether over the course of one year to produce proposals for engineering applications that demonstrate excellence in applied engineering, help develop thetechnological infrastructures of developingcountries, and contribute to the MillenniumDevelopment Goals of eradicating povertyand achieving sustainable development.

The award aims to improve living conditions in developing countries by stimulating young engineers to create and share innovations that address basicneeds, such as the provision of water,food, medical services and housing.

An international jury assesses the awardproposals on the basis of sustainability,feasibility and level of intercultural dialoguedemonstrated in the development of the proposal. In 2004-2005, more than1,700 young engineers from 79 countriesparticipated, forming 412 internationalteams. Twenty-one of the best proposals,representing 28 countries, received anaward. Among them, five were selected for special jury recognition on the basis of their outstanding contributions.Representatives from the winning teamsgathered in Berlin for the award ceremonyand workshops on engineering’s contributions to sustainable developmentand poverty reduction. A second round of the award is anticipated for 2007.

As a global

company, we depend

on open minds,

respect and willingness

to learn from others.

Mondialogo is a

worldwide initiative

that appeals to the

hearts and minds of

young people.

Through Mondialogo,

we bring young

students together

to give them the

opportunity to learn

from other cultures,

break down prejudices

and discover new

perspectives.

Dieter ZetscheChairman of the Board ofManagement,DaimlerChrysler AG

‘‘

’’

Winner team UK-Cuba


Across -Sectors

DaimlerChrysler

ExhibitionNigeria-Azerbaijan

Mondialogo School Contest Learning to live together

The Mondialogo School Contest motivatesstudents between 14 and 18 years of ageto explore cultural diversity. The world-wide contest provides students with anopportunity to find out more about theirown cultures as well the cultures of others.

Each registered student team is paired upwith a student team from another country,usually another continent. Together, thepartnered teams select a topic aroundwhich to develop sustainable interculturaldialogue and a joint project with a tangibleresult. The joint projects may assume anyform of creative expression.

During the first Mondialogo SchoolContest launched in 2003, approximately1,500 teams took part, representing over25,000 students from 126 countries.Students developed games, composedmusic, produced plays, made films, compiled photographic documentaries and posters, wrote stories, created websites,and designed articles of clothing and jewellery. One student and one teacherfrom each of the 25 finalist partneredteams attended the first MondialogoSymposium – a four-day cultural eventheld in Barcelona in the autumn of 2004.

The overwhelmingly positive response tothe first contest paved the way for a new

and second Mondialogo School Contest,launched in 2005. This second contest2005-2006 registered 2,600 teams with35,400 students from 138 countries. Aninternational jury of prominent personalitieswill select the strongest 25 partneredteams, whose representatives will attendthe next Mondialogo Symposium inNovember 2006. The contest involvesUNESCO’s Associated Schools Project(ASPnet), a worldwide network of 7,900schools in 176 countries.

Mondialogo Internet PortalMaking it easy to communicate

The Mondialogo Internet Portal offerseveryone interested in interculturalexchange a forum for information andcommunication.

With separate website areas for both theMondialogo School Contest and theMondialogo Engineering Award, participantscan present and exchange their ideasabout specific activities. In addition, special fora have been created for teachersto explore issues surrounding interculturalteaching, for students to discuss contesttopics and creative approaches to problem-solving, and for young engineers and technicians to exchange information, build contacts and share ideas.

Visitors to www.mondialogo.orgare invited to exchange their knowledge and ideas with the participants of theMondialogo School Contest and theMondialogo Engineering Award, as well aswith experts and prominent representativesof different cultures, and with other visitors to the website.

As a central information and dialogue platform, the portal itself is an excellentexample of intercultural exchange.


http://www.mondialogo.org

LookingForward tothe Future

Through a well coordinated strategy and a pro-active approach, UNESCO works to ensure that

all the projects and activities in its five sectors actively pursue the following six of the eight

United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals:

• Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger;

• Achieve universal primary education;

• Promote gender equality and empower women;

• Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases;

• Ensure environmental sustainability;

• Develop a global partnership for development.

