In collaboration with the French La Poste, the Social and Human Sciences Programme of UNESCO is launching a new stamp "United against racism and discriminations" on 17 September 2021 at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. 

UNESCO Dhaka Office will organize an Online Webinar on Literacy for a Human-centred Recovery in Bangladesh from 15:00 to 16:30 (Dhaka Time) on Monday, 20 September 2021. You can check the draft agenda here. This online webinar is a side event of the global celebration of International Literacy Day (ILD) 2021. Amid the pandemic, the ILD 2021 is celebrated under the theme “Literacy for a human-centred recovery: Narrowing the digital divide” to uphold the right to literacy and foster a resilient system for the acquisition of literacy and digital skills. The Covid-19 pandemic has affected millions of learners in Bangladesh with a long school closure. This situation has accelerated efforts in deploying distance learning to maintain learning continuity. Semi- and non-literate young people and adults who tend to face intersecting disadvantages are at higher risk of being left behind. At the critical juncture of reopening all educational institutions in Bangladesh as of 12 September, this online webinar will convene both international and national literacy stakeholders including government officials, experts, facilitators, learners, representatives of development partners and NGOs to: Share good practices in literacy learning and teaching in high-tech, low-tech and no-tech scenarios in the challenging times of Covid-19; Explore the interplay between literacy and digital skills and how digital skills can be meaningfully integrated into literacy programmes; Discuss the necessary measures to address literacy learning losses; and Build partnerships for establishing a resilient system for the acquisition of literacy and digital skills. The webinar will take place on the Zoom platform with interpretation between English and Bangla. Please register here and share the information within your network.

What is the role played by social media in promoting peace and enhancing access to information?  How to prevent social media being used to polarize society, amplify disinformation, increase intolerance or fuel hate and conflicts? How to ensure the respect for freedom of expression while curbing potential online harmful content?   Those are some of the questions to be discussed on 21 September at an online conference organized by UNESCO with the support of the European Union for the International Day of Peace and ahead of the Universal Access to Information Day. A year and a half of global crisis during the COVID-19 pandemic has put lives, public health, livelihoods, economies and in extension also political systems and social fabrics under unprecedented strain. The pandemic and associated movement restrictions have also accelerated the evolution of digital information sharing patterns and use of digital communication tools. Through the angle and experience gained from the implementation of two projects funded by the European Union and spanning this period of challenges and change, #CoronavirusFacts and Social Media 4 Peace, this conference will examine pressing global issues of social media content governance to counter online hate speech and disinformation and foster mutual respect and the need to develop common principles for a global online space. It will further discuss the role of the European Union and the United Nations in setting global standards and the need to act at local level to tackle challenges of disinformation and hate speech in context.  

Providing teachers with information and communication technology (ICT) skills is crucial in an international context marked by, firstly, tremendous advances in the information and communication technology (ICT) and, secondly, the use of open and distance learning (ODL) during the school disruption following the Covid19 pandemic which impacted 1.57 billion learners in 191 countries. This unprecedented situation revealed the lack in digital literacy skills among teachers. Indeed, although the use of open and distance learning has been enabled by ICTs, the pandemic has highlighted the importance of strengthening teachers' ICT skills and digital literacy. In this perspective, the ICT Competency Framework for Teachers (ICT-CFT) developed by UNESCO with the aim of integrating ICT into the practice of teachers remains important and acute. It ensures both equity and quality in learning and the transmission of digital skills necessary for life and employment to learners through teacher training. 

The virtual joint meeting of the Bureau of the IGC and the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Management of Social Transformations (MOST) Programme will take place on 22 and 23 September 2021.