UK National Commission for UNESCO

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News

Here is an archived list of all our news articles.

• 20/01/2012 | UNESCO head highlights education keys to success
  Speaking at a London gathering of ministers of education, UNESCO’s Director General underscored the role that information and communications technologies can play in ensuring quality education and equal opportunities to learning, even in countries with limited resources.
• 03/01/2012 | Biosphere Reserves Young Scientists Awards now open
  Since 1989 UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere programme (MAB) has been providing 10 young researchers each year with awards of up to US$5,000 in support of their research on ecosystems, natural resources and biodiversity.
• 30/11/2011 | UNESCO launches emergency donations appeal
  The UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova has launched an emergency appeal for donations to help fill a $65 million funding shortfall resulting from dues withheld by the United States.
• 25/11/2011 | Global Conference on Remote Access to World Heritage Sites
  Leading lights in science, technology, conservation and heritage interpretation descended upon Edinburgh this week for a unique conference which will look at how new technology could help protect fragile landscapes while at the same time giving greater public access to them.
• 08/11/2011 | British scientist to receive global UNESCO Award
  British scientist Professor Frances Ashcroft FRS has been named the 2012 European Laureate in the 14th annual L’ORÉAL-UNESCO For Women in Science Awards.
• 03/11/2011 | UK elected to UNESCO Executive Board
  The UK has been elected to UNESCO’s Executive Board following a proactive and influential election campaign.
• 30/10/2011 | South Sudan becomes 194th UNESCO Member State
  South Sudan became UNESCO’s newest Member State on 27 October, following the successful ratification of the organisation’s constitution.
• 30/10/2011 | 36th Session of UNESCO General Conference opens
  The 36th Session of UNESCO’s General Conference, the organisation’s highest decision making body, opened on Tuesday 25 October.
• 13/10/2011 | UK UNESCO Youth Forum delegates announced
  Isabel Bottoms and Maryam Saghir will be travelling to UNESCO headquarters this month to represent the UK at the 7th UNESCO Youth Forum.
• 23/09/2011 | Celebration of UK’s documentary heritage
  A reception was held at the House of Lords on 5 September to celebrate the 20 items and collections recently inscribed to the UK Memory of the World Register.
• 23/05/2011 | New Inscriptions to UK Memory of the World Register announced
  On 23 May 2011 twenty items and collections became the second round of inscriptions to the UK Memory of the World Register, a list of documentary heritage which holds cultural significance specific to the UK.
• 02/08/2011 | Chairman says the Multilateral Aid Review has strengthened the organization
  The UK National Commission (UKNC) for UNESCO has strengthened its work thanks to a Review of UK Multi-Lateral Aid by the Department for International Development (DfID), according to the UN advisory body’s Chairman, Professor W. John Morgan.
• 28/06/2011 | Extended Deadline - UNESCO Youth Forum call for applications
  The UKNC is currently seeking applicants for the 7th UNESCO Youth Forum
• 20/07/2011 | 2011-12 UKNC Scotland Project proposal funding round now open
  The UK National Commission for UNESCO (UKNC) Scotland Committee Project proposal round of funding for 2011-12 is now open.
• 30/06/2011 | UNESCO Director General visits Scotland
  The Director-General of UNESCO, Mrs Irina Bokova, concluded her first official visit to Scotland this week.
• 08/07/2011 | Next generation of female scientists honoured
  The winners of the four 2011 L’Oreal-UNESCO UK and Ireland Fellowships For Women In Science were announced on 28 June 2010 at an awards ceremony held at the Royal Society in London.
• 06/07/2011 | UK elected to UNESCO oceans body
  The UK has been elected to UNESCO’s international oceans coordinating body, the Executive Council of the International Oceanographic Commission (IOC).
• 07/06/2011 | Now recruiting for senior posts
  The UK National Commission for UNESCO (UKNC) is currently seeking applicants for the posts of Executive Secretary and Non Executive Directors.