The last goal of “developing a global partnership for development” underpins the achievement

of all the others because the Millennium Development Goals can only be reached when all the

major partners, both public and private, work together in partnerships.

There are many programmes and activity strands in which UNESCO and the private sector can

work together to develop new and innovative partnerships.

Looking Forward to the FuturePr ior i t ies for cooperat ion


Education for All

The primary objective ofUNESCO’s education programme

is to achieve Education for All(EFA) in its broadest sense, that is

education for all, at all levels, through-out life.

The six goals of Education for All are to:

� Expand and improve early childhood careand education;

� Ensure free and compulsory primary education of good quality for all children by 2015;

� Promote learning and life skills pro-grammes for young people and adults;

� Expand adult literacy by 50 per cent by2015;

� Eliminate gender disparities in access toeducation in primary and secondary education by 2005 and achieve genderequality by 2015;

� Improve education quality, especially in literacy, numeracy and essential life skills.

Literacy

The United Nations General Assembly hasdeclared that the period from 2003 to 2012will be known as the United Nations LiteracyDecade. The Decade endorses the expandednotion of literacy, which is not limited to thegeneric skills of reading, writing and calculat-ing, but is instead a human right related to development. In particular, the Decade givesspecial attention to achieving a 50 per centimprovement in adult literacy by 2015, as wellas equitable access to basic and continuing education for all adults. It also focuses on

meeting the learning needs of those who areexcluded from quality learning. It will alsoplay a vital role in realizing the Millenniumdevelopment Goals that focus on eradicationof poverty.

UNESCO has the mandate to coordinate activities undertaken at the internationallevel during the Literacy Decade. To achievethis, UNESCO has established a strategicframework entitled “Literacy Initiative forEmpowerment (LIFE)”, which is aimed at creating learning opportunities for the illit-erate population, with a particular focus onwomen and girls. LIFE is operational in 35 countries where either the literacy rate is less than 50 per cent or there is a population of more than 10 million withoutliteracy competencies. LIFE activities arecountry-led and respond to each country’sspecific needs and priorities, contributing tothe achievement of the EFA goals 3, 4, and 5 and the Millennium Development Goals in these selected countries through theempowering of people with no or insuffi-cient literacy skills.

Teacher Training

The world is facing an acute and growingshortage of teachers. Currently, there are 60 million teachers in the world, butanother 15 to 35 million are needed inorder to achieve Education For All by 2015.UNESCO has launched a high priority initiative on Teacher Training in Sub-SaharanAfrica for the Decade 2006 to 2015. Itaddresses the critical issue of improving and expanding teacher education in thesub-Saharan region, where troubled educational and working conditions, as well

Looking Forward to the Future pr ior i t ies for cooperat ion

Education

fiches_forward to future_UK 1/11/06 16:41 Page 1

as the impact of the AIDS pandemic, havecreated significant teacher shortages andimpeded teacher quality. The programmefocuses on curricular reform, on design andimplementation of comprehensive teachereducation policies, on building new skills to help teachers meet the new needs of learners by training teachers to use technologies and distance education, andon developing networks of teacher traininginstitutions for joint activities and sharing ofresources and good practice. Gender equityand bridging the “gender digital divide” arealso taken into account in teacher prepara-tion and training.

Reducing the Impact of HIV andAIDS through Education and Media

UNESCO’s distinctive mix of fields of competence provides it with a unique inter-disciplinary experience that is particularlyappropriate for tackling HIV and AIDSthrough education.

EDUCAIDS is a multi-country initiative tosupport the implementation of comprehen-sive national educational responses to theHIV and AIDS pandemic – led by UNESCOwithin the UNAIDS programme. It is a partnership mechanism to assist countries toput in place and implement a comprehen-sive educational response – one that uses alleducational modalities (formal, non-formal,and informal), and all elements and compo-nents of an education system to address thepandemic in an effective and efficient way.

