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UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific & Cultural Organisation |
From 30 May to 4 June 2003 the UNESCO Director-General Konchiro
Matsuura has visited Russia. His visit started with the participation in festivities
dedicated to
the 300th anniversary of Saint-Petersburg that has been celebrated under the
aegis of UNESCO all over the world. The historical center of Saint-Petersburg
is the first Russian cultural site, that was inscribed in the List of World
Heritage (together with the Moscow Kremlin, Red Square and Kizhi). During his
stay in the Russian "Northern capital" the Director-General had a meeting with
the Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov.
On the invitation of the President of the Republic North Ossetia-Alania, Alexander Dzasokhov, Mr Matsuura visited Vladikavkaz on 1–2 June 2003. In the framework of this mission Director-General had a meeting with the President Dzasokhov and participated in the International Conference of the heads of Northern Caucasus universities on the problems of higher education. During the recent meeting with President Dzasokhov in the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris in March the UNESCO Director-General gave a high appraisal for the politics on Caucasus, which is based on the dialogue among cultures and civilizations and is being implemented in this multinational and multiconfessional republic.
The third place visited by the Director-General was the capital of Tatarstan. In Kazan he had a meeting with President of the Republic Tatarstan, Mintimer Shaimiev, with whom Mr Matsuura had met in June 2001 during the Days of Tatarstan in UNESCO. In 2000 the historical complex of the Kazan Kremlin was put on the UNESCO List of World Heritage. Mr. Matsuura has visited the Kazan Kremlin and Kazan State University and participated in the Forum of Russian students on the questions of the conservation of cultural heritage. He has also visited the UNESCO Chair in one of the Tatarian universities. The UNESCO Director-General and the President of the Republic Tatarstan have signed the Communique on the following enforcement of the cooperation in the different fields of the UNESCO competence.
On 4 June 2003 in Moscow the Director-General visited the studio of the artist and UNESCO Good Will Ambassador, Mr. Zurab Tsereteli, where he has also met another UNESCO Good Will Ambassador, Ms. Ohoven (Germany).
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Mr
Pierre Sané, Assistant Director-General of UNESCO for Social and Human
Sciences, paid an official visit to Moscow from 23 to 25 April. The main aim
of his mission was to participate in the Regional consultation "Towards a Strategy
for the UNESCO Sector of Social and Human Sciences in Central and Eastern Europe"
held in Moscow in cooperation with the UNESCO Cluster Office in Moscow. The
meeting brought together a cross-section of senior-level scholars and decision-makers
from ten countries of Central and Eastern Europe and two West European countries.
The objectives of the consultation were to focus discussion on the continuing
social transformations in Central and Eastern Europe; to examine implications
for the UNESCO programme in social and human sciences; and to make some recommendations
to UNESCO and partners on priorities for engagement.
four main themes, which characterize the overall thrust of the Sector’s work, were in the center of discussion. They are: action on management of social transformations; promotion and protection of human rights and democracy; ethics of science and technology; and philosophy and future studies.
However, the participants were also encouraged to consider a number of other issues which cut across UNESCO’s activity in all areas, such as: promoting international cooperation; forging partnerships and the role of National Commissions in this regard; strengthening research and policy links; encouraging inter-sectorality and inter-disciplinarity; and promoting networking, exchange and capacity-building.
Many useful recommendations were made along the Sector’s priority areas of work. They will be considered in the formulation of the Sector’s strategy in Central and Eastern Europe in 2004–2005.
During his mission Mr Sané also met senior officials of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Commission of the Russian Federation to UNESCO. According to the Russian participants, the visit was considered a sign of respect accorded by UNESCO to the Russian scientific community and of UNESCO readiness to develop and strengthen mutual relations in the future. The sides touched upon the issue of preparation of the new Agreement on Cooperation between UNESCO and the academy in the field of social and human sciences.
The meeting with the leadership and students of the State University of Management was of a keen interest to the distinguished guest.
Representatives of human rights non-governmental organizations met Mr Sané in the UNESCO Moscow Office. They expressed their satisfaction with the UNESCO draft Overall Strategy on Human Rights and the activities of UNESCO aimed at its elaboration. They stressed that this would help UNESCO’s partners on human rights issues to better understand in which particular fields they should develop their cooperation with UNESCO and what are the other human rights aspects UNESCO proposes compared to other organizations within the United Nations system.
This was the first visit of the Assistant Director-General of UNESCO for Social and Human Sciences to Russia in this decade. Therefore, it is crucial to stress that the parties emphasized high effectiveness of the visit, its extreme importance as well as good prospects of the agreements achieved.
