Explore the latest UNESCO-related updates that made headlines recently, which may be important for those preparing for competitive exams. Stay updated with the latest developments in education, science, culture, and communication as they unfold.
UNESCO Top Headlines
- Sevdalinka, an ancient form of love song from Bosnia and Herzegovina, included in UNESCO’s National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
- Ikigai Law was the implementing partner for the UNESCO Regional Office for South Asia and MeitY’s AI Readiness Assessment Methodology consultation in India.
- Udaipur and Indore become the first two Indian cities to be added to UNESCO’s list of Wetland Cities of the world.
- Recently, two Indian heritage conservation projects – the Abathsahayeswarar Temple Conservation Project and the BJPCI (Sir Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Parsee Charitable Institution) Conservation Project – have garnered global recognition by winning the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation 2024. The Abathsahayeswarar Temple is located in Tamil Nadu.
- Rashtrapati Bhawan is illuminated in red as part of the ‘Act4Dyslexia’ campaign, organized in collaboration with UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP) and the ChangeInkk Foundation.
- The ‘UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Report 2024’ revealed that 251 million children and youth remain out of school globally.
- According to the ‘UNESCO–World Bank Education Finance Watch 2024’, low-income countries spent only USD 55 per learner in 2022, compared to USD 8,543 per learner in high-income countries, highlighting a significant investment gap.
- The UNESCO South Asia Regional Office, in collaboration with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), hosted a stakeholder consultation on Safety and Ethics in Artificial Intelligence (AI) in New Delhi, with Ikigai Law as the implementing partner.
- Twenty-four coastal villages in Odisha have been recognized by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO as ‘Tsunami Ready.’
- Global Media and Information Literacy Week 2024 will be celebrated from 24–30 October, with the theme “The New Digital Frontiers of Information: Media and Information Literacy for Public Interest Information”.
- Between 2015 and 2024, India allocated approximately 4.1% to 4.6% of its GDP to education, as per UNESCO Institute for Statistics reports.
- Uzbekistan will host the UNESCO General Assembly (GA) in 2025.
- The French Culture Ministry nominated the “zinc roofing profession” in Paris for UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) list.
- India and UNESCO co-organized the 2024 Chief Science Advisers Roundtable (CSAR) in Paris, France.
- The ‘Illiteracy Eradication Project (IEP)’ is not a recipient of the UNESCO King Sejong Literacy Prize 2024.
- The UNESCO King Sejong Literacy Prize is supported by the Government of South Korea, focusing on mother language-based literacy.
- The UNESCO Confucius Prize for Literacy is supported by China, recognizing contributions to functional literacy and digital tools for adults and out-of-school youth.
- UNESCO International Literacy Day (ILD) is observed annually on 8 September, and the theme for 2024 is “Promoting Multilingual Education: Literacy for Mutual Understanding and Peace”.
- Taj Mahal has been included in Times Travel’s list of the most photogenic UNESCO World Heritage sites in Asia, with Cambodia’s Angkor Wat topping the list.
- Gingee Fort in Tamil Nadu has been nominated for UNESCO’s World Heritage Site list as part of the Maratha Military Landscapes proposal, which includes 11 other forts.
- Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) collaborated with UNESCO to classify the International Center for Research and Ethics in Artificial Intelligence as a Category 2 (C2) center.
- The UNESCO World Heritage Committee has decided to register the ‘Sado Gold Mine’ as a cultural heritage site, associated with Japan.
- The first Science Technology and Innovation (STI) Conclave on “Traditional Knowledge for Sustainable Livelihoods” was organized by the International Science, Technology, and Innovation Centre for South-South Cooperation (ISTIC)-UNESCO in New Delhi.
- The ‘Nelson Mandela Legacy Sites’ were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List, excluding Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park.
- During the 46th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, hosted by India, 26 new heritage sites were inscribed on the World Heritage List.
- SEVENTEEN, a South Korean boy band, has been appointed as UNESCO’s first-ever Goodwill Ambassador for Youth.
- Moidams, burial places for Ahom kings and queens, are associated with the Indian state of Assam and have been recommended for the UNESCO World Heritage List.
- India will host the 46th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in New Delhi.
- The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has introduced the New World Soil Health Index to standardize soil quality assessment globally.
- New additions to the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve List include reserves in Belgium, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Gambia, Italy, Mongolia, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, and Spain.
- The Global Education Monitoring Report (GEM) 2024 by UNESCO highlights how climate-related stressors are negatively impacting education outcomes.
- Charaideo Maidam in North East India has been nominated as the region’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site in the cultural category.
- The Moidams in Assam are India’s 43rd entry on the UNESCO World Heritage List under the Cultural Property category.
- India’s Prime Minister has announced a contribution of USD 1 million to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre for global heritage conservation.
- The Monastery of Saint Hilarion has been included in both the UNESCO World Heritage Site List and the List of World Heritage in Danger and is associated with Palestine.
- New Delhi hosted the ‘National Stakeholder Workshop on Safe, Trusted, and Ethical AI’ organized by UNESCO South Asia Regional Office and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
- The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) released the ‘State of Ocean Report, 2024,’ highlighting significant warming in the upper 2,000 meters of the oceans.
- UNESCO has launched the ‘Green School Quality Standard’ to set minimum requirements for creating a “green school” with an action-oriented approach.
- Kozhikode has made history by becoming the first UNESCO City of Literature in India.
- Recently, Palestinian journalists have been named laureates of the 2024 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize.
- Recently, UNESCO has appointed 24 experts from all regions of the world to develop the first global framework on the ethics of neurotechnology.
- Recently, the Mahabharata from India has not been included in the 2024 cycle of UNESCO’s Memory of the World Asia-Pacific Regional Register.
- Recently, “Sultana’s Dream” by Begum Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain has been added to UNESCO’s “Memory of the World” list.
- Recently, UNESCO has organized an international conference titled “Cultural Heritage and Peace: Building on 70 years of the Hague Convention” in The Hague, Netherlands.
- India will chair and host UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee 46th session in New Delhi from July 21 to 31, 2024.
- “Maratha Military Landscapes of India” comprises 12 forts, nominated for UNESCO World Heritage List 2024-25.
- INTACH (Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage) aims to include Andhra Pradesh’s ‘Paruveta Utsavam’ as UNESCO’s ‘intangible cultural heritage’.
- Kaziranga National Park in Assam was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985.
- President Droupadi Murmu visited the UNESCO World Heritage site “Aapravasi Ghat” in Mauritius.
- Six heritage sites in Madhya Pradesh added to the tentative UNESCO list, bringing India’s total to 57.
- UN World Water Development Report 2024, published by UNESCO, highlights 2.2 billion without clean drinking water.
- UNESCO’s Executive Board endorsed 18 new sites, bringing the total number of geoparks to 213.
Recent Creative Cities of India Listed under UNESCO’s UCCN List ????
- UCCN Stands for UNESCO Creative Cities Network
- Recently UNESCO added 55 new cities to its Creative Cities Network (UCCN) List.
- The UNESCO UCCN conference was held in Istanbul, Turkiye.
List of Indian Cities Under UCCN
2023: ‘City of Literature’ – Kozhikode (Kerala)
2023: ‘City of Music’ – Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh)
2021: City of Crafts and Folk Art – Srinagar (J&K)
2019: City of Film – Mumbai (Maharashtra)
2019: City of Gastronomy – Hyderabad (Telangana)
2017: Creative City of Music (2017) – Chennai (Tamil Nadu)
2015: ‘City of Crafts and Folk Arts’- Jaipur (Rajasthan)
2015: ‘Creative City of Music’ – Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh)