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UNESCO’s Launching Event for Children Books on Traditional Games under cooperation between the Asia Foundation Bangladesh

In a joint collaboration The Asia Foundation and UNESCO Dhaka Office held the virtual Launching Event for Children Books on Traditional Games on Wednesday 15 December 2021 The event is part of the celebration of Bangladeshs National Day marking 50 years of the Independence and the celebrations of the hundredth anniversary of the birth of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman supported by UNESCO at its 40th General Conference The Asia Foundation in Bangladesh and UNESCO Dhaka Office joined forces to produce and disseminate books and reading materials focused on cultural heritage of Bangladesh and to promote reading among children and youth of Bangladesh As an outcome of this partnership 11 books were prepared in an age appropriate manner on the Traditional Games of Bangladesh under the theme of Lets Read about Heritage The contents was developed by reputed children book writers and illustrators under the overall guidance of the Asia Foundation and UNESCO Dhaka Office presenting traditional games of Bangladesh for children as an expression of cultural identity and living heritage of Bangladesh The books were approved and highly appreciated by the National Curriculum and Textbook Board NCTB and Bangladesh National Commission for UNESCO BNCU The ebook versions of the 11 books for Children on Traditional Games are publicly available free of charge on the Asia Foundations Lets Reads Digital library httpsreaderletsreadasiaorgallnew Children Parents Students Teachers and Caregivers can download the books free of charge to their smartphones tablets or other digital devices Thus enabling their children to learn at and from home and giving them a chance to learn the expression of cultural identity and living heritage of Bangladesh

December 13, 2021

Launching of United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2022-2026

Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal on Sunday said that the United Nations has increased its development cooperation with Bangladesh during current Awami League government He was speaking virtually at a programme marking the release on The United Nations sustainable development cooperation framework UNSDCF 202226 He said the UNDSF would continue its help Bangladeshs economy recover from Covid19 shocks implement sustainable development goals by 2030 The program was organized jointly by the Economic Relation Division and UN resident coordinators office in Dhaka at NEC2 conference hall in the capital Planning Minister MA Mannnan UN Resident Coordinator Mia Seppo and ERD secretary Fatima Yasmin also spoke at the function

