The Dark Side of Literacy - Indian education reform organization Shikshantar, who aims to encourage concepts of "Swaraj", or self-rule in local education, argues that current education and literacy models do not take into account local cultures and languages and gives too much credit to the Western alphabet. They also argue that there are many serious flaws in what they describe as UNESCO's campaign of "McEducation For All".
posted by divabat on Jun 13, 2008 - 46 comments

Today, the UNESCO Convention for the Promotion and Protection of Cultural Diversity enters into force. 148 signed the convention and 54 states have ratified (Brazil, Canada, China, France, and India to name a few). The ratification and entry into force took only 1 1/2 years - that is to say record time. Only 2 states decided to vote against it: the United States and Israel. The US and Hollywood are very unhappy that this convention will become effective. Meanwhile, party countries seem quite pleased.
posted by pwedza on Mar 18, 2007 - 98 comments

What is the world reading? The UNESCO Index Translationum database has over 1.6 million bibliographical entries of translated works. Interesting stats such as: The worlds Top 50 translated authors. The Top 10 translated Norwegian authors (or other languages). Number of translations for any given book. Some surprising results, lots to explore, and an interesting lesson on what sells.
posted by stbalbach on Jun 21, 2006 - 13 comments

34 new sites have been inscribed to the UNESCO World Heritage List including the Iranian city of Bam recently devastated by earthquake and a site in North Korea. Some new sites in pictures.
posted by stbalbach on Jul 4, 2004 - 3 comments

Illustrating Genji An eighteenth-century scroll illustrating the first sixteen chapters of Lady Murasaki Shikibu's The Tale of Genji. (In Japanese, anyone? Don't forget to take the photographic tour.) A couple of images from an important twelfth-century scroll are here. UNESCO hosts a full set of seventeenth-century woodblock prints by Harumasa Yamamoto. For the nineteenth century, see a set of color sixteen woodblock prints by Kunisada; and for the twentieth, Shuseki's illustrations of the first eleven chapters. (Those in search of some artistic context should revisit this post by y2karl.)
posted by thomas j wise on Aug 26, 2003 - 14 comments

The World Heritage Tour is a non-profit organization dedicated to creating a documentary image bank with panoramic pictures for all of the UNESCO World Heritage sites [warning: frames]. Examples include the tomb of Sety I, discovered in 1817 and permanently closed to the public in 1991 and the baroque churches of the Phillipines. [more inside]
posted by Irontom on Jun 10, 2003 - 11 comments

Hadrian's Wall, a UNESCO World Heritage site, runs for 84 miles near the northern border of England with Scotland. Built by the Romans around 122 AD to keep out invading barbarians and marking the northern most extent of the Roman Empire, it opened on May 22rd, where, for the first time in 1600 years hikers will be able to walk the entire length along an unbroken path.
posted by stbalbach on May 22, 2003 - 17 comments