[UNESCO CI News] CI highlights

UNESCO Communication and Information Weekly Newsletter

• 08.07.16 Migration an opportunity, not a threat to sustainable development The huge numbers of refugees and displaced persons around the world today are sparking renewed debates in many countries. The situation is exacerbated by questions of social integration and the media narratives, which require concrete solutions to avoid divisions forming between people.

• 08.07.16 Joint UNESCO-Talkmate Partnership for the development of World Atlas of Languages UNESCO and Talkmate host a launch event to celebrate the beginning of a new and exciting partnership on the development of the World Atlas of Languages. The joint partnership aims at developing an innovative and scalable ICT-supported model to access data on linguistic diversity around the world, encourage collaboration among different stakeholders and raise awareness on the importance of linguistic diversity and multilingualism for sustainable development.

• 07.07.16 Director-General condemns killing of journalist Salvador Olmos García in Mexico The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, today denounced the killing of radio journalist Salvador Olmos García in the municipality of Huajuapan de León in the Mexican state of Oaxaca on Sunday, 26 June.

• 07.07.16 Irina Bokova Champions Free Speech at Sweden's Almedalen Week On 7 July, 2016, the UNESCO Director-General, Ms Irina Bokova, gave the keynote speech at an event called "Who will take the political responsibility to protect free speech?", arranged by Swedish Radio, during Sweden's Almedalen Week.

• 05.07.16 Inform, Engage, Investigate: Media and humanitarians in crisis situations Inaccurate communications, isolated populations and sensationalist coverage acutely exacerbate risks during crisis and disaster situations. In such sensitive contexts, and especially in health-related emergencies, journalists must impart populations with accurate news and verified information to prevent misinformation and rumors which could result in fatal choices.

• 04.07.16 Bangkok workshop to introduce new mindful journalism curriculum for regional integration Within the framework of UNESCO's International Programme for the Development of Communication, the Communication Arts Faculty of Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok is hosting a ten-day workshop from 4 to 12 July to introduce the new mindful journalism training curriculum drawn from Asia's age-old philosophical wisdoms.

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World Development Report 2016: Digital Dividends | Harnessing Digital Economy in the World

World Development Report 2016: Digital Dividends
by The World Bank. The World Bank, Washington DC, USA. ISBN: 9781464806711.

Summary: Digital technologies have spread rapidly in much of the world. Digital dividends—that is, the broader development benefits from using these technologies—have lagged behind. In many instances, digital technologies have boosted growth, expanded opportunities, and improved service delivery. Yet their aggregate impact has fallen short and is unevenly distributed. For digital technologies to benefit everyone everywhere requires closing the remaining digital divide, especially in internet access. But greater digital adoption will not be enough. To get the most out of the digital revolution, countries also need to work on the "analog complements"—by strengthening regulations that ensure competition among businesses, by adapting workers' skills to the demands of the new economy, and by ensuring that institutions are accountable.

Table of Contents

Overview: Strengthening the analog foundation of the digital revolution
Part 1: Facts and analysis
Chapter 1: Accelerating growthSpotlight 1: How the internet promotes development
Chapter 2: Expanding opportunities
Chapter 3: Delivering services
Part 2: Policies
Chapter 4: Sectoral policies
Chapter 5: National priorities
Chapter 6: Global cooperation
Sector focus 1: Agriculture
Sector focus 2: Education
Sector focus 3: e-health
Sector focus 4: Smart cities
Sector focus 5: Energy
Sector focus 6: Environmental management
Spotlight 2: Digital finance
Spotlight 3: Social media
Spotlight 4: Digital identity
Spotlight 5: The data revolution
Spotlight 6: Six digital technologies to watch

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[apeid.higher_education.bgk] 18th UNESCO-APEID International Conference, 26-28 October 2016, Bangkok, Thailand

18^th UNESCO-APEID International Conference

In Pursuit of Quality Education: The Past, Present and Future

26-28 October 2016, Bangkok, Thailand

 

Very important date – 15 July 2016!

Everyone wants quality education. But what do we mean by quality education? And how can we deliver it? Can we be sure that everyone can have access to such an education?

 

Many reports and papers have been written on this topic, offering a variety of opinions and recommendations. So do we need another conference to talk about it?

 

Absolutely yes! The pursuit of quality education is a continuous and long-term effort. The world is changing rapidly, requiring innovative solutions to meet new challenges. Even countries, institutions and individuals who think they have already achieved quality education could be left behind if they are not vigilant about keeping up with these changes.

