1. UNESCO Clubs
UNESCO Clubs are groups of people of all ages and from all socio-professional backgrounds who share the UNESCO ideal and seek to spread it through various activities.
A Club is an association made up of members who share tasks and responsibilities. An elected Executive Committee, composed of a President, a Secretary and a treasurer coordinates the activities and represents the Club.
Club resources are made up of membership fees, profits from public events, grants and financial aid from the government, foundations and donors. In all activities, members work on a voluntary basis.
A Federation of UNESCO Associations, Centers, Clubs is a set of all of these who come together so that their activities are better coordinated, planned on a national, sub-regional, regional or global scale. It is governed by statutes which determine the goals, functions, criteria for admission and termination of membership, the main bodies, their functions and finally the finances.
– The National Federation plays a role of coordination, promotion and follow-up of the flagship activities decided by the Associations, Centers, Clubs UNESCO during a specific period. It has its own program of activities like the Clubs it supervises, developed taking into account activities planned by the Clubs in the same period.
– At the continental level, the Federations are grouped into Confederations. In Africa, we have the African Confederations of UNESCO Clubs (CACU)
– At the global level, we have a supreme organ having its headquarters in the UNESCO buildings in Paris, it is indeed the World Federation.
UNESCO Federations and Clubs put forward respect for the great democratic principles based on human rights and on individual and collective freedoms. Three words characterize the activities of Clubs and those of their Federation: interdisciplinarity, cooperation and solidarity.
– Promotion of the ideals of UNESCO;
– Promotion of respect for human rights;
– Civic and democratic training of members;
– Participation in economic and social development;
– Promotion of the culture of peace and tolerance;
– The search for the truth.
The functions of UNESCO clubs
Clubs have three essential functions:
– member training
– dissemination of information to members and the general public
– action: training and information only gain value if they lead to concrete activities.
The vocation of UNESCO clubs
The clubs intervene on global problems with local repercussions and thus contribute to thinking about the choices of a model of society. It is a real movement that reflects the growing role that civil society plays around the world and the influence that citizens can exert on socio-economic decision-makers. UNESCO Clubs are non-political, non-profit organizations. They must ensure that they do not turn into tourist agencies or trading houses.
UNESCO club activities take place at two levels: national and international
Nationally
UNESCO Clubs promote this spirit which:
– connects man to his historic community
– connects people to their specific cultural values
– raises awareness of the need to preserve these values, to make their interest, dignity and originality perceptible.
UNESCO clubs make each member a citizen actively involved in the economic and social life of their country.
On an international scale
UNESCO Clubs promote:
– cooperation and understanding between peoples
– club members seek to understand humanity
– UNESCO clubs collaborate with organizations that subscribe to the ideals of UNESCO.
Typology of clubs
UNESCO Clubs present a great diversity according to the category of members, the environment and the conditions in which they are called to work, briefly, there are three types of clubs:
– clubs operating in secondary establishments;
– student clubs;
– other clubs which are intended for an audience. The latter bring together people from various socio-professional backgrounds.
Activities of UNESCO Clubs in Rwanda
From August 7 to 9, 2001, a seminar was held at the Pastoral Center of St Paul for the resettlement and establishment of UNESCO Clubs in the country. During three days, different subjects were discussed, among others:
- UNESCO: aims, structure and functioning
- National Commissions: role, structure and functioning
- UNESCO Clubs and their roles
2. Media Development
Nothing for the moment
3. IPDC
The IPDC is the only multilateral forum in the UN system designed to mobilize the international community to discuss and promote media development in developing countries. The Programme not only provides support for media projects but also seeks an accord to secure a healthy environment for the growth of free and pluralistic media in developing countries.
Over the last 40 years, following the decisions and guidelines of the Intergovernmental Council and its Bureau, the IPDC has focused its projects on the most urgent priorities in communication development all around the world.
The efforts of the IPDC have had an important impact on a broad range of fields covering, among others, the promotion of media independence and pluralism, development of community media, radio and television organizations, modernization of national and regional news agencies, and training of media professionals. IPDC has mobilized some US$ 120 million for over 2000 projects in more than 140 developing countries and countries in transition.
For political and ethical reasons, multilateral cooperation is the most appropriate way of promoting media development. International assistance provided through IPDC does not interfere with the integrity and independence of media institutions.
More than ever, the IPDC now strives to realize more effective media projects that empower people to gain equitable access to knowledge and express themselves through free and pluralistic media.