November 22, 2021

Call for Video Clips to Celebrate the 2021 World Teachers’ Day in Bangladesh

CALL FOR VIDEO CLIPS Teachers at the Heart of Education Recovery Deadline to Submit the Video Clips 24 October 2021 Background Since 1994 the world has celebrated World Teachers Day every October 5 to commemorate the anniversary of the adoption of the 1966 ILOUNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers which sets benchmarks regarding the rights and responsibilities of teachers and standards for their initial preparation and further education recruitment employment and teaching and learning conditions It also contains numerous recommendations for teacher participation in educational decisionmaking through social dialogue and negotiation with educational authorities One and a half years into the Covid19 pandemic the 2021 World Teachers Day will focus on the support that teachers need to fully contribute to the recovery process under the theme Teachers at the heart of education recovery particularly to address learning losses among their students to incorporate digital technology into their teaching and to safeguard their health and wellbeing for fostering resilience In Bangladesh despite the many challenges posed by the sudden shift to distance learning teachers played a critical role in maintaining learning continuity during the 18month school closure caused by Covid19 Following the school reopening from 12 September 2021 teachers are on the frontline to ensure safe school reopening and contribute to the delivery of blended education to compensate for the learning losses of students to the extent possible The Ministry of Education MoE Ministry of Primary and Mass Education MoPME Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education DSHE Directorate of Primary Education DPE Directorate of Madrasah Education DME Directorate of Technical Education DTE and a2i ICT Division in partnership with the UNESCO Office in Dhaka are joining hands to celebrate the 2021 WTD As part of the celebration of the WTD 2021 in Bangladesh UNESCO Dhaka Office and a2i ICT Division are calling for video clips from teachers to mark teachers innovation in challenging times of Covid19 and also to increase teachers participation in open discussion and decisionmaking at the education recovery stage Objectives To celebrate the 2021 WTD all teachers from Bangladesh are invited to share with us a video clip that responds to ONE of the following themes Teachers role in blended education How can teachers transition and transform their current education strategies to blended education during recovering from the Covid19 What concrete and easytoreplicate strategies may be utilized What support do teachers need Teachers health and wellbeing How teachers health and wellbeing have been affected during the pandemic What concrete and easytoreplicate measures including the use of scientific information and knowledge may be utilized to safeguard teachers health and wellbeing as frontline workers What support do teachers need Guidelines for Submitting a Video Clip a Who can participate Teachers who wish to submit the video clips should be the teachers of educational institutions and universities in Bangladesh One teacher can submit a maximum of one video clip responding to one of the two themes mentioned above No limited number of teachers from an institution who wish to participate in video clip submission b How to produce the video clips Teachers who wish to join this programme should produce the videolecture clips in multimedia format for 57 minutes Should not be over 7 minutes that respond to the guide questions The video clips must be in Bangla or English The video clips must be uploaded on YouTube or Google Drive through which a link can be created and shared with us For the best viewing experience it is recommended to use a 169 ratio horizontal while producing the video An introduction should include Institution logo if available Teachers name position institution Titletopic of the video clip At the end of the video credits and acknowledgement are recommended to be included c How to submit the clips and deadline The deadline for submission of the clips is on 24 October 2021 midnight Bangladesh time Video clips must be submitted through this link d Permission to publicize the video clips Teachers should allow the organizers to publicize the video clips at the Teachers Portal official website social media and other online platforms of UNESCO Dhaka Office and a2i Teachers should allow the organizers to store their video clips at the Teachers Portal in compliance with the CC license Findings from those video content will be incorporated in 5 pillars of Blended education framework e Criteria for selecting the video clips Marks in percentage Interesting and innovative content 30 Practical skills embedded and easy to understand 30 Creativity in presentation 20 Usefulness and relevance 20 Total 100 Certificate and incentive All teachers who will submit video clips that meet the requirements in the guidelines will receive a Certificate of Appreciation signed by the UNESCO Dhaka Office and a2i Each of the top 20 winners of the call for video clips will receive a tablet provided by Huawei Technologies in Bangladesh Huawei Technologies is a member of UNESCOs Global Education Coalition As a localized leading global ICT solutions provider in Bangladesh since 1998 Huawei has supported several ICT in education initiatives including the Seeds for the Future Program and ICT Competition ICT Mobile Training Bus Project Digischool Programme and ICT Academy Followup webinars Two followup webinars on teachers role in blended education and teachers health and wellbeing respectively will be organized in October and November 2021 to showcase good practices emerging from the video clips collections The webinars will be another platform to further the discussion on blended education and teachers health and wellbeing among stakeholders including teachers Contact Mr Shakil Ahmed shahmedunescoorg UNESCO Dhaka Office Avijit Saha avijitsahaa2igovbd a2i ICT Division Dhaka

October 5, 2021

The Asia Foundation and UNESCO jointly launch 100 early childhood books for children in Bangladesh as part of UNESCO project “Creation of Accessible Reading Materials”.

