Festival of Politics 2011
20-28 August 2011
Venue: Scottish Parliament
UK National Commission for UNESCO (UKNC) takes part in the Festival of Politics 2011
The Festival of Politics is a yearly event taking place at the Scottish Parliament. The Festival of Politics 2011 programme of events will cover seven days from Saturday 20 to Saturday 27 August under the overarching theme of Renewing Politics in the Age of New Media. The festival will feature a number of events looking at how politics and the wider world is progressing with social media, new technologies and interaction with each other.
On their way to and from events, visitors will be able to view one of the largest and most prestigious photographic exhibitions - the 54th World Press Photo exhibition. Striking images taken by the world’s leading photojournalists that depict dramatic, life-changing events from around the world, line the public entrance to the Scottish Parliament. Photographic events for the public will take place alongside this year’s Festival sessions.
This year the UK national Commission for UNESCO in Scotland is running one session and collaborating on another:
Communicating Politics: UN Approaches for Expressing Complex Ideas Effectively to Different Audiences
26 August 2011
Scottish Parliament
Committee Room 3
16:00 to 17:30
The UKNC, UNICEF, UNA, UN WOMEN and CIFAL UNITAR Associated Centre, which are all active in Scotland, help communicate UN international politics and trends to Scottish audiences across the areas of peace and security, development, education and training and children and human rights. Four of these organisations will run this session.
Dr Gari Donn, Convenor of UNA Scotland, will discuss this civil society organisation's promotion of the work of the UN on Human Rights, Nuclear Non-Proliferation, the Middle East and International Development. Joanne Orr, Chair of the UK National Commission for UNESCO in Scotland talks about the World Convention safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) and an initiative to record ICH in Scotland using an online wiki style inventory. May East, Executive Director CIFAL UNITAR Associated Centre, will outline techniques on how to communicate frontline implications of climate change and sustainability effectively at policy and decision-making levels. Bruce Wilkinson, Education Officer for Scotland, will share UNICEF's face-to-face approach to promoting the Right Respecting Schools Awards.
Programme availability and tickets:
- Online from www.festivalofpolitics.org.uk
- By telephone: 0131 473 2000 (calls via RNID Typetalk: 18001 0131 473 2000)
- By post: to the Festival of Politics, Hub Tickets, The Hub, Castlehill, Edinburgh, EH1 2NE.
- In person: The Scottish Parliament or The Hub. Full details of the Festival Programme are available from www.festivalofpolitics.org.uk
Whose heritage, whose society?
Thursday 25 August
10:30 - 12:00
Scottish Parliament
Committee Room 1
Admission FREE
Can culture, in all its forms, help us to better understand Scotland's place in the world, as well as addressing the issues that face Scottish and global society? A panel of cultural commentators, academics and practitioners in the field of 21st century enlightenment will explore these themes in a highly interactive audience discussion. Chair Jan McDonald, Professor Emerita and honorary professorial research fellow at the University of Glasgow, is joined by Mark O'Neill, Director of Policy, Research and Development at Glasgow Life; Matthew Taylor, Chief Executive, Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce; Professor Neil Blain, Head of Film, Media & Journalism Department, Stirling University; and the playwright David Greig.
This event is run in association with British Council Scotland, the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities, RSA UK, the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Museums Galleries Scotland and the UKNC Scotland Committee.