• 14/04/2011 | UNESCO head speaks on global governance
  On 12 April 2011 the Director General of UNESCO, Mrs Irina Bokova, spoke to the Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House, London, on the subject of “Global Governance for the 21st century: a UNESCO angle”.
• 23/03/2011 | Eleven potential World Heritage Sites make up UK shortlist
  Eleven new sites from across the UK and its Overseas Territories have been selected for possible World Heritage Site status. These sites make up the UK’s new Tentative List, a register from which sites are considered for nomination for World Heritage Status.
• 04/03/2011 | UKNC welcomes UK decision to remain in UNESCO
  The UK National Commission for UNESCO (UKNC) welcomes the UK Government’s decision to remain in UNESCO, following the outcome of its recent Multilateral Aid Review (MAR). DFID, the UK’s international development department, announced that it would continue its membership in UNESCO, with a commitment to supporting reform within the organization over the next two years.
• 09/02/2011 | Heritage and press freedom in Egypt alert
  The UK National Commission for UNESCO (UKNC) is backing calls by UNESCO and UK civil society organisations urging the protection of Egypt’s cultural heritage and respect for press freedom. As protests in Egypt continue to unfold, the UKNC has outlined its serious concern over the current situation in a letter to the UK’s Foreign Secretary.
• 03/02/2011 | Call for 2011 UK and Ireland For Women in Science Fellowships
  The call for applications for 2011 L’Oréal-UNESCO UK and Ireland Fellowships For Women In Science is now open.
• 04/02/2011 | UK appointed to UNESCO documentary heritage body
  UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova has appointed Michael Heaney, a member of the UK National Commission for UNESCO (UKNC), to the governing body of the UNESCO Memory of the World Programme.
• 20/12/2010 | UNESCO education prize goes to UK institution for first time
  The UK’s National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE) has been named a laureate of the 2010 UNESCO King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa Prize for the Use of Information and Communication Technologies in Education.
• 01/02/2011 | Acclaim for The Destruction of Cultural Heritage in Iraq
  The Destruction of Cultural Heritage in Iraq, a book published with the support of the UK National Commission for UNESCO in 2008, has been awarded the prestigious James R. Wiseman Book Award by the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA).
• 31/01/2011 | Top female scientists discuss ‘would Marie Curie have succeeded today’
  On Thursday 27 January some of the top female scientists in the UK came together for a roundtable discussion at the Royal Society to celebrate one of the most eminent women in science, Marie Curie and the 100th anniversary of her Nobel Prize for Chemistry.
• 27/01/2011 | Better inter-UN cooperation urgently required to address journalist safety
  The need for better inter-UN cooperation to help counter the disturbing trend of journalist deaths was highlighted at yesterday’s UNESCO International Symposium on Freedom of Expression.
• 12/01/2011 | Exchange with US Ambassador
  The UK National Commission for UNESCO (UKNC) met with the US Ambassador to UNESCO on 11 January in London.
• 06/01/2011 | Lets get Lyrical launches in Edinburgh and Glasgow
  Next month will mark the launch of the Let’s Get Lyrical campaign, a month-long celebration of song lyrics.
• 17/12/2010 | UK National Commission joins Democratic Life
  The UK National Commission has joined Democratic Life (www.democraticlife.org.uk), a coalition bringing together organisations such as the Citizenship Foundation, British Youth Council, Hansard Society and Amnesty International in support of citizenship education.
• 01/12/2010 | Next step in finding new UK World Heritage sites announced
  An expert panel to decide which new UK sites will be nominated for World Heritage Status has been announced.
• 29/11/2010 | UK Government confirms intention to ratify convention on cultual property in conflict
  The UK Government has in a letter to the UK National Commission for UNESCO (UKNC), reiterated its commitment to ratify the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict.
