annual report of the secretary-general (2004)

ANNUAL REPORT
O F T H E S E C R E T A R Y- G E N E R A L
(2004)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
MESSAGE FROM THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
INTRODUCTION
ADVISORY ACTIVITIES – SUPPORTING CANADA’S CONTRIBUTION TO UNESCO
I.
Governance
II.
Canadian Networks: Meetings of Sectoral Commissions
III.
Consulting Canadians
IV.
Canadian Participation in International Meetings and Conferences
V.
Standard-setting Instruments
PROMOTING UNESCO’S GOALS AND VALUES IN CANADA
I.
Publications and Web site
II.
Conferences, Events and Partnerships
III.
International / World Years, Weeks, Days
IV.
Prizes and Awards
V.
Biosphere Reserves
VI.
UNESCO Associated Schools Project Network in Canada
MOVING FORWARD
Annex I
Members of the Executive Committee
Annex II
Secretariat of the Commission
Annex III
Honorary Members
Annex IV
UNESCO Chairs in Canada
Cover
Courtesy of Gary and Joanie McGuffin
MESSAGE FROM THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
Ottawa, 10 March 2005
I am pleased to present this report to the 45th Annual General Meeting of the Canadian
Commission for UNESCO.
The report provides information about the principle activities of the Commission in Canada
and its contribution to the work of UNESCO around the world. As the following pages attest,
the Commission continues to build on its strong relationship with existing partners, while at
the same time developing new partnerships to ensure that UNESCO’s values and goals
reach the widest possible audience.
During 2004, the Commission actively pursued its consultative role within Canada, and
ensured that Canada’s voice was heard, and our influence felt, at meetings around the
world. The result was that we continued to play a leadership role amongst National
Commissions and contributed to the overall direction, including the reform process, of
UNESCO.
The Commission is grateful for the continuing support and contributions of our members
and partners at all levels of government, in professional associations, in academic
institutions, and in civil society. We also wish to acknowledge the many hours of volunteer
time that people so generously give to advance the ideals and values of UNESCO.
Finally, I would like to thank the members of the Executive Committee, the Sectoral
Commissions and Working Groups, and especially the staff of the Commission for their
dedication and commitment to furthering the goals of UNESCO and the Commission in
Canada and around the world.
David A. Walden
Secretary-General
INTRODUCTION
The United Nations Educational, Scientific
and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), one
of the 18 specialized agencies of the
United Nations system, was established in
London, England, on November 16, 1945.
Canada was one of the twenty-six founding
members.
UNESCO headquarters are situated in
Paris, France. It is comprised of 190
Member States and has regional and
liaison offices in a number of countries.
Foreign Affairs Canada represents the
Government of Canada at UNESCO
through its Permanent Delegation headed
by Ambassador Yvon Charbonneau.
The General Conference, the sovereign
body of UNESCO, consists of
representatives of all Member States. It
meets every two years to determine the
policies and adopt the Organization’s
programme and budget. Between
sessions of the General Conference,
UNESCO is administered by the Executive
Board, which consists of 58 elected
Member States. At the 32nd Session of the
General Conference in October 2003,
Canada was again elected to the Executive
Board for a four-year term.
Achievement of the ideals and mandate of
UNESCO demands cooperation on the
widest possible scale within Member
States.
With this in view, the founding members
invited Member States to establish National
Commissions by stipulating in the
Constitution (Article VII) that: “Each
Member State shall make such
arrangements as suit its particular
conditions for the purpose of associating its
principal bodies interested in educational,
scientific and cultural matters with the work
of the Organization, preferably by the
formation of a National Commission
broadly representative of the Government
and such bodies.” UNESCO is the only
organization in the United Nations system
that has National Commissions.
National Commissions are therefore the
creation of Member States and their status
derives from legislation or an executive
instrument. The Canadian Commission for
UNESCO was established by Order in
Council (Privy Council 1957-831) on
June 14, 1957, in conformity with
UNESCO’s Constitution and pursuant to
the Canada Council Act adopted on
March 28, 1957. Section 8(2) of this Act
provides that: “The Governor in Council
may assign to the Council such functions
and duties in relation to the United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization as he considers desirable.”
The Canadian Commission for UNESCO
has accordingly been established within
the legal authority of the Canada Council,
which provides its Secretariat.
ADVISORY ACTIVITIES – SUPPORTING CANADA’S CONTRIBUTION TO UNESCO
I.
GOVERNANCE
Executive Committee
The Executive Committee establishes the
general policy orientation of the Commission,
provides advice to the government,
professional associations and
non-governmental organizations on the
execution and evaluation of UNESCO’s
programme, and is responsible for the
membership of the Sectoral Commissions and
the Commission as a whole.
Between January and December 2004, the
Executive Committee met three times. In
addition to the ongoing work of the
Commission, the Executive Committee
addressed questions such as the World
Summit on the Information Society, the
composition of Sectoral Commissions, working
methods of the Commission, several standardsetting instruments currently being developed
by UNESCO, Canada’s Response to the
Questionnaire on UNESCO Draft Programme
and Budget for 2006-2007 (33 C/5), and
results of the 32nd Session of the General
Conference (October 2003) and its
implications for the Commission. Further
information about each of these is contained in
this Report.
Communications and Advocacy
An enhanced public profile in Canada for
both the Commission and UNESCO
remained a priority this year. The approach
taken involved both public relations and
public affairs: public relations involves
greater visibility for UNESCO and the
Commission, and making Canadians more
aware of our work on issues of public
concern. Public affairs, in contrast, involves
direct contact with public officials, and
exerting influence in the decision-making
process.
To accomplish this, members of the
Commission, staff, and the Executive
Committee have been present and visible at
events across Canada. We have obtained
financial support for Commission organized
events, promoted international days and
weeks, and honoured the national and
international contributions of Canadians.
The Commission’s logo has figured
prominently at events that ranged from a
workshop on water and disasters, a
conference on original languages, and a
round table discussion on faith and
biotechnology. Messages from the President
or Secretary-General continue to appear in
programmes and newspaper advertisements
in conjunction with events across Canada.
The results of this communications and
advocacy strategy are reflected in the
diverse activities of the Commission
described throughout this report.
II. CANADIAN NETWORKS: MEETINGS
OF SECTORAL COMMISSIONS
Sectoral Commission on Education
The Sectoral Commission on Education met
in June and November. Members of the
Sectoral Commission provided advice on
quality assurance in education, accreditation
and recognition of credentials, International
Adult Learners’ Week and its
implementation in Canada, and UNESCO’s
work to develop an international Convention
on Anti-doping in Sport. The meetings also
addressed the results of the Canadian
consultations as a follow-up to the World
Conference on Higher Education
(WCHE + 5), and the guiding principles for
the Canadian Mid-term Review of the Fifth
International Conference on Adult Education
(CONFINTEA + 6).
The June meeting concentrated on the
questionnaire on the next Programme and
Budget of UNESCO as part of the
preparation of Canada’s official response.
While the focus of this consultation was on
Major Programme I, Education, comments
were also solicited about all aspects of the
questionnaire to ensure that the interrelationship between education and
UNESCO’s other activities was reflected in
the final document. The information and
opinions provided through the consultation
were subsequently used to develop
Canada’s Response to the questionnaire
that was prepared by the Commission and
submitted to UNESCO.
Sectoral Commission on Culture,
Communication and Information
Sectoral Commission on Natural, Social
and Human Sciences
The Sectoral Commission on Natural, Social
and Human Sciences met in December and
addressed work being done with Canadian
partners, international outreach of Canadian
networks, and promotion of UNESCO-related
activities in Canada. The many activities that
fall within the responsibilities of this Sectoral
Commission include consideration of the
preparation of a Declararation on Universal
Norms on Bioethics, a coalition of cities against
racism, both scientific and social water-related
issues, and UNESCO’s five science
programmes with particular emphasis on the
International Oceanographic Commission and
the International Hydrological Programme.
Renewing the Sectoral Commissions
The Sectoral Commission on Culture,
Communication and Information met in June
and December and addressed the ongoing
development of the Draft Convention on the
Protection of the Diversity of Cultural
Contents and Artistic Expressions, and the
current status of the Convention for the
Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
The Sectoral Commission also discussed
the results of Phase I of the World Summit
on the Information Society (December 2003)
and the preparations for Phase II in Tunis in
2005. Other agenda items included the
upcoming World Conference on Arts
Education in 2006, the Information for All
Programme, and work being done to further
freedom of expression including a joint
project with PEN Canada. The Sectoral
Commission was also consulted about the
proposals for Major Programmes IV and V,
Culture, and Communication and
Information respectively, in UNESCO’s
questionnaire on the Programme and
Budget for 2006-2007 (33 C/5).
A new approach was taken to the work of all
three Sectoral Commissions this year as the
Chairs of each of the Commissions attended
the meetings of the other Sectoral
Commissions. The President and
Vice-President were also able to attend some
of the meetings. This, combined with common
agenda items such as reports about the
principal activities of each Sectoral
Commission, the Decade of Education for
Sustainable Development (2005-2014), and
Arts and Learning, reinforced the
transdisciplinary nature of our work. This
approach also increased understanding and
knowledge among the members of the three
Sectoral Commissions about both the diversity
and commonalities of their work.
Work also began to review the membership of
each of the Sectoral Commissions with a view
to ensuring that members were still active in
their respective areas of expertise. As a result,
some members “retired” from their respective
Sectoral Commissions while new members
were added to ensure that the membership
continues to reflect UNESCO’s evolving
interests in education, the sciences, culture
and communication.
III. CONSULTING CANADIANS
World Summit on the Information Society
Debriefing Session, Ottawa, January 23
The World Summit on the Information
Society (WSIS) was held in Geneva from
December 10-12, 2003. Forty-four Heads of
State and representatives of 176 countries
attended the Summit, which offered a
unique opportunity for leaders, policymakers, ICT business people, voluntary and
non-governmental organizations, and
academics to address both the technical and
public policy issues related to the
information society. At its conclusion, the
Summit endorsed a Declaration of Principles
based on a common vision of an information
society’s values, and a Plan of Action to
implement the Declaration of Principles and
to find ways to bring the benefits of ICTs to
underserved economies.