 

The UNESCO Asia and Pacific Regional Bureau for Education in Bangkok, Thailand, is organizing the 18^th UNESCO-APEID International Conference, In Pursuit of Quality Education: The Past, Present and Future to facilitate leading-edge discussions about the quality of education, and to identify gaps where more research and efforts are needed to achieve inclusive and quality education by 2030.

 

If you would like to share your experiences, research findings and thoughts at this event, do submit an abstract of your paper on the following sub-themes by 15 July 2016.

 

Sub-themes of the Conference

I.          Getting the Big Picture: Concepts and Frameworks of Quality Education

·      Defining the quality of education in the past, present and future

·      Investigating factors and inputs that lead to quality education

·      Reviewing the roles and responsibilities of stakeholders to ensure the quality of education

·      Examining platforms and channels for effective dialogues about quality education

 

II.       Putting into Practice: Innovations for Increasing the Quality of Education

·      Promoting good practices that impact stakeholders of quality education (learners, teachers, school leaders, policy makers, families, communities, private sector, development agencies)

·      Developing effective and appropriate curricula, contents, and teaching and learning materials

·      Enhancing innovative learning processes, pedagogies, technologies and tools for quality education

·      Optimizing supportive environment, infrastructures, facilities and resources for quality education

 

III.    Keeping Track: Assessment, Monitoring and Evaluation of Quality Education

·      Establishing standards and competencies frameworks for quality education

·      Identifying indicators, approaches and tools to measure and monitor the quality of education

·      Exploring alternative models for the assessment and evaluation of quality education

·      Building the capacity to assess, monitor and evaluate the quality of education

 

IV.    Sustaining the Commitments: Effective Policies and Strategies for Quality Education

·      Formulating evidence-based policies and strategies for the effective governance and management of quality education

·      Empowering leadership to foster and improve the quality of education

·      Determining gaps and weaknesses in the provision of quality education for further research

·      Strengthening partnerships, collaboration and networks to enhance the quality of education

 

Submit your abstracts

The organizers invite papers on the Conference sub-themes. Submit abstracts (in English), no longer than 200 words, at www.apeidconf.org by 15 July 2016.

 

Registration

Register online at www.apeidconf.org, or contact the Conference Secretariat at apeidconf@unesco.org for further information.

 

Conference fees

International participant     US$ 350

Early bird*                       US$ 250

Full-time student               US$ 150

Resident of Thailand         US$ 150

Group registration**         US$ 250 each

* Payment for Early bird registration must be received by UNESCO Bangkok by 15 September 2016.

** For 5 or more individuals from the same organization/institution.

 

Send bank draft payable to "UNESCO" at the following address:

UNESCO-APEID International Conference Secretariat

UNESCO Bangkok

920 Sukhumvit Road

Bangkok 10110, Thailand

 

Important dates

Submission of abstracts                            15 July 2016

Notification of abstract acceptance           15 August 2016

Payment for early bird registration fees     15 September 2016

Payment of registration fees                     21 October 2016

 

 

For more information, contact:

 

UNESCO-APEID International Conference Secretariat

UNESCO Bangkok

920 Sukhumvit Road, Prakanong

Bangkok 10110, Thailand

Tel: (66-2) 391 0577

Fax: (66-2) 391 0866

Email: apeidconf@unesco.org

Website: http://www.unescobkk.org/education/apeid/apeid-international-conference/2016

 

 

"The right to a quality education is, I believe, the perfect path to bridge the gap between different cultures and to reconcile various civilizations. Without such a right, the values of liberty, justice and equality will have no meaning." - Her Highness Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al

World Social Science Report 2013:Changing Global Environments | A global report mapping social sciences research

World Social Science Report 2013: Changing Global Environments
by UNESCO. UNESCO, OECD and the International Social Science Council (ISSC), Paris, 2013, ISBN: 9789264203419.

Summary:The environmental challenges that confront society are unprecedented and staggering in their magnitude, scope, pace and complexity. They have potentially serious consequences for the wellbeing of people all over the world. The consequences of global environmental change are unfolding now; individuals and communities are already struggling to manage often precarious livelihoods; other social, economic and political crises – including persistent poverty, increasing inequalities and social discontent – are intricately linked to and exacerbated by environmental change. Global environmental change changes everything for everyone on this planet – our life support systems, our livelihoods, our ways of life, our actions and interactions with each other. It also changes demands for and on the social, including behavioural and economic sciences.

This is the third edition of the World Social Science Report. Based on a call for proposals, over 150 authors from all over the world have contributed articles. The Report issues an urgent call to action to the international social science community. Social scientists need to collaborate more effectively with colleagues from the natural, human and engineering sciences to deliver relevant, credible knowledge that can help to address the most pressing of today's environmental problems and sustainability challenges. And they need to do so in close collaboration with decision-makers, practitioners and the other users of their research.

