Executive Board Hundred and eighty-second session 182 EX/11 PARIS, 3 August 2009 Original: English Item 11 of the provisional agenda REPORT BY THE DIRECTOR-GENERAL ON A REVISED PLAN OF JOINT ACTIVITIES WITH THE UNITED NATIONS UNIVERSITY (UNU) FOR 2010-2011 SUMMARY In accordance with 181 EX/Decision 7, the Director-General presents to the Executive Board a revised plan of joint activities with the United Nations University (UNU). The financial and administrative implications of the planned activities fall within the parameters of draft document 35 C/5 or will be carried out only if extrabudgetary assistance can be secured. Action expected of the Board: decision in paragraph 18. 1. At its 179th session, the Executive Board invited the Director-General and the Rector of the United Nations University (UNU) to present to the Executive Board at its 181st session a plan of possible joint activities taking into account, inter alia, UNESCO s priorities, to be carried out in 2010-2011. 2. At its 181st session, the Board considered the plan of possible joint activities. It expressed broad support for the plan, and invited the Director-General to strengthen cooperation with the UNU in those areas listed in it, where such cooperation was of strategic importance to the core activities of UNESCO. During the debate, a number of delegations indicated that (1) information on priority areas for action, (2) information on achievements to date, and (3) further information on the financial and administrative implications of the plan would have been welcome. The Board therefore requested the Director-General to submit a revised plan of joint activities to it at its 182nd session taking into account these concerns (181 EX/Decision 7). This document responds to parts (1) and (3) above concerning this request. Information on achievements to date (part (2)) is presented in the Director-General s Report on the execution of the programme adopted by the General Conference (182 EX/4).
182 EX/11 page 2 I. PRESENTATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS UNIVERSITY (UNU) 3. The UNU is an autonomous academic institution within the United Nations system that engages in research, training and the dissemination of knowledge in areas of international concern. It enjoys academic freedom, particularly as regards the choice of subjects and methods of research and training, the selection of people and institutions to share in its tasks, and freedom of expression (UNU Charter, Article 2). UNU s activities are carried out by its Centre in Tokyo, as well as by its network of 15 research and training centres and programmes (RTC/Ps), and of individual scientists and institutions located across the world. Moreover, its scholarly press produces academic publications and professional journals, newsletters, annual reports and brochures featuring ongoing research and development conducted across its network. The UNU Strategic Plan 2009-2012 calls for the University to strengthen collaboration with other United Nations organizations, including UNESCO. II. II.1 UNESCO-UNU POSSIBLE JOINT ACTIVITIES FOR THE 2010-2011 BIENNIUM UNU-UNESCO programme of cooperation 4. The UNU-UNESCO programme of cooperation will implement joint activities in line with UNESCO s Programme and Budget for 2010-2011 as adopted by its General Conference (35 C/5) and within the academic programme adopted by the UNU Council. The list of activities presented below represents ongoing cooperation as well as possible new areas for collaboration. One action under each Major Programme has been identified as a priority. II.2 Major existing cooperation agreements 5. Several major cooperation agreements have been concluded between UNESCO and UNU, including an Aide-Mémoire on working relations between the two bodies signed in April 2004. Important activities and projects have been developed and implemented in recent years through direct collaboration between all UNESCO sectors and UNU s RTC/Ps, in areas such as: (1) earth sciences; (2) the Man and Biosphere Programme; (3) hydrology and water resources development; (4) South-South cooperation; (5) sustainable management of marginal drylands; (6) assessment, monitoring and management of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the coastal ecosystem of the wider Caribbean region; (7) global marine governance; (8) ecosystem service assessment; (9) migration; (10) regional integration; (11) ethics; (12) online collaborative development; (13) activities within the framework of the Asia-Pacific Programme of Educational Innovation for Development (APEID) conferences; (14) quality assurance for education; (15) innovation in higher education; (16) activities within the framework of some of the projects of the UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs Programme; (17) urban development and the Management of Social Transformations (MOST); and (18) education for sustainable development. II.3 Annual joint international conference 6. UNU and UNESCO (through its Bureau of Strategic Planning in partnership with relevant sectors) co-organized from 2003 to 2008 annual major international conferences addressing issues related to globalization, with extrabudgetary funds generously provided by the Japanese Government. II.4 Cooperation in the context of UNITWIN and UNESCO Chairs 7. UNESCO and UNU cooperate in the context of the UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs Programme: (a) UNESCO-UNU Chairs UNESCO-UNU Chair in Cultural Rights (1994), Universidad de Palermo, Buenos Aires, Argentina;
