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Photo: Nata Menabde, Executive Director of the New York Office of the World Health Organization (WHO), briefs journalists on the first-ever International Day of Yoga, which is being observed on 21 June. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/Mark Garten.
Photo: Asoke Kumar Mukerji, Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations, briefs journalists on the first-ever International Day of Yoga, which is being observed on 21 June. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/Mark Garten.
Photo: UN Celebrates International Day of Yoga. A view of participants at the special event celebrating the first International Day of Yoga at UN Headquarters. The first International Day of Yoga is being celebrated around the world following the United Nations General Assembly’s recognition of the holistic benefits of this ancient Indian practice and its inherent compatibility with the principles and values of the UN. 21 June 2015. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/Mark Garten.
|GlobalGiants.Com|
“Calming the mind of its oscillations is the essence of yoga.”
— Maharishi Patanjali, Yoga Sutras.
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 11:47 AM | View the original post
Photo: A young visitor to the Palais des Nations in Geneva adds her name to a symbolic signature panel in support of the “50 for Freedom” campaign to end modern slavery. The campaign, which was officially launched today, aims at promoting ratification and implementation of the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Protocol on Forced Labour, with the first 50 Member States ratifying it by 2018. The Protocol was adopted by the International Labour Conference in 2014 and calls on governments to adopt stronger measures to prevent all forms of forced labour, of human trafficking, and of modern slavery, affecting about 21 million men, women and children in the world at present. June 12, 2015. Geneva, Switzerland. UN Photo/Jean-Marc Ferre.
Photo: A visitor to the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, signs her name on the “50 for Freedom” panel. (Image Credits: Pouteau / Crozet / International Labour Organization).
Photo: Visitors to the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, sign their names on the “50 for Freedom” panel. (Image Credits: Pouteau / Crozet / International Labour Organization).
Photo: Director-General of the International Labour Organization (ILO), Guy Ryder, was the first to sign the ‘50 for Freedom’ panel. (Image Credits: Pouteau / Crozet / International Labour Organization).
Photo: Mr Francois Hollande, President of France, signs the “50 for Freedom” Panel. (Image Credits: Pouteau / Crozet / International Labour Organization).
|GlobalGiants.Com|
“None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free.”
— Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Elective Affinities.
“Excess of liberty, whether it lies in state or individuals, seems only to pass into excess of slavery.”
— Plato, The Republic.
“Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe.”
— Albert Einstein.
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 4:01 AM | View the original post
Photo: World Conference Center (WCCB), Bonn, Germany, the venue of the World Heritage Committee Meeting 2015. Image Credit: RealityFanClub/Man Ki Kim.
The World Heritage Committee will examine proposals to inscribe 37 properties on UNESCO’s World Heritage List when it meets at the World Conference Center (WCCB), Bonn, Germany, from 28 June to 8 July 2015. The upcoming 39th session of the World Heritage Committee will be chaired by Maria Bohmer, Minister of State at Germany’s Federal Foreign Office, and member of the Bundestag.
Nominations for inscription on the World Heritage List this year include five natural sites, 31 cultural sites and one mixed site, i.e. both natural and cultural.
The Committee will also examine the state of conservation of 95 sites already on the List, as well as that of the 46 properties inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger.
The Committee will examine the nomination of the following sites, listed here in the order in which they are provisionally scheduled to be debated. The order may change during the session:
Natural Sites:
Mixed Natural and Cultural Sites:
Cultural Sites:
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 3:40 AM | View the original post
Photos: World Education Forum 2015, Incheon, Republic of Korea. Images provided by and copyright © UNESCO.
Photo: Opening of World Education Forum 2015, Seoul. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon centre, at the opening of the World Education Forum 2015, in Seoul. He is flanked by Hwang Woo-yea (left), Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education of the Republic of Korea; and Irina Bokova, Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). 19 May 2015. Seoul, Republic of Korea. UN Photo/Evan Schneider.
Incheon, Republic of Korea, 21 May 2015 — A transformative vision for education over the next 15 years has been adopted at the World Education Forum, which concluded today in Incheon, Republic of Korea. The Incheon Declaration was welcomed by the global education community, including government ministers from more than 100 countries, non-governmental organizations and youth groups. It encourages countries to provide inclusive, equitable, quality education and life-long learning opportunities for all. The Declaration will underpin the education targets in the Sustainable Development Goals that will be ratified at the United Nations in September.
“This Declaration is a huge step forward,” stated the Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova. “It reflects our determination to ensure that all children and young people gain the knowledge and skills they need to live in dignity, to reach their potential and contribute to their societies as responsible global citizens. It encourages governments to provide learning opportunities through life, so that people can continue to grow and develop. It affirms that education is the key to global peace and sustainable development.”
The Incheon Declaration will be implemented through the Education 2030 Framework for Action, a roadmap for governments to be adopted by the end of the year. It will provide guidance on effective legal and policy frameworks for education, based on the principles of accountability, transparency and participatory governance.
|GlobalGiants.Com|
“Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.”
— Aristotle.
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 1:08 PM | View the original post
Photo: A wide view of the UN Security Council meeting on cooperation between the United Nations and regional and subregional organizations in maintaining international peace and security. 11 May 2015. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/Loey Felipe.
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 1:29 PM | View the original post
Photo: The UN Secretary-General joined the President of the UN General Assembly and other UN officials to plant the tree of peace and unity to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of the Second World War (WWII) and the founding of the United Nations. 05 May 2015. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/Mark Garten.
Photo: A special ceremony was held to commemorate the return of the Peace Bell to its original location in the Japanese Garden, at UN headquarters. The Bell had been moved temporarily to the East River esplanade during the renovation of the UN headquarters under the Capital Master Plan (CMP). The event was organized by the Permanent Mission of Japan in collaboration with the Department of Public Information (DPI).
Motohide Yoshikawa, Permanent Representative of Japan to the UN, speaks at the ceremony.
06 May 2015. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/Mark Garten.
Photo: A special ceremony was held to commemorate the return of the Peace Bell to its original location in the Japanese Garden, at UN headquarters. The Bell had been moved temporarily to the East River esplanade during the renovation of the UN headquarters under the Capital Master Plan (CMP). The event was organized by the Permanent Mission of Japan in collaboration with the Department of Public Information (DPI).
Children performing a violin composition during the ceremony.
06 May 2015. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/Mark Garten.
|GlobalGiants.Com|
“My first wish is to see this plague of mankind, war, banished from the earth.”
— George Washington.
“You do not get peace by shouting: Peace. Peace is a meaningless word; what we need is a glorious peace.”
— Napoleon Bonaparte.
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 3:07 PM | View the original post
Photo: International Jazz Day 2015 Official Poster.
Photo: International Jazz Day 2015 Poster — Mumbai, India.
Photo: International Jazz Day 2015 Poster — Algarves, Portugal.
The fourth annual International Jazz Day was celebrated around the world on April 30, 2015, with Paris, France, serving as the 2015 Global Host City.
The International Jazz Day encourages and highlights the power of jazz as a force for freedom and creativity that promotes intercultural dialogue and unites people from all corners of the globe. The celebration is recognized on the official calendars of both UNESCO and the United Nations.
The celebration kicked off in Paris, France, with a daylong series of jazz education programs, performances, and community outreach. In the evening, an All-Star Global Concert at UNESCO Headquarters featured stellar performances by internationally acclaimed artists.
In other countries worldwide, libraries, schools, universities, performing arts venues, community centers, artists, and arts organizations celebrated the day through presentations, concerts, and jazz-focused programs.
Earlier, a one-hour television special of the first annual International Jazz Day All-Star Global Concert was broadcast on Friday, April 10. The concert featured extraordinary performances by more than 40 world-renowned artists who were gathered at the United Nations General Assembly Hall in New York City. These artists included Tony Bennett, Herbie Hancock, Wynton Marsalis, Stevie Wonder, Hugh Masekela, Chinese Pianist Lang Lang, Wayne Shorter, Angelique Kidjo, Chaka Khan, Christian McBride, Esperanza Spalding, Shankar Mahadevan, Jimmy Heath, George Duke, and Tabla Maestro Ustad Zakir Hussain.
According to celebrated American pianist Herbie Hancock, “On International Jazz Day, jazz is celebrated, studied, and performed around the world for 24 hours straight. Collaborations abound among jazz icons, scholars, composers, musicians, dancers, writers, and thinkers who embrace the beauty, spirit, and principles of jazz, freely sharing experiences and performances in our big cities and in our small towns, all across our seven continents. I can’t think of a better way to build peace and cultural understanding.”
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 2:07 AM | View the original post
Photo: Graz, Austria - UNESCO City of Design. Signboard outside Graz Opera House. Photo Credit: Creative Industries Styria / © Timski.
Paris, France — UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) has invited cities worldwide to apply for a “UNESCO Creative City” designation. The designation of a city as a UNESCO Creative City is prerequisite for its admission as a full member of the Network.
To become a member of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN), candidate cities must submit an application that demonstrates their willingness, commitment, and potential to contribute to the Network’s objectives, which include cooperation among member cities in fostering creativity for sustainable urban development.
The UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) covers seven creative fields:
All applications must be submitted online using the official Application Form available at the Network’s website.
Applications must be received by UNESCO Secretariat no later than —
• July 15, 2015 Midnight (Central European Time).
Applications received after this date will not be considered.
Among other documents, the application requires to be accompanied by a formal letter from the Applicant City’s Mayor presenting the candidature and a formal letter of endorsement of the candidature from the National Commission for UNESCO of the country in which the city is located.
After evaluation of the applications by the Network’s internal and external evaluators, the Director-General of UNESCO would designate the UNESCO Creative Cities 2015 and the list of the cities so designated would be published in UNESCO’s website on December 11, 2015.
Taking into account specific geographical or thematic priorities, UNESCO reserves the right to restrict the number of applications and may limit the maximum number of designations. In the framework of the 2015 Call for Applications, a maximum of three applications from the same country, covering at least two different creative fields, may receive a designation following the evaluation process. Only applications from cities with 100,000 or more inhabitants will be evaluated. Finally, in order to further the geographical balance of the Network, applications from under-represented regions and countries, particularly developing countries, would be encouraged.
If your city is looking for an innovative way to showcase its cultural pedigree and develop local creative industries on a global platform, then it should certainly apply for a “UNESCO Creative City” designation.
(GlobalGiants.Com is promoting UNESCO Creative Cities Network under UNESCO auspices.)
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 11:09 AM | View the original post
Photo: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon addresses the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. 16 April 2015. Washington, D.C., United States. UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe.
Photo: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon addresses the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. 16 April 2015. Washington, D.C., United States. UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe.
Photo: Washington, D.C. Photo Credit: Andrew Baskett.
Washington, D.C., April 16, 2015 — During a speech delivered at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. this evening, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon spoke on the challenges faced by the world community today.
Ban is the sixth U.N. secretary general to speak at the National Press Club.
In his remarks, he devoted the most attention to climate change, noting that it involves “a strong moral dimension.” Ban said he has invited the Pope, President Obama and other world leaders to the U.N. Sustainable Development Summit that would be held in New York in September 2015.
Mr. Ban noted that UN Member States are working very hard to shape a post-2015 development agenda. Beyond a focus on shared prosperity and harmony with the planet, the new agenda will also emphasize the crucial role of justice, institutions and fundamental freedoms. And for the first time, the goals will apply to all countries; even the richest are witnessing rising inequality, and no country has ended violence and discrimination against women.
“Next week in New York, I along with the President of the General Assembly are going to convene a high-level thematic debate on reconciliation and tolerance, how we can address violent extremism by levelling up, enhancing mutual respect and reconciliation. All these are very important issues and without addressing these issues, we will not be able to have sustainable peace and sustainable development of our society. I have invited many world-renowned religious leaders. I believe that there are very important roles to be played by religious leaders and educators, to teach their followers, their students what are the correct mutual respect, understanding and reconciliation and harmonious living together.”
“This is a time of test but far more one of tremendous opportunity. As the distinctions between the national and the international continue to fall away, we can and must come together to chart a course towards a safer and more sustainable future for all of us,” the UN chief declared.
His remarks drew applause from the full house comprising Press Club members and their guests attending the dinner in the club’s ballroom. The dinner and the remarks were followed by a question-and-answer session.
(The Editor of GlobalGiants.Com is a Member of The National Press Club, Washington, D.C.)
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 9:31 AM | View the original post
Photo: UNESCO Headquarters, Paris, France. Photo Credit: Anna Armstrong.
Photo: UNESCO Annex Building, Paris, France. Photo Credit: Chris Freeland.