A new kind of social science is needed, one that is bolder, better, bigger, different:

• Bold enough to reframe and reinterpret global environmental change as a fundamentally social process
  
• Better in terms of infusing social science insights into real-world problem-solving
  
• Bigger in terms of the need for more social scientists to address the challenges of global environmental change directly
  
• Different in the sense of changing the way the social sciences think about and do science – its theories, assumptions, methodologies, institutions, norms and incentives, to help meet the vexing interdisciplinary and cross-sector challenges society faces.
  

This report aims to engage social scientists working in all disciplines in academia, research institutes, think tanks, NGOs, and government agencies all over the world. The ISSC will use the report as a basis for critical discussion with its members and partners to sharpen the social science knowledge base on global environmental change and to support social science leadership in research for sustainability.Report includes two chapters on open knowledge: 11. A new vision of open knowledge systems for sustainability: Opportunities for social scientists, by David Tàbara; 12. Viewpoint: Open knowledge and learning for sustainability, by Tim O'Riordan.

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Fwd: UNESCO Science Report: Towards 2030 | A world report mapping Science, Technology and Innovation

UNESCO Science Report: Towards 2030

by UNESCO. United Nations Educational, Scientific & Cultural Organization, Paris, ISBN: 9789231001291.

Summary: The UNESCO Science Report: towards 2030 provides more country-level information than ever before. The trends and developments in science, technology and innovation policy and governance between 2009 and mid-2015 described here provide essential baseline information on the concerns and priorities of countries that should orient the implementation and drive the assessment of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the years to come.
There are fewer grounds today than in the past to deplore a North-South divide in research and innovation. This is one of the key findings of the UNESCO Science Report: towards 2030 launched on 10 November 2015.  For two decades now, the UNESCO Science Report series has been mapping science, technology and innovation (STI) around the world on a regular basis. Since STI do not evolve in a vacuum, this latest edition summarizes the evolution since 2010 against the backdrop of socio-economic, geopolitical and environmental trends that have helped to shape contemporary STI policy and governance.  Written by about 50 experts who are each covering the country or region from which they hail, the UNESCO Science Report: towards 2030 provides more country-level information than ever before. The trends and developments in science, technology and innovation policy and governance between 2009 and mid-2015 described here provide essential baseline information on the concerns and priorities of countries that should orient the implementation and drive the assessment of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the years to come.

Table of Contents
Foreword | Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO
Perspectives on Emerging Issues

• Universities: increasingly global players | Patrick Aebischer, President, Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland
• A more developmental approach to science | Bhanu Neupane, Programme Specialist, Communication Sector, UNESCO
• Science will play a key role in realizing Agenda 2030 | Opinion piece based on a policy brief prepared by the Scientific Advisory Board of the Secretary-General of the United Nations
• Science for a sustainable and just world: a new framework for global science policy? | Heide Hackmann, International Council for Science and Geoffrey Boulton, University of Edinburgh
• Local and indigenous knowledge at the science–policy interface | Douglas Nakashima, Head, Local and Indigenous Knowledge Systems programme, UNESCO

Global Overview

• A world in search of an effective growth strategy | Luc Soete, Susan Schneegans, Deniz Eröcal, Baskaran Angathevar and Rajah Rasiah
• Tracking trends in innovation and mobility | Elvis Korku Avenyo, Chiao-Ling Chien, Hugo Hollanders, Luciana Marins, Martin Schaaper and Bart Verspagen
• Is the gender gap narrowing in science and engineering? | Sophia Huyer

A closer look at BRICS Countries

• Brazil | Renato Hyuda de Luna Pedrosa and Hernan Chaimovich
• Russian Federation | Leonid Gokhberg and Tatiana Kuznetsova
• India | Sunil Mani
• China | Cong Cao
• East and Central Africa | Kevin Urama, Mammo Muchie and Remy Twiringiyimana
• Latin America | Guillermo A. Lemarchand
• South Asia | Dilupa Nakandala and Ammar Malik

Download Full-text PDF (Open Access)

[UNESCO CI News] CI highlights

UNESCO Communication and Information Weekly Newsletter

• 01.07.16 Promoting freedom of expression and access to public information in Latin America From 25 to 27 June, Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information Frank La Rue accompanied the Director-General of UNESCO Irina Bokova in her mission to Paraguay and Uruguay to strengthen the cooperation in the area of freedom of expression, access to public information and safety of journalists.

• 01.07.16 Correcting media myths about refugees and migrants Today the world is home to more displaced persons than at any time in recorded history, leading to complex challenges for many countries as they try to manage these flows and successfully welcome these new citizens.