EDUCAIDS has been designed to work withinexisting development cooperation goals and mechanisms, assessing gaps in currentresponses and supporting countries in scaling up responses and filling those gaps.

Currently Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Burundi,Cambodia, China, Jamaica, Jordan,Kazakhstan, Lao PDR, Lebanon, Lesotho,Mozambique, Namibia, Switzerland, Syria,Thailand, Uzbekistan and Vietnam areengaged in activities under EDUCAIDS.

The mass media and community media,particularly Community Multimedia Centres (CMCs) have a major role to play in disseminating targeted and effective message, and in convincing parents, teachers and community leaders of the need to learn about HIV/AIDS.

UN Decade of Education forSustainable Development

In December 2002,the UN GeneralAssembly proclaimed the ten-year periodfrom 2005 to 2015as the “Decade ofEducation for Sustainable Development(DESD)” and designated UNESCO as the leadcoordinating agency for this UN initiative.

The purpose of the United Nations “Decadeof Education for Sustainable Development”is to integrate the values inherent in sustainable development into all aspects oftraining to encourage changes in behaviourthat will enable a more viable and fairersociety for everyone.

UNESCO views education for sustainabledevelopment as a process of learning how to make decisions that will consider the long-term future of the economy, ecology,and equity of all communities. During thisDecade, education for sustainable develop-ment will contribute towards producing citizens who will be capable of facing thechallenges of the present and the future,and decision-makers who will act responsibly to create a viable world.

Education for sustainable development isthe kind of education that cultivates respectfor diversity and for harmonious relation-ships between human and natural world,and the kind of education that builds capacities for the future.


Environmental Education

UNESCO is developing projects that take acreative approach to environmental educa-tion. One example of teaching materials isthe “Teaching Resource Kit for DrylandCountries” targeting primary and secondaryschools in countries affected by desertifica-tion. The kit will be released towards theend of 2006 by UNESCO’s science sector asa contribution to the UN “Decade ofEducation for Sustainable Development”.Among other projects, one might cite thefounding by UNESCO of a regional post-graduate school in the Democratic Republicof Congo to “Africanize” tropical forest management. The school blends the use of modern technologies (such as remote sensing) and a people-centred approach that involves students helping local rural communities to develop tree nurseries,renewable energies and other practices thatprotect the environment while alleviatingpoverty. The Great Apes Survival Project(GRASP) launched by UNESCO and UNEPsimilarly seeks to gain community supportfor the conservation of Great Apes and their habitat through awareness-building campaigns and the promotion of economicactivities that promote sustainable development, such as eco-industries and eco-tourism. The Division of Ecological andEarth Sciences is responsible for the

programmes cited here.

Water and AssociatedEcosystems

Water and Associated Ecosystems is the principal priority of UNESCO’s NaturalSciences Sector.

The freshwater programme of the NaturalSciences Sector is built around three pillars:

� International Hydrological Programme(IHP): The IHP uses an ecosystem approach tomanage water interactions sustainably. IHPseeks better ways to manage different waterresources, such as groundwater, urban waterand river basins, to meet the challenges ofextreme events, including floods, to resolvewater conflicts, and to understand the impactof global change on the water cycle. It operates through 166 IHP NationalCommittees and focal points across the world,which in many countries have significant policy and management roles. A growing network of centres deals with different aspectsof freshwater at the regional or internationallevel, all operating under the auspices ofUNESCO and working together to contributeto IHP. An example is theInternational Centre forWater Hazard and RiskManagement in Japan,which focuses on floods.

� UNESCO-Institute forWater Education (IHE): Asone of the largest graduate schools for waterin the world, UNESCO-IHE focuses on edu-cation and capacity- building in the field ofwater management, especially in the contextof developing countries. As an integral partof UNESCO, the Institute operates entirely onextrabudgetary resources.

