LAURA BUSH JOINS SENIOR UN OFFICIALS IN CALL FOR GREATER EFFORTS TO BOOST GLOBAL LITERACY

Former United States First Lady Laura Bush has added her voice to a chorus of United Nations officials underscoring the importance of bolstering global efforts to increase the number of people who can read and write around the world.

"Literacy is at the core of sustainable solutions to the world's greatest challenges," stressed Ms. Bush, who is an Honorary Ambassador for the UN Literacy Decade (2003-2012).

"It provides the foundation for freedom and sustainable economic development," Ms. Bush told a UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (<"http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=46396&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html">UNESCO) gathering celebrating the International Day for Literacy at the agency's headquarters in Paris on 8 September.

UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura noted that while the "empowering role of literacy and its significance for development have been recognized worldwide, there are still 776 million illiterate adults in the world and 75 million children out of school whose rights and needs remain unfulfilled."

In his message marking the Day, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said that in a "world of enormous wealth, in a world in which education and knowledge are the necessary passports to a better life, the scale of illiteracy is truly staggering."

A UNESCO report released last year noted that some 75 per cent of illiterate adults worldwide live in only 15 countries – including Bangladesh, Brazil, China, India and Nigeria. And in some sub-Saharan African countries, the number of non-literate adults has increased in recent years by approximately 30 million.

Under such circumstances, three quarters of the 127 countries for which projections were calculated will miss the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of halving adult illiteracy rates by 2015.

In line with the UN Literacy Decade calendar, International Literacy Day put the spotlight this year on the empowering role of literacy and its importance for participation, citizenship and development.

The presentation of the 2009 UNESCO Literacy Prizes followed the opening when representatives of innovative educational projects based in India and Burkina Faso received the awards. Projects in Afghanistan and the Philippines were honoured with the awards of the UNESCO Confucius Prize for Literacy, with a programme in Bhutan receiving an honourable mention.

UNESCO CHIEF VOICES ALARM AT ATTACKS ON JOURNALISTS IN NORTH-WEST PAKISTAN

The head of the United Nations agency tasked with defending press freedom today condemned the recent killing of a television journalist in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province (NWFP), and urged authorities to ensure the safety of media professionals in the South Asian nation.

Sadiq Bacha Khan, a correspondent of Aaj TV and former President of the Press Club of Mardan, was shot dead on his way to work on 14 August.

"This crime is a blow to freedom of expression and freedom of the press," said Koïchiro Matsuura, the Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

"I urge the authorities to do everything in their power to put a stop to the killing of journalists, which has become particularly alarming in North West Frontier Province," he added.

Mr. Matsuura also paid tribute to Mr. Khan's "courage and commitment" both to his profession and to helping the inhabitants of NWFP, which has been the scene of a major displacement crisis prompted by the Government's military offensive against militants in the region.

According to the International Press Institute, 11 journalists have been killed in Pakistan over the last two years, six of them in NWFP.
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UNESCO CHIEF VOICES CONCERN AFTER MEDIA OUTLETS IN VENEZUELA LOSE LICENSES

The head of the United Nations agency tasked with defending press freedom has voiced deep concern today over a recent order to revoke the licences of 34 radio and television broadcasters in Venezuela.

"I am deeply concerned over the reduction in the number of outlets through which citizens can exercise their right to receive information from diverse sources," said UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura.

"The people of Venezuela have the right to benefit from a diversity of perspectives in reports and analyses of events that concern them," stressed Mr. Matsuura.

He added that without a number of media outlets operating in the country, there can be no freedom of expression, or even democracy, and urged authorities "to reconsider their decision to take a great many broadcasters off air, and to protect media personnel from harassment."

According to an order issued in July, another 240 radio stations and 45 television channels are in danger of losing their licenses for alleged breaches of Telecommunication Law, in addition to the 32 radio and two television stations which have already lost the right to broadcast.

Mr. Matsuura also noted recent reports of an attack on the headquarters of Globovisión by 30 individuals, led by Lina Ron, head of the Venezuelan Popular Unity party (UPV), who forced their way into the building, throwing teargas which reportedly affected four people.

NEW UN PARTNERSHIP SEEKS TO BOOST INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN ARAB REGION

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has teamed up with a Jordanian-based business services company to promote information and communication technology (ICT) to support education, science and culture in the Arab region.

The agreement signed today in Paris between UNESCO and the Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Organization (TAG-Org) seeks to increase access to and measure the use of ICT in different sectors of society, enhance teacher training, and promote multilingualism and internationalized Internet Domain Names.