In a joint effort the Asia Foundation and the UNESCO Dhaka Office conducted a virtual launching ceremony of the UNESCO project Creation of Accessible Reading Materials on Sunday 5 September 2021 The UNESCO project Creation of Accessible Reading Materials is a global and regional activity of UNESCO to ensure the continuity of learning for children through the development dissemination and delivery of new and existing global and regional learning materials in response to the COVID19 pandemic During the ceremony 100 early childhood books which have been translated into the Bangla Language and are now publicly available free of charge on the Asia Foundations Lets Reads Digital library and the UNESCO affiliated Global Digital Library link httpsdigitallibraryio were officially launched Ms Beatrice Kaldun Head of Office and UNESCO Representative to Bangladesh stated that this is an important and timely initiative which ensures the continuity of learning for children through the development dissemination and delivery of new and existing global and regional learning materials in response to the COVID19 pandemic During her remarks Ms Beatrice Kaldun also stated that UNESCO believes in the journey of universal access to education and that no one should be left behind The country representative of The Asia Foundation to Bangladesh Mr Kazi Faisal Bin Seraj explained the aims and goals of the Lets Read Digital Library and its purpose of increasing inclusivity by making creative and animated books that were specifically developed for children available and accessible online During the launching ceremony Professor Abdullah Abu Syed Mr Korvi Rakshand Ms Anjuman Parvin and Mr Kazi Sameeo Sheesh discussed disability inclusion in the education system of Bangladesh including how the 100 translated books can help promote disability inclusion and digital literacy Mr Korvi suggested training and awarenessraising programmes to be initiated for youths to increase inclusivity for children with disabilities at the grassroots level Professor Abdullah Abu Sayeed explained the benefits of mobile libraries in terms of increasing the number of youth readers and emphasized the importance of increasing the number of physical and digital libraries Ms Anjuman Parvin an early childhood development specialist stated that the Government of Bangladesh started the initiative of inclusivity of children with disabilities in 2002 The Government established a specific framework that focuses on increasing the accessibility of education to learners with disabilities However it is recommended to gain updated information on the inclusivity of children with disabilities through research and monitoring evaluation reports On a related note Mr Kazi Sameeo Sheesh senior research fellow at the University of Dhaka explained the necessity of including teachers in research on the education system as their work allows them to have a better understanding of children through more contact Conversations at the launch event stressed that COVID19 related closures of educational institutions have reinforced the need for openly available earlygrade learning materials and reading resources in languages that the children speak and that are interesting for their different tastes Participants echoed that the UNESCO project Creation of Accessible Reading Materials is an important and timely effort in this direction and that the 100 translated ebooks will make a great contribution in assisting Banglaspeaking children to continue their learning journey during the COVID19 pandemic and beyond The UNESCO project Creation of Accessible Reading Materials is made possible with financial support from the Global Partnership for Education GPE and is based on an existing collaboration with the Global Digital Library GDL under the heading of the Translate a story initiative which is accompanying countries efforts in improving the availability of early age reading materials during the pandemic through a digital library

September 15, 2021

Quiz competition on the occasion of International Literacy Day 2021

Since 1967 International Literacy Day ILD is celebrated every year around the world to remind all of us of the importance of literacy as a matter of dignity and human rights and to advance the literacy agenda towards a more literate and sustainable society International Literacy Day 2021 is celebrated on 8 September 2021 With the COVID19 crisis having disrupted the learning of children young people and adults at an unprecedented scale it has also magnified the preexisting inequalities in access to meaningful literacy learning opportunities disproportionally affecting 773 million nonliterate young people and adults To raise awareness about the importance of youth and adult literacy especially during times of crisis International Literacy Day is celebrated under the theme Literacy for a humancentred recovery Narrowing the digital divide On the occasion of International Literacy Day 2021 the UNESCO Dhaka Office is organizing an online quiz competition to raise awareness about the importance of literacy and lifelong learning in Bangladesh and beyond The online quiz will be available through this link from 11 16 September 2021 and participation is free of charge During the quiz participants are asked 10 questions relating to literacy and International Literacy Day At the end of the quiz participants have the voluntary option to provide their name and email address to participate in a competition Kindly note that we will not be able to reach you if you dont provide your email address and if you are selected as a winner All respondents who have answered all 10 questions correctly will be awarded with a PDF certificate of appreciation by email Data privacy will be strictly maintained by UNESCO Timeline Launch 11 September 2021 9 am Closing 17 September 2021 9 pm Results will be announced during webinar on 20 September 2021