• 12/11/2010 | UK National Commission launches Impact Report series
  Strengthening the Education for All Global Monitoring Report (GMR), assisting with the establishment and promotion of Wales’ first new style UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, the launch of an online inventory of Scotland’s Intangible Cultural Heritage and helping journalists from developing countries explain issues of climate change in locally relevant ways – these are just some of the examples of t
• 11/11/2010 | Emerging countries are gaining strength in science and technology, says the UNESCO Science Report 2010
  While the USA, Europe and Japan may still be leading the global research and development (R&D) effort, they are increasingly being challenged by emerging countries, especially China. This is one of the findings of the 2010 UNESCO Science Report, launched at the Organization’s headquarters on 10 November, World Science Day.
• 02/11/2010 | Global Deal to Protect Nature
  Some 18,000 participants representing 193 State Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity and their partners attended the Nagoya Biodiversity Summit in Japan this October to agree a global deal to protect biodiversity.
• 04/11/2010 | Engineer shortage a threat to development, underlines UNESCO’s first global report on engineering
  More than ever, the world needs creative engineering solutions to face its biggest challenges, from poverty to climate change. Yet many countries are seeing a decline in the enrolment of young people, especially women, in engineering studies. This slump endangers future engineering capacity, particularly in developing countries where brain drain is an additional problem.
• 28/10/2010 | Tell the world about your documentary heritage
  Nominations are being sought for documentary heritage which holds cultural significance specific to the UK. As part of the second round of nominations to the UK Memory of the World Register anyone can make a nomination and all archive formats are eligible, including digital and audiovisual.
• 22/10/2010 | UNESCO Obiang Prize suspended
  The 58 members of UNESCO’s Executive Board today agreed to suspend the implementation of the UNESCO-Obiang Nguema Mbasogo International Prize for Research in the Life Sciences.
• 05/10/2010 | World Teachers Day 2010 - Recovery Begins with Teachers
  Each year, World Teachers’ Day is an opportunity to pay homage to teachers, to the impact they have and to attract attention to the key role they play in the endeavour to attain the Education for All (EFA) goals.
• 30/09/2010 | Troubled Waters
  A new book Troubled Waters: Ocean Science and Governance was launched at the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology in London on 29 September 2010.
• 28/09/2010 | Lasting legacy of World Heritage Sites
  On behalf of the UK National Commission for UNESCO, New Lanark World Heritage Site will from 29th-30th September 2010 host the second of three conferences which will bring together representatives from UK World Heritage Sites.
• 24/09/2010 | UNESCO UK World Heritage Site Youth Summit 2010
  Youth delegations representing all five World Heritage Sites in Scotland and one British overseas territory will gather at New Lanark World Heritage Site (WHS) in South Lanarkshire for the first UK UNESCO Youth Summit in Scotland.
• 07/09/2010 | Latest report on Education for Sustainable Development in the UK 2010
  The new report provides an important update to 'ESD in the UK in 2008: A Survey of Action', and reports on the status of ESD in the UK up to the end of April 2010.
• 03/09/2010 | International Literacy Day
  8 September is an occasion to celebrate women’s empowerment through literacy and pay tribute to the women and men who work behind the scenes who help others acquire literacy skills and enter a world of opportunities.
• 02/09/2010 | New UNESCO University Twinning Network for Pharmacists Launched
  On Tuesday 31st August, UNESCO and the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) announced the establishment of a new UNESCO UNITWIN network for Global Pharmacy Education Development.
• 17/08/2010 | 2010 International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition
  Initiated in 1998 under the leadership of UNESCO, the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and of its Abolition on 23rd August is a moment of commemoration observed around the world.
• 12/08/2010 | 21 New World Heritage Sites Inscribed
  The 34th session of the World Heritage Committee meeting took place in Brasilia from 25 July - 2nd August 2010 to consider nominations for the World Heritage List and the List of World Heritage in Danger.
• 10/08/2010 | World Orchestra for Peace is designated UNESCO Artist for Peace
  The World Orchestra for Peace, an ensemble of musicians representing more than 40 countries, was this month designated as a UNESCO Artist for Peace by the Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova. Ms Bokova presented the orchestra’s director, Charles Kaye, with a diploma of the Organization at a ceremony took place on the 5th August in the Royal Albert Hall.
• 10/08/2010 | Sense Scotland receives UNESCO recognition
  UNESCO’s recent EFA (Education for All) Global Monitoring report estimates around 150 million children in the world with disabilities continue to be excluded from society due to the stigmas attached to disability. The UKNC is pleased to be involved with Sense Scotland and the TouchBase initiative to help address these issues.
• 07/07/2010 | Winners of Biodiversity Competition Announced
  The winners of the International Year of Biodiversity Competition were announced this week.
• 13/07/2010 | Inscriptions to UK Memory of the World Register announced
  A never-released film on the last Liberal Prime Minister David Lloyd George and the wartime records of the Women’s Voluntary Services for Air Raid Precautions are among ten items and collections to be the first-ever entries on a list of the UK’s outstanding documentary heritage.
• 02/07/2010 | Next generation of female scientists honoured amid UK science renaissance
  The winners of the four 2010 LOreal-UNESCO UK and Ireland Fellowships For Women In Science were announced on 30 June 2010 at an awards ceremony held at the Royal Institution in London.
• 02/07/2010 | Successful Annual Conference for UNESCO Schools
  Over 60 teachers and educators from across the country gathered at Missenden Abbey Conference Centre this week for the 2010 Annual Conference for UNESCO Associated Schools in the UK.
• 24/06/2010 | Government cancels funding for Stonehenge Visitor Centre
  In an announcement on further spending cuts, the Government has cancelled funding for the planned Visitors’ Centre at Stonehenge World Heritage Site. Cancelling this project will save £17 million, according to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The cuts are part of £2bn of savings made by the coalition government. The Visitor Centre was meant to be ready in time for the London Olympi
• 17/06/2010 | Meeting for European National Commissions Concludes
  Representatives of Forty-three National Commissions for UNESCO of the Europe and North America Region attended a four-day consultation that took place in London from Saturday 5 June to Tuesday 8 June 2010. The event, hosted by the UK National Commission for UNESCO, debated and made recommendations on UNESCO priorities, programme and budget for 2012-2013. The conference took place in the Great Hall
• 11/06/2010 | UNESCO Director-General concludes first official visit to UK
  Ms Irina Bokova, the Director-General of UNESCO, concluded her first official visit to the UK on Sunday following a three-day visit to London and Oxford.
• 01/06/2010 | UK Hosting Meeting for European National Commissions
  Representatives for 45 European and North American National Commissions will gather in London on 5-8 June to take part in the Director-General’s Regional Consultation with National Commissions for UNESCO. The event, hosted by the UK National Commission for UNESCO, will debate and make recommendations on UNESCO priorities, programme and budget for 2012-2013.
• 13/05/2010 | International Day for Biological Diversity – 22nd May
  The International Day for Biological Diversity on 22nd May is an opportunity to celebrate the world’s immense biological diversity as well as draw attention to the threats and rapid loss of biodiversity. This year the day is a focal point for the 2010 International Year of Biodiversity which is leading a year long series of events across the globe to raise awareness of the commitments made by go
• 20/05/2010 | World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, 21 May
  21 May has been designated the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development by UNESCO. The Day aims to deepen understanding of the values of cultural diversity and to promote intercultural dialogue.
• 30/04/2010 | Call for a Minute’s Silence for Fallen Journalists on World Press Freedom Day
  UNESCO has called for a minutes silence to take place in newsrooms around the world on World Press Freedom Day, 3 May, "to denounce the murder of journalists and to demand an end to impunity" for their killers.
• 29/04/2010 | For Women In Science Fellows Share Experiences at Science Museum 'Lates'
  Four UK and Ireland For Women In Science (FWIS) Fellows joined members of the public at this month’s Science Museum ‘Lates’ event to talk about their scientific research and share their experiences as women in science.
• 29/04/2010 | World Press Freedom Day 2010
  World Press Freedom Day (3 May) is an annual opportunity to affirm the importance of freedom of expression and press freedom – a fundamental human right enshrined in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
• 27/04/2010 | Reaching the Marginalised: Reflecting on the Education for All Global Monitoring Report
  Keith Brown, Scotland’s Minister for Skills and Lifelong Learning, is set to be the keynote speaker at a high profile UNESCO seminar being held at the Scottish Parliament on Friday 30th April.