� World Water Assessment Programme(WWAP): As a UN initiative hosted byUNESCO, WWAP produces the World WaterDevelopment Report. The second editionhas been distributed in March 2006 at theFourth World Water Forum in Mexico City.


Natural Sciences


Furthermore, UNESCO also plays an activerole in UN-Water, the inter-agency mecha-nism on freshwater.

The freshwater programme’s links withecosystems are developed through the eco-hydrological approach, which aims to focuson ecological processes in the water cycle,and through a focus on ecosystems withspecial hydrological characteristics, such aswetlands, mountains, islands or drylands.

International Decade for Action,Water for Life

In addition to the “Decade ofEducation for SustainableDevelopment”, the UN GeneralAssembly has also proclaimed the

ten-year period from 2005 to 2015as the “International Decade for Action,

Water for Life”.

This UN initiative calls for a greater focus onwater-related issues at all levels and on theimplementation of water-related programmesand projects. It also stresses that these water-related development efforts will needto ensure the involvement and participationof women.

UN-Water will be responsible for organizingand coordinating activities of the WaterDecade.

Building Capacity in the Basic andEngineering Sciences and in PolicyFormulation

UNESCO helps reinforce the capacities ofdeveloping countries in the basic and lifesciences, engineering and technology. Inpartnership with diverse funding agencies,UNESCO provides data, advice and technicalassistance so that governments can formu-late and implement effective science andtechnology policies and strategies.

The International Basic Sciences Programme(IBSP) is an international initiative tostrengthen national capacities through a network of centres of excellence in the basic sciences. The IBSP deals with projectsin mathematics, physics, chemistry, the life sciences and their interdisciplinary areas that serve national needs. One such projectinvolves training teachers, curriculum developers and university staff in microsciencemethodology. Microscience is an excitingand innovative way for school pupils to carryout practical experiments in science bymeans of very simple equipment that comesin the form of a kit for chemistry, biology,etc. The kit responds to a demand for cost-effective and safe practical experimentsin countries that are unable to provide secondary schools and training colleges withfully equipped laboratories. Over the pastdecade, a network of microscience trainingcentres has been set up in developing countries.

UNESCO’s Abdus Salam International Centrefor Theoretical Physics (ICTP) promotesresearch in physics and mathematics indeveloping countries, notably by offeringscientists training that can be applied intheir home countries. Based in Trieste (Italy),the centre hosts more than 4,000 scientists ayear and works with several academies ofsciences, including the Academy of Sciencesfor the Developing World (TWAS). The ICTPcomprises more than 600 fellows and associate fellows. It receives generous funding from the Government of Italy andthe International Atomic Energy Agency.

UNESCO promotes gender mainstreaming inscience and technology, as exemplified bythe awards recognizing excep-tional women scientists on everycontinent, created in a partner-ship with L’Oréal.

The Division of Basic andEngineering Sciences is responsible for the programmein basic and engineering sciences. The Division of Science


Policies for Sustainable Development isresponsible for the science policy programme.

Renewable Energy for Development

Lack of access to diverse and affordableenergy services means that the basic needsof nearly one-third of humanity are notbeing met. Achieving the MillenniumDevelopment Goal of halving, by 2015, theproportion of the world’s population earningless than one dollar per day will depend onwhether we are able to provide this popula-tion with access to modern energy services.

In addition to playing an advocacy role,UNESCO runs a Global Renewable EnergyEducation and Training (GREET) Programmewhose strategy is two-fold: (a) improving theuse and maintenance of renewable energytechnology; and (b) strengthening nationalcompetencies by favouring the exchange ofknowledge and experience.