182 EX/11 page 3 UNESCO-UNU Mobile Chair in University History and Future (1997), Universidad de Palermo, Buenos Aires, Argentina; UNESCO-UNU Chair in Plant Biotechnology (1992), Peking University, Beijing, China; UNESCO-UNU Chair in Leadership Studies (1997), United Nations University, Amman, Jordan; UNESCO-UNU Chair on the Concept and Practice of Zero Emissions in Africa (1996), University of Namibia, Windhoek, Namibia. UNESCO-UNITWIN Networks UNESCO-UNU Chair/Network on Global Economics and Sustainable Development (1996), Colegio do Brasil, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; UNITWIN Mediterranean Network UNESCO-UNU-City of Cannes Chairs on water resources, sustainable development and peace. Participation of the universities, cities and economic stakeholders (1999), University of Nice-Sophia Antipolis, France; Global University Network for Innovation (GUNI) (1999), the secretariat of which is hosted by the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, Barcelona, Spain. 8. In order to reinforce the contribution of these Chairs and networks to the achievement of the internationally agreed development goals, a thorough joint evaluation of each of them will be conducted. In the future, they must be managed together by UNU and UNESCO. II.5 Cooperation with Major Programme I Education 9. Within UNESCO s Education Sector, the UNESCO-UNU partnership for the Asia-Africa University Dialogue for the Development of Basic Education in Africa will become a UNITWIN network contributing to the achievement of EFA goals. This activity was designed as part of the wider project supporting the Africa-Asia Dialogue among universities as a follow-up to TICAD III, the third summit-level Tokyo International Conference on African Development. Its objective is to twin African and Asian universities to build capacity to implement the NEPAD programme of action concerning education for all. It is particularly focused on the concept of self-reliance in African development as upheld by NEPAD and the wider African Union (AU). This will be the priority area for cooperation between UNESCO s Major Programme I (Education) and the UNU. II.6 Cooperation with Major Programme II Natural sciences 10. Within the Natural Sciences Sector of UNESCO, collaboration with UNU may build on existing activities and/or focus on new areas: (a) UNESCO and UNU-Institute of Advanced Studies will continue to implement joint activities in the area of global marine governance, biodiversity and conservation and sustainable use of genetic resources. Policy research and application areas include: (i) implementation of the ecosystem approach in oceans and coasts this area of research aims to provide governments, organizations and individuals with strategic information relating to the science of ocean management and the social and cultural aspects of ocean use, including the development of collaborative arrangements aimed at implementing the ecosystem approach for the management of ocean resources and biodiversity; (ii) conservation and sustainable use of marine genetic resources, and the sharing of benefits arising from their use this area of research aims to improve the
182 EX/11 page 4 informational basis relating to the extent and location of bio-prospecting in the world's oceans, types of commercial uses of genetic resources and associated monetary values, and arrangements relating to benefit-sharing; (iii) climate change and oceans this area of research aims to undertake timely studies on the impacts of climate change on oceans locally and globally, as well as policy and management options; (iv) traditional marine management this area of research examines the role of traditional marine management in building community and ecosystem resilience, as well as in implementing international and regional conservation strategies and policies. This is the priority area for cooperation between UNESCO s Natural Sciences Sector and UNU; (c) (d) (e) (f) both UNESCO and UNU are engaged in activities related to the assessment of natural hazards and the mitigation of risks arising from these hazards. UNESCO and UNU will be expected to cooperate further on the studies of hazards such as earthquakes, floods and landslides and may find common interest in working together on disaster reduction. These activities relate to risk assessment, early warning, community participation and improvements in structural resilience, as well as integration of disaster reduction into educational programmes. As an example, recent outputs include contribution to the development of the IOC guidelines of Hazard Assessment and Mitigation in Integrated Coastal Area Management thanks to collaboration with the UNU Institute for Environment and Human Security. Planned activities include contribution to the work of the Working Group on Tsunamis and Other Hazards Related to Sea-Level Warning and Mitigation Systems Task Team on Disaster Management and Preparedness on disaster terminology, contribution of the results of the vulnerability assessments for Alexandria and Cadiz to the Intergovernmental Coordination Group for the North-East Atlantic, Mediterranean and connected seas tsunami warning and mitigation system, and joint development of university curricula on tsunamis and other sea-level related hazards; UNESCO and the UNU International Network on Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH) continue to collaborate in the implementation of the large-scale project Sustainable Management of Marginal Drylands (SUMAMAD) Phase 2 (2009-2013), which involves scientific institutions and biosphere reserves in 11 countries. The second phase of the project was approved for funding by the Flemish Government of Belgium in May 2009. The project focuses on soil and water conservation, development of dryland management scenarios in the context of climate change and the development of alternative income opportunities for dryland people; regarding water sustainability, UNESCO s International Hydrological Programme (IHP) is collaborating with the UN-Water Decade Programme on Capacity Development (UNU/UNW-DPC) in the context of the DESD and the International Decade for Action: Water for Life. In this context, IHP is coordinating the follow-up, in collaboration with UNU/UNW-DPC and the German Government, to a workshop on education for water sustainability that was jointly organized at the 2009 UNESCO World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development, including the publication and dissemination of the workshop proceedings; UNESCO-MAB will continue to collaborate with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Society for Mangrove Ecosystems (ISME), the International Timber Trade Organization (ITTO), the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP/WCMC) and the UNU Network for Water, Environment and Health (UNU/INWEH) on the development of the World Atlas of Mangroves (extrabudgetary); UNESCO, UNU and the International Council for Science (ICSU) have established an expert group on filling knowledge gaps on ecosystem services as identified by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. This expert group has concluded its work and