The debriefing meeting was held to allow for
a dialogue between individuals and
organizations that had been consulted in
preparation for the WSIS, and people who
attended the Summit. Discussions centred
on the dynamics of the Summit, Canadian
participation and the challenges to
implementing the Action Plan.
UNESCO Consultation of Member States
on the Draft Programme and Budget for
2006-2007 (33 C/5)
In May, UNESCO distributed a
questionnaire to solicit comments and
proposals from Member States, Associate
Members, intergovernmental organizations
and international non-governmental
organizations on the priorities and issues
that should guide the preparation of the
Draft Programme and Budget for 2006-2007
(33 C/5) during the third, and final, phase of
implementation of the Medium-Term
Strategy (2002-2007).
The Commission consulted federal and
provincial government departments,
non-governmental members, sectoral
commission members, and other experts in
the fields of education, the natural, social
and human sciences, culture,
communication and information, and
prepared Canada’s Response to the
questionnaire. This document was then
submitted to Foreign Affairs Canada for
consideration and transmission to
UNESCO.
A document summarizing the responses
from Member States was then prepared by
the UNESCO Secretariat for consideration
at the October meeting of the Executive
Board. The Commission was pleased to
note that the ideas expressed in Canada’s
Response figured prominently in the
summary document, including many direct
and indirect quotations.
Arts and Learning
Toronto, October 22 - 23, and
Halifax, November 25 - 26
At the UNESCO General Conference in
1999, the Director-General made an appeal
for the promotion of arts education as part of
the culture of peace in the context of the
International Year for a Culture of Peace
(2000) and the International Decade for a
Culture of Peace and Non-violence for the
Children of the World (2001-2010).
UNESCO then initiated a program of
creativity that included a balanced approach
to education where the basic sciences,
human sciences, sports and the arts are
equal.
From this developed the idea of holding a
World Conference on Arts Education that
will now be held in Lisbon, Portugal, in 2006
to develop an international Action Plan. In
preparation for this World Conference, the
Commission is holding a series of
consultations across Canada, and meetings
were held in Toronto (for Ontario and
Québec) and Halifax (for Atlantic Canada).
The meetings brought together officials from
the provincial ministries of culture and
education, teachers’ associations, individual
teachers, university professors,
representatives of arts councils, NGOs and
grass-roots arts educators. Discussions
centred on the effect of arts education and
learning on the individual and on society,
accessibility, quality in education including
teacher education and professional
development, and lifelong learning.
IV. CANADIAN PARTICIPATION IN
INTERNATIONAL MEETINGS AND
CONFERENCES
Future meetings are scheduled for Regina
and Vancouver in February 2005. A
meeting is also being planned for
Yellowknife, and the possibility of holding
one meeting exclusively for youth is being
explored. A “wrap-up” meeting with
representatives of national associations is
also being contemplated and, at the
conclusion of all of the consultation
meetings, the Commission will prepare a
report that will be submitted as part of
Canada’s official position for the World
Conference in 2006.
This meeting was held to take stock of
progress to date in the establishment of the
International Basic Sciences Programme
(IBSP), to explore ways to identify projects and
to continue to develop rules and procedures
for the Programme. The Committee supported
the proposal that science education be one of
the goals of IBSP, welcomed UNESCO’s
willingness to develop IBSP activities in
response to regional needs and priorities, and
recommended that the principal function of
IBSP should be to sensitize governments
about the need to develop national capacity so
that science responds to human needs.
Ad Hoc Youth Committee
Toronto, December 17
An ad hoc Youth Committee was created in
November to evaluate the structure of the
Commission’s youth network, and to
develop strategic objectives that will best
address the needs of both the Commission
and its youth members.
In response to an invitation from the Toronto
Youth Cabinet, the ad hoc Committee met in
December to discuss the role of the youth
network, its membership, how to use the
network to advantage and how to ensure its
ongoing operation. This represents a
change in the approach to the involvement
of youth with the Commission, but not a
change in the overall priority of having a
strong youth voice in all of the Commission’s
activities.
The meeting was chaired by Wei Hsi Hu,
Youth Observer on the Executive
Committee, and Alysouk Lynhiavu, Public
Relations Officer, represented the
Commission.
2nd Meeting of the Ad Hoc Committee of
Experts for the International Basic
Sciences Programme, Venice, Italy,
January 9 - 10
Ed Capes, who has retired from the National
Research Council, is a member of this
Committee and represented Canada at the
meeting.
Sub-Regional Training for National
Commissions, Riga, Latvia, February 6 - 8
The Division of National Commissions and the
Office of Public Information at UNESCO held a
series of training workshops in 2004 on media
relations, partnerships and information
services. This session focused on information
services, databases, websites, follow-up to the
World Summit on the Information Society,
relations with Parliamentarians, and
cooperation with NGOs and the private sector.
The Secretary-General participated as one of
the trainers, and gave a presentation on ways
National Commissions could work with
Parliamentarians based on the Commission’s
experiences with the Friendship Group of
Parliamentarians for UNESCO in Canada. He
also chaired two sessions: one on cooperation
with intergovernmental organizations, the other
on cooperation for and with youth.
First European Congress on Cultural
Diversity, Warsaw, Poland, June 3 - 6
Co-hosted by the Polish and French National
Commissions for UNESCO, this congress
provided a forum to contribute to the ongoing
debate about the draft Convention on the
Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of
Cultural Contents and Expression. It brought
together a variety of stakeholders from the
Europe Region, including artists, academics,
and elected officials, as well as representatives
of several African countries. In total, 125
individuals from 40 countries attended.
The meeting consisted of a series of debates
around the application of the concept of
cultural diversity at the international level,
dialogue among cultures, and questions
regarding artistic creativity and the role of the
artist in supporting the public good.
The Commission was represented by
Max Wyman who gave a keynote address
during the opening ceremonies on Canada’s
commitment to cultural diversity, and chaired
the debate on the third of the main themes.
UNESCO Associated Schools Project
Network (ASPnet) in Canada International Consultation of Experts
Berlin, June 15 - 19
This meeting was co-hosted by the
UNESCO Division of Quality Education and
the German Commission for UNESCO as a
follow-up to the ASPnet 50th Anniversary
International Congress “Quality Education
for the 21st Century” held in Auckland, New
Zealand, in August 2003. The meeting
brought together Secretaries-General,
members of National Commissions, ASP
National Coordinators, educators and
representatives of UNESCO field offices
from the five geographic regions of the
UN system. In total 20 countries were
represented.
The meeting addressed the future
orientation of ASPnet and priority areas for
2004-2009, and recommended that the
Action Plan address issues such as the
need to have ASP materials in languages
other than English and French, a more
holistic approach that is less project
oriented, and the need for more effective
communication between schools and the
communities in which they are located.
In collaboration with the Secretary-General
of Luxembourg, the Secretary-General
made a presentation on working with
partners and also challenges faced by ASP
schools when working with partners,
addressing socially sensitive issues, and
balancing the interests of politicians, ministry
officials, school administrators, and parents.
Director-General’s Regional Consultation
on the Draft Programme and Budget for
2006-2007 (33 C/5) and Meeting of the
National Commissions of the Europe
Region, Zurich, June 19 - 23
These combined meetings were attended by
48 National Commissions of the Europe
Region, representatives of nine other
countries as observers, and representatives
of the UNESCO Secretariat from Paris,
Bucharest, Geneva, Venice, Moscow and
Hamburg.
The Regional Consultation addressed the
Questionnaire that had been prepared for
the Programme and Budget for the
implementation of third, and last, biennium
of the Medium-Term Strategy for 2002-2007.
This is the same Questionnaire that was
considered at the two Sectoral Commission
meetings earlier in June, and the input
obtained from those meetings contributed
greatly to the elaboration of Canada’s
position at the meeting.
The second part was a statutory meeting of
National Commissions that is held every four
years. These meetings tend to take a
thematic approach, and this year it
addressed the implementation of the
Decade of Education for Sustainable
Development both internationally and at the
country level. The Johannesburg model of
sustainable development as a triangular
relationship between the economy,
environment and society has been adopted
by UNESCO, but the Secretariat had also
proposed that a fourth “pillar” be added
whereby the role of culture is specifically
acknowledged.
The Secretary-General made a presentation
on follow-up activities to the
13th Quadrennial and Statutory Regional
Conference held in Montréal in 2001, was
elected a Vice-President of the meeting and
a Rapporteur for a workshop on sustainable
development.
Intergovernmental Oceanographic
Commission (IOC), Paris, June 22 - 29
The 37th Session of the IOC Executive
Council was held at UNESCO headquarters
in June, and the Canadian Delegation
consisted of representatives of Fisheries
and Oceans Canada, Environment Canada,
the Canadian International Development
Agency, and Dominique Potvin, Programme
Officer, Natural Sciences, on behalf of the
Commission. Joan Kean-Howie,
Director-General, Oceanography and
Aquaculture Science at Fisheries and
Oceans Canada, led the Canadian
delegation and was the only woman to head
a delegation.
The Director-General of UNESCO,
Koïchiro Matsuura, addressed the Council
and re-affirmed the essential role of the IOC
in improving understanding of
oceans and their resources, and called upon
the IOC to put the Johannesburg Plan of
Implementation and Small Island Developing
States at the top of its agenda. Capacitybuilding, the development of a coordinated
and comprehensive Earth observation
system, and the elaboration of a Global
Marine Assessment system to report on the
state of the marine environment were other
priorities addressed by the Council.
