https://www.unesco.org/en/general-conference/43
https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/thinkers-and-practitioners-meet-unesc...
Thinkers and practitioners meet at UNESCO to contribute to future priorities
Participants reflected on how the organization’s work has evolved to meet the challenges of today’s world, calling for a “Diplomacy of truth”, and renewed commitment to youth and stronger investment in critical thinking and skills for the digital age.
Michael Ignatieff, a professor of History at Central European University in Vienna, explored how UNESCO’s mission to uphold the intellectual and moral solidarity of humankind has changed over time. He explained the complexities of the international order in 145, based on three pillars of i) international institutions like the UN ii) the laws safeguarding the rights of individuals, incarnated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and iii) the shared values embodied in education, science, art, monuments and culture in all its forms, to which UNESCO was designated as the guardian of this pillar.
Let us be courageous in preserving the universal... The challenge for UNESCO today is whether its mission of promoting shared respect for science, art, beauty and human habitat can survive if the rules and covenants that govern international relations continue to collapse.
“We need to remember that the men and women who created the rules-based order after 1945 were war hardened realists. They created UNESCO on the ruins of the European order and the disgrace of the Holocaust. They couldn’t afford to be sentimental about culture or its capacity to bring people together, they knew as they said that war began in the minds of men…UNESCO was an attempt to restore culture as universal by disinfecting it of political poison.” he added
Pr. Ignatieff highlighted the many evolution of UNESCO’s mandate over time. In 1945, the cultural heritage of mankind was still dominated by colonial assumptions. When UNESCO was created in 1945 there were only 37 signatories. Now, there are 194 member states, and the idea of heritage has expanded to reflect the diversity and complexity of the modern world.
Today, UNESCO safeguards not only monuments and artifacts, but also intangible cultural heritage, as well as our natural habitat and the planet we live in. In 1972, UNESCO expanded the concept of heritage further to embrace biodiversity, recognizing that preserving nature is essential to our survival. Through projects like the General History of Africa, which empowered African scholars to tell their own stories, UNESCO has deepened global understanding of our collective histories.
The designation of Auschwitz as a World Heritage Site redefined heritage that now includes reminders of our difficult past and collective shame.
In his conclusion, Professor Ignatieff shared a plea for a renewed commitment to UNESCO’s values in times of uncertainties. “Let us rededicate ourselves to the finely balanced task of reconciling ethics, aesthetics and truth. Let us strengthen the third cultural pillar of the international order so that it can survive the weakening of the other two pillars. Let us be courageous in preserving the universal," he said.
Towards a new “Diplomacy of truth” to Address Modern Challenges
Following Ignatieff’s keynote, the panel discussion turned to the critical role of truth in tackling today’s pressing issues. We have created a world that is so interconnected within your phone within your pocket that now a days everyone can spread information using their own phones, and not necessarily true information. So very ironically, we have people using cell phones which is the epitome of science and technology to spread misinformation about science and technology. Kowaltowski highlighted the rise of disinformation in science, including vaccine denial. She emphasized that increasing access to knowledge and scientific education is essential to rebuilding public trust in science. Professor Svein Stølen, a chemist and former Rector of the University of Oslo, also emphasized the importance of expanding access to education and knowledge. He highlighted how technology can create new opportunities for learning and help reach communities that traditional systems often overlook. Looking into refuges and internally displaced people, we know that the number has doubled over the past eight years from 60 million to 120 million. UN has the aim to reach 15 per cent of refugees with some kind of higher education by 2030 and that demands that we think differently…I think it’s fair to say that we can’t expect universities to take care of this challenge on their own. Stolen has set up a digital Global University platform to provide higher education to refugees that are complemented by in-person lessons. Building on the panel’s focus on technology and access to knowledge, the discussion turned to media as a tool for empowerment. In a message sent to the General Conference, the founder of Radio Begum shared how the radio station, supported by UNESCO, has become Afghanistan’s largest all-female radio network, connecting women across the country. We share the will to speak, to learn, to connect, and this is what keeps us human even when the world tries to divide us. We do not fight propaganda with more propaganda we fight it with truth. Mohamed Zoghlami, a business engineering consultant from Tunisia, also highlighted how technology can amplify diverse voices and broaden access to information. He discussed his work on an educational video game with UNESCO, designed to make African history more engaging and accessible. The game, created by young Senegalese coders, is based on UNESCO’s General History of Africa. The digital native population in Africa is connected to the world, they have smart phones, they know what is happening, but they don’t identify with it, so they need to find their bearings, and they also need to view Africa differently. So they going to create tools and start developing new solutions and new apps. The discussion of the panelists reflected that UNESCO’s mission to unite humanity through truth, knowledge, and culture remains vital in today’s changing world. As technology reshapes how people learn, communicate, and preserve culture, UNESCO’s mission is more relevant than ever, in teaching and sharing new skills, helping students and citizens alike to analyze and better understand what they consume on their screens; get a deeper understanding of scientific methods, so that they may resist false claims and strengthen their own intellectual and moral defenses against hatred, bigotry, misinformation or propaganda. This is a new approach and a renewed understanding of the opening lines of UNESCO’s constitution, calling to “build the defenses of peace in minds of men and women”. it is a mission that is more complex than ever, and even more necessary.
