UNESCO Reimagining Our Futures Together

“UNESCO”

UNESCO Futures of Education Commission. (2021). Reimagining our futures together: A new social contract for education. Paris, France: UNESCO.

UNESCO’s Futures of Education initiative aims to rethink education and shape the future. The initiative is catalyzing a global debate on how knowledge, education and learning need to be reimagined in a world of increasing complexity, uncertainty, and precarity. Over the course of two years and drawing on the inputs of over a million people, an independent International Commission under the leadership of the President of Ethiopia, Her Excellency President Sahle-Work Zewde prepared a global report on the Futures of Education. That report is now available in 12 languages.

Download the full report: Arabic | Bahasa Indonesian | Catalan | Chinese | English | French | ItalianKorean | Latvian | Mongolian | Portuguese | Spanish

[CID was one of the organizations consulted by the initiative, and is acknowledged in the report; see the CID Report for UNESCO Futures of Education for the conclusions of 3 focus groups we organized at their request.]

UNESCO Intercultural Competencies for Peacemaking

“UNESCO”

Regional Expert Consultations on Intercultural Competencies for Peacemaking, UNESCO, Paris, France.

UNESCO’s Social and Human Sciences Sector has launched the UNESCO Series of Regional Expert Consultations on Intercultural Competencies for Peacebuilding. Through these consultations, UNESCO aims to explore the potential of the development of intercultural and socio-emotional skills to serve as an enabler for peace in fragile, conflict-affected and post-conflict contexts. The first out of the six regional editions focused on Europe and was held 20 June 2023 (notice did not reach CID in time to advertise it). The goal is to bring together policymakers, practitioners and researchers in the fields of peace and conflict studies, psychology and intercultural education to discuss the main challenges to intercultural understanding, the role of intercultural skills in building trust among different parties, and ways of improving intercultural competence to better promote peacebuilding efforts, paying a particular attention to the role of women and youth.

The consultations are held online and open to the public, so if you are interested, look for future announcements.

UNESCO: Intercultural Dialogue Talks

Intercultural Pedagogy

UNESCO. (14 October 2022). Intercultural Dialogue Talks. Paris, France: UNESCO.

UNESCO introduces a series of public events titled “Intercultural Dialogue Talks” to showcase powerful stories of how cross-cultural understanding can help societies tackle our biggest shared challenges more effectively. In this film, three exciting stories, are recounted by individuals/real-life practitioners who shared their personal journeys, demonstrating the power of intercultural dialogue through their personal experiences.

The videos highlight three speakers: Fadzi Whande, Tareq Hadhad, and Inma Martinez, introduced by Gabriela Ramos, Assistant Director-General for the Social and Human Sciences at UNESCO.

UNESCO Futures of Education Update

“UNESCO”

Negotiating the Future of Education: The UNESCO’s Futures of Education-initiative and the OECD’s Future of Education and Skills 2030-initiative, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany.

Researchers at Humboldt University (Germany) are studying the entire process of the UNESCO Futures of Education initiative, and they contacted CID to learn more about our involvement in that project. They were interested in our participation for 2 reasons: our focus group was uncommonly diverse, and we proposed a 10th point of action, rather than just discussing the 9 points that the draft proposal outlined. We suggested that

Learning to live together requires intercultural dialogue

and produced a poster showing the relationship between their 9 ideas and our 10th.

Here are further details about the research project:

“In the project “Negotiating the Futures of Education”, we want to analyse how visions of the future of education are negotiated and contested, looking at how narratives about the future of education are constructed by UNESCO and OECD in two currently running projects, Futures of education (UNESCO) and Future of education and skills 2030 (OECD). Our main focus is on understanding the micropolitical “backstage” processes involved in constructing these narratives. We are particularly interested in whether and how formerly marginalized voices and groups are integrated in the process and whether and in which ways these challenge reigning “orthodoxies” in the liberal education script. The project employs a qualitative approach, relying particularly on ethnographic methods, narrative and discourse analysis.”

When the report appears, this post will be updated to include a link.

NOTE: The Center for Intercultural Dialogue held three focus groups as part of the information gathering stage of the Futures of Education project, preparing what we learned as a report for UNESCO, in 2021. A few months later they requested concrete examples from around the world, and we prepared an addendum.

UNESCO Silk Roads Youth Research Grant 2023

“UNESCO”
Silk Roads Youth Research Grant, UNESCO, Paris, France. Deadline: 31 May 2023.

UNESCO calls on young women and men under the age of 35 to apply for the 2023 Silk Roads Youth Research Grant. The grant aims to mobilize young researchers for further study of the Silk Roads shared heritage. Twelve grants of US$10,000 will be awarded per research project.

The research needs to address specific issues relating to:

  • the shared heritage and plural identities developed along the Silk Roads,
    its internal diversity,
  • its potential in contemporary societies for creativity, intercultural dialogue, social cohesion, regional and international cooperation, and
  • ultimately sustainable peace and development.

UNESCO: Programme Specialist in Education (France)

“JobProgramme Specialist in Education, UNESCO, Paris, France. Deadline: 28 April 2023.