Paris, France, April 10, 2015 — The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, visited UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) headquarters to mark its 70th anniversary. Speaking to a cheering, overflowing audience on his first official visit, he used the occasion to emphasize the importance of India’s relationship with the Organization.
“I am truly honoured to address UNESCO.”
“I feel specially privileged to visit this great institution in its 70th anniversary year.”
“No organization serves our cause more than this one.”
“It draws strength from the basic character of nature - the harmony and unity in diversity.”
“That is why UNESCO was among the first missions of the United Nations.”
“That is why India values the work of UNESCO so deeply; and, cherishes our partnership so immensely.”
In his speech, he explained why UNESCO’s mandate is so important to India, and to the world.
India has a strong relationship with UNESCO. It has inscribed 32 properties on the World Heritage List, including the Taj Mahal, the Red Fort Complex and the Manas Wildlife Sanctuary. The country has listed seven elements of documentary heritage on UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register, nine reserves under UNESCO’s Man and Biosphere Programme and supports 10 UNESCO Chairs in a range of educational fields.
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 12:00 PM | View the original post
Photo: Graz, Austria - UNESCO City of Design. A balloon flying in the city. Photo Credit: ciscommunity.
Photo: Bradford, England - UNESCO City of Film. Photo Credit: Vassilena Valchanova.
Photo: Bologna, Italy - UNESCO City of Music. A concert in progress. Photo Credit: Revol Web/Carlotta Piccinini.
Photo: Curitiba, Brazil - UNESCO City of Design. Oscar Niemeyer Museum. Photo Credit: whl.travel.
Photo: Lyon, France - UNESCO City of Media Arts. The banks of the Rhone - Back home. Photo Credit: Dominique Chanut.
UNESCO Director-General, Irina Bokova, designated 28 cities from 19 countries, as new members of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network.
Launched in 2004, the UNESCO Creative Cities Network is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. The network aims to foster international cooperation between cities committed to investing in creativity as a driver for sustainable urban development, social inclusion and enhanced influence of culture in the world.
The following cities are new members of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network:
“The UNESCO Creative Cities Network is a tremendous tool for cooperation, it reflects our commitment to support an amazing creative and innovative potential to broaden the avenues of sustainable development,” said UNESCO Director-General, Irina Bokova.
By joining the Network, cities commit to collaborate and develop partnerships with a view to promoting creativity and cultural industries, to share best practices, to strengthen participation in cultural life, and to integrate culture in economic and social development plans.
The Network covers seven thematic areas: Craft and Folk Arts, Design, Film, Gastronomy, Literature, Media Arts and Music. It aims to promote international cooperation and encourage the sharing of experiences and resources in order to promote local development through culture and creativity.
(GlobalGiants.Com is promoting UNESCO Creative Cities Network under UNESCO auspices.)
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 7:02 AM | View the original post
Photo: The Peace Palace, seat of the International Court of Justice, at The Hague, Netherlands. UN Photo/ICJ/Jeroen Bouman.
Photo: Conference officers hold up empty ballot boxes for inspection by designated teller delegates, in advance of collecting member states’ ballots in the UN General Assembly. The General Assembly and the Security Council continued their balloting from the previous day to elect a judge for the fifth remaining vacancy on the International Court of Justice (ICJ). 07 November 2014. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/Loey Felipe.
Photo: A wide view of the General Assembly Hall during the Assembly’s balloting session. The United Nations General Assembly, meeting independently from but concurrently with the Security Council, elected four judges from an initial pool of eight candidates to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for terms of nine years beginning 6 February 2015. 06 November 2014. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/Amanda Voisard.
Photo: Delegates conferring at the Assembly’s balloting session. The United Nations General Assembly, meeting independently from but concurrently with the Security Council, elected four judges from an initial pool of eight candidates to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for terms of nine years beginning 6 February 2015. 06 November 2014. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/Amanda Voisard.
The United Nations General Assembly and Security Council have elected four judges to seats on the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the principal judicial organ of the UN.
After simultaneous rounds of voting in the Assembly and the Council - which met concurrently with but independent of each other - Mr. Mohamed Bennouna of Morocco, Mr. James Richard Crawford of Australia, Ms. Joan E. Donoghue of the United States, and Mr. Kirill Gevorgian of the Russian Federation were elected to nine-year terms on the ICJ, starting on 6 February next year.