• 22/04/2010 | Archaeologists in the frontline
  Professor Peter Stone, member of the UK National Commission for UNESCO (UKNC) Culture Committee and professor in Heritage Studies at Newcastle University, featured on yesterday’s BBC Radio 4 Today Programme, discussing the ethics of archaeology.
• 20/04/2010 | 2010 World Book Day
  23rd April marks World Book Day - a day chosen by UNESCO as a worldwide celebration of books and reading which is observed worldwide in over 100 countries. World Book Day is the largest annual tribute to books, urging everyone, especially young people, to learn the joy of reading.
• 20/04/2010 | Lauren Child event - My Life is a Story
  British children’s writer and illustrator Lauren Child, working in conjunction with UNESCO, will present her distinctive pictorial work in an original exhibition alongside pictures and writing by children in her “My Life is a Story” project. The exhibition, which will run from Saturday April 24 – Saturday May 8 2010, aims to raise money for disadvantaged and excluded children around the wo
• 15/04/2010 | UNESCO’s Director-General appoints her senior staff
  UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova today informed the members of UNESCO’s Executive Board of her choice of senior management team.
• 15/04/2010 | Two to one concur – Unregulated Political Comment Online Helps the Democratic Process
  Online journalism and political blogging will be good for the fair conduct of the UK general election and for the democratic process as a whole, a group of senior media practitioners, bloggers and press freedom experts declared at the annual UK World Press Freedom Day debate.
• 08/04/2010 | Winner of 2010 Press Freedom Student Journalism Competition announced
  Hannah Marshall from Southampton Solent University is the winner of the 2010 World Press Freedom Day Student Journalism Competition.
• 07/04/2010 | Do street trees have a future
  The UK MAB (Man and the Biosphere) Urban Forum invites you to a symposium on the subject of street trees and sustainability to be held on Wednesday 12 May 2010 at University College London.
• 26/03/2010 | UK school takes part in UN videoconference
  Students at Sheldon School in Wiltshire will today, 26 March 2010, take part in a videoconference organised by the United Nations HQ in New York to discuss the impact of the slave trade.
• 25/03/2010 | Jurassic Coast student named UK Young Scientist of the Year 2010
  Thomas Hearing, a student who worked on a Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site (WHS) research project has been named UK Young Scientist of the Year 2010.
• 25/03/2010 | UNESCO’s IPDC session begins, marking the 30th anniversary of Programme
  UNESCO’s International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC) meets this week at UNESCO Headquarters, marking the 30th anniversary of the Programme.
• 24/03/2010 | 2010-11 UKNC Scotland Project proposal funding round now open
  The UK National Commission for UNESCO (UKNC) Scotland Committee Project proposal round of funding for 2010-11 is now open.
• 15/03/2010 | Launch of UK Collaborative on Development Sciences (UKCDS) Webpage
  Launch of UK Collaborative on Development Sciences (UKCDS) Webpage on UK Learned Societies' Capacity Building Activities in Developing Countries
• 17/03/2010 | Applications to new UK World Heritage Tentative List now open
  The UK Government is preparing a new Tentative List of natural, cultural and mixed sites for potential nomination for inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
• 02/03/2010 | New schools pack and competition to mark International Year of Biodiversity
  To mark the 2010 International Year of Biodiversity (IYB), the UK National Commission has launched a biodiversity information pack and competition for schools.
• 18/02/2010 | Education Under Attack: UNESCO launches new report
  The number of politically and ideologically motivated attacks on teachers, students and school buildings is rising, says the report Education Under Attack 2010, launched by UNESCO on 10 February.
• 17/02/2010 | UK must learn from Iraq War failure to protect cultural heritage, leading culture organisations urge
  Shortcomings in the UK’s planning and implementation of the 2003 Iraq invasion and occupation led to a fundamental failure to protect Iraq’s cultural property, according to evidence submitted to the Chilcot Inquiry by thirteen major heritage and culture organisations today.