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The World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development has been celebrated worldwide for the first time this year on 21st May.
The UNESCO Director-General stressed the paramount importance of the event in his message, adopted on that occasion. He called the regional offices to take the lead in such initiatives, forming novel partnerships with civil society.
In order to provide relevant follow-up to this message, the UNESCO Moscow Office held in Moscow on 21st May in cooperation with the Russian Academy of Public Administration (RAPA) under the President of the Russian Federation, the Russian Institute of Cultural Research of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and the Institute of Cultural Policy, a round table entitled: "Cultural Diversity, Development and Globalization". The discussion was based on the UNESCO Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity.
About 100 people participated in the event: leading experts in the field of cultural policy, representatives of indigenous peoples, intellectuals, artists, media, post graduated students of the Academy, as well as the leaders of the UNESCO National Commissions of the cluster countries joined by UNESCO: Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Belarus.
Deputy Director of Bureau of Field Coordination (UNESCO, Paris) Mr Warren L. Mellor, Deputy minister of Culture of the Russian Federation Mr A. Rakhaev, President-Rector of RAPA Mr V. Egorov, Director of Russian Institute of Cultural Research of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation Mr K. Razlogov addressed the participants with the welcoming speeches. National Officer for Culture of UNESCO Moscow Office V. Shestakov read out the Message from the UNESCO Director-General on the occasion of the celebration of 21 May, "World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development".
Some basic reports were presented to facilitate the discussion at the plenary session and during two thematic panels: "Cultural Policy and Cultural Diversity" and "Cultural Diversity for Development".
As a final result of the round table a series of recommendations addressed to the Governments of the cluster countries and containing measures, which would permit to reflect the principles of the Declaration in cultural policy and strategy were adopted.
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Within the framework of the UN International Year of Freshwater in 2003 challenges regarding the management of water resources, their rational use and pollution are one of the priorities on the international agenda. Monitoring of ecological situation on water sites requires cross-disciplinarity between biology, physics and chemistry. Lake Baikal, which contains one fifth of world surface freshwater resource, became the object of joint Russian-French researches, conducted by the UNESCO Chair for Water Resources of the Irkutsk State University and the Savoy University.
The joint programme envisages, together with studies of largest lakes of Siberia and France, a research of thermal mountain waters. For this purpose a special research expedition was organised and financed by both universities with the support of UNESCO.
The tasks of the expedition included definition of priority parameters, characterising chemical composition and physical qualities of waters, as well as components, determining values of water sources. The report of the scientific expeditions will be presented at the symposium on the problems of Baikal in September and will enhance the information of the assessment of the world water resources, as well as contribute to the publication of the next World Water Development Report.
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UN Resident Coordinator System |
On
17 May 2003, Dr Mikko Vienonen, UN Resident Coordinator in the Russian Federation
a.i., and Mr Bhim Udas, WFP Senior Emergency Coordinator, took part in the celebration
of the Day of Vesak, the most sacred Buddhist holiday held at the premises of
the People’s Friendship University in Moscow. Commemorating the birth of Buddha,
his attainment of enlightenment and passing away (Nirvana), the Day of Vesak
is a national holiday in many Southeast Asian countries and is celebrated every
May on the night of the full moon. Organised by the Embassies of Sri Lanka,
India, Nepal and Mongolia, in co-operation with the Office of UN Resident Coordinator
in the Russian Federation, the festival was a first attempt to make the Day
of Vesak an important public event in Russia, involving not only the local Buddhist
community but also key international organisations, such as the United Nations.
The programme of the festival, comprising cultural presentations by the Southeast
Asian countries as well a concert dedicated to the memory of Buddha, was a huge
success attracting wide publicity from both Russian and foreign journalists.
Based on the principle of multiculturalism and religious tolerance, the United Nations acknowledges the great contribution that Buddhism, as one of the world’s oldest religions, has made to the spiritual enhancement of humankind. 2,540 years after it was proclaimed, the message of Buddha remains an undiminished vitality, marked by tolerance and freedom and cutting across national and racial boundaries. It is understandable therefore that in response to the hope expressed by the International Buddhist Conference held in Sri Lanka in 1998, on 13 December 1999 the UN General Assembly formally adopted a Resolution to give international recognition to the Day of Vesak at UN Headquarters and other UN offices. The Office of the UN Resident Coordinator sincerely hopes that, starting from this year, it will become a good tradition to celebrate the Day of Vesak in the Russian Federation.