UNESCO’s Information for All
Programme: Universal Access to
Information, St. Petersburg, June 23-25
Organized by the Russian Ministry of
Culture and the UNESCO Moscow Office,
this meeting served as a follow-up to the
World Summit on the Information Society in
the context of the Information for All
Programme and the progress of UNESCO in
implementing decisions related to
information management made at the
32nd General Conference. Discussions also
centred on the MinervaPLUS Project of the
European Commission that seeks to expand
the existing network to harmonize activities
amongst existing and new Europeen Union
Member States in the digitisation of cultural
and scientific information.
Representatives of several National
Commissions participated in the conference,
including Germany, Poland, New Zealand,
the United States and Canada.
François-Pierre Le Scouarnec, Chair of the
Sectoral Commission on Culture,
Communication and Information,
represented the Commission and made a
presentation on “Empowering Society
Through Information.”
World Summit on the Information Society
(Phase II), Hammamet, Tunisia,
June 24 - 26
Delegations from 127 countries, as well as
observers from 113 NGOs and 33
international organizations, attended the first
preparatory meeting of the second phase of
the World Summit on the Information
Society to determine the framework and
direction of this phase of the World Summit.
It was agreed that the focus of the second
phase would be the follow-up and
implementation of the Geneva Declaration
and Plan of Action, with particular emphasis
on the challenges facing the least developed
countries identified at the Geneva Summit;
consideration of the report of the Task Force
on Financial Mechanisms and appropriate
action; and Internet governance. An attempt
during the meeting by the Tunisian
government to influence and control the
participation of civil society also
demonstrated that freedom of expression
continues to be a sensitive issue and one
that is crucial to this second phase.
Pauline Dugré, Programme Officer,
Communication and Information,
represented the Commission at this
meeting. The Canadian Commission for
UNESCO is the only National Commission
that has been accredited for the World
Summit. The second preparatory meeting
will be held in Geneva in February 2005 and
the third in September in the same city.
The Summit is scheduled for
November 16-18, 2005 in Tunis, Tunisia.
Second Global Forum on International
Quality Assurance, Accreditation and the
Recognition of Qualifications in Higher
Education, Paris, June 28 - 29
The Global Forum on International Quality
Assurance, Accreditation and the
Recognition of Qualifications was launched
as part of UNESCO’s mission to “respond to
emerging ethical challenges and dilemmas
as a result of globalization.” The First Global
Forum was held at UNESCO in
October 2002.
The Second Global Forum on International
Quality Assurance, Accreditation and the
Recognition of Qualifications in Higher
Education had as its theme “Widening
Access to Higher Education”, and focused
on issues surrounding access to the
Knowledge Society including equity, quality
content, and qualifications, as well as the
growing importance of lifelong learning in an
interdependent world. Jacques Proulx
represented the Commission. Yves Beaudin
of the Canadian Information Centre for
International Credentials also attended the
meeting.
HIV/AIDS and Quality Education
Geneva, September 7
The International Bureau of Education, in
collaboration with UNAIDS, organized a one
day seminar on HIV/AIDS and quality
education for young people as a preparatory
meeting to the International Conference on
Education. The main themes of this meeting
were access to education for girls, gender
issues and HIV/AIDS, and access to education
for orphans and other affected youth.
Arpi Hamalian, Chair of the Sectoral
Commission on Education, and
Kathleen Meagher, Programme Officer,
Education, attended the HIV/AIDS seminar on
behalf of the Commission.
47th Session of the International
Conference on Education
Geneva, September 8 - 11
The International Conference on Education
(ICE), organized by the International Bureau
of Education, provides a worldwide forum for
dialogue among ministers of education.
The 47th Session of the International
Conference on Education was held around
the theme of “Quality Education for all
Young People: Challenges, Trends and
Priorities.”
The conference stressed the importance of
educating young people from 12 to 18/20
years old, and underlined the key links to
Education for All. Topics included the
educational needs of this age group to bring
about gender equity, social inclusion, and
life skills, as well as the role of teachers in
quality education. Sessions were also held
on education in support of sustainable
development, social cohesion and the
construction of peace. The final meeting of
the conference discussed the promotion of
partnerships for a right to quality education,
and was chaired by the head of the
Canadian delegation.
The Canadian Delegation was led by the
Honourable Andrew Thomson, Minister of
Learning and Minister Responsible for
Information Technology, Saskatchewan
Learning. Arpi Hamalian, President of the
Sectoral Commission on Education,
represented the Commission, and Kathleen
Meagher, Programme Officer, Education,
acted as a resource person for the
delegation.
The Commission worked closely with the
Council of Ministers of Education and
Foreign Affairs Canada in preparation for the
conference, provided briefing notes on the
Associated Schools Project Network and the
Decade of Education for Sustainable
Development, coordinated the preparation of
the briefing book for the delegation and
arranged for the translation of the final
country report.
Ninth International Metropolis
Conference, Geneva, September 28
The International Metropolis Project is a set
of co-ordinated applied research activities
carried out by research, policy and
non-governmental organizations to enhance
migration policies. Membership in the project
consists of over 20 countries and a number
of international research and policy
organizations representing a wide range of
policy and academic interests.
The Ninth International Conference covered
a range of issues from policies on
admissions to policies on integration, and
from the economic and social benefits to
developed nations to facilitating
development for less developed countries.
Discussions included concerns over global
security, economic impacts at the national
level and integration measures at the local
level, and ways to improve intercultural
understanding and cooperation following the
events of September 11.
Elisabeth Barot, Programme Officer, Social
Sciences and Humanities, participated in
this conference and made a presentation on
the role of National Commissions in
promoting UNESCO’s network of cities
against racism.
169th and 170th Sessions of the UNESCO
Executive Board
Paris, April and October
The Executive Board is the governing body
of UNESCO that monitors implementation of
the programme between General
Conferences (held every two years).
Canada was re-elected to the Executive
Board in October 2003 for a four-year term,
and our work on the Board is a partnership
between Foreign Affairs (political issues,
finance and administration) and the
Commission (programme implementation
and relations with Member States and
National Commissions).
Of the many issues addressed at the April
meeting, education for all (EFA) attracted
the most attention. There was concern that
UNESCO, and the UN system generally, will
not achieve the Millennium Development
Goal of universal primary education for all by
2015. Debate centred on the role of
UNESCO in EFA, and how it could best
contribute to the achievement of EFA and
the Millennium Development Goals.
The 170th Session in October focused on the
preparation of the programme and budget
for 2006-2007, the first draft of which will be
available in the spring of 2005.
Considerable attention was also paid to
UNESCO’s ongoing work in post-conflict
reconstruction in Iraq, Angola, Côte d’Ivoire,
the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and
Afghanistan, including the first democratic
elections (held while the Executive Board
was meeting) since the fall of the Taliban.
Several debates also addressed UNESCO’s
contribution to the United Nations efforts
against terrorism. This discussion was
particularly timely as it occurred shortly after
the terrorist attack on the school in Beslan
(Russia Federation) and the day after the
bombings at the Indonesian Embassy in
Paris and the Red Sea resort in Egypt. The
Russian Federation, Egypt and Indonesia
are all members of the Executive Board.
The Riga Seminar 2004: International
Seminar on Audiovisual Archives,
Riga, Latvia, September 30 - October 3
The Library and Archives Canada, in
collaboration with the Nordic Branch of the
International Association of Sound and
Audiovisual Archives and archivists in the
Baltic countries, developed this seminar to
share expertise and develop partnerships
between the regions in the preservation of
audiovisual archival material, using both
new technologies and more traditional
practices.
The Commission sponsored the participation
of Tom McSorley, Executive Director of the
Canadian Film Institute, who made a
presentation on public access to archival
material. He encouraged the participants to
consider public access and exhibition as an
integral part of archiving and preservation
activities, not as something to be avoided or
as an afterthought, or as an anathema to
preservation.
18th Session of Man and the Biosphere
(MAB) International Coordinating
Council, Paris, October 25 - 29
Canada participated in the 18th meeting of
the International Coordinating Council (ICC)
of MAB as one of the 31 non-Council
member countries. The meeting placed
particular emphasis on the importance of
building networks for cooperative activity on
a regional or international scale, within the
MAB programme itself (EuroMAB) within
UNESCO (International Hydrological
Programme and the Intergovernmental
Oceanographic Commission) and with other
international organizations (The World
Conservation Union and the Convention on
Biodiversity).
In the context of the UNESCO Natural
Sciences Sector principal priority of “water
and ecosystems,” it was proposed that MAB
should emphasize activities that contribute
to “ecosystem management and the
sustainable use of biodiversity.” It was also
proposed that, without reducing the value of
activities connected with Biosphere
Reserves, MAB should be strengthened by
new interdisciplinary projects that study
changes in the biosphere brought about by
human activities, and changes in human
activities as a result of changes in the
biosphere.
During the meeting the Council also
approved 19 new Biosphere Reserves,
including the Georgian Bay Littoral
Biosphere Reserve in Ontario, provided
guidance on the preparation of a “Biosphere
Reserve Handbook”, and on the Task Force
on “Quality Economies” for Biosphere
Reserves, and on further work of the
Biosphere Reserves Integrated Monitoring
(BRIM) activities.
Fred Roots, Science Advisor Emeritus with
Environment Canada, was Head of
Delegation, accompanied by Adam Fenech,
Science Advisor, Environment Canada and
Dominique Potvin, Programme Officer,
Natural Sciences.
International Seminar on the Recognition
of Professional Experience
Paris, December 9 - 10
The Commission was invited to send a
representative to this seminar organized by
the French National Commission for
UNESCO and the UNESCO Institute for
Education (Hamburg) which was mandated
by the 32nd General Conference to work on
this theme.
The purpose of the seminar, therefore, was
to take stock of current practices in the
recognition of credentials in various
countries, procedures for their recognition,
different ways in which they are recognized,
and challenges to doing so.
Almost 40 people from Australia, Mexico,
Canada, Mali, Madagascar, Tanzania, India,
and a number of European countries
attended the seminar, as well as
government officials and representatives
from the OECD. It was agreed that
procedures for the recognition of credentials
had to be included in knowledge societies,
that today’s labour force is highly mobile,
and that recognition of professional
qualifications and expertise between
countries is an essential component of
lifelong learning.