• 11/02/2010 | New film spotlights English Riviera Geopark
  The stunning natural heritage of Torquay, Paignton and Brixham takes centre stage in a new short film about the English Riviera Geopark. The seven minute film ‘We Love Our Geopark’ is aimed at educating and building awareness of the first Urban Global Geopark.
• 11/02/2010 | New Chair and Vice Chairs elected to UKNC Board
  Professor William John Morgan FRAI FRSA has been appointed the new Chair of the Board of Directors of the United Kingdom National Commission (UKNC) for UNESCO as of 1st February.
• 01/02/2010 | Call for UK and Ireland For Women in Science Fellowships
  The call for applications for 2010 L’Oréal-UNESCO UK and Ireland Fellowships For Women In Science is now open
• 27/01/2010 | Education and violent conflict - Defining the parameters of 2011 EFA Global Monitoring Report
  Education specialists met at Marlborough House, London this week to discuss the structure and content of the 2011 Education for All Global Monitoring Report (GMR), which will focus on education and violent conflict.
• 22/01/2010 | UK to put forward ‘fewer and fitter’ places for future UNESCO World Heritage Site designation
  The UK Government has announced that in future it will be putting forward fewer sites for consideration by UNESCO for World Heritage status, with a streamlined application system to help ensure success.
• 19/01/2010 | Launch of 2010 Education for All Global Monitoring Report
  Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations, and Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, launch the 2010 EFA Global Monitoring Report, Reaching the Marginalized, at UN headquarters in New York on 19 January, 2010.
• 14/01/2010 | International Committee of the Blue Shield expresses sorrow and solidarity with Haiti
  The International Committee of the Blue Shield (ICBS) has expressesed its sorrow and solidarity with the population of Haiti for the loss of lives and the destructions caused by the earthquake which occurred on 12th January. The UK and Ireland Blue Shield Committee, which is a constituent part of the ICBS, is a standing Committee of the UK National Commission's Culture Committee.
• 04/01/2010 | 2010 World Press Freedom Day Student Journalism Competition launched
  Entires for the 2010 World Press Freedom Day Student Journalism Competition are now open. This year's topic is “Unregulated political comment online helps the democratic process.”
• 01/12/2009 | UK National Commission for UNESCO announces new Secretary-General
  The United Kingdom National Commission for UNESCO is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr Harry Reeves OBE as its Secretary-General from 1st January, 2010.
• 10/11/2009 | Young UK engineers win gold, silver and bronze
  Young UK engineers win gold, silver and bronze at the 2009 Mondialogo Engineering Awards
• 02/11/2009 | New UNESCO Chair in International Development
  The University of Edinburgh has been awarded Scotland’s second UNESCO Chair. The new UNESCO Chair in International Development recognises the University’s contribution to the field and will address specific needs and opportunities for social and economic development as identified by partner developing countries, which include Rwanda, Malawi and South Africa in the first phase.
• 20/10/2009 | International Slavery Museum in Liverpool receives UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize Honourable Mention
  The International Slavery Museum in Liverpool has received an Honourable Mention by the UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-Violence.
• 19/10/2009 | UNESCO Associated Schools member makes Wales Green List
  Cathryn Al Kaanan, director of Sazani Associates and a member of the UNESCO Associated Schools Steering Group has been included on the Wales Green List 2009.
• 15/10/2009 | UNESCO elects new Director-General
  The 35th session of the UNESCO General Conference has elected Irina Bokova as Director-General of the Organization.
• 01/10/2009 | UK sites feature in latest issue of UNESCO's A World of Science magazine
  The October issue of UNESCO's A World of Science magazine traces Darwin's journey around the world on the Beagle and takes us on a walk through time showcasing fossils discovered on England's south-west coast. The issue also features an article on how two coastal biosphere reserves in the UK and Kenya are helping one another adapt to rising sea levels.
• 23/09/2009 | Bangor University leads UNITWIN Network� for Marine Biology and Sustainable Development in East Africa
  Bangor University has become the first UK University to lead a twinning partnership under UNESCO's UNITWIN Network.