September 9, 2021

2021 Expert Meeting for Building Network on Maritime Heritage

Maritime Living Heritage Coastal Communities in the AsiaPacific Region and Their Traditional Food System Coorganized by the International Information and Network Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage in the AsiaPacific Region under the auspices of UNESCO ICHCAP and the Pacific Community SPC the 2021 expert meeting for Building Network on maritime ICH is pleased to launch a call for presentation on Maritime Living Heritage Coastal Communities in the AsiaPacific Region and Their Traditional Food System The expert meeting is expected to be held in 29th October 2021 What is the theme The event is being held under the theme Coastal Communities in the AsiaPacific Region and Their Traditional Food System Conceptually traditional food is associated with cultural traditions heritage and environmental sustainability COVID19 pandemic has increased the vulnerability of people in preparing traditional foods and in transmitting knowledge around traditional foods to the younger generation it is necessary to pay attention to local indigenous or traditional systems of food preparation consumption and trade to better understand the extent of which existing cultural infrastructures need further work or support for improvement The expert meeting will be held in two 2 sessions Session1 Coastal Communities and Their Traditional Food System Ecocultural Approach Session2 Coastal Communities and Their Traditional Food System Socio Cultural Approach For more information on the event download the concept note httpswwwunescoichcaporgwpcontentuploads202108Con Who may submit presentations for the event Papers are not limited to academic papers Various stakeholders NGOs tradition bearers community members etc with expertise in maritime heritage particularly traditional foods in coastal communities can participate in the meeting How to submit a nomination Interest participants should email at ichcapnetworkinggmailcom latest by 13th September 2021 with their paper abstract and completed application form httpswwwunescoichcaporgwpcontentuploads202108App Calendar 13th September 2021 Closing of the call for presentation and last date for submission of abstract form 17th September 2021 Selected presenters will be notified 3rd October 2021 Final presentation manuscripts has to be submitted Contact us ICHCAP Email ichcapnetworkinggmailcom

August 31, 2021

UNESCO Dhaka Office Webinar on “Sharing Findings of Impact Assessment of COVID-19 on Culture Sector in Bangladesh & Unlocking Future Opportunities”

At the occasion of World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development 2021 the UNESCO Dhaka Office organized a webinar on Sharing Findings of Impact Assessment of COVID19 on Culture Sector in Bangladesh Unlocking Future Opportunities on Monday 21 June 2021 To get a better picture of the impact of the COVID19 pandemic on the culture and creative sector and its stakeholders in Bangladesh the UNESCO Dhaka Office responded to a call by His Excellency the Minister of Cultural Affairs of Bangladesh to conduct an assessment of the impact of COVID19 on the culture sector in Bangladesh During conducted webinar the findings of the conducted assessment were shared with key stakeholders as well as ways to move forward were discussed A presentation of the methodology scope key findings and expressed recommendations of the Assessment of COVID19 Impact on Cultural Sector in Bangladesh set the scene and formed the basis for the open discussion with interventions from various stakeholders from the cultural and creative sector During the webinar stakeholders shared their reflections and thoughts about the findings as well as about ways to turn the findings into concrete actions The lack of data and information exchange within the cultural ecosystem was mentioned by several stakeholders Similarly the importance to conduct a cultural mapping in order to increase connection and interaction within the culture sector was stressed The webinar not only revealed the findings of the assessment including the impact taken mitigation measures by and future recommendations for the culture and creative sector but also highlighted the significance of a cultural mapping for the further sustainable development of the sector Quotes from the participants

August 16, 2021

UNESCO and Norad mobilize youth to translate storybooks into ethnic minority languages in Bangladesh