"UNESCO relies upon and welcomes partners such as TAG-Org to realize the vision of knowledge societies," stated Koichiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO.

The agency and TAG-Org are planning to create a knowledge society portal on which data in Arabic and English on the state of Arab countries on ICT in education, science, culture, communication and commerce – collected through digital surveys, digital reporting, and digital resources – will be made available.

Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, Founder and Chairman of TAG-Org, said availability of such data will assist local governments, institutions, and international organizations to understand gaps in ICT and to take a leading role in developing ICT infrastructure and building ICT capacity.

Under the new agreement, UNESCO and TAG-Org will develop an immediate action plan for that project, prepare a strategy to enhance multilingualism and Internet Domain Names in the Arabic script, and work together to increase the availability of Arabic content on the Internet, among other things.
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UNESCO CHIEF URGES CULPRITS IN MURDER OF FILIPINO JOURNALIST BE BROUGHT TO JUSTICE

The head of the United Nations agency tasked with defending press freedom has condemned the latest murder of a journalist in the Philippines and called for the perpetrators of the crime to be brought to justice.

Radio journalist Godofredo Linao was shot on 27 July by two unidentified men near the offices of Radyo Natin, where he worked as a commentator, in Surigao del Sol province on southern Mindanao Island.

"Journalists in the Philippines have been made to pay an intolerably heavy price to exercise the basic human right of freedom of expression and to inform all Philippines citizens of events affecting their society," Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), said in a news release.

"I trust that the authorities will spare no effort in bringing to justice the culprits of these crimes, which undermine the rights and freedoms of all the citizens of the Philippines," he added.

The manager of Radyo Natin reportedly said that Mr. Linao may have been targeted for his political broadcasts. He was involved in local politics and was due to run as a candidate in the 2010 elections.

The attack follows a similar incident in early June in which Crispin Perez, a journalist who hosted a morning programme on Radio DWDO in the central Philippine province of Western Mindoro, died near his home in San Jose after being stabbed by an unknown attacker.
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ALL-FEMALE NEWSPAPER AMONG WINNERS OF UN AWARDS FOR INNOVATIVE LITERACY PROJECTS

A newspaper produced entirely by women in rural India is among the four winners of this year's Literacy Prizes awarded by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in recognition of innovative programmes designed to teach women, adolescents and other marginalized populations how to read and write.

The fortnightly newspaper – distributed to more than 20,000 readers in Uttar Pradesh, northern India – is entirely created and marketed by newly literate "low caste" women who are training as journalists.

The other prizes went to the Tin Tau's reading skills programme in Burkina Faso, which focuses on gender and community development; the Pashai Language Development Project in Afghanistan, which provides literacy, livelihood, public health and nutrition education to about 1,000 ethnic minority Pashai men and women annually; and a continuing education programme in the Philippines, which attempts to eliminate illiteracy in the 49 villages of the Agoo municipality.

An honourable mention also went to a programme in Bhutan for its holistic approach to literacy and its success in reaching remote areas, with an emphasis on literacy as an integral part of the country's "Gross National Happiness," as well as its focus on adults and out-of-school youth, particularly women and girls.

The theme for this year's awards was "Literacy and Empowerment," and the laureates were proclaimed by the Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, on the recommendation of an international jury.

The award ceremony will be held at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris on 8 September to coincide with International Literacy Day.
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UNESCO CHIEF SPEAKS OUT AGAINST KILLING OF SOMALI JOURNALISTS

UNESCO CHIEF SPEAKS OUT AGAINST KILLING OF SOMALI JOURNALISTS
New York, May 29 2009 2:01PM
The head of the United Nations agency tasked with upholding press freedom today condemned the recent shooting deaths of two Somali journalists.

Abdirisak Warsameh Mohamed of Radio Shabelle was reportedly gunned down last week on his way to work amid renewed fighting between Government forces and armed rebels near the Bakara Market in the capital, Mogadishu.

Intense fighting between the Government and the opposition Al-Shabaab and Hisb-ul-Islam groups erupted in several areas of Mogadishu on 8 May, uprooting over 67,000 people, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

It is impossible to know whether the journalist, who took several bullets to the chest, was singled out to be killed given the intensity of the conflict and the large number of civilians hit in the crossfire, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (<"http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=29008&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html">UNESCO) said in a <"http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=45616&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html">news release.

Veteran reporter Nur Muse Hussein (56) was shot in April while covering clashes between the provincial authorities and the Hisb-ul-Islam movement for Voice of the Holy Quran radio station.