• 03/09/2009 | New UNESCO Chair in Information and Computer Ethics
  A new UNESCO Chair in Information and Computer Ethics has been established at the University of Hertfordshire, making it the fourteenth UNESCO Chair in the UK.
• 01/09/2009 | UK Memory of the World Register Launched
  The first ever call for nominations to the UK Memory of the World Register was announced on 1 September at the opening of the Society of Archivists Conference in Bristol.
• 24/08/2009 | UKNC at the 2009 Limes Roman Frontiers Congress
  Sue Davies, chair of the Culture Committee of the UK National Commission for UNESCO addressed the Opening Ceremony of the 2009 Limes Congress which was hosted by Tyne and Wear Museums 17-23 August 2009.
• 23/08/2009 | International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition
  23 August is designated by UNESCO as International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition across the world, a reminder that enslaved Africans were the main agents of their own liberation.
• 05/08/2009 | Destruction of Cultural Heritage should not be left out of Iraq Inquiry
  A group of leading cultural heritage organisations have called on the Committee of Inquiry into Iraq to include problems faced by British forces in safeguarding cultural heritage in Iraq in their investigation.
• 30/07/2009 | Magna Carta Awarded Memory of the World Status
  The four surviving copies of the 1215 Magna Carta have been awarded 'Memory of the World' status by UNESCO.
• 24/07/2009 | New Circular on the Protection of World Heritage Sites published
  A new Circular on the Protection of World Heritage Sites has been jointly launched by Communities and Local Government (CLG) and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), and is accompanied by a Guidance Note from English Heritage.
• 09/07/2009 | UK UNESCO Chairholders Participate in World Conference on Higher Education
  UNESCO’s four-day World Conference on Higher Education, held in Paris on 5-8 July, gathered 1,200 delegates from 150 countries to debate current and future issues in higher education.
• 02/07/2009 | Top UK and Ireland Women In Science Announced
  The winners of the four 2009 L'Oreal-UNESCO UK and Ireland Fellowships For Women In Science were announced on 1 July 2009 at an awards ceremony at the Royal Institution in London.
• 30/06/2009 | Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal becomes 28th World Heritage Site in UK
  Pontcysyllte has not only become the 28th World Heritage inscribed site in the United Kingdom, but also the first World Heritage site to cross the border between two countries in the UK, as part of the 11-mile length of canal extends into England.
• 29/06/2009 | Reporting on Climate Change workshop draws participants from over 20 countries
  Over 50 journalists and media professionals from more than 20 countries took part in the World Conference of Science Journalists ‘Reporting on climate change’ workshop, jointly sponsored by UNESCO and the UK National Commission for UNESCO.
• 14/06/2009 | Launch of Catastrophe! The Looting and Destruction of Iraq's Past
  Catastrophe! The Looting and Destruction of Iraq's Past was launched on 15 June 2009 at the Society of Antiquaries, Burlington House. The exhibition runs from 15 to 26 June 2009
• 01/06/2009 | Dyfi Valley awarded unique UN status
  The Dyfi Valley has been officially recognised as Wales’ only new style UNESCO Biosphere.
• 01/05/2009 | World Press Freedom Day debate – Governments are winning the war
  In a vote of more than two to one, participants at this year’s World Press Freedom Day London debate voted in favour of the motion “Governments at war are winning the battle of controlling the international media”.
• 20/04/2009 | 2009 WPFD Student Journalism Competition Winner Announced
  Annabel Symington, an MA student in International Journalism at City University, has been selected as the winner of this year's competition for her article on press coverage of the Gaza conflict in early 2009. The topic of year's competition was: “Is the Western media impeding press freedom in those countries that need it most?” Annabel will be presented with the John Ivinson Memorial Prize
• 18/04/2009 | UNESCO Associated Schools support Global Action Week
  Members of UNESCO Associated Schools (ASPnet) across the world are taking part in the Global Action Week (20-26 April).