In the framework of the Translate a Story campaign a book translation campaign to facilitate homebased early age reading the Ministry of Education of Bangladesh translated over 300 childrens books from English into Bangla and 100 books into five ethnic minority languages Chakma Marma Garo Tripura and Sadri The campaign is a collaboration between UNESCO and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation Norad with the support of other partners As part of this initiative UNESCO and partners through a team of the Global Digital Library GDL convene dedicated translation webinars for governmental agencies and individual translators who are interested in translating reading materials from English into relevant national languages All translated books undergo a quality assurance process and are made freely available on the GDL platform With relevant preparations and expertise made available from the governmental agencies translated books can be aligned with curriculum standards so that the books can also quickly be approved for later use in the classroom or on the national platform The Aspire to Innovate a2i Programme the Bangladesh governments flagship digital transformation program supported the translation in Bangladesh Over 100 voluntary teachers and students were mobilized to translate the books To guide them through the translation process using the online translation interface of the Global Digital Library UNESCO and Norad organized an online workshop which was attended by 150 participants To officially launch the translated ebooks on the Global Digital Library GDL a2i ICT Division and the Bangladesh National Commission for UNESCO BNCU together with UNESCO Dhaka Office jointly organized a virtual launch event on Tuesday 6 July 2021 The launch event marked an important opportunity to recognize the achievements of engaged volunteers and organizers in making early age reading materials available to children in languages they speak at home which allows for better homebased learning and reading for children The launch event of the Translate a Story initiative will contribute to the scaleup of the E9 Digital Learning and Skills for All Initiative under which a meeting of Heads of State will be convened and chaired by the Prime Minister of Bangladesh HE Sheikh Hasina and the UN SecretaryGeneral The meeting was originally planned on 14 July 2021 but has been postponed due to the surge of COVID19 cases in the country In addition to representatives from UNESCO and Norad the launch event was attended by Dr Dipu Moni Minister of Education of Bangladesh Mr Mohibul Hassan Chowdhoury Deputy Minister of Education Mr Md Mahbub Hossain Secretary of the Secondary and Higher Education Division at the Ministry of Education and Mr Md Shohel Imam Khan Deputy Secretary General of the BNCU The Minister of Education recognized the importance of this initiative in the context of COVID19 school closures in supporting Bangladeshs efforts to ensure the continuity of education and in scaling up digital learning in the framework of the E9 Digital Learning and Skills for All Initiative She congratulated UNESCO Norad other partners and especially the young translators and their mentors for the success of this Initiative One teacher and two students were also invited to share their experience about the translation process Ms Farjana Anwar Assistant Teacher of English at the Ikkshu Gabeshawana High School Ishwardi Pabna district shared how the experience helped her practice her management skills and highlighted the resilience of the Bangladesh education system during the pandemic We are the nation of the brave and we proved it managing all the respected duties even in this pandemic situation to support our government from our position she said Anonyo Zarif Akand a student of grade 7 at The Holy Child School in Manikganj district recollected the joy of reading since he was a young child and was pleased to participate in the effort to enable learners in remote areas of Bangladesh including visually impaired children to access reading material in their mother tongues Thats where we the army of little book lovers from around the nation were allowed to translate the books so that the children can enjoy them in their native languages It was a very delightful experience to work with many other bibliophiles Samaina Sultana Shorna another student who participated in the translation said she enjoyed participating in an international project for the very first time while gathering experience and learning new skills Throughout this journey I was introduced to new features and technology so it improved my digital literacy I have learned how collaboration and teamwork is needed when it comes to solving a problem But most importantly I did something good for my country and especially for the children of this country Christer Gundersen Chief Technology Officer of the Global Digital Library GDL representing Norad underlined the success of the campaign in Bangladesh making it a pathfinding country for others to follow their example especially in mobilizing such a large number of young translators The Library currently offers over 6000 books in 84 different languages thanks to the efforts of volunteers and translators from around the world who joined the campaign The goal of this years campaign is to reach 4400 translation including 1500 governmentapproved books Midway through the campaign 2500 translations have already been completed Additionally the newly added AIpowered feature of the Global Digital Library allows visually impaired children to listen to the text in audio The cooperation between UNESCO and Norad on Translate a Story has been led and implemented by the Unit for Technology and AI in Education Future of Learning and Innovation Team of the Education Sector According to Dr Fengchun Miao Chief of the Unit Bangladesh is leading in the number of books translated followed by Palestine which translated 244 books into Arabic and then Uzbekistan which translated 130 books into Uzbek and 100 books into Russian UNESCO is also working with Cambodia Kyrgyzstan and Qatar As a next step UNESCO will follow up on the actual use of the books in the local context through online facilitation via the GDL and offline support UNESCO also seeks to create a list of inclusive digital storybooks in mothertongue languages approved by governments Resources Translate a Story campaign website UNESCO and partners launch a book translation campaign for early age reading amid the COVID19 crisis UNESCO and partners publish 130 open source childrens books in Uzbek UNESCO and partners organize translation workshops with Bangladesh and Palestine Translate a Story UNESCO NORAD and the Ministry of Education of Uzbekistan gather to celebrate the release of 130 new childrens books in Uzbek on the Global Digital Library Introduction document of the initiative Global Digital Library

