Friday 15 November 2019 from 8:00 to 9:45, UNESCO HQ Restaurant This high-level ministerial breakfast will give countries involved in the Capacity Development for Education (CapED) Programme the opportunity to discuss key Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4) implementation challenges, share experiences, and to identify what works in terms of capacity development for SDG4 implementation. The event is by invitation only.

The 6th Interregional Meeting of National Commissions for UNESCO will take place on 15 and 16 November 2019 on the occasion of the 40th session of UNESCO's General Conference that will be held from 12 to 27 November 2019 at UNESCO Headquarters. The programme has two parts, one of which explores the strategic transformation and a dialogue on the Medium-Term Strategy for 2022-2029 (41 C / 4) and the second on salient topics for both the Organization and the work of National Commissions. This meeting will provide an opportunity for an interdisciplinary dialogue, including with the Assistant Directors-General for Program Sectors (ADG/SC, ADG/SHS, ADG/IOC, ADG/ED, ADG/CLT, ADG/CI), as well as with the Director of the Division for Gender Equality (GEN) and the Director of the Bureau of Strategic Planning (BSP), on strategic transformation. The meeting will also discuss the role of National Commissions in strengthening UNESCO's partnerships as part of UNESCO's draft Global Partnership Strategy. One session will be dedicated to sharing good practices and initiatives within the National Commissions network, to build capacity, develop networks and partnerships, and promote best practices among National Commissions. The leaders and members of some 110 National Commissions representing UNESCO's five regional groups (Europe and North America, Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific, Africa and the Arab States) will be present at this meeting. Several representatives of the Permanent Delegations to UNESCO will also attend. In addition to the participation of the Assistants to the Director-General, Directors of the Field Offices will be present at this meeting. The programme includes presentations by many National Commissions active in their respective countries.

The Director-General, in her capacity as depositary of the international treaties adopted under the auspices of UNESCO, will invite Member States’ representatives to sign the conventions deposited with the Director-General and/or deposit their instruments of ratification to these conventions. When: Friday, 15 November 2019 (1 pm – 3 pm) The Conventions Ceremony will be held at the Organization’s Headquarters, on the margins of the 40th session of the General Conference. This event is aimed at promoting the standard-setting activity of UNESCO and at highlighting Member States’ commitment to cooperate in the fields of education, culture, science and information. During this Ceremony, open to all delegations, Member States’ representatives will be invited to sign the conventions deposited with the Director-General and/or present to the Director-General their instruments of ratification to these conventions. All the information pertaining to the Ceremony is available on the page dedicated to standard-setting instruments (www.unesco.org/en/la) of the website of the Office of International Standards and Legal Affairs of UNESCO.

The Malaysia-UNESCO Cooperation Programme (MUCP) Roundtable Discussion will bring together key actors in supporting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through South-South Cooperation in Asia and the Pacific and Africa with a focus Small Islands and Developing States and Least Developed Countries. The roundtable would be a platform to discuss the key findings and major challenges in implementing the MUCP through an interactive dialogue. The focus discussions will include: promotion of UNESCO mandate for accelerating progress on SDGs; mobilization of existing expertise from UNESCO initiatives and sites; upscaling of policy results gained from South-South Cooperation; symbiotic partnerships with other existing cooperation mechanisms; empowering South-South cooperation networks; reaffirming the role of South-South cooperation (SSC) in the general context of multilateralism; new Overall Dynamism in Interregional, Regional and sub-regional South-South Cooperation; and benefits of South-South Cooperation Funds in Trust for participating Member States. This roundtable discussion is co-organized with the Permanent Delegation of Malaysia to UNESCO in the framework of supporting and empowering South-South Cooperation. Les discussions de la Table ronde sur le Programme de coopération Malaisie-UNESCO (MUCP) rassembleront les principaux acteurs qui appuient les objectifs de développement durable (ODD) grâce à la coopération Sud-Sud en Asie et dans le Pacifique ainsi qu’en Afrique en mettant l’accent sur les petits États insulaires en développement ainsi que les pays les moins avancés. La table ronde servira de lieu d’échange pour débattre des principales conclusions et des principaux obstacles à la mise en œuvre du MUCP dans le cadre d’un dialogue interactif.