182 EX/11 page 5 recommended the establishment of the international Humans, Ecosystems and Well- Being (HEW) Programme. The HEW Programme, along with the UNESCO-ICSU Diversitas Programme, will provide the science base for the proposed Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), the establishment of which is under discussion; (g) UNESCO and the UNU International Network on Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH) are collaborating in a project on coastal zone management in the Caribbean with particular emphasis on biosphere reserves and persistent organic pollutants. A workshop on this topic is foreseen in 2010. In the context of the LINKS programme, SC/PSD/SII collaborated with UNU on the development and organization of the international expert meeting Indigenous knowledge and changing environments in Cairns, Australia from 20 to 24 August 2007, and UNU participated in the meeting itself. This meeting focused in part on issues relating to natural disasters and climate change. A publication based on this event will be released towards the end of 2009. II.7 Cooperation with Major Programme III Social and human sciences 11. Within UNESCO s Social and Human Sciences Sector, collaboration with UNU will build on existing activities and/or focus on new areas: (a) (c) (d) continuation and extension of cooperation with the Management of Social Transformations (MOST) Programme. Current cooperation is focused on the production of Policy Briefs based on the UNU-CRIS Working Paper Series (Regional Integration Studies), with a view to improving the reach-out to decision-makers through appropriate knowledge management techniques, namely the MOST Online Policy Research Tool. This will be the priority area of cooperation between UNESCO s Major Programme III (Social and human sciences) and UNU; potential cooperation with the UNU Programme on Comparative Regional Integration Studies (UNU-CRIS) in the framework of the newly established West Africa Institute for International Research on Regional Integration and Social Transformations in Cape Verde (category 2 institute) to study regional integration in West Africa; continuation and extension of cooperation on the subject of inclusive and sustainable cities as follow-up to the international debates of 2005 on: Urban policies and the right to the city. Work will focus on the social and spatial inclusion of migrants urban policies and practices. UNU will be a key partner for a feasibility study in view of the creation of a research centre in Brazil dealing with inclusive cities ; free movement in the context of regional integration, on the basis of a survey of regional organizations attitudes towards free movement and migration. II.8 Cooperation with Major Programme IV Culture 12. Within UNESCO s Culture Sector, collaboration with UNU may build on existing activities and/or focus on new areas: (a) research and training on the contribution of culture to sustainable development within the framework of the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions. This will be the priority area for cooperation between Major Programme IV (Culture) and the UNU. Partners would include the UNESCO Culture and Development Chairs and specialized research centres. Thus, within the UNU s International Courses, a module could be introduced within the major International Development and Cooperation on the potential of the cultural and creative sector for development. This module would emphasize recent changes in the sector for economic
182 EX/11 page 6 growth, social and cultural development. It would combine analyses of the global trends in this area so as to raise awareness of the potential and explore ways and means to implement this approach. It could be prepared by the UNITWIN Network of UNESCO Chairs in cooperation with key research centres and University departments that could host the courses. Furthermore, the module could be coupled with a more specialized session to be integrated in UNU s Advance Seminar Series, which will look into approaches and methodologies to be adopted from an international development cooperation stance. This course would look into the generation of project documents for creative and cultural industries, the role of public policies, the specificities of the cultural private sector and the notion of cultural entrepreneurship. The tools would allow course participation to acquire hands-on knowledge on how to run projects in this area. Furthermore, within the framework of research and training on the contribution of culture to sustainable development within the framework of the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, conferences, debates and research on book policies, book statistics and changes in book production could be organized. Conferences, debates and research could also be organized on translation and globalization, translation and cultural exchange, translation and knowledge transfer; and joint training and research activities between the future UNITWIN Network on UNESCO-Alliance of Civilizations on Media Literacy and Cross-Cultural Dialogue and the future UNU Institute on the Alliance of Civilizations to be established