Join hands with the IPDC in developing meaningful media environments in which people can express their concerns, investigate, discuss, gain knowledge and reject violence.
4. Memory of the world
UNESCO established the Memory of the World Programme in 1992. Impetus came originally from a growing awareness of the parlous state of preservation of, and access to, documentary heritage in various parts of the world.War and social upheaval, as well as severe lack of resources, have worsened problems which have existed for centuries. Significant collections worldwide have suffered a variety of fates. Looting and dispersal, illegal trading, destruction, inadequate housing and funding have all played a part. Much as vanished forever; much is endangered. Happily, missing documentary heritage is sometimes rediscovered.
Background
An International Advisory Committee (IAC) first met in Pultusk, Poland, in 1993. It produced an action plan which affirmed UNESCO’s role as coordinator and catalyst to sensitize governments, international organizations and foundations, and foster partnerships for the implementation of projects. Technical and Marketing Sub-Committees were established. The preparation of General Guidelines for the Programme was initiated through a contract with IFLA (International Federation of Library Associations), together with the compilation, by IFLA and ICA (International Council on Archives), of lists of irreparably damaged library collections and archive holdings. Through its National Commissions, UNESCO prepared a list of endangered library and archive holdings and a world list of national cinematic heritage.
Meanwhile, a range of pilot projects employing contemporary technology to reproduce original documentary heritage on other media was commenced. (These included, for example, a CD-ROM of the 13th Century Radzivill Chronicle, tracing the origins of the peoples of Europe, and Memoria de Iberoamerica, a joint newspaper microfilming project involving seven Latin American countries). These projects enhanced access to this documentary heritage and contributed to its preservation.
IAC meetings have since been held every two years. Several National Memory of the World National Committees have been established around the world.
The Memory of the World Register - in some ways the most publicly visible aspect of the Programme - was founded on the 1995 General Guidelines and has grown through accessions approved by successive IAC meetings.
5. Access of Information and Knowldge
Globalization, while shaping a new era of interaction between nations, economies and people, may as well be disruptive, and engender side effects such as marginalization. It is up to international institutions and national authorities to find ways to counter such possible effects, particularly in the areas of access to information and knowledge, the spread of new information technologies and communication and development of multilingualism in cyberspace.
6. IFAP
The Information for All Programme (IFAP) was established in 2001 to provide a platform for all the stakeholders in the knowledge societies to participate in international discussions on policy and guidelines for action in the area of access to information and knowledge.
The Programme is guided in its planning and implementation by an Intergovernmental Council, currently comprising 22 UNESCO Member States that are elected by UNESCO’s General Conference. The Council guides the planning and implementation of the programme by considering relevant proposals, recommending broad lines of action, assessing achievements, encouraging the participation of Member States, and supporting fundraising efforts.
IFAP National Committees
National IFAP Committees are established in all UNESCO Member States. National IFAP Committee can provide added value by :
serving as a meeting point for diverse stakeholders and thus creating a pool of expertise for the purpose of consolidating existing knowledge as a basis for formulating advice on policy and its implementation;
serving as an avenue for the transfer of knowledge and expertise from the international to the national level, and across borders, and for knowledge-sharing, by drawing on the work of National IFAP Committees in other countries (e.g. in the form of expert missions);
consolidating existing sectoral plans and programmes of action in the information/knowledge society field into a comprehensive, future-oriented vision, promoting public understanding of the unfolding process of change and its ramifications for society and individuals;
developing an action plan, including short- and long-term goals, as well as benchmarks of success, focusing on the needs of the country in the area of core IFAP priorities, as well as on forms of regional and international cooperation within the programme;
spreading information and knowledge about information society issues, and publicizing its own activities, as well as those of IFAP in general, and UNESCO, to ensure visibility for the programme and for the National Committee in order to generate interest in, and support for, the Committee’s work.
The IFAP National Committee should include representatives of all major national stakeholder groups in the information society. These include ministries; parliamentary committees; libraries and archives; ICT specialists, telecommunication infrastructure entrepreneurs and service providers; education and training institutions in the areas of information science and informatics; users of information and information and communication technology services in education, science, culture and communication; producers of information and digital content; local communities and civil society.
A National IFAP Committee could be established within a national advisory board or committee on the information society, information resource development, or ICTs;
as a specialized committee of the National Commission for UNESCO.
Regardless of its location, the National IFAP Committee will work closely with the National Commission for UNESCO and, where appropriate, cooperate with the local Memory of the World Committee, as well as with other UNESCO national coordination frameworks in the sphere of communication and information