Research Council (NSERC) provided
funding to enable Kelly Holloway of the
National Graduate Caucus (NGC) of the
Canadian Federation of Students to
participate in the Conference. The NGC had
already been active in the establishment of
WAYS and it is hoped that this collaboration
with the Commission will continue.
Jacques Proulx represented the
Commission at this seminar and served as
the rapporteur for the meeting.
At a meeting of Ministers of Physical
Education and Sport held in January 2003,
representatives from 103 countries asked
UNESCO to co-ordinate the preparation and
adoption of an international convention
against doping in sport, in cooperation with
the competent agencies of the UN system,
the International Olympic Committee (IOC),
the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), and
the Intergovernmental Consultative Group
on Anti-Doping in Sport.
1st General Conference of the World
Academy of Young Scientists (WAYS)
Marrakech, Morocco, December 11 - 13
As a follow-up to the International Forum of
Young Scientists organized by UNESCO
and the International Council for Science
(ICSU) in conjunction with the World
Conference on Science held in Budapest in
1999, the World Academy of Young
Scientists held its first General Conference
this year. The conference was in response
to the World Conference on Science
commitment to involve younger scientists in
the decision-making process.
The conference enabled participants to
discuss the role of young scientists in a
scientific environment undergoing profound
change. Themes included the reform of
science teaching and evaluation systems,
the status and funding of young researchers,
mobility, knowledge sharing, ethics in
scientific research, interdisciplinary
approaches, and science as a form of
intercultural dialogue. This latter topic was
also addressed in a round table discussion
on the theme of "Science contributing to the
dialogue among civilizations: the young
scientists' perspective".
Through the facilitation of the Commission,
the Natural Sciences and Engineering
V. STANDARD-SETTING INSTRUMENTS
Draft International Convention against
Doping in Sport
Following three meetings of an ad hoc group
of experts chaired by Jean-Pierre Blais of
the Department of Canadian Heritage in
2003, a first preliminary draft of the
Convention was considered by an
intergovernmental meeting in January 2004.
A second session of the intergovernmental
committee was held in May, and reached
agreement on the majority of outstanding
issues.
The Draft International Convention Against
Doping in Sport was one of the main themes
addressed at the Fourth International
Conference of Ministers and Senior Officials
Responsible for Sport and Physical
Education (MINEPS IV) held in Athens from
December 6-8. This is the first proposed text
on doping that would be both universal and
legally binding, and participants addressed a
range of questions, including how the
Convention will be enforced, how it will be
funded and how it will coexist with existing
international instruments.
It is anticipated that the draft convention will
be submitted to the 33rd session of
UNESCO’s General Conference in October
2005.
Draft Convention on the Protection and
Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural
Contents and Artistic Expressions
In 2001, UNESCO adopted the Universal
Declaration on Cultural Diversity which, for
the first time, recognized cultural diversity as
a “common heritage of humanity” and
considered its safeguarding to be essential
to human dignity. Following a decision of
the General Conference in October 2003,
UNESCO is now preparing a standardsetting instrument that will address the
protection of cultural diversity in cultural
content and artistic expression.
An international experts group, appointed by
the Director-General, met twice in 2003 to
prepare a preliminary draft convention.
Professor Ivan Bernier of Laval University
was appointed to the Experts Group in a
personal capacity. The first draft of the text
prepared by the Experts Group was
circulated to Member States in July.
implementation of the convention, and both
arbitration and conciliation procedures.
Representatives of 128 Member States and
approximately 20 NGOs met in September
to examine the first outline of a preliminary
draft of an International Convention on the
Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of
Cultural Contents and Artistic Expressions.
The intergovernmental meeting was largely
exploratory, and Member States were
requested to provide detailed written
responses by the end of November. As a
result, many Member States used the
meeting as an opportunity to ascertain the
position of others, and to determine the
consensus, and contentious, items in the
draft Convention.
The next intergovernmental meeting will be
held in February 2005.
Draft Declaration on Universal Norms
on Bioethics
The draft Convention includes sections on
cultural diversity - defined as “the manifold
forms of interaction in which the culture and
social groups and societies find expression,”
- cultural expressions, cultural goods and
services, cultural industries, cultural capital,
cultural policies, and an extensive section on
the rights and obligations of States Parties.
In 2003, the General Conference examined
the desirability of preparing a universal
instrument on bioethics that would be more
comprehensive than the Universal
Declaration on the Human Genome and
Human Rights adopted by UNESCO in
1997. Member States approved the
preparation of such an instrument, but also
noted the ethical dilemmas involved, and the
complexity of issues such as embryology,
that have varying cultural, philosophical and
religious implications.
The text recognizes the cultural and
economic nature of cultural goods and
services, and suggests measures for States
Parties to adopt to ensure the promotion and
protection of the diversity of cultural contents
and artistic expressions. It includes
principles such as human rights, freedom of
expression, the equality of cultures,
cooperation and international solidarity, and
reinforces the link between cultural diversity
and intercultural dialogue and development.
It also proposes the creation of an
intergovernmental committee to oversee the
At the 11th Session of the International
Bioethics Committee (IBC) in August, the
second version of the outline of a
Declaration on Universal Norms on
Bioethics was considered and further
revised. The first draft had been revised
following a preliminary review by the IBC
Drafting Group, taking into consideration the
comments of the Intergovernmental
Bioethics Committee and the UN
Interagency Committee on Bioethics.
Michèle S. Jean also had her mandate as
President of the IBC extended until 2005.
The consultations on the third outline began
in October and, on the recommendation of
the Drafting Group, focused on the human
being. The text does recognize however the
responsibilities of humans towards the
biosphere, and the need to address all
aspects of the biosphere through guidelines
and international instruments.
Consultations with several government
agencies in Canada were coordinated by
Health Canada. Discussions focused on a
questionnaire on the scope of such an
instrument and on setting up an
interdepartmental workgroup on
international bioethics. In order to ensure
the involvement of non-government
organizations, the Commission, together
with Health Canada, will be organizing an
expanded consultation early in 2005.
PROMOTING UNESCO’S GOALS AND VALUES IN CANADA
I.
PUBLICATIONS AND WEB SITE
www.unesco.ca
In 2004 the Commission concentrated on
completely redesigning its web site and
updating the content. This turned out to
be a much larger task than anticipated,
involving all of the challenges inherent in
this activity including extensive research
and preparation of text, copyright issues,
selection of images, personnel changes
on the technical side, and creating the
right “look.” The new website will be
operational early in 2005.
Publications
During 2003, the Commission produced the
following publications, which also appeared
on our web site:
-
Contact, the biannual newsletter of the
Commission
-
Response of Canada to the UNESCO
Consultation of Member States on the
Draft Programme and Budget,
2006-2007 (33 C/5)
-
Educating for Citizenship (CD ROM)
II. CONFERENCES, EVENTS AND
PARTNERSHIPS
The following section describes some of the
conferences and seminars held in Canada
where members of the Commission were
active participants. In addition to these,
there were many others that the
Commission co-sponsored and where our
logo on promotional material ensured that
our presence was felt.
“Building International Consensus for
Mutual Understanding and Respect for
Human Rights,” University of Guelph,
February 25
The Secretary-General was invited to give a
public lecture on the role of UNESCO in
building international consensus and mutual
understanding and respect for human rights
at the University of Guelph. Organized by
the Human Rights Discussion Group, this
lecture was one of a series hosted during
the 2003-2004 academic year at the
University. The lecture examined the four
basic rights within UNESCO’s mandated
areas: the right to education, to share in
scientific advancement, to participate freely
in cultural life, and the right to information,
including freedom of expression.
Building a Writers in Exile Network,
PEN Canada PEN Québec Conference,
Ottawa, March 18
This PEN Canada conference brought
together over 90 participants from
universities and colleges, federal,
provincial and municipal governments,
the publishing industry, libraries, NGO’s,
writers’ organizations, and PEN centres in
the USA, Norway, Germany and
Catalonia. The purpose of the
conference was to challenge Canadian
institutions to find the resources and
placement support for writers living in
exile in Canada.
In 2002, PEN Canada was elected chair
of the International PEN Exile Network,
and the Exiles Committee of the PEN
board began talking to public libraries,
community colleges, universities and
other institutions to find placement for
exiled writers. PEN Canada also
received a grant from Forum Barcelona
2004, a showcase under the auspices of
UNESCO, for the discussion of cultural
diversity, sustainable development, and
conditions for peace. PEN Canada was
one of six Pen centres chosen for
pre-conference dialogues; others include
Istanbul, New York, London, Madrid, and
Mexico City.
The conference was co-chaired by
Haroon Siddiqui, President and Chair of
the PEN Exile Committee, and His
Excellency John Ralston Saul. The
Commission was one of the sponsors of
the event, and is also working with PEN
Canada on a Freedom of Expression
project that will sensitize literature and
journalism students at the college and
university level to the importance of
freedom of expression and obstacles to
this right both in Canada and around the
world. Pauline Dugré, Programme Officer,
Communication and Information, and the
Secretary-General both participated in
this conference.
“Breaking New Ground,” The EARTH
Project, Vancouver, April 28 - May 2
“Breaking New Ground” was the first
phase of a four-year international arts
initiative entitled The Earth Project.
Judith Marcuse, one of Canada's senior
choreographers, is the project's director
and creative driving force. The
Symposium brought bring together over
300 artists, community workers, arts
organizations, environmentalists, social
activists, educators, scholars, policymakers and youth from across Canada
and 21 other countries to explore the
many ways that the arts are being used in
communities around the world as tools for
social change, particularly amongst youth.
On the recommendation of the
Commission, UNESCO granted its
“patronage” to the symposium thereby
allowing the event to use UNESCO’s
logo. Max Wyman, President of the
Commission, facilitated two workshops:
one on HIV/AIDS and the Arts in Africa,
and the other on Media/New Media.