• 06/04/2009 | 2009 UNESCO World Press Freedom Day international laureate announced
  The late Sri Lankan journalist Lasantha Wickrematunge has been named laureate of the 2009 UNESCO World Press Freedom Prize.
• 25/03/2009 | Scotland Establishes First UNESCO Chair
  Scotland has established its first ever UNESCO Chair at Perth College, part of the UHI Millennium Institute. It is the twelfth UNESCO Chair to be created in the UK.
• 20/03/2009 | UK Schools Featured in UNESCO Publication
  The Education for Rural Livelihoods and Food Sovereignty (ERLAFS) project, involving six members of UNESCO Associated Schools in the UK, has been featured in the UNESCO publication ‘Second Collection of Good Practices: Education for Sustainable Development’.
• 10/03/2009 | International Water Day 2009 - Transboundary water
  International World Water Day is held annually on 22 March as a means of focusing attention on the importance of freshwater and advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater resources. The focus of this year's World Water Day will be transboundary waters: sharing water, sharing opportunities. UNESCO and the UN Economic Council for Europe (UNECE) are the lead UN agencies of the Day in 20
• 05/03/2009 | Four of the 2009 UNESCO-L'Oreal International Fellowships winners to study at UK institutions
  Four out of this year's fifteen UNESCO-L'Oréal International Fellowships winners will use their awards to undertake research outside their home country at UK institutions.
• 02/03/2009 | International Women's Day 2009-Women Make the News
  On the occasion of International Women's Day, UNESCO is launching the 2009 Women Make the News campaign on 'Gender Equality Policies in Media Organizations.'
• 01/03/2009 | BBC World News spotlights UNESCO coastal biosphere reserves
  Climate change is driving sea-level rise and creating a dilemma for coastal communities all over the world. The BBC World News ‘Earth Report’ series travels to the UK and Kenya to see if UNESCO ‘biosphere reserves’ provide answers.
• 24/02/2009 | UK National Commission for UNESCO response to DCMS World Heritage Policy Review Consultation
  The UKNC's Culture Committee has submitted its response to the public consultation World Heritage for the Nation: Identifying, Protecting and Promoting our World Heritage, published by DCMS. The Consultation seeks to explore the extent to which the UK's current approach to World Heritage supports the interests of the UK Government in protecting and promoting its cultural and natural heritage; it
• 10/02/2009 | International Mother Language Day 2009
  UNESCO is launching a new edition of the Atlas of endangered languages on the event of International Mother Language Day (21 February).
• 02/02/2009 | World Heritage Education Programme Launched
  Making Sense of Our Sites is a new, innovative project led by the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Team in partnership with the UK National Commission for UNESCO and UNESCO Associated Schools in the UK.
• 01/02/2009 | Call for UK and Ireland For Women in Science Fellowships (2009)
  The 2009 L’Oréal UK and Ireland Fellowships For Women In Science are now open for application. Online application deadline: 8 April 2009, midnight (GMT).
• 10/12/2008 | Human Rights Teaching pack from UNESCO Associated Schools in the UK
  UNESCO Associated Schools in the UK has teamed up with the United Nations Association of the UK to develop a human rights teaching pack for secondary schools to promote human rights education. The pack has been distributed to over 4500 secondary schools across the UK.
• 03/12/2008 | UK alone in Heritage Protection omission
  The UK National Commission for UNESCO is extremely saddened and concerned that the anticipated Heritage Protection Bill has been omitted from today's Queen's Speech.
• 25/11/2008 | 2009 EFA Global Monitoring Report launched
  The 2009 Education for All Global Monitoring Report – Overcoming Inequality: Why governance matters – warns that ‘unacceptable’ national and global education disparities are undermining efforts to achieve international development goals. The failure of governments across the world to tackle deep and persistent inequalities in education is consigning millions of children to lives of poverty
• 11/11/2008 | UK scientist named 2009 Laureate For Women In Science for Europe
  UK scientist Professor Athene Donald FRS has been selected to receive a 2009 L'OREAL-UNESCO For Women In Science Award in recognition of her outstanding contribution to science.