UNESCO - The African Mirror

Feb

2024

U.N. expert tells Philippines to act on media killings, abolish anti-communist task force

A United Nations expert urged the Philippines to do more to curb the killings of journalists and supported abolishing an anti-communism task force whose actions suppress the freedom of expression of activists. Irene Khan, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression and opinion, spent almost two weeks in the Philippines to assess the state of free speech and media rights. She described the murder of journalists as the "most egregious form of censorship". "The Philippines remains a dangerous country for journalists," Khan said, adding "Much more needs to be done to attack impunity". Citing data provided by the United…

Dec

2023

By BIRD STORY AGENCY

bird TenX: Top 10 African countries on the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list

NEWS

A UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) World Heritage Site has cultural, historical, scientific or other forms of significance and is protected under an international convention. 43 African countries have at least one World Heritage Site and Ethiopia has 11. Here is a list of the African countries that boast the most of these must-see sites: Ethiopia (11)Bale Mountains National Park - an Afroalpine area that is home to the Ethiopian wolf - is the most recent addition to Ethiopia's UNESCO list. Other World Heritage sites include the rock-hewn churches in Lalibela, the obelisks of Aksum, and the…

Feb

2022

By The African Mirror

Reimagining the Futures of Higher Education 2050

EDUCATION

AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER IN preparation for the upcoming third UNESCO World Higher Education Conference, the University of the Futures Network (UFN), in partnership with UNESCO is organising a conference hosted by the University of South Africa (UNISA). The aim is to bring together global higher education experts and stakeholders to rethink and reimagine the higher education of the future. The focus of the conference is on the Futures of Higher Education, which is one of the 10 themes that will contribute to the WHEC 2022 theme on “Reinventing Higher Education for a Sustainable Future”. The organisers said: “WHEC is short…

Mar

2021

By The African Mirror

Education needs a refocus so that all learners reach their full potential

EDUCATION

ONE of the sectors that the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted massively is education. CONRAD HUGHES, Research Associate at the University of Geneva's department of Education and Psychology; Campus and Secondary Principal at the International School of Geneva's La Grande Boissière, Université de Genève ABDELJALIL AKKARI, Professor, Université de Genève The COVID-19 pandemic has widened gaps between countries, systems, institutions and learners. The divide has become more pronounced when it comes to wealthy vs poor; private vs state; technology proficient vs technology deficient; academically inclined and predisposed vs academically fragile and in need of support. In a recent paper, we argue…

Feb

2021

By The African Mirror

Meet the 4 African women breaking the science glass ceiling

SCIENCE, TECH AND INNOVATION

LESS than 30% of researchers worldwide are women and UNESCO data shows that only about 30% of all female students choose science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields at a tertiary level. Four African women scientists share their experiences in forging STEM careers. NATASHA JOSEPH, Freelance Commissioning Editor, The Conversation OGECHI EKEANYANWU, Commissioning Editor: Nigeria, The Conversation WALE FATADE, Commissioning Editor: Nigeria, The Conversation Dr Dayo Akande, Nigeria I can’t forget my experience as a secondary school student: after qualifying for a science competition at state level in 1989, I was asked to stay back and let my male schoolmate…

Nov

2020

By The African Mirror

40 years of shaping the meaning of media development

MEDIA FREEDOM

FROM buying and upgrading technical equipment to fixing the institutions and the ecosystem of news, the approach to media development has changed over the past 40 years. With the advent of new technologies, the role of media in achieving sustainable development has new frontiers. Yet with the changes, serious threats to media sustainability have also come along. How is UNESCO, through the role of its unique media development programme, adapting to the new times and preparing for the future? Q&A with Guy Berger and Rosa Gonzalez, secretary and deputy secretary of the IPDC Guy Berger 1. For anyone not familiar…