The Court is composed of 15 judges, who are elected by an absolute majority in both the General Assembly (97 votes) and Security Council (8 votes). The timing of elections is staggered so that the General Assembly elects a third of the Court once every three years.
According to the Court’s Statute, its judges must be chosen by coordinated actions of both the Council and the General Assembly, with the date of elections determined by the Council.
Judges are chosen on the basis of their qualifications, not their nationality, but no two judges can be from the same country. Effort is also taken to ensure that the principal legal systems of the world are reflected in the composition of the court.
Established in 1945, and based in The Hague in the Netherlands, the ICJ - which is also known as the World Court - settles legal disputes between States and gives advisory opinions on legal questions that have been referred to it by other authorized UN organs.
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 1:50 AM | View the original post
Photo: A wide view of the Trusteeship Council Chamber, UN Headquarters, New York, during the special event marking the International Day of Non-Violence, organized by the Permanent Mission of India to the UN. The Day of Non-Violence is observed on 2 October, the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, leader of the Indian independence movement and pioneer of the non-violence philosophy, as an occasion to disseminate the message of non-violence. October 2, 2014. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/Cia Pak.
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 12:30 PM | View the original post
Photo: A view from the street of the 30-story architectural show, “illUmiNations: PROTECTING OUR PLANET”, being projected on to the side of the UN Secretariat building in New York. The special audio-visual presentation, organised in partnership with the Oceanic Preservation Society and Obscura Digital to inspire global citizens to take climate action, is part of the lead-up to the Climate Summit, taking place on Tuesday, September 23, 2014, at UN Headquarters. UN Photo/Mark Garten.
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 1:33 AM | View the original post
Photo: The UN Security Council unanimously adopts a resolution expressing its commitment to take early and effective actions to prevent armed conflict and to that end to employ all appropriate means at its disposal. August 21, 2014. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/Loey Felipe.
The United Nations Security Council today expressed its commitment to consider and use the tools of the United Nations system to ensure that warning signals about potential conflicts trigger “early, concrete preventive action”.
Senior UN officials urged the body to take up the challenge of helping move the Organization from a culture of reaction towards one of prevention.
Unanimously adopting a resolution ahead of a day-long meeting on conflict prevention, the Council expressed its determination to enhance the effectiveness of the United Nations “in preventing and ending armed conflicts, their escalation, spread when they occur, and their resurgence once they end,” and underlined the overriding moral, political and humanitarian imperatives as well as the economic advantages of taking such a preventive approach.
|GlobalGiants.Com|
“If they want peace, nations should avoid the pin-pricks that precede cannon shots.”
— Napoleon Bonaparte.
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 9:53 AM | View the original post
Photo: Globe of Science and Innovation, CERN, Geneva, Switzerland. Photo Credit: Nicola.
Photo: Shiva statue at CERN, Geneva, Switzerland, with the following inscription underneath:
(“O Omnipresent, the embodiment of all virtues, the creator of this cosmic universe, the king of dancers, who dances the Ananda Tandava in the twilight, I salute thee.”
Source: Verse No. 56, Sivanandalahari by Sri Adi Sankara.
Presented by: The Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India.)
Photo Credit: Skimaniac.
• Paris, 30 June - The European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) is organizing an event together with UNESCO to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the creation of CERN, at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, where the convention was originally signed in 1953, leading to the establishment of the largest research facility in the field of particle physics the following year.
The event, entitled ‘60 Years of Science for Peace’, will be opened by UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova and CERN Director General Rolf Heuer, among other prominent figures. It will bring together the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of several CERN Member States, researchers and members of the international scientific community, as well as representatives of UNESCO, CERN, European Space Agency (ESA) and European Southern Observatory (ESO) Member States.
The opening ceremony will be followed by a round table discussion on ‘Science for Peace’ with Alexei Grinbaum, researcher and philosopher of the French Atomic Energy and Alternative Energy Commission ; Fernando Quevedo, Director of the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (Triestre, Italy) ; Zehra Sayers, co-president of the scientific advisory committee of SESAME (International Centre for Synchrotron Light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East based in Amman, Jordan) and Jan Van Den Biesen, vice-president of Philips Research R&D programmes.