Under the overall authority of the Assistant Director-General for Education and the direct supervision of the Director of the Future of Learning and Innovation team, the incumbent will be responsible for the Education Research and Foresight programme. Serving as a think tank to reimagine education and leverage knowledge for just and sustainable futures, the Future of Learning and Innovation team comprises three strands of work:

(1) Education research and foresight which aims to shape global policy debate on the future of education;

(2) Technologies and learning which aims to steer human-centered digital transformations in education, and

(3) Knowledge and innovation which aims to encourage interdisciplinary research through university networks.

The incumbent will lead the Education, Research and Foresight programme in close cooperation with the Division’s other two strands of work. Building on a continuous review of research production, an analysis of both global education policy and emerging megatrends, as well as consultations with various constituencies, the Education research and foresight programme reinforces UNESCO’s observatory function in education. Through more synergetic research and foresight, the programme activities aim to strengthen UNESCO’s capacity to guide, inform and lead the global debate on the future of education.

UNESCO: We Need to Talk: ICD and Peace

Resources in ICD“ width=UNESCO and Institute for Economics and Peace. (2022). We Need to Talk: Measuring intercultural dialogue for peace and inclusion. Paris, France: UNESCO.

For those interested in the relationship between intercultural dialogue and peace, this new publication by UNESCO may be of particular interest.

“For the first time, We Need to Talk presents evidence of the link between intercultural dialogue and peace, conflict prevention and non-fragility, and human rights. Building upon the groundbreaking data from the new
UNESCO Framework for Enabling Intercultural Dialogue, this report highlights key policy and intervention opportunities for intercultural dialogue as an instrument for inclusion and peace.

Using data covering over 160 countries in all regions, the report presents a framework of the structures, processes and values needed to support intercultural dialogue, examining the dynamics and interlinkages between them to reveal substantial policy opportunities with broad spanning benefits.”

See also KC64: Peacebuilding and/or KC91: Peace Communication for brief explanations of those two concepts.

UNESCO: Chief of Unit – Communication & Information (France)

“Job

Chief of Unit: Communication and Information, UNESCO, Paris, France. Deadline: 13 February 2023.

Under the overall authority of the Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information, the direct supervision of the Director of the Division for Freedom of Expression, Media Development and Media and Information Literacy, the incumbent is the Head of the Unit for Media and Information Literacy and Digital Competencies. The unit is responsible for capacity building and policy development in the field of media and information literacy and coordinates activities aimed at promoting the development of digital and coding skills, as well as fostering digital competencies.

The incumbent manages, advises and reports on regular and extra-budgetary programme design implementation, guidelines, resources and progress. S/he advocates organization involvement and participation in mainstream unit activities, manages unit staff and may lead other colleagues, including in Field Offices, on particular thematic areas, evaluating progress and performance. S/he substantively contributes to the implementation of the Intersectoral Programme on Media and Information Literacy (MIL), in close cooperation with the Education Sector.

UNESCO Initiative “Arab Latinos!” to Promote ICD in Brazil

Resources in ICD“ width=UNESCO. (2022, August 31). “Arab Latinos!” initiative promotes intercultural dialogue for social cohesion.

Building on the centuries-old ties between the Arab region and Latin America and the Caribbean, UNESCO organized the first expert meeting on “Arab Latinos!” in São Paulo, Brazil, on 22 August 2022. The main purpose of this initiative of UNESCO Social and Human Sciences Sector is to encourage intercultural dialogue and tolerance for social cohesion.

The event, hosted by the Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce, took place on 23 – 24 August 2022 in São Paulo, kicked off by an official ceremony followed by an expert meeting. The discussions between fifteen experts from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Mexico resulted in a five-year Plan of Action for a potential new route of intercultural dialogue at UNESCO. The proposed Plan of action would be articulated over four pillars: 1) Research and Knowledge production; 2) Awareness-raising; 3) Capacity-building; and 4) International Coalition.

Since the end of the 19th century, significant migratory flows from the Arab countries arrived in Latin America and the Caribbean. Today the population of Arab descent in the region is currently estimated to be between 17 and 20 million.

UNESCO: We Need to Talk: Measuring Intercultural Dialogue for Peace & Inclusion

“UNESCO”

UNESCO. (2022). We Need to Talk: Measuring Intercultural Dialogue for Peace and Inclusion. Paris, France: UNESCO.

UNESCO 2022 We need to talk report coverIn addition to providing 5 case studies, and 5 think pieces, this new global report from UNESCO provides several explanations for understanding intercultural dialogue:

ICD …is a process undertaken to realize transformative communication that requires space or opportunities for engagement and a diverse group of participants committed to values such as mutual respect, empathy and a willingness to consider different perspectives. (UNESCO & IEP, 2020, p. 6)

ICD is understood as a process undertaken to realise transformative communication across cultures and identities (UNESCO & IEP, 2022, p. 12)

As made clear in these two quotes, We Need to Talk builds upon earlier work outlined in the Conceptual and Technical Framework, published by UNESCO and IEP in 2020…ICD does not occur in a vacuum; instead, it requires specific structures, skills and processes to support it…Using the data from the Framework, this report analyses key trends and provides deeper interrogation of insights, particularly the effect of ICD on broader development and security outcomes.” (p. 6)

…the core purpose of the global report is to help governments, civil society stakeholders and other practitioners see the value of ICD, understand it conceptually, and know how to support it in practice. (p. 7)