Message from Ms Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, for the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the independence of Bangladesh

Ms Audrey Azoulay DirectorGeneral of UNESCO shared her message for the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the independence of Bangladesh on 26 March 2021 In the Message Ms Audrey Azoulay DirectorGeneral of UNESCO highlighted that UNESCO was delighted to join the celebrations of the hundredth anniversary of the birth of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and acknowledged the history of friendship between UNESCO and Bangladesh with a rich and varied cooperation To download the Message please click here httpsunesdocunescoorgark48223pf0000376039localeen

Masterclass on Sustainable Development & World Heritage Convention in Bangladesh

The UNESCO World Heritage Centre and the UNESCO Dhaka Office in close cooperation with the Advisory Bodies of the World Heritage Convention ICOMOS ICCROM IUCN successfully organized a twoday online Masterclass on Sustainable Development World Heritage Convention for Bangladesh stakeholders on 2 and 3 June 2021 During the 2day online Masterclass eight 8 global and national experts served as trainers and facilitators and equipped the 29 participants comprising of government officials from the Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change and the Ministry of Cultural Affairs the Department of Archaeology the Bangladesh National Commission for UNESCO BNCU as well as specialists involved in the protection and management of cultural and natural heritage sites in Bangladesh with relevant knowledge about and handson practices on the management and planning of World Heritage properties in the context of the UNESCO 1972 Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage in Bangladesh During the opening ceremony on Day 1 Dr Mechtild Rössler Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre Mr Ziaul Hasan ndc Secretary of Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change as well as Mr Badrul Arefin Secretary of Ministry of Cultural Affairs delivered their warm welcomes and wished the masterclass a great success The Masterclass had four overall objectives which were outlined by Dr Feng JING Chief Asia and the Pacific Unit World Heritage Centre in his presentation on World Heritage and Sustainable Development Background and Workshop Objectives They were To deepen the understanding on the WH Committees principles obligations of the State Parties and the monitoring process To be familiar with the proactive planning process with knowledge on Impact Assessments through case studies To take part in participative exercise on cultural and natural heritage to identify necessary steps for planning developmental andor preservation projects in conformity with the OUV of the World Heritage properties To formulate a set of recommendations to move forward During Day 1 sessions a series of issues had been discussed and learnt including Reminders as to the WH Convention and Contemporary Policies as well as World Heritage and Sustainable Development Discussing the current situation of the management of the World Heritage properties in Bangladesh the natural and cultural properties were addressed including The Sundarbans Historic Mosque City of Bagerhat and Ruins of the Buddhist Vihara at Paharpur The Obligations of States Parties of the 1972WH Convention including mechanism of monitoring and reporting Ways of Identifying factors and impacts for planning and impact assessments in and around WH properties Day 2 sessions focused more on Practical aspects of sustainable development and World Heritage conservation Specific impact assessment case studies both from nature and culture sites Model planning exercises Coming up with a specific set of recommendations highlights and way forward to enhance the conservation and proactive management of natural and cultural heritage properties in Bangladesh The 2day virtual masterclass was concluded by Ms Nao Hayashi who summarized highlights and some ideas for a way forward Ms Beatrice Kaldun UNESCO Representative to Bangladesh who highlighted UNESCOs commitment to and efforts in supporting the conservation and management of Bangladeshs heritage including by building capacity by creating platforms for knowledge exchange and by promoting international standards manifested in the World Heritage Convention The virtual masterclass was fruitful and productive Participants echoed that it was a great platform to exchange knowledge and expertise among experts and stakeholders towards strengthening the understanding of the 1972 Convention and the conservation and proactive management of World Heritage in Bangladesh especially the planning assessment and monitoring of heritage with a view to maintaining the Outstanding Universal Value OUV of World Heritage properties in Bangladesh