Based in Geneva, CERN was created in the aftermath of World War II, following a 4 year conflict that had turned European research in physics to ashes. The idea of a European scientific laboratory emerged during the European culture conference held in Lausanne (Switzerland) in 1949. The initial idea was to use fundamental research as a means to reach scientific excellence while rebuilding cooperation between states and fostering peace. The Convention establishing CERN was signed on 1 July 1953 in Paris, under the auspices of UNESCO, and came into effect in 1954. Today, sixty years later, it has become one the most striking examples of successful scientific cooperation in the world.
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 2:55 PM | View the original post
Photos: Wroclaw, Poland. Photos Credit: Ewelina, Maciek Lulko.
The city of Wroclaw (Poland) has been named World Book Capital for 2016. The decision was made by an international committee of experts on 24 June during a meeting at UNESCO’s headquarters in Paris.
The selection committee singled out Wroclaw “in light of the strong assets of its programme in terms of quality and variety” and in particular, “for its special focus on grass-root community involvement, as well as promotion of publishing, book-selling industries and libraries at regional and international levels”.
The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, extended her congratulations to the city. “Civic leaders in Wroclaw have developed an excellent programme that will promote reading among the wider public all through the year,” she said. The Director-General also thanked the selection committee “for its valuable work in favor of the promotion of books and of reading, through a global initiative that highlights the commitment of cities from different regions of the world.”
Each year, the international organizations that represent the three major sectors of the book industry — the International Publishers Association (IPA), International Booksellers Federation (IBF) and the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) — select the World Book Capital for a one-year period. The year starts on 23 April, World Book and Copyright Day, and brings together the city’s publishers, writers and literacy industry to promote and celebrate books and reading over the next 12 months.
New Delhi, India, got the honour to be the World Book Capital in 2003.
Wroclaw is the 16th city to be designated World Book Capital, after Madrid (2001), Alexandria (2002), New Delhi (2003), Antwerp (2004), Montreal (2005), Turin (2006), Bogota (2007), Amsterdam (2008), Beirut (2009), Ljubljana (2010), Buenos Aires (2011), Yerevan (2012), Bangkok (2013), Port Harcourt (2014) and Incheon (2015).
The city of Incheon (Republic of Korea) has already been designated World Book Capital 2015.
|GlobalGiants.Com|
Edited & Posted by the Editor | 6:42 AM | View the original post
Photo: The Taj Mahal, Agra, India. The Taj Mahal is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Photo Credit: Jean-Pierre Dalbera.
• The World Heritage Committee will consider the inscription of 40 sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage List when it meets in Doha (Qatar) from 15 to 25 June, 2014, UNESCO announced today at its headquarters in Paris, France.
More than 1200 delegates, experts and observers from around the world will participate in the meeting.
Sites to be considered include five that are extensions to sites already on the List. The state of conservation of existing World Heritage sites will also be reviewed during the session.
The following nominations by States Parties to the World Heritage List are expected to be examined during the session:
Natural Sites:
• Okavango Delta (Botswana)
• South China Karst (Phase II) (China)
• Stevns Klint (Denmark)
• Wadden Sea [extension] (Denmark and Germany)
• Tectono-volcanic Ensemble of the Chaine des Puys and Limagne Fault (France)
• Great Himalayan National Park (India)
• Mt. Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary (Philippines)
• Bialowieza Forest [extension] (Belarus/Poland)
• Cat Ba Archipelago (Viet Nam).
Mixed Natural and Cultural Sites:
• Ancient Maya City and Protected Tropical Forests of Calakmul, Campeche [extension] (Mexico)
• Trang An Landscape Complex (Viet Nam).