The Discourse of Inclusion and
Exclusion: Dynamics of Globalization
in the Americas, Ottawa, May 10 - 12
This conference examined culture in the
Americas from the perspective of
multiculturalism and intercultural
relationships, the role of the stereotype,
aspects of intercultural dialogue in the
war on terrorism, and representations of
the events of September 11, 2001, in
media and literature. The conference
was organized by the University of
Ottawa and the City for Cultures of
Peace, International Interdisciplinary
Institute. The Commission was one of the
sponsors of the event. Elisabeth Barot,
Programme Officer, Social Sciences and
Humanities, made a presentation on
“Learning to Live Together” and the
Secretary-General made a presentation
on “UNESCO’s Fight Against Terrorism.”
International Symposium on HIV/AIDS
and Quality Education: Canada and the
fight against HIV/AIDS, Ottawa, May 12
The Canadian International Development
Agency (CIDA) and the UNAIDS
Inter-Agency Task Team (IATT) on
HIV/AIDS & Education sponsored the
IATT Civil Society Symposium on
HIV/AIDS and Quality Education on
May 12 in Ottawa. The symposium was
an opportunity for donors, UN agencies
and civil society organizations to develop
a better understanding of the
interdependence of the international
community's efforts to combat HIV/AIDS
and to increase access to quality
education, as well as to exchange
information on programme activities and
collaborative research.
Guest speakers included representatives
from CIDA including the Minister, the
Honourable Aileen Carroll, UNESCO, the
World Bank, and the Canadian Teachers’
Federation, with a “surprise” appearance
by Prime Minister Paul Martin and activist
and musician, Bono. Ambassador
Louis Hamel, the Secretary-General, and
Kathleen Meagher, Programme Officer,
Education, all participated in this meeting.
“Crossing Perspectives of the
Israel-Palestine Conflict: Two
Journalists from the Middle East
Speak Out,” Ottawa, Montreal and
Toronto, May 10 - 13
The Commission joined forces with
Reporters Without Borders Canada to
organize a series of conferences
presented in Ottawa, Toronto and
Montreal with Israeli photographer Miki
Kratsman, from the daily newspaper
Haa’retz, and Palestinian cameraman
Nael Shyoukhi, from Reuters. During the
discussions, which were hosted by RadioCanada journalist Jean-François Lépine,
the two reporters spoke about their work
and the difficult conditions in which they
report on this conflict.
The two reporters gave interviews to CBC
Radio One on “The Current,” CBC
Newsworld, CBC Morning, Global TV for
the program “This Morning Live,” CKRL
Québec, TVOntario, CHQR Winnipeg for
the program “The World Tonight,” TQS,
RCI (Radio-Canada International) and
940 News. They also gave interviews to
media from the Middle East, and the
Montréal daily Le Devoir reported on their
visit.
The other partners involved in this project
were the International Development
Research Centre, Rights and Democracy,
and Canadian Journalists for Free
Expression.
UNESCO/OECD World Education
Indicators Programme - Seventh
Meeting of the World Education
Indicators National Coordinators,
Ottawa, May 29 - June 2
This meeting, organized by the UNESCO
Institute of Statistics and the Organization
for Economic Cooperation and
Development, consisted of
representatives of 18 countries who are
working to develop standardized
indicators that will result in the collection
of consistent and comparable data
around the world. The National
Coordinators are also addressing quality
education, teacher working conditions,
student learning conditions and their
impact on education, and are seeking to
make practical use of education indicators
by linking them to labour-market
outcomes of education, productivity and
economic growth.
The Secretary-General was invited to give
the opening remarks at the meeting and
spoke about the role of National
Commissions, lifelong learning, and the
debate over standardized testing of
students in Canadian schools.
“The UN and You” - United Nations
Association in Canada
Montreal, June 16
Launched in 2003 by UNAC-Montreal, the
objective of this essay competition is to
make Quebec students at the secondary
and CEGEP level more aware of the role
of the United Nations and its challenges.
Students from throughout Quebec
competed in the essay and poster
categories on the theme “Living Safely in
a World at Peace.” The response from
students to this first competition exceeded
the organizers’ expectations, culminating
in a prize ceremony, attended by about
250 guests, at Montréal’s City Hall. The
keynote speaker was Michel Agnaïeff,
President of UNAC–Montreal, and the
Commission’s Past President.
Arpi Hamalian, President of the Sectoral
Commission in Education, presented the
first prize in the essay category to Arianne
Leduc, a student at CEGEP AndréLaurendeau. Katherine Berg, Special
Advisor to the Secretary-General,
represented the Commission during the
development of this project and at the
prize ceremony.
Meeting with Ontario MLAs
Toronto, May 10 and June 23
d’études collégiales de Carleton - that are
part of the UNEVOC network.
In May the President and
Secretary-General met with Ontario
Member of the Legislative Assembly
Jennifer Mossop, Parliamentary Assistant
to the Minister of Culture, to discuss the
work of the Commission to advance arts
and learning. Ms. Mossop has a strong
interest in arts and learning, and is
actively working to have the arts
curriculum reinstated in Ontario schools.
UNESCO has been active in the field of
technical and vocational education for
more than 30 years. At the First
International Congress for the
Development and Improvement of
Technical and Vocational Education
(1987) it was proposed that UNESCO
should support the establishment of an
international centre for research and
development in technical and vocational
education. In 1989, the General
Conference adopted the Convention on
Technical and Vocational Education, and
in 1991 the UNEVOC programme was
launched. The UNEVOC network now
consists of over 220 centres in 150
Member States.
In June, Katherine Berg met with
Donna Cansfield, MLA and Parliamentary
Assistant to the Minister of Energy, and
Sue Nielsen, Executive Director of the
Toronto Adult Student Association, to
identify further areas of common interest
between the Commission and Ontario
Parliamentarians. Ms. Cansfield was
extremely interested in the possibility of
establishing a provincial friendship group
similar to the Friendship Group of
Parliamentarians for UNESCO
established at the federal level. Her
priority interests, as Parliamentary
Assistant to the Minister of Energy, are
sustainability (including the UN Decade of
Education for Sustainable Development)
and lifelong learning.
Centre d’études collégiales de
Carleton - Designation as a UNEVOC
Associate Centre
On the recommendation of the
Commission, the UNEVOC International
Centre for Technical and Vocational
Education and Training (Bonn, Germany)
designated the Centre d’études
collégiales de Carleton in the Gaspé
Region of Quebec as a UNEVOC
Associate Centre in Canada. This is the
first time that a Canadian community
college or CEGEP has been granted this
status. There are now three centres in
Canada - at the University of Winnipeg,
Laval University and now the Centre
Sites and Territories of Art History
Montreal, August 23 - 28
The 31st Annual Congress of the
International Congress of the History of
Art was held this year for the first time in
Canada and for only the second time in
North America since the inauguration of
the Congress in 1873. Co-organized by
Montreal’s four universities that offer
under-graduate and graduate degrees in
the history of art, the theme of “Sites and
Territories of Art History” demonstrated
the diversity of the subject and the fact
that different forms of art are found in
culturally diverse neighborhoods and in
the environment.
Max Wyman gave the opening address at
the Congress, and spoke about
UNESCO’s standard setting instruments,
the protection of cultural property, cultural
diversity and the importance of
interdisciplinarity.
Canadian Spoken Wordlympics,
Ottawa, October 7 - 10
The Commission was one of several
partners that sponsored the Wordlympics
at the Library and Archives Canada.
Spoken word poets participating in the
event came from Vancouver, Calgary,
Winnipeg, Toronto and Montreal, as well
as from Britain, France and Germany.
The Commission sponsored the
“UNESCO Youth Showcase” that was
attended by approximately 70 people.
The youth component ranged from
up-and-coming spoken word poets from
various high schools to poets in their early
twenties. Katherine Berg represented the
Commission at the opening night
ceremonies. Other partners in this highly
successful event included Amnesty
International, Ottawa International
Writers’ Festival, the CBC, the Ontario
Arts Council, the Ottawa Fringe Festival,
and TV Ontario.
Words of Our Future
Saint-Sauveur, October 24-26
The Second First Nations Education
Council Aboriginal Language Conference
offered participants insights into the
dangers faced by Aboriginal languages in
Canada and abroad. Of the nearly 6,000
languages spoken worldwide, 50% are
threatened with extinction and in Canada
the situation is even worse: 47 of the 50
Aboriginal languages still spoken are in
danger of disappearing.
Over 150 participants attended the
meeting and developed a strategy that
emphasized the need to establish a
commission or institution exclusively for
the preservation of Aboriginal languages,
and the urgent need for Aboriginal
languages in Canada to be protected by
legislation. Arpi Hamalian, Chair of the
Sectoral Commission on Education,
represented the Commission and made a
presentation on UNESCO’s work to
protect intangible heritage including
Aboriginal languages.
Archaeological Institute of America,
Ottawa Society, October 26
Included among the 2004 public lectures
offered by the Ottawa Society of the
Archaeological Institute of America and
the Canadian Mediterranean Institute was
“Fakes, Frauds and Scholars” by Robert
Cohen, Curator of Ancient Art at the
Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas
City, Missouri. The lecture demonstrated
how art historians and scientists work
together to distinguish forgeries from
genuine antiquities.
The Commission co-sponsored this
lecture and the Secretary-General made
concluding remarks about UNESCO’s
work in the fight against illicit trafficking of
cultural property, and the challenges and
problems posed by fake artifacts.
Adult Education Meeting and
Workshop, Halifax, November 24
The meeting was co-sponsored by the
Metro Council on Continuing Education
and the Department of Education,
Nova Scotia, and focused on adult
education issues in the province, and a
debriefing of the previous International
Adult Learners’ Week. Other participants
included the Metro Food Bank,
Community Services, as well as literacy
teachers and professors of adult
education.