Translate a Story: Online Launch Event in Bangladesh

The online launch event of the Translate a Story Initiative in Bangladesh is coming soon In the initiative more than 300 books ebooks and other early age reading materials which have been translated into the Bangla language by volunteers with the support from the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation Norad the Association for the Development of Education in Africa ADEA UNHCR the Global Book Alliance UNESCO and other partners will be launched in the Global Digital Library link httpsdigitallibraryio from where they can be accessed free of charge thus supporting homebased learning and reading for children in a language they speak at home The COVID19 pandemic during which most children are confined at home and therefore often struggle to access reading materials available in local languages has reinforced the need for openly available early grade reading resources in languages children speak at home In response to this need the Translate a Story Initiative mobilizes and engages volunteers in the highquality peerreviewed translation of publicly available early grade reading books into different languages In Bangladesh as part of the Translate a Story Initiative the Ministry of Education in cooperation with UNESCO and Norad mobilized volunteers for the translation and translation peer review of more than 300 children books into Bangla Placed in the Global Digital Library the books are openly available to use by schools and families in Bangladesh and other countries free of charge

UNESCO Bangladesh Media Stakeholder Online Meeting at the occasion of World Press Freedom Day (WPFD) 2021

At the occasion of World Press Freedom Day WPFD 2021 the UNESCO Dhaka Office organized a Bangladesh Media Stakeholder Online Meeting on Thursday 6 May 2021 which provided opportunities for participating community media stakeholders to pool and exchange knowledge and experiences with a view to strengthening Bangladeshs community radio sector sustainability This year World Press Freedom Day WPFD marked the 30th anniversary of the Windhoek Declaration The Windhoek Declaration for the Development of a Free Independent and Pluralistic Press which was produced at a UNESCO seminar in 1991 is a statement of press freedom principles Promoting an Independent and Pluralistic African Press which has since acted as a catalyst to encourage press freedom independence and pluralism in all parts of the world World Press Freedom Day WPFD 2021 was celebrated under the theme Information as a Public Good and aimed at affirming the importance of cherishing information as a public good while exploring ways to enhance the production distribution and reception of content to strengthen journalism and to advance empowerment while leaving no one behind The theme highlighted that thanks to technological advances in all parts of the world including in Bangladesh more people than ever before benefit from opportunities to access information At the same time in the increasingly digital communications sphere information coexists and competes with many other types of entertainment content as well as is often challenged by disinformation and hate speech This changing landscape puts the production of local information and local news under great stress Many local news media outlets in Bangladesh including community radio stations which are producing and verifying news and information in the public interest are facing various challenges Celebrating World Press Freedom Day WPFD 2021 the UNESCO Dhaka Office invited community radio stakeholders to come together and to discuss the importance of free and independent local media and journalism as a major factor in producing information for the service of local communities in Bangladesh during a UNESCO Bangladesh Media Stakeholder Online Meeting on Thursday 6 May 2021 More than 34 community media stakeholders participated in the online meeting which was commenced with opening remarks from Ms Beatrice Kaldun Head of Office and UNESCO Representative to Bangladesh and Ms Anna Minj Chair of Bangladesh Community Radio Association BCRA and Director of Community Empowerment Gender and Justices and Diversity and integrated Development Program BRAC During her opening remarks Ms Beatrice Kaldun highlighted the message for WPFD 2021 from UNESCO DirectorGeneral Ms Audrey Azoulay stating that this years theme Information as a Public Good underlines the indisputable importance of verified and reliable information It calls attention to the essential role of free and professional journalists in producing and disseminating this information by tackling misinformation and other harmful content as well as further affirmed that the COVID19 pandemic has shown the