• 01.07.16 Riga Recommendations highlight Media and Information Literacy as a life code for sustainable development Participants from over 25 countries joined in Riga, Latvia, for the Second European Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Forum which was held from 27-29 June. The Riga Recommendations on MIL in a Shifting Media and Information Landscape which was adopted strongly affirmed what was visible throughout the three days of the meeting of minds and hearts at the Forum: MIL is the GPS to live peaceably and wisely together in today's information, media and communication environment.

• 01.07.16 UNESCO 'Youth Mobile' Training (25 - 29 July 2016) The University of Balamand and the regional office of UNESCO in Beirut are organizing a training workshop for the Lebanese and Syrian youth, who are interested in learning how to create mobile applications. The 5-day workshop will cover the various aspects of creating mobile applications and will give these young people the chance to discover new technical skills as well as spend a good time with other men and women from the same age group. The operating system Android will be used, as it is the most popular and most widely used software for mobile programming. The training within this workshop is a combination of lectures and practical applications. The training language is Arabic, while the technical words will be given in Arabic as well as English. This training is open for young females and males between the age of 15 and 30. The deadline for registration is 10th of July and the results of the selection procedure will be issued on the 15th of July. Places are limited. The workshop will take pl...

• 30.06.16 UNESCO contributes to Kenya's Digital Literacy Programme by capacitating primary school teachers UNESCO organized a two-day workshop on revision of the Kenya UNESCO Information and Communication Technology Competency Framework for Teachers (KICT-CFT) on 15 and 16 June 2016 in Nairobi. The objective of the workshop was to improve the KICT-CFT online course in preparation for the training of teachers within the national roll-out of the Digital Literacy Programme. This course is part of the inter-regional ICT Competency Framework for Teachers (ICT CFT) Harnessing OER project implemented by the Communication and Information (CI) Sector of UNESCO.

• 30.06.16 Building capacity of indigenous journalists in Thailand and Cambodia to advance indigenous peoples' rights Indigenous peoples in many parts of the world have long faced severe discrimination by societies. In 2015, with the support of UNESCO's International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC), the Asia Indigenous People's Pact (AIPP) organization built the skills of 60 young indigenous journalists in Thailand and in Cambodia to write and produce stories on their communities.

• 30.06.16 Director-General deplores death of Syrian journalist Khalid Al Issa in Turkey The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, today denounced the death of Syrian photojournalist, Khalid Al Issa, in Turkey on 24 June.

• 30.06.16 Director-General deplores death of Syrian journalist Khalid Al Issa in Turkey The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, today denounced the death of Syrian photojournalist, Khalid Al Issa, in Turkey on 24 June.

• 30.06.16 Simultaneous bottom-up and top-down approach needed to expand media and information literacy The second day of Second European Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Forum in Riga, Latvia, explored the challenges of MIL. The focus was on: resource development, policy level progress, strategies for the mainstreaming of MIL, teacher education and media ethics.

• 29.06.16 UNESCO champions freedom of expression with the Supreme Court of Justice of Uruguay On 27 June, 2016, the UNESCO Director-General, Ms. Irina Bokova, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Supreme Court of Justice of Uruguay to strengthen cooperation on issues of freedom of expression, access to information and security of journalists. The ceremony took place in Montevideo, Uruguay.

• 29.06.16 The review of the Memory of the World Programme is now online Following a decision by the Memory of the World International Advisory Committee (IAC), at its meeting held in Abu Dhabi, in October 2015, a comprehensive review of the Programme was undertaken.

• 29.06.16 Director-General condemns killing of two journalists in Guatemala: Álvaro Alfredo Aceituno López and Diego Salomón Esteban Gaspar The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, has urged investigations into the killing of two broadcast journalists in Guatemala: Álvaro Alfredo Aceituno López and Diego Salomón Esteban Gaspar.

• 28.06.16 Media and information literacy is a tool that enables life The inspiring first day of the Second European Media and Information Literacy Forum highlighted many initiatives that are being undertaken in Europe, with the common messages corresponding on national, regional and international level.

• 28.06.16 The Director General and the Supreme Court of Uruguay strengthen cooperation on freedom of expression and security of journalists On 27 June, the Director General of UNESCO, Ms. Irina Bokova, signed in Montevideo a Memorandum of Understanding with the Supreme Court of Uruguay to strengthen cooperation on issues of freedom of expression, access to information and security of journalists.

• 27.06.16 Director-General condemns murder of Mexican journalist Zamira Esther Bautista The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, today called for an investigation into the killing of journalist Zamira Esther Bautista in Ciudad Victoria, capital of the Mexican state of Tamaulipas.

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