Kathleen Meagher, Programme Officer,
Education, was invited by the Metro
Council to give the luncheon address at
their Continuing Education Workshop
Session. Her presentation provided
information about UNESCO, the
Commission, and UNESCO’s perspective
on lifelong learning.
Concert for Bam, Vancouver,
December 3
On December 26, 2003, a massive
earthquake destroyed 90% of the historic
Iranian city of Bam, a UNESCO World
Heritage Site. Over 40,000 people lost
their lives, and a further 75,000 people
were left homeless.
Centre A Vancouver International Centre
for Contemporary Asian Art, together with
a group of artists and members of the
community, produced an art exhibition
and concert to raise money for the relief
effort in Bam. The concert featured
Iranian born soprano, Darya Dadvar, who
travelled from Paris to Vancouver to
perform a special repertoire of
Persian songs. The program also
included mezzo soprano,
Shirin Eskandani of Vancouver,
accompanied by composer and pianist
Farshid Samandari. The finale was a
performance by the group Safa,
consisting of Vancouver artists
Amir Koushkani, Salvadore Ferreras and
François Houle and Noushin Abedi.
Max Wyman represented the Commission
and spoke about the work UNESCO and
the Commission at the opening of the
concert.
Centre A is a member of the Canadian
Commission for UNESCO. Proceeds from
the concert will be directed through the
Commission to the Iranian Association of
Consulting Engineers for their youth
training project at the Bam Technical
College.
International Workshop on Water
and Disasters, London, Ontario,
December 13 - 14
The Institute for Catastrophic Loss
Reduction at the University of Western
Ontario hosted an International Workshop
on Water and Disasters that provided an
interdisciplinary approach to a variety of
international, national and local initiatives
to minimize the impacts of water-related
disasters. Experts from various fields
exchanged views on a variety of waterrelated interdisciplinary issues, and
emphasized the shift in focus from the
purely scientific/engineering to a more
holistic, socio-economically inclusive
approach to water-related disasters. This
high profile event benefited from the
participation and support of UNESCO’s
International Hydrological Programme,
the United Nations University, the
Canadian Society for Civil Engineering,
the International Strategy for Disaster
Reduction, the International Flood
Network, Infrastructure Canada, Public
Safety and Emergency Preparedness
(Canada), and the Commission.
PEN Canada
The Commission began work on a project
with PEN Canada to raise the awareness
of literature, journalism and law students
about issues concerning freedom of
expression. A kit is being prepared that
will provide reference material and will
reinforce to students the importance of
freedom of expression and the freedom of
the media in maintaining and developing
democracy in Canada and elsewhere in
the world. Students will be invited to
organize conferences, round table
discussions or seminars to debate these
issues with well known Canadian
personalities or writers living in exile.
The second phase of this partnership will
result in a web site containing information
about freedom of expression, as well as
the personal testimony of authors and
journalists from both Canada and abroad.
Students will also be given the
opportunity to share their thoughts on the
subject.
Canadian Teachers' Federation
During 2004 the Commission and the
Canadian Teachers’ Federation (CTF)
established a strong working relationship,
and are continuing to discuss ways to
further collaborate in the areas of
education for all, arts and learning,
education for sustainable development
and Associated Schools. The CTF has 14
provincial and territorial Member
Organizations and represents 213,000
teachers across Canada.
The Secretary-General of the
Commission was invited to make a
presentation about UNESCO, the
Commission and the Associated Schools
Project Network to the Presidents and
Secretaries-General of the member
organizations of the CTF in July, and a
second presentation to the Directors of
Communications of the member
organizations in November. The
President of the CTF, Terry Price, was a
member of the Canadian delegation to
the 47th Session of the International
Conference on Education, and the
Secretary-General, Julius Buski,
participated in the Commission’s Annual
General Meeting and an Associated
Schools meeting in Halifax, the Sectoral
Commission on Education, and the Arts
and Learning Consultation in Toronto.
Representatives of the teachers’
associations from Newfoundland and
Labrador and Prince Edward Island also
attended the Halifax consultation meeting
on Arts and Learning.
International Adult Learners’ Week
(IALW)
Following discussions with Human
Resources and Skills Development
Canada (HRSDC), the Commission
submitted a proposal to HRSDC for
funding to assist with the celebration of
International Adult Learners’ Week from
September 8 - 14, 2005, to coincide with
International Literacy Day (September 8).
The goal of International Adult Learners’
Week 2005 will be to emphasize the
importance of lifelong learning, and the
linkages to the UN Literacy Decade
(2003-2012) and the UN Decade of
Education for Sustainable Development
(2005-2014). The Commission will
concentrate its efforts on the
dissemination of lifelong learning
materials, and in encouraging
non-governmental organizations to
engage students in local lifelong learning
activities.
In September 2004, Sue Nielsen of the
Toronto Adult Students Association
represented her Association and the
Commission at the celebration of
International Adult Learners’ Week in
South Africa. Coinciding with the
country's celebration of Ten Years of
Democracy, the UNESCO Institute for
Education and the South African Ministry
of Education organized the
commemoration to provide a forum for
dialogue on the importance of adult
learning, literacy and lifelong learning with
particular emphasis on democracy,
governance and culturally diverse
societies.
III. INTERNATIONAL/WORLD YEARS,
WEEKS, DAYS
International Year to Commemorate
the Struggle against Slavery and its
Abolition
The United Nations General Assembly
declared 2004 as the International Year to
Commemorate the Struggle Against
Slavery and its Abolition. This
International Year commemorated both
the bicentenary of the Haitian Revolution,
and the dialogue among cultures and
civilizations of Africa, the Americas, the
Caribbean and Europe. People were also
encouraged to study and visit sites and
towns related to Black history, and to
celebrate events, dates and personalities
that contributed to the abolition of slavery.
The commemoration therefore was not
limited to the past, but also helped people
understand the present, to empower them
to deal pro-actively with issues such as
racism and social justice, and to foster
peaceful coexistence.
The Commission worked with
organizations across Canada, including
the following, to promote these objectives:
i.
Toussaint Louverture Committee,
Montreal
Toussaint Louverture led the revolution in
Haiti in 1804 that resulted in the
establishment of the first Black republic in
the Western hemisphere. The
Commission participated in a public forum
at the Université du Québec à Montréal
chaired by CBC host and reporter
Michaëlle Jean, that included a keynote
address by Professor Franklin Midy
entitled “Découvrir la Route de
l’esclavage vers l’universalisation des
Droits de l’Homme.” An international
symposium was also organized on the
slave trade and human rights in Montreal
in March.
ii.
Ontario Black History Society
Toronto
The Secretary-General was one of
several speakers at the launch event for
the 25th Annual Celebration of February
as Black History Month. Other speakers
included His Worship David Miller, Mayor
of Toronto, the representative of the
Honourable James K. Bartleman,
Lieutenant Governor of Ontario,
Jennifer Mossop, Parliamentary Assistant
to the Minister of Culture for Ontario,
several members of the diplomatic corps,
and Dr. Spencer Crew, Executive Director
of the National Underground Railroad
Freedom Center, Cincinnati, Ohio.
iii.
“The Warrior Within,” Public
Lecture by Douglas Cardinal,
Ottawa
As part of the 5th annual Reconciliation Day
in Ottawa (February 12), the Commission
supported a public lecture by Douglas
Cardinal in collaboration with the Library
and Archives Canada and the J’Nikira
Dinqinesh Education Centre.
The J'Nikira Dinqinesh Education
Centre’s mandate is to “promote the
power of the presence and spirit of Africa
in Canada.” Reconciliation Day in Ottawa
is a feature of Black History / African
Heritage Month in Canada and
commemorates Nelson Mandela’s
February 11 walk to freedom, his work in
reconciliation and the dream of
Martin Luther King, Jr.
iv.
Road to Freedom Festival - Music
Celebrating the Underground
Railroad, Hamilton
Under the Honorary Chairmanship of the
Honorary Lincoln Alexander, the Brott
Music Festival linked the Road to
Freedom Festival featuring music by
Black composers and the celebration of
freedom with the International Year.
Hamilton has a direct link to the
Underground Railroad as a Black
community was established in Hamilton in
the 1850’s by “passengers” who used this
network to come to Canada.
v.
Projet Afrique : étudiants sans
frontières, Winnipeg
Students at Winnipeg’s Collège Jeanne
Sauvé developed the Projet Afrique:
Étudiants sans frontières to promote
dialogue and exchanges with Frenchlanguage schools in Africa. The Collège
Jeanne Sauvé is a member of the
UNESCO Associated Schools Project
network in Canada and their activities will
be associated with the Transatlantic
Slave Trade Education Project that
includes over 100 schools in Africa,
Europe, Canada and the Caribbean.
vi.
Ottawa Police Services
from the National Capital Region included
Oni the Haitian Sensation, Serge Cham,
Doretta Charles and Angèle Bassolé.
Musicians El Hadj Mbaye and
Mighty Popo also performed.
The Commission adapted the logo for the
International Year for use in Canada in
response to a request from the Ottawa
Police Services, who used the logo on
their envelopes during 2004. The Ottawa
Police also worked with the Commission
to promote the International Year for a
Culture of Peace in 2000.
The evening demonstrated the vitality and
diversity of the poets’ work, the power of
oral traditions that continue to be renewed
and reinvented, and the extraordinary
contribution artists of African origin have
made to the cultural and artistic
landscape of Canada and the world.
World Poetry Day (March 21)
World Press Freedom Day (May 3)
World Poetry Day promotes linguistic
diversity through written and spoken
expression, and offers endangered
languages the opportunity to be heard
within their communities. It also provides
an occasion to celebrate oral traditions
and to participate in live performances.
In 1992, UNESCO declared May 3 as
World Press Freedom Day to recognize,
and draw attention to, freedom of
expression and the dangers faced by
journalists in reporting the news. Various
international organizations have reported
that in the decade between 1992 and
2002, 523 journalists were killed and that
374 of these, or 72%, were intentionally
murdered.