UNESCO said Mr. Hussein, who died this week from a gunshot wound to the leg sustained during the attack, was targeted along with three colleagues despite the fact that they were identified as journalists.

"I condemn the attacks which have taken the lives of Nur Muse Hussein and Abdirisak Warsameh Mohamed," said UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura.

"Few places are as dangerous for journalists as Somalia, which is prey to unending conflicts," added Mr. Matsuura. He said that dedicated professionals, such as the two Somali reporters, "nevertheless continue doing their job to ensure that we are kept informed. It is our right to freedom of information that these brave journalists risk their lives to defend."

According to the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ), four reporters have now been killed in the Horn of Africa nation since January, and two freelance journalists – Amanda Lindhout of Canada and Australian photographer Nigel Brennan – who were abducted last August near Mogadishu are still being held by their kidnappers who are demanding a ransom.
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UNESCO CHIEF HIGHLIGHTS IMPORTANCE OF CULTURAL DIVERSITY ON WORLD DAY

UNESCO CHIEF HIGHLIGHTS IMPORTANCE OF CULTURAL DIVERSITY ON WORLD DAY
New York, May 21 2009 3:00PM
Cultural diversity offers a wealth of opportunities for mutual exchanges and borrowings, the head of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (<"http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=45470&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html">UNESCO) said today, calling for nations to boost efforts to foster dialogue among cultures.

In a statement marking the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura underscored his agency's belief that cultures are interdependent, not monolithic, and that diversity is a source of strength and unity.

"Yet we see daily evidence of the destabilizing forces of ignorance and mistrust and of the magnitude of the task ahead of us," he said. "The management of cultural diversity is undoubtedly one of the central challenges facing many societies today as they work to build inclusive and pluralistic knowledge societies."

Two renowned calligraphers from different traditions – China and Iran – intertwined their writing to celebrate the Day at UNESCO headquarters in Paris. Master Fan Zeng and Jassan Makaremi provided a poetic illustration on learning how to learn about others and live together.

The agency's International Festival of Cultural Diversity, running from 11-22 May, has been commemorated worldwide, seeking to raise awareness of the messages of diversity, freedom and human dignity.
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RUSSIAN TENNIS STAR PARTNERS WITH UNESCO TO SERVE NOTICE ON GENDER INEQUALITY

RUSSIAN TENNIS STAR PARTNERS WITH UNESCO TO SERVE NOTICE ON GENDER INEQUALITY
New York, May 20 2009 1:00PM
Russian tennis ace, Olympic bronze medallist and Grand Slam champion Vera Zvonareva was named today as a Promoter of Gender Equality by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (<"http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=45489&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html">UNESCO).

Ms. Zvonareva, who at 24 is currently ranked number 6 in the world, has been appointed to call attention to gender equality issues at the national and global levels, and take part in women's leadership programmes through the UNESCO-Sony Ericsson WTA Tour partnership.

"I am very happy to announce today that Ms. Vera Zvonareva is being designated as the fourth UNESCO Promoter of Gender Equality," said the agency's Director-General, Koïchiro Matsuura.

Ms. Zvonareva joins other distinguished Promoters of Gender Equality, including current Tour stars Venus Williams of the United States, Tatiana Golovin of France and Zheng Jie of China, as well as Tour founder and pioneering tennis player Billie Jean King, who was appointed Global Mentor for Gender Equality last year.

Mr. Matsuura stressed that as global role models, "these formidable athletes and successful women are a source of inspiration in their deeds both on and off the court, driving the message that gender equality is a goal that can and must be realized in order for us to achieve peace and sustainable development."

Since its 2006 launch, the UNESCO-Tour collaboration has raised substantial funds; initiated a series of programmes promoting gender equality and women's leadership; developed a global TV and print advertising campaign. Also, Sony Ericsson tournaments have kicked off advocacy, awareness and fund-raising activities on behalf of the Partnership.

Some of the resulting activities include a women-only night school programme in Liberia; a project to create a group of successful female politicians, business women and athletes in Cameroon; a project to raise the percentage of rural women involved in local affairs in China; and legal rights workshops to empower women in Jordan.
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MYANMAR: UNESCO CHIEF DEPLORES ARREST OF PRO-DEMOCRACY LEADER

MYANMAR: UNESCO CHIEF DEPLORES ARREST OF PRO-DEMOCRACY LEADER
New York, May 20 2009 10:00AM
The head of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (<"http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=29008&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html">UNESCO) has expressed his grave concern over the arrest and trial of opposition leader and Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, coinciding with when her house arrest was due to end, to the leader ofruling military junta.