UNESCO also supports pilot projects stimulating the use of renewable energy toimprove living conditions in rural areas,thereby contributing to local development.Hands-on pilot and demonstration projectsare still needed in many parts of the world.These pilot projects act as a catalyst for bigger projects by having a multiplier effectthat can then leverage additional funding.UNESCO has helped several countries toinstall solar electricity in public facilities(rural schools, pumping stations, health carecentres, maternity hospitals, etc.) in remotevillages. Solar electricity has a direct impacton the success rate of students in ruralschools by extending studies into theevening hours. Similarly, in maternity hospitals, solar water heating improveshygiene, thereby protecting mothers andtheir newborn infants from life-threateninginfections.

The Division of Basic and EngineeringSciences is responsible for this programme.

Natural Disaster Reduction

UNESCO contributes to the assessment andmitigation of natural hazards - earthquakes,volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, floods andlandslides, etc. - through various programmesthat are part of the UN InternationalStrategy for Disaster Reduction. Since theKobe World Conference on DisasterReduction in Japan in January 2005,UNESCO has been promoting new undertakings such as an international flood initiative, a coalition on education to integrate disaster resilience into school educational programmes, an alliance todevelop city disaster management plans inmega cities, and an early warning systemfor tsunamis in the Indian Ocean.

The Division of Basic and EngineeringSciences is responsible for this programme.

UNESCOIntergovernmentalOceanographicCommission (IOC)

The UNESCOIntergovernmentalOceanographicCommission (IOC) is theocean sciences and services focal point in the United Nations system, contributing tothe execution of theJohannesburg Plan ofImplementation adopted at the WorldSummit for Sustainable Development.

IOC supports the sustainable developmentand assessment of oceans and coasts byimproving the scientific understanding of the marine environment, setting international standards for the collectionand open exchange of ocean data, andbuilding the capacities of developing countries to use new knowledge and applynew tools.


Through the broad use of ICTs and its ocean portal, IOC coordinates networks of scientists, practitioners and decision-makers.In an effort to concentrate its actions and contribute to the fulfilment of relatedMillennium Development Goals, IOC leadsthe implementation of the Global OceanObserving System, with the climate compo-nent reaching 60 per cent of its plannedadvancement by the end of 2007.

Working together with the WorldMeteorological Organization, UN-ISDR andother key partners at international, regional,and national levels, the IOC is contributingthe expertise acquired during the past fortyyears towards the operation of the PacificTsunami Warning System. This internationalocean service supported by the InternationalTsunami Information Centre has – until now– been the only tsunami warning system inthe world. It is one of the most successful,long-term international cooperative programmes ever undertaken by the IOC, serving twenty-six Member States in thePacific region. Through the concerted actionof the 139 Member States of the IOC ofUNESCO, this experience is currently beingfast-tracked to help the nations of the IndianOcean to establish a full-fledged TsunamiWarning and Mitigation System, with an initial operational date for July 2006.Similar systems are being planned for theCaribbean, the Mediterranean and thenortheast Atlantic.

Man and the Biosphere Programmeand the World Network of BiosphereReserves

The Man and the Biosphere Programme(MAB) focuses on ecological, social and economic dimensions of the loss of biodiver-sity and how to reduce this loss. This is torespond to the 2010 target set by the WorldSummit for Sustainable Development andthe Convention on Biological Diversity.

For this, MAB promotes multi-partner initiatives in fields such as ecological dimensions of climate change, sustainableuse of biological diversity, the coastal-marineinterface, synthesis of knowledge and newresearch on selected ecosystems (on aridlands & humid tropics).

The main tool for MAB activities in the fieldis the World Network of Biosphere Reserves.

Over 450 sites worldwide form part of thisNetwork. They act as laboratories where biodiversity conservation and sustainabledevelopment approaches are tested anddeveloped. They are ideal places to designinnovative economic models that benefitlocal people and maintain cultures, biodiversity and associated values. ManyMember States also work with biospherereserves in their research and educationalprogrammes, including UN Decade ofEducation for Sustainable Development.