For the fourth consecutive year, the
Commission celebrated World Poetry Day
with its traditional partners the Library and
Archives Canada, the Canada Council for
the Arts, the Department of Canadian
Heritage, and a new partner this year, the
League of Canadian Poets. This year's
event was entitled "Literature and
Liberation: Poetry of the African Diaspora"
in recognition of the International Year for
the Commemoration of the Struggle
Against Slavery and its Abolition and the
bicentenary of Haiti.
Fourteen poets and musicians of African
origin (from Africa, the Caribbean and
Canada) presented their works before an
enthusiastic audience that included the
Minister of State for Multiculturalism and
the Status of Women, Jean Augustine.
The event was organized and hosted by
poets of the National Capital Region
Eddy Garnier and Anthony Bansfield
(nth digri). Poets included Lillian Allen,
the Commission’s Executive Committee
member, George Elliott Clarke of Toronto,
and Joujou Turenne from Montreal. Poets
World Press Freedom Day was
celebrated again this year with the theme
“The Internet: Freedom of Expression and
Access Issues.” A sold-out luncheon was
organized at the National Press Club
where two National Press Club World
Press Freedom Day prizes were
awarded.
Andrew MacIntosh, parliamentary
correspondent for the National Post,
received the Press Freedom Award for
his work in bringing “Shawinigate” to the
public’s attention. The award recognized
Mr. MacIntosh’s and the National Post’s
legal battle to protect sources from the
RCMP after the newspaper revealed in
2000 that then-Prime Minister
Jean Chrétien had lobbied the Business
Development Bank of Canada to give a
loan to the Grand-Mère Inn in his riding.
The winner of the International Editorial
Cartoon Competition was Alessandro
Gatto of Italy. The second prize went to
Luc Vermeersch of Belgium and the third
prize to Aristides Esteban Hernandez
Guerrero of Cuba. Forty of the more than
450 cartoons received in this year’s
competition were displayed at the Library
and Archives Canada, which will host
World Press Freedom Day in 2005.
The event was hosted by Don Newman,
Senior Parliamentary Editor, CBC
Newsworld. Speakers at the event
included Simon Potter, Past President of
the Canadian Bar Association, Nahlad
Ayed, CBC Middle East Correspondent,
Baghdad, and the Secretary-General of
the Commission, who also presented the
recipients with their prizes.
Each award consisted of a cash prize of
$1,500, a National Press Club Trophy and
a certificate of honour from the
Commission. The event was sponsored
by the Commission, Air Canada,
Canadian International Development
Agency, Canadian Newspaper
Association, the New RO television
station, Ottawa Citizen, and the Brewers
Association of Canada.
World Teachers’ Day (October 7)
The Saskatoon Teachers’ Association
held an outdoor event that was attended
by 600 adults and children to celebrate
World Teachers Days and to celebrate
the contribution of teachers. The keynote
speaker was Mark Kielburger (Leaders
Today). Katherine Berg brought
greetings from the Commission. Also in
attendance were Theresa Sokyrka, the
second place finisher from Canadian Idol,
and Cam Baerg, a member of the
Olympic silver medal rowing team, both of
whom are from Saskatoon.
Philosophy Day (November 21)
In 2002 UNESCO declared November 21
as Philosophy Day to demonstrate the
importance of philosophy to people in
their everyday lives, and to engage a
larger public in philosophical debates.
For the second year, the UNESCO Chair
in Philosophy at the Université du Québec
à Montréal organized an event to mark
this Day, and actively worked to
encourage her colleagues to do likewise.
As a result, a discussion was organized to
address the contribution of philosophy to
obtaining a better understanding of the
ethical implications of current trends in
science and technology. The Chair of the
Sectoral Commission on Culture,
Communication and Information,
François-Pierre Le Scouarnec,
represented the Commission at this
meeting.
A round table was also organized on
biotechnology and faith at the University
of Toronto by the Canadian Council of
Churches and Health Canada, with the
sponsorship of the Commission, on the
subject “Patenting our Genes: Blessing or
Curse? The Implications for Health Care.”
Montreal - World Book Capital 2005
In February UNESCO announced that the
City of Montreal had been chosen World
Book Capital for 2005. The selection
committee, consisting of representatives
of UNESCO, the International Publishers
Association, the International Booksellers
Association, and the International
Federation of Library Associations and
Institutions, unanimously selected
Montreal because of the “strong synergy
among all sectors of the book industry,
including a number of aspects of book
promotion and reading.”
The Secretary-General represented the
Commission at several organizational
meetings involving three levels of
government, funding councils and
approximately 30 NGOs involved in book
publishing, selling and promotion.
IV. PRIZES AND AWARDS
Canadian Commission for UNESCO
Award for Science for Peace and
Development
As a follow-up to the World Conference
on Science (1999), UNESCO declared
November 10 as World Science Day for
Peace and Development in 2001 and the
first World Science Day was celebrated in
2002.
The Commission has since worked with
the Youth Science Foundation Canada,
organizers of the Canada-Wide Science
Fair at the secondary school level, to
establish a $1,000 Canadian Commission
for UNESCO Award for an outstanding
project specifically addressing one or
more issues related to science for peace
and development. These include basic
human needs, the environment and
sustainable development, peace and
conflict resolution, science education,
science and policy, or science and ethics.
This Fair is the largest extra-curricular
youth activity related to science and
technology in Canada and brings together
some 450 top young scientists who have
been chosen from nearly 100 regional
science and technology fairs held across
the country.
The 2004 Science Fair was held in
St. John’s, Newfoundland, and the winner
of the CCU Peace for Science and
Development Award was 15-year old
Kimberly Richards from Walter Murray
Collegiate, Saskatoon. Her project
entitled “Choose them and lose them?”
examined the phenotypic traits and DNA
profiles of wheat cultivars developed in
Canada over the past 160 years to
determine if genetic selection for
improved agronomic performance is
resulting in reduced diversity and genetic
erosion. Her conclusions were that
genetic erosion has not taken place, and
that modern plant breeding is not
increasing the risk to sustainable crop
production by reducing diversity.
Ms. Richards also received prizes from
EnCana, Genome Canada, Agriculture
and Agri-food Canada and the Gold
Medal for Biotechnology (intermediate).
She was also selected by the Natural
Sciences and Engineering Research
Council (NSERC) to attend the 3rd APEC
Youth Science Festival in Bejing, China,
where she received a second place
award, and one of only 33 awards
presented to over 400 projects.
The Commission was represented at the
Science Fair by Keith Samuelson, a
teacher at Prince of Wales Collegiate in
St. John’s and a member of the
Associated School Project network, who
also presented the award on our behalf.
Griffin Poetry Prize Awards
Toronto, June 3
Again in 2004, the Commission was
invited to attend the awards ceremony for
the Griffin Poetry Prizes, one of the
world’s richest and most prestigious
literary awards. Two laureates, one
Canadian and one international, each
receive $40,000. This year the Canadian
laureate was Anne Simpson from
Nova Scotia for her collection entitled
“Loop.” American poet August
Kleinzahler won the international award
for “The Strange Hours Travelers Keep.”
The Griffin Trust for Excellence in Poetry
has been a partner with the Commission
for the last three years in our event
celebrating World Poetry Day (March
21). Royalties from the Griffin Poetry
Prize Anthology published each year by
the House of Anansi Press are donated to
the Canadian Commission for UNESCO
to “support linguistic diversity through
poetic expression and to offer
endangered languages the opportunity to
be heard in their communities” through
the celebration of World Poetry Day.
Katherine Berg represented the
Commission at the Griffin Prize reading
and at the presentation ceremony.
V.
areas of China. As part of this same
project, a Chinese delegation visited
several biosphere reserves in Canada
during the summer of 2004.
BIOSPHERE RESERVES
iii.
i.
Canadian Biosphere Reserve
Association Annual General
Meeting, Nova Scotia, June 17 - 20
The Canadian Biosphere Reserve
Association held its Annual General
Meeting this year in the Southwest Nova
Biosphere Reserve. The meeting
provided an opportunity for biosphere
reserve managers to share information
about ongoing activities and to provide
advice about biosphere reserve
development and designation processes
to interested parties, including groups that
hope to eventually submit nominations for
biosphere reserves. Dominique Potvin,
Programme Officer, Natural Sciences,
attended the Board Meeting and provided
information about the work of the
Commission and UNESCO.
ii.
Visit of MAB Delegation from
China, Ottawa, September 27
The Commission was pleased to
welcome a delegation from China-MAB,
including its Secretary-General, and to
share experiences about biosphere
reserves, public relations and
environmental publications. During their
visit to Canada the Chinese delegation
also met with key Canadian groups
involved in environment publications such
as Canadian Geographic, the Canadian
Wildlife Federation, and the National
Research Council. This visit was
organized in cooperation with the
Canadian International Development
Agency (CIDA) in the context of the
Public Sector Reform Program
administered by China’s Ministry of
Foreign Trade and Economic
Cooperation, and sought to contribute to
capacity building in policy reform and
ecosystem management for protected
Designation of the Georgian Bay
Littoral Biosphere Reserve
In May, the Commission and the Canada
Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Committee
recommended to the MAB Secretariat at
UNESCO that the Georgian Bay Littoral
be designated as Canada’s
13th Biosphere Reserve. The designated
area includes the headwaters of the
St. Lawrence River and is one of the
largest fresh water archipelagos in the
world. In October the application was
approved by the International
Coordinating Council of the MAB
Programme, which noted this biosphere
reserve was “the result of an
extraordinary collaboration between
native communities, local inhabitants,
local business interest and regional and
local authorities who share a common
vision of sustainable development and
environmental and cultural conservation.”
The Commission actively promoted the
designation of the Georgian Bay Littoral
through press releases and media
interviews. In particular, Environment
Canada issued a press release (the first
time this has been done) where the
Honourable Stéphane Dion, Minister of
the Environment, expressed his
satisfaction with UNESCO’s designation
and congratulated the population of the
Georgian Bay Littoral region for this
exceptional accomplishment. The
Secretary-General also gave an extensive
radio interview to CFOS in Owen Sound,
which is within the Niagara Escarpment
Biosphere Reserve.