Cultural Sites:
• Qhapaq Nan, Andean Road System (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru)
• The Grand Canal (China)
• Precolumbian Chiefdom Settlements with Stone Spheres of the Diquis (Costa Rica)
• Sites of Great Moravia: The Slavonic Fortified Settlement at Mikulcice and the Church of St Margaret of Antioch at Kopcany (Czech Republic, Slovakia)
• Decorated Cave of Pont d’Arc, known as Grotte Chauvet-Pont d’Arc, Ardeche (France)
• Carolingian Westwork and Civitas Corvey (Germany)
• Tongo-Tengzuk Tallensi Cultural Landscape (Ghana)
• Rani-ki-Vav (The Queen’s Stepwell) at Patan, Gujarat (India)
• Sharhr-I Sokhta (Iran)
• Erbil Citadel (Iraq)
• Caves of Maresha and Bet-Guvrin in the Judean Lowlands as a Microcosm of the Land of the Caves (Israel)
• The Vineyard Landscape of Piedmont: Langhe-Roero and Monferrato (Italy)
• Tomioka Silk Mill and Related Sites (Japan)
• Silk Roads: Initial Section of the Silk Roads, the Routes Network of Tian-shan Corridor (Kyrgyzstan, China and Kazakhstan)
• Mount Mulanje Cultural Landscape (Malawi)
• Pyu Ancient Cities (Myanmar)
• Van Nellefabriek (Netherlands)
• Namhansanseong (Republic of Korea)
• Bolgar Historical and Archaeological Complex (Russian Federation)
• Historic Jeddah, the Gate to Makkah (Saudi Arabia)
• Cultural Landscape of Valle Salado de Anana (Spain)
• Jaen Cathedral (Extension of the “Renaissance Monumental Ensemble of Ubeda and Baeza”) (Spain)
• Silk Roads: Penjikent-Samarkand-Poykent Corridor, (Tajikistan and Uzbekistan)
• Bursa and Cumalikizik: the Birth of the Ottoman Empire (Turkey)
• Pergamon and its Multi-Layered Cultural Landscape (Turkey)
• Khor Dubai (Dubai Creek) (United Arab Emirates)
• Monumental Earthworks of Poverty Point (United States of America)
• Barotse Cultural Landscape (Zambia).
The proposed inscription of Palestine: Land of Olives and Vines - Cultural Landscape of Southern Jerusalem, Battir, will be reviewed by the Committee under the emergency procedure applied to sites facing serious dangers.
India has 30 properties inscribed on the World Heritage List. These include:
• Ajanta Caves,
• Elephanta Caves,
• Ellora Caves,
• Fatehpur Sikri,
• Mountain Railways of India,
• The Taj Mahal,
• Sun Temple, Konarak, and
• Jantar Mantar, Jaipur (among others).
Properties submitted by India on the Tentative List include:
• Ancient Buddhist Site, Sarnath, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh,
• Sri Harimandir Sahib, Amritsar, Punjab,
• Urban and Architectural Work of Le Corbusier in Chandigarh,
• Churchgate - Extension to Mumbai CST,
• Mughal Gardens in Kashmir,
• Chilika Lake,
• Delhi - A Heritage City,
• Historic city of Ahmadabad, and
• The Victorian & Art Deco Ensemble of Mumbai (among others).
A “Tentative List” is an inventory of those properties which each State Party intends to consider for nomination.
• UNESCO encourages States Parties to submit their Tentative Lists — properties which they consider to be cultural and/or natural heritage of outstanding universal value and therefore suitable for inscription on the World Heritage List.
• States Parties are encouraged to prepare their Tentative Lists with the participation of a wide variety of stakeholders, including site managers, local and regional governments, local communities, NGOs and other interested parties and partners.
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Edited & Posted by the Editor | 1:01 AM | View the original post
Photo: Media crews have set up operations outside the UN Headquarters complex, to cover events taking place there, including the General Assembly general debate. Broadcast journalists file their dispatches with a backdrop of the UN Secretariat Building. September 24, 2013. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/JC McIlwaine.
Photo: Yoo Soon-taek, wife of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, hosted a tea at her residence in honour of the spouses of the Heads of Delegations attending the sixty-eighth general debate of the General Assembly. A close-up of china used during the event. September 23, 2013. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/Mark Garten.
Photo: Barack Obama (centre), President of the United States of America, addresses the general debate of the sixty-eighth session of the General Assembly. Also pictured (seated on podium, from left): Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon; John Ashe, President of the sixty-eighth session of the General Assembly; and Tegegnework Gettu, Under-Secretary-General for General Assembly and Conference Management. September 24, 2013. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe.
Photo: Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (right) meets with Queen Maxima of the Netherlands. September 24, 2013. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/Paulo Filgueiras.
Photo: Gordon Brown, UN Special Envoy for Global Education, speaks at a special event entitled, “Delivering on the Global Education Promise”. The event marks the first anniversary of the Secretary-General’s Global Education First Initiative (GEFI), and was co-organized by the Initiative’s Secretariat and the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). September 25, 2013. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/JC McIlwaine.