great value and importance of Community Radio as a provider of reliable information in Bangladesh During her welcoming remarks Ms Anna Minj addressed that the theme of WPFD 2021 inspires what can be done in the production and distribution of radio content to ensure that the information is authentic and reliable as well as what can be done to allow community media to raise their voices which in turn will strengthen journalism and advance transparency and empowerment of communities without leaving anyone behind Moreover she underlined the contributions made by community radio stations in Bangladesh in terms of awareness raising distributing sanitation guidance and sharing public information since the beginning of the pandemic Ms Anna Minj also noted the financial and technical challenges faced by the communitybased media and the needs to transform the community media sector into a more effective sustainable and resilient sector Following the opening and welcoming remarks during a discussion session which was followed by an open floor discussion a diverse set of discussants presenters and participants shared their views and reflections on the following questions Question 1 How does Community Radio in Bangladesh contribute to Information being a public good Question 2 How can Community Radio enhance the publics Media and Information Literacy MIL capacities to distinguish between news and entertainment as well as to recognize hate speech and fake news Question 3 What is needed to ensure the sustainability of news media especially community media as a provider of information to the public During the discussion and open floor discussion sessions which were moderated by Mr Peter Prix Advisor UNESCO Dhaka Office and Ms Kizzy Tahnin Programme Officer for Culture UNESCO Dhaka Office participating community media stakeholders expressed their views and reacted to raised questions in person as well as through the chat box Discussants included Ms Akter Jahan Dolon Deputy Director Bangladesh Betar and Ms Shahana Parvin Station Manager Community Radio Padma who addressed Question 1 and Question 2 respectively Enriching the discussion with practical examples Mr Komol Chandra Barman Program Producer Radio Chilmari and Mr Tufayelur Rahman Assistant Programme Producer Radio Sagor Giri provided examples and shared their learning experience from previously organized UNESCO Master Classes relevant to the topic Participants shared and discussed the current situation of community radio in Bangladesh including challenges and opportunities arising from the COVID19 pandemic Participants shared that the role and importance of community radio has been reinforced by the pandemic however certain specific issues related to funding licensing and recognition pose challenges to community radio stations Representatives from community radio stations expressed the need for advocacy and capacity building support from International Organizations including UNESCO to support their journey to sustainability Following closing remarks by Ms Beatrice Kaldun Head of Office and UNESCO Representative to Bangladesh three short videos were shared with participants which showcase the work and impact of three 3 community radio stations in Bangladesh The videos were produced by UNESCO Dhaka Office as part of UNESCOs support to community radio in Bangladesh To view the videos please click Video 1 COVID19 awarenessraising and social mobilization Radio Sarabela Video 2 Natural disaster awarenessraising Radio Boral Video 3 Distance learning for primary and secondary school students through radio during COVID19 Radio Padma Quotes from participants

Impact Video Series of Community Radio in Bangladesh

Supporting and promoting community radio as an important tool to facilitate social communication and the sustainable development of Bangladesh the UNESCO Dhaka Office supported three community radio stations over the course of 2020 in producing a series of short videos portraying the work and impact of community radio in Bangladesh The initial series of three videos which have been developed with funding support from the UNESCO MultiDonor Programme on Freedom of Expression and Safety of Journalists MDP were successfully launched on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day 2021 Focusing on the real impact of community radio the initial set of three videos portray the work of community radio stations its reporters in the field and at the radio station as well as show listeners who listen and benefit from broadcast radio programmes The three videos focused each on a major focus area of the particular radio station such as natural disaster awarenessraising Radio Boral Covid19 awarenessraising Radio Padma and distance learning support Radio Sarabela