Biosphere reserves are areas recognized
by the MAB programme of UNESCO
where local communities are actively
involved in governance and management,
research, education, training and
monitoring of both socio-economic
development and biodiversity
conservation. The World Network of
Biosphere Reserves now consists of 459
sites in 97 countries.
VI. ASSOCIATED SCHOOLS PROJECT
NETWORK in Canada (ASPnet)
Redberry Lake Biosphere Reserve and
Associated School, Saskatchewan
take place under the patronage of the
Commission.
The Commission has also been asked by
the Board of Education of the First
Nations to make a presentation about
ASPnet in a video-conference to the eight
Aboriginal groups represented by the
Board. The video-conference will take
place in January 2005.
Manitoba
In October, Katherine Berg visited the
Redberry Lake Biosphere Reserve and
Hafford Central School, which is situated
within the Reserve. The school is
committed to becoming Saskatchewan’s
first ASPnet pilot school, and houses a
Research Centre on the Biosphere
Reserve. The Centre includes
documentation and visual materials on
bird migrations and water levels, and has
the potential to become a learning
resource for students. Following several
preliminary discussions in 2004, a
meeting will take place in Regina early in
2005 with Department of Learning
officials and teachers to begin developing
the Associated Schools Project Network
in Saskatchewan.
Québec
In September the Ministry of Education
created a committee to develop criteria
that will be used for the selection of
Québec schools participating in the ASP
network. While this may increase the
number of candidate schools beyond the
preferred number of 10, this active
involvement of the Ministry of Education
is welcomed and will help to ensure the
success of ASPnet in Québec.
Alysouk Lynhiavu, in his capacity as
ASPnet Coordinator, is also working with
Centrale de syndicats du Québec to
launch the Decade of Education for
Sustainable Development (DESD) in May
2005. This launch, which will place
emphasis on responsible citizenship, will
A meeting was held in Winnipeg in
November to encourage the involvement
of ASP schools in the Decade of
Education for Sustainable Development
and the International Year for Physical
Education and Sport, to establish links
with the University of Manitoba, and to
explore the creation of a virtual bulletin
that could be shared with other ASP
schools. A formal ceremony is also being
organized for 2005 with the Manitoba
Department of Education to present
plaques to ASP schools.
Related Activities
Discussions are ongoing with ministries of
education and candidate schools in
Ontario, Saskatchewan and Yukon with a
view to further expanding the ASP
network. Consistent with Canada’s
position in other UNESCO activities, the
emphasis will remain on quality, not
quantity, and ensuring that we have
established a viable base for participation
in ASP first in Canada, then
internationally.
MOVING FORWARD
The coming year promises to be another very busy one for the Commission and some of
the principle activities will include:
Promoting the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014);
Promoting the International Year of Physical Education and Sport and the International
Year of Physics;
Celebrating International Adult Learners’ Week in Canada;
Conducting consultations on UNESCO’s Draft Programme and Budget for 2006-2007
(33 C/5), and preparing position papers;
Developing a network of Canadian cities against racism.
The Commission will also play an active role in Canada’s preparation for, and
participation in:
Meetings of UNESCO’s Executive Board;
The 33rd General Conference of UNESCO;
Preparation of a Declaration on Universal Norms on Bioethics;
The Tunis phase of the World Summit on the Information Society (2005); and,
The World Conference on Arts Education (2006).
Finally, the Commission will continue to work on key initiatives already underway including:
Developing the Associated Schools Project Network in Canada;
The active involvement of youth in the work of the Commission; and
Promoting freedom of expression and human rights.
Annex I
Executive Committee of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO
President
Max Wyman, Lions Bay, British Columbia
Vice-President
Michèle S. Jean, Montreal (Quebec)
Secretary-General
David A. Walden, Ottawa, Ontario
Chairs of the Sectoral Commissions
Education
Arpi Hamalian, Montreal (Quebec)
Professor, Department of Education, Concordia University
Natural Sciences,
Social Sciences
and Humanities
Claude Villeneuve, Chicoutimi, Quebec
Professor, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi (January - May)
Alex C. Michalos
Director, Institute for Social Research and Evaluation
Professor Emeritus, Political Science
University of Northern British Columbia (May - )
Culture,
Communication
and Information
François-Pierre Le Scouarnec, Montreal (Quebec)
President, Podium Tech
Members
Michel Agnaïeff, Montreal (Quebec)
Past President
Lillian Allen, Toronto, Ontario
Poet and author
Paul Cappon, Toronto, Ontario
Director-General, Council of Ministers of Education, Canada
(January - October)
Boyd Pelley, Toronto, Ontario
Acting Director-General, Council of Ministers of Education, Canada
(October - )
Patricia Lortie, Ottawa, Ontario
Director-General, International Organizations Bureau
Foreign Affairs Canada (January - June)
Ferry de Kerckhove
Director-General, International Organizations Bureau
Foreign Affairs Canada (August - )
28
Vicki Mather, Edmonton, Alberta
Executive Director
The Society of Safe and Caring Schools and Communities
Claude Moreau, Montreal (Quebec)
Director-General
Centre international de résolution de conflits et de médiation
(C.I.R.C.M.)
Barbara Motzney, Gatineau (Quebec)
Director, International Relations and Policy Development
Department of Canadian Heritage (January - April)
Artur Wilczynski, Gatineau (Quebec)
Director, International Relations and Outreach
Department of Canadian Heritage (April - )
Nalini Stewart, Toronto, Ontario
Acting Chair, Canada Council for the Arts (January - July)
John Hobday, Ottawa, Ontario
Director, Canada Council for the Arts
Gregor Wolbring, Calgary, Alberta
Adjunct Professor, University of Calgary
Youth Observer
Norman Paul Villegas, Ottawa, Ontario
(January - May)
Wei Hsi Hu, Edmonton, Alberta
(May - )
29
Annex II
Secretariat of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO
David A. Walden
Secretary-General
Katherine Berg
Special Advisor to the Secretary-General
Alysouk Lynhiavu
Public Affairs Officer
UNESCO Associated School Project Coordinator
Hélène Pollex
Administrative Coordinator and
Assistant to the Secretary-General
Programme Officers
Elisabeth Barot
Social Sciences and Humanities
Mathias Bizimana
Culture and World Heritage
Pauline Dugré
Communication and Information
Kathleen Meagher
Education (March - )
Dominique Potvin
Natural Sciences (March - )
Gaby Senay
Junior Programme Officer, Youth (August - November)
Administrative Assistants
Sarah Colautti
Education
Marie-Tonine Moreau
Culture, Communication and Information
Alexis Philiptchenko
Finance and Administration
Annette Roy
Natural Sciences, Social Sciences and Humanities
(January - April)
Student Interns
Catherine Richardson
(January - April)
Monica Nyvlt
(May - August)
Pamela MacLeod
(May - August)
Scott Weatherhead
(May - August)
30
Annex III
Honorary Members of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO
Former Ambassadors of Canada to UNESCO
Ian Christie Clark, Ottawa, Ontario
Jacques Demers, Gatineau (Quebec)
Past Presidents of the Commission
L.H. Cragg, Halifax, Nova Scotia
Vianney Décarie, Montreal (Quebec)
Guy Bourgeault, Duvernay, Quebec
Roseann Runte, Norfolk, Virginia, U.S.A.
Michel Agnaïeff, Montreal (Quebec)
Former Vice-Presidents of the Commission
Mrs. Victor Trépanier
Madeleine Joubert
Marshall Wm. Conley, Halifax, Nova Scotia
Former Secretaries-General
Lewis Perinbam, Vancouver, British Columbia
Claude Lussier, Ottawa, Ontario
Shirley L. Thomson, Ottawa, Ontario
Francine Fournier, Montreal (Quebec)
Jacques-Victor Morin, Montreal (Quebec)
Louis Patenaude, Montreal (Quebec)
31
Canadians who have made a significant contribution to the work of UNESCO
Albert Millaire, Montreal (Quebec)
Kim Phuc, Ajax, Ontario
Senator Douglas Roche, Edmonton, Alberta
Swee-Hin Toh, Australia
Oscar Peterson, Oakville, Ontario
Paul Gérin-Lajoie, Montreal (Quebec)
Yvon Charbonneau, Montreal (Quebec)
Norma Walmsley, Wakefield (Quebec)
Pursuant to Article 3.2.3 of the Constitution of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO,
Honorary Members are “Individuals recognized by the Executive Committee for their
outstanding contribution and dedication to the attainment of UNESCO ideals and
objectives.” Honorary membership is conferred for life.
32
Annex IV
UNESCO Chairs in Canada
ORBICOM Network
Secretary-General
Claude-Yves Charron
Université du Québec à Montréal (Quebec)
UNESCO Chair in Communication and International Development at UQAM (1994)
(Communication)
Jean-Paul Lafrance
Département des communications
Université du Québec à Montréal (Quebec)
UNESCO Chair in Cultural Heritage (2000) (Culture)
Cyril Simard
Institut d’études sur le patrimoine
Université Laval (Quebec)
UNESCO Chair in Studies of Philosophic Foundations of Justice and Democratic
Society (1999) (Social Sciences and Humanities)
Josiane Boulad-Ayoub
Département de philosophie
Université du Québec à Montréal (Quebec)
UNESCO Chair in Reorienting Teacher Education towards Sustainability (1999)
(Education)
Charles Hopkins
York University, Ontario
UNESCO Chair in Sustainable Development (Natural Sciences, Social Sciences and
Humanities)
Louis Guay
Département de sociologie
Université Laval (Quebec)
UNESCO Chair on Landscape and Environment (Social Sciences and Humanties)
Philippe Poullaouec-Gonidec
Université de Montréal (Quebec)
33