The Division of Ecological and EarthSciences is responsible for this programme.


Protecting and Promoting CulturalDiversity

The primary objective ofUNESCO’s Culture Programme

is to ensure worldwiderecognition of the urgentneed to protect and promote the world’s cultural diversity in its

manifold expressions as aguarantee for peace and

sustainable development of peoples, within and among societies.

Guided by this objective, future partnershipsbetween UNESCO and the private sector willaim at sustaining the diversity and wealth of cultural heritage in all its forms – physical,natural, as well as intangible cultural heritage which is embodied in human creativity and living cultures, in order topromote an ethically-rooted respect for values and symbolism which make up ourcultural identity.

It is indeed crucial for UNESCO to join forces with the private sector in order tostrengthen and better diffuse a reciprocalknowledge between and among peoplesand cultures, and their achievements whichare rooted in millennia of plural histories.Such partnerships with the private sector areessential in helping UNESCO reach out togenerations and diverse audiences for thebenefit of a greater respect for culturaldiversity.

The private sector offers a unique platformfor transferring such ethical commitment ofthe international community at large toactivities that preserve our common heritage

as a shared responsibility in order to achievesustainable development, notably throughthe protection of our common environment;through reconciling cultural heritage preservation and urban development;through heritage education; through facilitating linkages between cultural enterprises to boost capacity-building indeveloping countries to contribute topoverty reduction and income generation;through supporting the promotion of existing international legal instruments of UNESCO for the protection of cultural diversity and their application; through the transmission of traditional and secular know-how and history from generation to generation; and through fostering intercultural dialogue.

It is in this framework that we hope strategicpartnerships with the private sector will befurther promoted and established.

World Heritage

The World Heritage Convention of 1972 has been identifying places ofoutstanding universal value forover three decades. Althoughthe conservation of a WorldHeritage site is the responsibilityof the country where the site islocated, the survival of many ofthese culturally and naturallydiverse properties has relied onthe contributions from StatesParties to the World HeritageFund.

Today over 800 properties havebeen identified on the World


Culture


Heritage List and countries across the globeare joining together to conserve this heritage for future generations. With theever-increasing number of properties, theWorld Heritage Fund alone can no longerensure their long-term survival. Respondingto this crisis, UNESCO has launched theWorld Heritage Partnerships for Conservation(PACT) initiative to generate support andstrengthen the cooperation needed toensure adequate protection of these worldtreasures. The success of PACT depends onforming sustainable partnerships to mobilizeresources in order to consolidate andexpand existing levels of technical and management expertise.

The World Heritage PACT provides innovative ways for corporations, organizations and individuals to participatein safeguarding and conserving WorldHeritage. Creative alliances that meet organizations’ goals and individuals’ interests are encouraged in order to develop sustainable relations and mutuallong-term benefits.

Many partnership opportunities reflectingthe needs and priorities of the WorldHeritage Committee have been identified.They include site-specific projects where apartner can contribute both financially andtechnically to the long-term conservation ofa site. Emphasis in this context will beplaced on sites belonging to the List ofWorld Heritage in Danger. Moreover, it isalso possible to support World Heritage programmes that have been developed toimplement priority conservation action atsites. These programmes include themessuch as earthen architecture, sustainabletourism, cities, forests, small islands andmarine sites. Education and awareness-building at the local, national or international level is also an important partof the conservation process. In addition,there are many awareness-raising activitiesthat need support, including exhibitions, the development of interpretive materials,films, and publications such as the quarterlyWorld Heritage Review.

World Heritage in Young Hands

As part of the flagship project “WorldHeritage in Young Hands” launched in 1994with the UNESCO World Heritage Centre,UNESCO produced a kit for teachers on heritage education, tested in UNESCOAssociated Schools in many parts of theworld. This comprehensive interactive toolpresents the World Heritage Convention andlisted sites and proposes a range of practicalactivities. It has been translated into some25 languages. International youth fora onheritage, training seminars for teachers andyoung people and courses on a concrete approach to conservation areorganized under this project. Multimediamaterials (CD-ROM and DVD) have alreadybeen produced and more are in preparation.


