75th anniversary of UNESCO’s founding in London.
Published: 24 November 2020
16 November 2020 marked the 75th anniversary of UNESCO’s founding in London. Education, Science and Culture are the tools needed to foster dialogue, mutual understanding and ensure the lasting and sincere support of the peoples of the world. UNESCO's mission remains as vital as ever: to build the defences of peace in the minds of men & women.
16 November 2020 marked the 75th anniversary of UNESCO’s founding in London. Education, Science and Culture are the tools needed to foster dialogue, mutual understanding and ensure the lasting and sincere support of the peoples of the world. UNESCO's mission remains as vital as ever: to build the defences of peace in the minds of men & women.
The UNESCO Chair in Refugee Integration through Languages and the Arts, held by Prof Alison Phipps in the School of Education, participated in the influential #UNESCO75 campaign. Events across the world demonstrated the extraordinary convening power of UNESCO. Celebrations will continue throughout this 75th Anniversary year culminating in global celebrations at UNESCO's General Conference in November 2021.
The UNESCO Chair along with the UK National Commission for UNESCO invited local MPs to participate in the anniversary celebrations. An Early Day Motion was tabled by Glasgow North MP, Patrick Grady, congratulating UNESCO and specifically mentioning the Chair at the University of Glasgow. The full text of the EDM can be read here.
Celebrating 75 years of @UNESCO’s work to build a culture of peace
w @HouseofCommons motion & fantastic virtual event led by @alison_phipps @UofGUnescoRILA celebrating anniversary & Eritrea’s cultural (& coffee!) heritage... UNESCO75 @UNESCOUK pic.twitter.com/zymY48XNSj
— Patrick Grady MP (@GradySNP) November 16, 2020
The UNESCO RILA team marked the occasion with an online event entitled "Spotlight Eritrea". Eritreans make up a significant worldwide diaspora of people who have sought sanctuary and the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of this small country in the Horn of Africa is immense. Celebrating the culture of friends and colleagues in Eritrean communities worldwide, the Chair hosted a cultural and critical presentation on Asmara World Heritage Site (designated in 2017) and other ancient sites in Eritrea. Research shows UNESCO World Heritage Sites contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals, including
• SDG3 Good Health and Wellbeing student
• SDG11 Sustainable Cities and Communities
• SDG17 Partnerships for the Goals
The event combined conversation with a traditional Eritrean coffee ceremony performed by Alison, the ceremony by which peace is made or restored to families, communities and ethnic groups.
Hyab Yohannes, UNESCO RILA PhD scholarship holder, and Tesfalem Yemane, PhD student at Leeds University, led the discussion as Eritrean refugees and survivors of multiple wars. Discussions focused on the new war in Tigray, the ways in which music and ceremony can assist in peace building and on the World Heritage Site of Asmara, together with other sites of significance across Eritrea.
Patrick Grady MP attended alongside delegates from the UK National Commission for UNESCO and participants from Pakistan to the USA. We were also delighted to host Ghirmay and Andit, two of Eritrea’s leading musicians. Ghirmay provided some music for the event, even though it was 5am where he was in Delaware!
To compliment the celebrations, Alison and Hyab penned an article published in the Sunday National on 15 November to mark the contribution of Scottish UNESCO sites and the work of the UNESCO Chair https://www.thenational.scot/news/18873316.eritrean-culture-comes-fore-part-unescos-75th-birthday/
Recordings of Spotlight Eritrea and select online events during 2020 will be made available on the UNESCO RILA events page. Send questions about UNESCO RILA programme to unesco-rila@glasgow.ac.uk
First published: 24 November 2020
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