The first half of the event is dedicated to the awarding of the three winners of the 2019 UNESCO-Japan Prize: a community trust from Botswana, a foundation in Brazil and a city in Germany. All three winning projects are empowering learners, including youth, to acquire the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values to act upon sustainability challenges such as climate change. Funded by the Government of Japan, the Prize consists of three annual awards of USD 50,000 for each recipient. It aims to honour and showcase outstanding ESD projects and programmes in support of the UNESCO Global Action Programme on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). Within the context of the UNESCO Strategy for Action on Climate Change and UNESCO’s Operational Strategy on Youth 2014-2021, the second half of this event aims to recognize youth and young scientists not just as beneficiaries but also as essential actors in finding solutions for climate change and climate change advocacy. Youth are often just as active and organized locally and globally within their networks as experts. However, sometimes they face challenges connecting with global policy and decision-making processes. Therefore, UNESCO supports the mobilization of youth for climate action and the organization of intergenerational dialogue between youth and decision makers that recognizes youth as knowledge-holders (including indigenous knowledge) and innovators who provide solutions for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The event will discuss the role of education and youth empowerment in climate action, and showcase some good practices of how young people are already active for the climate around the world, both inside and outside the classroom. It will include examples from the UNESCO Associated Schools Network (ASPnet), UNESCO Biosphere Reserves and winners of the UNESCO-Japan Prize on ESD.

Special side-event for the launch of the Education International-UNESCO Global Framework of Professional Teaching Standards. This event, held in the presence of Ms Susan Hopgood, President of Education International, will take the form of a panel discussion focused on how countries can best take advantage of the framework to improve teaching and learning processes. This global framework has been conceived with a view to assisting Member States to develop professional teaching standards in order to contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goal 4, and in particular Target 4.c (SDG 4.c) on increasing the supply of qualified teachers by 2030. Simultaneous interpretation will be provided in English and French.

A sub-regional meeting aims to promote and raise awareness of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) at the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in Central Asia. A sub-regional meeting presents a valuable opportunity for the Central Asian (CA) countries to promote and raise awareness of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) at the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) system through expansion of national, regional and international networks of TVET institutions, ensuring cooperation and networking between cultural experts and TVET educational institutions in CA and discussion of possible joint activities in CA.This meeting will be organized with the support of UNESCO’s International Information and Networking Center for the Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region (ICHCAP). It will bring together experts and representatives of TVET institutions, representatives of National Commissions for UNESCO, ICHCAP and UNESCO.

Drought is a natural hazard that occurs without warning; it can persist for many years and extend across large areas all around the world. The impacts of drought are multiple and affect the economy as well as the function of ecosystems and societies. Each year, water-related disasters, such as drought and flooding, affect approximately 160 million people, killing about 13,500 persons. Economic damages caused by drought are annually around USD 5,4 billion. This digital presentation will explain the effects of drought all around the world through the presentation of case studies. The Opening of the Droughts in the Anthropocene will take place on the 18 November at 01.00 pm - 03.00 pm. At the opening, a web-based platform that provides real-time and forecast information on weather and drought conditions will be demonstrated. A new publication on case studies of droughts will be presented, and experts will discuss key issues, as well as the relevance on the platform and publication to advance drought mitigation efforts globally. It will also feature the work of youths and young scientists based on citizen science approach. Objectives of the presentation - Showcase and present selected case studies from around the world related with droughts and its social, environmental and cultural impacts as well as solutions offered by the collaboration between scientist and local communities to contribute to achieve the SDGs. - Emphasize the importance of youth from the perspective of how they are impacted by drought as well as their unique role as water professionals in creating solutions to reduce the impacts of drought. - Highlight UNESCO-IHP work bridging science with society and policy makers to better address the impact of droughts and contribute to achieve related SDGs. - Raise awareness on UNESCO’s intersectoral activities to tackle droughts and contribute to achieve SDGs. - Inspire youth to get more involved in drought-related research as a means of addressing the SDGs.  

Intangible cultural heritage as an artistic intervention: Walking the Indigo Walk is an exhibition in public space. The art work – 34 indigo blueprint exhibits from 18 countries – is positioned at the fences around UNESCO headquarters in Paris during the UNESCO General Conference. Textile artisans, artists, and designers from around the world submitted more than thirty indigo designs. This exceptional project promote UNESCO’s work and values and raise awareness of the importance of safeguarding the intangible cultural heritage. The exhibition presents the tradition of Resist Block Printing and Indigo Dyeing in a global context. Walking the Indigo Walk presents the work of textile artists, artisans and designers from eighteen UNESCO Member States: Austria, Bangladesh, Colombia, the Czech Republic, the Republic of Estonia, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, India, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Republic of Latvia, Lithuania, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Romania, the Russian Federation, and Slovakia.