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L'OREAL UNESCO WOMEN IN SCIENCE AWARD 2013 |
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call for nominations for l'oreal-unesco women in science awards
The National Commission is currently calling for applications for the 2013 L’OREAL- UNESCO Awards for Women in Science which this year is dedicated to the physical sciences.
The L’OREAL-UNESCO awards, each worth $US 100,000, are awarded each year to distinguished eminent women scientists at the height of their career, one from each of UNESCO’s five regions. New Zealand scientists are eligible for the Asia and Pacific award.
Further information on the initiative may be found here.
To be considered by the National Commission for forwarding to UNESCO Headquarters, applications on the official nomination forms must be received at the National Commission’s office by Friday 18 May 2012.
For further information and application forms please contact the Secretary General, New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO, c/- Ministry of Education, P O Box 1666, Wellington (
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UNESCO to celebrate World Press Freedom Day in Lao PDR and Myanmar
Bangkok, 30 April 2012: On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day on 3 May 2012, UNESCO Bangkok emphasizes the freedom of expression and the right to information in Asia and the Pacific.
“Freedom of expression is a fundamental right stated by UNESCO and a right which all people in the world should treasure,” said Susanne Ornager, Adviser for Communication and Information Programme in Asia, UNESCO Bangkok.
“When you have freedom of expression, you have a dialogue with all members of society. Without freedom of expression you exclude some part of society from voicing their concerns. And if you are not allowed to express your views, then you starve intellectually,” she said.
Every year on 3 May, World Press Freedom Day serves as an occasion to remind people to respect the fundamental principles of freedom of expression; to evaluate press freedom around the world, to defend the media from attacks on their independence and to pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the exercise of their profession. Media freedom faces significant pressures across the world. Last year, UNESCO condemned the killing of 62 journalists who died in performing or in direct relation to their work. The World Press Freedom Day was jointly established in 1991 by UNESCO and the United Nations Department of Public Information.
“Journalists can be involved in decision making by making the decisions visible to civil society. And it’s extremely important that journalists report what is happening in society. Also the right to free speech and press freedom are deeply interconnected with the right to access information, so it is a priority to bridge the digital divide both between and within countries,” said Ms Ornager.
This year, UNESCO Bangkok is jointly organizing World Press Freedom Day events in Lao PDR and in Myanmar on 3 May 2012, focusing on ‘New Voices: Media Freedom Helping to Transform Societies’.
The event in Lao PDR, held in Vientiane, will consist of a panel discussion under the title of “The Media Landscape in Lao PDR”, where participants will discuss topics, such as media law, current media practice, access to information for media and the public, and opportunities related to media development. It is organized jointly by the United Nations Communications Group and UNESCO Bangkok in close collaboration with the Lao Journalist Association.
In Yangon, the Ministry of Information of Myanmar and UNESCO Bangkok are organizing a ceremony of ‘World Press Freedom Day 2012: Challenges to Media in a New Environment’ with opening remarks by Union Minister for Information and for Culture H.E. U Kyaw Hsan.
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UNESCO World Press Freedom Day 2012
To mark UNESCO World Press Freedom Day, Pacific Media Centre will hold a seminar on Media freedom in the Pacific: the rhetoric and the reality on Thursday, 3 May 2012 from 7-8.30pm at WT1004, AUT Tower, AUT University.
Visit the Pacific Media Centre website for more information. |
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World Book and Copyright Day, 23 April 2012 |
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invitation to rally around books
Message from Ms Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, on the occasion of World Book and Copyright Day, 23 April 2012
Our relationship with books determines, to a large extent, our relationship with culture. On 23 April, for World Book and Copyright Day, UNESCO invites everyone to rally around books and support those who make their living from them and those who make them live.
From scrolls to codices, manuscripts to printed matter and tablet computers, books have changed in appearance many times over the centuries. In all formats, books embody ideas and values considered by men and women to be worth passing on. They are valuable tools for knowledge-sharing, mutual understanding and openness to others and to the world.
UNESCO wishes to provide everyone with the means to access this tremendous potential. The effort begins at school, through a determined fight against illiteracy among children and adults, and continues in the strengthening of cultural policies. Without quality education, the pages of a book are silent. Books rarely work alone: they prompt us to read other books, which reveal other treasures. Without equitable access to the content and resources of physical or virtual libraries, the power of books wanes and their diversity diminishes. The book chain is based on fragile balances and requires active vigilance and instruments to support it. The implementation of UNESCO conventions such as the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions is one example. Copyright protection is a cardinal principle of this action and a compass in the ever-changing cultural landscape.
In 2012, World Book and Copyright Day is concerned with the theme of translation. We are celebrating the 80th anniversary of the Index Translationum, the world bibliography of translations, managed by UNESCO. This unique instrument is a formidable tool for the dissemination and monitoring of global cultural flows. Faced with increasing numbers of publications, Member States must join forces to build a more comprehensive, efficient and open instrument. Translation is the first step towards the rapprochement of peoples, and is also a decentralizing experience, teaching diversity and dialogue. Translation is one of the driving principles of our creative diversity, which enriches each language through contact with all the others.
Our world needs to understand the diversity of cultures and to develop much stronger intercultural skills in the minds of every man and woman. We need these skills in order to live together in heterogeneous societies. We need them in order to address our common challenges together. On 23 April, UNESCO launches the celebrations of World Book and Copyright Day in Yerevan, in Armenia, World Book Capital for 2012. On this day I call upon all of UNESCO’s partners, in universities, Chairs and Associated Schools to remember that books are a force and an opportunity to be placed in the hands of all. |
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Rio + 20 Youth Consultations |
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Written by Christine Robertson
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Wednesday, 04 April 2012 15:36 |
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New zealand rio + 20 Youth consultations
The NZ National Commission for UNESCO is pleased to partner with UNICEF NZ and youth-led NGOs such as 350, Generation Zero, Global Poverty Project, NZYD, P3 and UN Youth to organise a series of youth consultations on the Rio + 20 Conference on Sustainable Development.
There are consultations planned in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, with more to be added soon.
If you are interested in participating, you can register here.
For more information, contact Vicki Soanes at
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Professor Sir Paul Callaghan |
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“The New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO joins organisations throughout New Zealand and globally in expressing its sense of sadness and loss at the passing of Professor Sir Paul Callaghan , widely acknowledged as one of our country’s finest scientists.
The National Commission has itself benefitted from Sir Paul’s exceptional ability as a science communicator when it invited him to join us as keynote speaker at one of our joint Sub-commission meetings. On that occasion his exceptional presentation inspired our deliberations as it has so many others in recent years. His leadership and energy will be sorely missed.
We join with others in expressing our condolences to Sir Paul’s family and friends and to his colleagues in the science community.”
Neil Walter
Chairperson
New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO
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Wai Ora : People and Freshwater |
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A Summer Studentship project conducted by Shamin Yazdani 2009-2010
Kuia, Keri Kaa of Rangitukia shared her knowledge and insights into Wai Ora with Shamin
Click here to download Shamin's report
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WORLD WATER DAY - 22 March |
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world water day 2012 highlights link between water and food security
Message from Ms Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO on the occasion of the World Water Day “Water and Food security”, 22 March 2012
Water is vital for agriculture, rural development and food industry. Food security is unthinkable without it. On this World Water Day, we must all recognize this inextricable link between water and food security and make it a central component of our work for sustainable development.
Today, one billion people are undernourished. Every year, six million children die of hunger. Lack of access to clean drinking water exacerbates the burdens carried by the poor and the undernourished, and it increases mortality rates. Global food production and supply do not today match up with demand. And the world will need to feed two billion more people over the coming decades.
Food security depends highly on water -- in terms of quality and quantity. Water of acceptable quality and in adequate quantity is needed to meet food production demands. At the same time, food production and supply have a negative impact on the sustainability and quality of water resources.
Agriculture is the biggest water user, with 70 percent of the global water withdrawal coming in irrigation. Agriculture is also the biggest water polluter, with millions of tons of agro-chemicals from fertilizers and pesticides discharged into rivers and seeping into soil and groundwater. In the face of climate change, food production is also becoming uncertain, because of increasingly variable rainfall patterns and more frequent and prolonged droughts. At the same time, with increasing demand for food, competition for water is rising.
We must come together now to face up to water and food challenges. UNESCO is working to enhance national capacities to use and manage water sustainably. Our vision of green growth in agriculture is clear. We must increase water productivity and wastewater reuse in agriculture to produce ‘more food per drop’. We must put in place more efficient irrigation and rainwater harvesting systems and we must integrate our management of water and land, including also women’s voices.
UNESCO’s International Hydrological Programme leads global efforts to promote sustainable rural and urban water management. It works to protect water quality for sustainable livelihoods and poverty reduction and it builds capacity in order to enhance water management. It is supported by a network of over 20 UNESCO water Centres and University Chairs that train water professionals across the world.
This World Water Day is a call to action. We must join together today to secure clean water and food for every citizen of the world, now and in the future. |
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