In a letter sent today to General Than Shwe, UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura did not pass judgment on the validity of the charges against her, but underscored that Aung San Suu Kyi – who received the 2002 UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence – plays a very important role in the country's national reconciliation process.

Aung San Suu Kyi, who leads the National League for Democracy (NLD) and two aides were taken by security forces on 14 May to Insein Prison, where they were charged by a special court. They are said to have been charged with violating the terms of her house arrest, after an uninvited United States citizen gained access to their home, and her trial is currently under way.

Mr. Matsuura added his voice to the chorus of UN officials, including Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, in calling for her immediate and unconditional release.

Last week, High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay emphasized that "her continued detention, and now this latest trial, breach international standards of due process and fair trial."

It had been hoped that Aung San Suu Kyi would be released when her current detention order, which has already continued for one year longer than the maximum of five years permitted under Myanmar's laws, expires at the end of this month.

"The Myanmar authorities might claim Aung San Suu Kyi has breached the conditions of her detention, but they have broken both their own laws and their international human rights obligations," Ms. Pillay stressed. "She should not be detained in the first place."

Ms. Suu Kyi has spent over 12 years under house arrest. On 30 May 2003, she was re-arrested under a law which states that a person "suspected of having committed or believed to be about to commit, any act which endangers the sovereignty and security of the state" can be detained.

In May 2007, the Government extended her arrest for another year, bringing her detention to the five-year limit, and her detention was prolonged for sixth year last May.
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NEW AFGHAN LAW COULD CURTAILS RIGHTS TO EDUCATION, GENDER EQUALITY – UNESCO HEAD

A new law that could be adopted by Afghanistan's Parliament on the status of Shiites in the South Asian nation undermines the right to education, the principle of gender equality and the rights of the child, the head of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) said today.

In a letter to Afghan President Hamid Karzai today, UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura expressed concern that the draft legislation contravenes principles enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, calling on the country's leader to prevent the law from entering into force.

UNESCO's constitution promotes universal respect for rights and fundamental freedoms "without distinction of race, sex, language or religion," and calls for education for all "without regard to race, sex or any distinctions, economic or social."

Further, the agency ensures that the rights and specific needs of women are taken into consideration in all of its programmes, stressing the importance of unrestricted access to education by girls and women as a precondition to social and economic development, Mr. Matsuura said.

In his letter, Mr. Matsuura welcomed the strides Afghanistan's Government has made in many areas, including education, which is recognized as a right in the country's constitution.

Earlier this month, the top UN human rights official called for the repeal of another new law in the country which she said seriously curtails women's rights, even explicitly permitting marital rape, and is a "huge step in the wrong direction."

The law regulates the personal status of the country's minority Shi'a community members, including relations between men and women, divorce and property rights.

It denies Afghan Shi'a women the right to leave their homes except for 'legitimate' purposes; forbids them from working or receiving education without their husbands' express permission; weakens mothers' rights in the event of a divorce; and makes it impossible for wives to inherit houses and land from their husbands, even if husbands can inherit property from their wives.

"This is another clear indication that the human rights situation in Afghanistan is getting worse, not better," said Navi Pillay, High Commissioner for Human Rights. "Respect for women's rights – and human rights in general – is of paramount importance to Afghanistan's future security and development."
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FIJI: UNESCO CHIEF VOICES CONCERN OVER RESTRICTIONS ON PRESS FREEDOM

The head of the United Nations agency tasked with defending press freedom today voiced grave concern over the crackdown on the media in Fiji after the country's leadership scrapped its Constitution and declared a state of emergency last week.

According to new regulations in the South Pacific archipelago nation, editors are not allowed to publish or broadcast any material that shows the military in an unfavourable light, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) said in a press release.

UNESCO said that sensitive stories must also be approved by Government officials, and publication and media organizations ignoring these directives may be shut down.

"I am gravely concerned about press freedom in Fiji," said UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura, echoing earlier remarks made by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay.

Urging the authorities to allow open debate to find lasting solutions to the country's difficulties, Mr. Matsuura stressed that the basic right to "freedom of expression, which underpins press freedom, is essential for democracy, good governance and rule of law."

He warned that "depriving people of news and information about events that affect them only breeds fear and suspicions. Such measures will not promote a solution to the nation's social and political problems."

A state of emergency was issued by President Ratu Josefa Iloilovatu Uluivuda on 10 April. As a result, all judges and magistrates were removed, along with others who had been appointed under the Constitution.

The move came on the heels of the 9 April Court of Appeals ruling that the appointment of the Interim Government by the President following the 2006 coup was illegal. In its decision, the Court also advised Mr. Iloilovatu Uluivuda to appoint a neutral caretaker as Prime Minister to aid in holding parliamentary elections.
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WATER DESERVES HIGHER PRIORITY ON DEVELOPMENT AGENDA – UN OFFICIAL

WATER DESERVES HIGHER PRIORITY ON DEVELOPMENT AGENDA – UN OFFICIAL
New York, Mar 16 2009 6:00PM

Water must be given higher priority on the development agenda, a top United Nations official told a global gathering that opened today in Istanbul, stressing that the problems the world faces with regard to this precious resource are enormous.

"Developing countries themselves need to increase investment in water, and systematically integrate water in poverty reduction strategies," Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) told the opening of the 5th World Water Forum.

"The international community must also dramatically scale up its support. I urge leaders in all sectors to use this report as a guide and impetus for bold and sustained action to meet the world's water needs," he told the meeting, whose theme is "Bridging Divides for Water."

Mr. Matsuura presented the latest UN World Water Development Report, which warns that the surging growth in global population, climate change, widespread mismanagement and increasing demand for energy have tightened the grip on the world's evaporating water supplies.

As the world's population has swollen to well over 6 billion people, some countries have already reached the limits of their water resources, according to the report compiled by over 20 UN agencies.

"Chronic underinvestment and poor governance in many parts of the world has left hundreds of millions of people deprived of their right to safe water and basic sanitation, vulnerable to disease and extreme hunger, and exposed to the risks of water-related disasters, environmental degradation and conflict," stated the Director-General.

"After decades of inaction, the problems we face are enormous. If left unattended, they may become insurmountable," he added.

Also addressing the meeting, which runs until 22 March, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs Sha Zukang said that water and sanitation issues are critical to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the internationally-agreed targets to slash extreme poverty and other ills by 2015.

Mr. Sha, who is representing Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at the Forum, reminded participants that the world is lagging behind in reaching its MDG target to reduce by half the proportion of the population without access to basic sanitation services.

The Istanbul meeting comes ahead of International World Water Day, observed annually on 22 March to focus attention on the importance of freshwater and advocate for the sustainable management of freshwater resources.
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ARCTIC PEOPLES MUST BE CONSULTED ON ADAPTATION TO WARMING, SAYS UN-BACKED GROUP

ARCTIC PEOPLES MUST BE CONSULTED ON ADAPTATION TO WARMING, SAYS UN-BACKED GROUP
New York, Mar 13 2009 1:00PM

Indigenous Arctic peoples must be consulted on ways to preserve their ways of life and boost employment opportunities as the northern ice retreats due to climate change, a group of experts convened by the United Nations cultural agency has agreed.

"Action formulated to address Arctic issues must begin from an understanding that many of the peoples of the Arctic have self-governing institutions," according to recommendations issued by participants at the meeting organized by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

"These peoples and their institutions have immense creativity and seek to advance the self-determination, prosperity and aspirations of their communities and their regions," they added.

According to UNESCO, rapidly changing climate in the Arctic is putting pressure on hundreds of thousands of indigenous people in the circumpolar north.

The agency noted that for decades they have been witnessing a dramatic shift during the Arctic Ocean's open water season, as sea ice retreats further and further from coasts. Industrial development and shipping are expected to rise in its place.

The four-day meeting hosted by Monaco in early March sought to address the concerns of the Arctic communities and identify strategies for the sustainable development of the region, bringing together experts in the social and natural sciences, ethics, education, and international affairs with representatives of indigenous peoples.

The recommendations of the group include establishing "a working/advisory group to develop dialogue and strategy on the challenges of climate change for circumpolar indigenous peoples, including safeguarding intangible heritage and building synergies between indigenous and scientific knowledge."

Other objectives range from promoting employment opportunities through the conservation of traditional activities to improving the access of researchers to exclusive economic zones in the Arctic area.

Participants at the meeting included representatives of the Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North (RAIPON), the Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC), the Saami Parliament, the Arctic Council, UNESCO and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).

In addition, all Arctic States (Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the United States) were represented as well as other concerned States, some from Europe but some from as far south as New Zealand, South Africa, and Japan.

The Director General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, opened the discussions, applauding the bold mandate of the meeting. "Adaptation and response have become an unavoidable necessity. The development of appropriate adaptation and response strategies has therefore emerged as a central preoccupation of all actors, including the UN system," he said.
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