New Delhi, 22 February : 2021 began under good auspices for the UNESCO Chairs programme, with two new inductees. They will join the 12 other Indian Chairs of this initiative, which was launched by UNESCO in 1992 with a vision to promote international cooperation and networking between universities and research institutions.
In Hyderabad, a new UNESCO Chair on Experiential Learning, Work Education and Community Engagement was established at the Mahatma Gandhi National Council of Rural Education (MGNCRE). The Chair will promote an integrated system of research, training, information and documentation on four key elements – Rural engagement, hygienic practices in life, decent work and gender equality. The Chair will also facilitate collaboration between internationally recognized researchers and teaching staff from higher education and research institutions in India as well as South Asia region and Africa.
In Ahmedabad, a UNESCO Chair on Inclusive Museums and Sustainable Heritage Development, based in Anant National University (ANU), was also announced. It is the first such Chair focusing on Museums in the Asia Pacific Region and only the second after Sorbonne University in Paris. The Chair will promote standard setting in the region and support the development of museum policies based on his rich experience of producing best practices with local communities and SDG. It will serve as an accredited facilitator of UNESCO on the Convention for Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage, and share knowledge on a range of other cross cutting themes in the UN Agenda 2030 and the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) focusing on responsible heritage tourism.
warmly welcome Dr. W.G.Prasanna Kumar, UNESCO Chair on Experiential Learning, Work Education and Community Engagement and Prof. Amareswar Galla, UNESCO Chair on Inclusive Museums and Sustainable Heritage Development into our UNESCO family in India.
With these two additions, there are now 14 UNESCO Chairs in India. They will help to mobilize university expertise and collaboration around the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and contribute significantly to UNESCO’s priority areas on Education, Natural and Social Sciences, Culture and Communication. The Chairs often serve as think tanks and act as bridges between academia, civil society, local communities, research and policymakers.
The UNESCO Chair on Experiential Learning, Work Education and Community Engagement at MGNCRE will promote Gandhiji’s Nai Talim, experiential learning, work education and community engagement for university faculty members and teachers in primary and secondary schools in India by organizing workshops and consultations at district, state and national levels and by establishing e-resource Centre.
The pandemic has resulted in threats to the level of vigilance required to secure museums and heritage sites. The 1970 Convention provides the framework to address this situation and it is imperative for State parties to work with greater national coordination and on a multilateral and regional basis with their neighbors.