Photo: Irina Bokova, Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), speaks at a special event entitled, “Delivering on the Global Education Promise”. The event marks the first anniversary of the Secretary-General’s Global Education First Initiative (GEFI), and was co-organized by the Initiative’s Secretariat and UNESCO. September 25, 2013. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/JC McIlwaine.
Photo: Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (right) meets with Bill Gates (left) and Melinda Gates, Co-Chairs of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. September 25, 2013. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe.
Photo: Unites States Secretary of State John Kerry briefs journalists following the closed-door meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the Security Council’s five permanent members with their Iranian, as well as German and European Union counterparts. September 26, 2013. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/Paulo Filgueiras.
Photo: Catherine Ashton, European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, briefs journalists following the closed-door meeting she attended with the Foreign Ministers of the Security Council’s five permanent members, as well as Iran and Germany. September 26, 2013. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/Paulo Filgueiras.
Photo: A wide view of the Security Council as the representative of the Russian Federation registers his country’s abstention on resolution 2117 (2013). The resolution, which was adopted with fourteen votes in favour, expresses the Council’s grave concern at the “illicit transfer, destabilizing accumulation and misuse of small arms and light weapons in many regions of the world”. September 26, 2013. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/Amanda Voisard.
Photo: A wide view of the Security Council as it meets on the situation in the Middle East concerning Yemen. The Council was briefed on that country by the Secretary-General’s Special Adviser, Jamal Benomar. September 27, 2013. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/Rick Bajornas.
Photo: Dr. Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India, addresses the general debate of the sixty-eighth session of the General Assembly. September 28, 2013. United Nations, New York. UN Photo/Ryan Brown.
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Photo: ECOSOC 2013. Zeynep Ozbil, Director of Corporate Citizenship, TurkCell, at a side event on “Private-Sector Partnerships in Preparedness and Humanitarian Response” during the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). Tuesday July 16, 2013. Photo by Jean-Marc Ferre. United Nations, Geneva Office.
Photo: ECOSOC 2013. A close-up during the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) High-level Segment substantive session. Wednesday July 3, 2013. Photo by Jean-Marc Ferre. United Nations, Geneva Office.
Photo: ECOSOC 2013. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon during the opening of the Innovation Fair. Monday July 1, 2013. Photo by Jean-Marc Ferre. United Nations, Geneva Office.
Photo: ECOSOC 2013. Elizabeth Cousens, Representative of the United States to the Economic and Social Council, during the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) High-level Segment substantive session. Wednesday July 3, 2013. Photo by Jean-Marc Ferre. United Nations, Geneva Office.
Photo: ECOSOC 2013. Berna Kasnakli, Counsellor, Permanent Mission of Turkey to the United Nations Office at Geneva, during the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) High-level Segment substantive session. Thursday July 4, 2013. Photo by Jean-Marc Ferre. United Nations, Geneva Office.
Photo: ECOSOC 2013. Manjeev Singh Puri, Deputy Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations in New York, during the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) High-level Segment substantive session. Wednesday July 3, 2013. Photo by Jean-Marc Ferre. United Nations, Geneva Office.
Photo: ECOSOC 2013. Press conference of the President of Colombia. Juan Manuel Santos Calderon, President of the Republic of Colombia during the press conference. Wednesday July 3, 2013. Photo by Jean-Marc Ferre. United Nations, Geneva Office.
Photo: ECOSOC 2013. Rola Dashti, Minister of Planning and Development, Kuwait, during the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) High-level Segment substantive session. Tuesday July 2, 2013. Photo by Jean-Marc Ferre. United Nations, Geneva Office.
Photo: ECOSOC 2013. Representative of the Dominican Republic during the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) High-level Segment substantive session. Tuesday July 3, 2013. Photo by Jean-Marc Ferre. United Nations, Geneva Office.
The High-level Segment of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) substantive session took place at the United Nations Office in Geneva from 1 to 4 July 2013 under the theme “Science, technology and innovation, and the potential of culture, for promoting sustainable development and achieving the Millennium Development Goals”.
The High-level Segment provided political leaders and experts with the opportunity to network and discuss ways of improving policy and action on linking culture to sustainable development. It also explored the use of innovation, creativity and culture to expand opportunities for inclusive economic growth, job creation, social cohesion, and partnerships among a wide range of actors.
• ECOSOC is the United Nations platform on economic and social issues.
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