in Spain. This would include promotion and use of the Regional Histories, which contains three phases of activities foreseen up to 2013 (cross-reading through the lens of intercultural dialogue, production of guides and pedagogical materials and finally revision of history books), and engaging new voices in interfaith dialogue, focusing on youth and involving collaboration with UNITWIN Chairs, specialized non-governmental organizations and universities as well as the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization and the Organisation of the Islamic Conference. II.9 Cooperation with Major Programme V Communication and information 13. Within the Communication and Information Sector of UNESCO, possible areas of collaboration include: (a) UNESCO s Power of Peace Network is currently developing an online degree programme in peace studies. UNU could be encouraged to join in the process and consider use of the curriculum as part of its programme of offerings. This will be the priority area for cooperation between UNESCO s Major Programme V (Communication and information) and the UNU; (c) UNESCO is working with several universities and research institutions in North Africa on the translation into Arabic of a set of frequently used open source software applications, for example in the area of science education and for office tasks such as word editing, worksheets, presentations etc., to be made available on mobile data storage devices (Miftaah Project). Collaboration with the UNU Maastricht Economic and Social Research and Training Centre on Innovation and Technology (UNU-MERIT) in this regard should be further explored; UNESCO plans to cooperate with public administration schools in North Africa to develop an online course on governmental public domain information within a broader scope of electronic government. This could involve collaboration with the UNU International Institute for Software Technology;
182 EX/11 page 7 (d) (e) (f) UNESCO is engaged in a project on socio-economic impacts of new technologies in MERCOSUR countries and Chile. Collaboration with UNU-MERIT may focus on the development of standards and tools that are needed to better understand the socioeconomic impact of such new technologies on primary, secondary and technical school students and their parents; cooperation with the UNU International Institute for Software Technology (UNU-IIST) could focus on innovation and Free and Open Source Software (FLOSS), particularly in MERCOSUR countries; and collaboration with the Open Training Platform, which UNU joined in May 2008 and which offers 21 development topics, will continue. II.10 UNESCO-wide 14. The staff exchange programme between UNESCO and UNU could be revived, particularly at the level of young professionals and of programme specialists, in order to improve mutual understanding and facilitate cooperation. III. FINANCIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS 15. Rather than designing separate stand-alone activities for cooperation, every effort has been made to integrate a cooperative modality of action into existing activities in UNESCO s work plans for the 34 C/5 and planned activities for the 2010-2011 biennium. Thus, most of the activities set out in the plan of joint activities are not new. For this reason, they do not represent an additional financial burden. Indeed, it is hoped that joint action will be a cost-effective way of significantly increasing impact in a context of very limited financial and human resources. 16. Thus, for the main priority actions to be carried out by each of UNESCO s Major Programmes, the financial and administrative implications for UNESCO will be the following: (a) Major Programme I UNESCO-UNU partnership for the Asia-Africa University Dialogue: minor financial and administrative implications only linked to liaising with partners in UNU (staff time and communications costs); (c) (d) (e) Major Programme II Global marine governance, biodiversity and conservation and sustainable use of genetic resources risks: financial implications linked to provision of staff time; Major Programme III Urban development activities and the MOST programme: modalities for joint funding and joint fund raising for the activities will be determined during the development of the work plans for the 35 C/5; Major Programme IV Contribution of culture to sustainable development: should be financed by extrabudgetary contributions; Major Programme V Power of Peace network: no financial implications; administrative implications linked to time spent liaising with partners in UNU. 17. Given the above, where the potential joint actions can be easily integrated into the activities foreseen under draft document 35 C/5, without any significant financial or administrative implications, they will be accommodated within the work plans of document 35 C/5. Potential actions that will impact on the budget and staffing will be implemented only if extrabudgetary assistance can be secured.
182 EX/11 page 8 IV. ACTION EXPECTED OF THE EXECUTIVE BOARD 18. In view of the above, the Executive Board may wish to adopt the following draft decision: The Executive Board, 1. Having examined document 182 EX/11, 2. Recognizing the importance of promoting cooperation between UNESCO and the United Nations University (UNU) as a means of accelerating progress towards the major goals formulated by the community of the United Nations, 3. Invites the Director-General to pursue his cooperation with the United Nations University in the areas listed in the revised plan of joint activities, where such cooperation can be accommodated within the Draft Programme and Budget for 2010-2011 (35 C/5), and with emphasis on the areas identified as priorities; 4. Further invites the Member States to consider making extrabudgetary contributions in order to enable UNESCO and the United Nations University to carry out their plan of joint activities for the 2010-2011 biennium. Printed on recycled paper