The Promotion of ICTs forDevelopment

Everybody should have theopportunity to acquire the

skills in order to understand,participate actively in, and benefit

fully from the emerging knowledgesocieties.

In the spirit of the Action Plan of the WorldSummit on Information Society, whichencourages “a structured dialogue involvingall relevant stakeholders, including throughpublic and private partnerships, in devisinge-strategies for the Information Society andfor the exchange of best practices”, UNESCOhas been developing a series of multi-sectorpartnerships.

These actions are particularly centred on ICTfor development. Examples include:

� Education and ICT; � Community Access and Participation;� Gender and ICT;� Indigenous People and Information

Society; � Information Literacy; � Media Education; � People with disabilities and ICTs; � Communication and Information Training; � Youth and Information Society.

UNESCO focuses on providing people withthe skills and abilities for critical reception,assessment and use of information in theirprofessional and personal lives, throughmedia education and information literacy

programmes. The use of ICT can improveinformation and service delivery, encouragecitizen participation in the decision-makingprocess, and make government moreaccountable, transparent and effective.

UNESCO also focuses on training, continuing education and lifelong learningfor media and information specialists, especially in developing countries.

Another area is capacity-building in the use of ICT for education, particularly inimproving and expanding literacy andteacher training.

Special attention is given to improving participation in knowledge societies,through building the capacities to accessand apply information and ICTs so as to turn the digital divide into opportunity.

Developing a Global Partnership forCommunication

With the rapid development in the communications and information sector,particular attention now needs to be givento promoting diversity in the media as a way to preserve concepts of identity and social bonds within cultures and communities by stimulating freedom ofexpression, empowering local and nationalownership, and creating local content, locallanguages and intercultural dialogue.


Communication& Information


UNESCO7, Place de Fontenoy75352 Paris 07 SP, Francewww.unesco.org

Sector for External Relations and CooperationSection for Multilateral and Private Funding Sources

Please contact:

Shantha RetnasingamChiefSection for Multilateral and Private Funding Sources, ERC/CFS/MLTTelephone: 00 33 (0)1 45 68 22 79E-mail: [email protected]

Philipp Müller-WirthFocal Point for Private Sector RelationsSection for Multilateral and Private Funding Sources, ERC/CFS/MLTTelephone: 00 33 (0)1 45 68 18 52E-mail: [email protected]

Please visit our website:www.unesco.org/en/communities/privatesector

Sect ion for Mult i latera l and Pr ivate Funding Sources

Operating within the Sector for External Relations and Cooperation, and working in conjunction with the United Nations system’s network of focal points for private sector relations,the Section for Multilateral and Private Funding Sources (MLT) is in charge of developingUNESCO’s relationship with the private sector. This includes consultancy and backstopping support to the conception, implementation, overall monitoring and follow-up of operationalinitiatives, building partnership capacities through specific training and tools, as well as furtherdeveloping the Organization’s strategic and policy framework for private sector partnerships.

The MLT Section facilitates the private sector’s access to UNESCO by ensuring connection andinteraction with suitable specialists, programmes and actions within the Organization. Thus, itis the clearing house for relations between private sector partners and internal structures,including UNESCO’s programme sectors, field offices, Institutes, and National Commissions.

Significant and sustainable contributions from the private sector to UNESCO’s main target audiences can only be secured through full compliance with established institutional accountability and transparency standards. In respecting these standards, the MLT Section iscommitted to promoting innovative, tailor-made modalities of cooperation that match thegoals and competencies of the Organization with the specific interests and resources of privatesector partners.

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mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.unesco.org/en/communities/privatesector

http://www.unesco.org

Documents

UNESCO-private sector partnerships: making a difference; 2006