Bosnia and Herzegovina: Inspiring interview with female museum leader in time of Covid19
Museums connect people with their culture and its history but the advent of the coronavirus has impeded that vital connection In this interview Sarita Vujković Director of the Museum of Contemporary Art of the Republic of Srpska MSURS illustrates how museums adapted to new and digital ways of organising art exhibitions and events As a selector and creator of numerous exhibitions in the field of contemporary art practice she deals with criticism and theory of contemporary visual art Author and coauthor of scientific texts books monographs in the field of museology gender theory and contemporary art Ms Vujković has been the commissioner of the Pavilion of Bosnia and Herzegovina twice at the Venice Biennale 2013 2017 She has also served as the president of the International Council of Museums ICOM National Committee of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the vice president of the ICOM South East Europe Alliance
Museums in Slovenia show culture is positive and meaningful in the time of COVID-19
Kaja Širok is the Director of the National Museum of Contemporary History of Slovenia and a research fellow at the Faculty of Arts Department for Sociology in Ljubljana A historian by training her PhD in Cultural studies focused on contested memories and identity making in the border areas She discusses with us in this interview the impact of the pandemic crisis on culture and the mitigation of its effects Ms Širok serves as a member of the International Council of Museums ICOM Ethics Committee and the International Committee of Memorial Museums in Remembrance of the Victims of Public Crimes ICMEMO She is the president of the ICOM Slovenia and a member of the Academic Committee of the House of European History museum
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UNESCO and Youth and Young Professionals to Talk about Disaster Risk Reduction
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Pre-Conference “Water, Megacities and Global Change”: putting science at the service of water security and adaptation to climate change in Megacities
What are the main challenges that Megacities face in coping with the effects of climate change What tools can they put in place to address these challenges in an increasingly fragile urban context How can the integration of water stakeholders in a Megacity through a common platform and knowledge exchange enable them to benefit from innovative initiatives and ultimately enhance their resilience These were among the key questions addressed by the online PreConference Water Megacities and Global Change that UNESCO Division of Water Sciences coorganized with the Greater Paris Metropolis SIAAP and ARCEAUIdF from 7 to 11 December 2020 This online PreConference aimed to respond to the urgent and pressing need of initiating discussion on the challenges and solutions related to water Megacities and global change which was planned to take place during the Second International Conference Water Megacities and Global Change but had to be postponed to December 2021
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UNESCO addresses societal inequalities and economic impacts of COVID-19 in nine Sub-Saharan African cities
While the world has focused on the public health consequences of the COVID19 the socioeconomic impacts have been a key policy lever in establishing government responses In SubSaharan Africa the pandemic triggered severe economic and social contractions magnifying the longstanding legacies of prejudice injustice and increasing inequalities of our societies Local populations have suffered devastating consequences for food security employment opportunities and public trust provoked by the global health crisis UNESCO in partnership with Metropolis Canada and the Canadian COVID19 Social Impacts Network produced a report on the Impact of COVID19 in SubSaharan Africa to put forward key policy recommendations to counter the consequences of the pandemic that has left the most vulnerable further behind Based on over 3000 collected responses the reports results explore the most salient societal issues such as public trust in institutions access to services and social status the most widely reported form of discrimination The report was launched during a webinar announcing the findings of the study on 11 December 2020
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Mbira/Sansi inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
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Montreal: landscapes and lockdown
The UNESCO Chair in Urban Landscape at the University of Montreal CUPUM initiated a reflection on the impact of COVID19 on public spaces in Montreal which sought to document the actions implemented during the Montreal lockdown phase from 13 March to 16 May 2020 and certain landscape representations of this urban territory 
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Deadline extended! UNESCO calls on Caribbean youth to join platform for disaster management and risk reduction
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Djibouti reviews its potential World Heritage sites
Participants in the World Heritage workshop included the Director General of Tourism the Director General of Environment and the Director of Culture © Djibouti Ministry of Muslim Affairs Culture and Waqf Properties
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Artists condemn Gender Based Violence in the creative sector
Turkey grasps the opportunity to rediscover culture in times of COVID-19
The COVID19 pandemic humanity is facing and struggling with since the end of 2019 inevitably impacts the field of culture worldwide Burcu Özdemir a culture and tourism expert at the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism illustrates in this interview the impact of the crisis in this sector and on her daily work A graduate from Ankara University with a specialization in archaeology Ms Özdemir was seconded by Turkey to the World Heritage Centre at UNESCO Headquarters in 2014 She rejoined the Ministry earlier this year as Chief of the Unit for Combatting Illicit Trafficking of Cultural Property
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Firefighting training at Kasubi Tombs World Heritage site in Uganda
On site firefighting training at the Tombs of the Buganda Kings at Kasubi World Heritage property 7 December 2020 ©Denis Lukwago
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UNESCO World Heritage site managers identify priorities for the Eastern African region
Thimlich Ohinga Achaeological site Kenya is the newest World Heritage site in the Eastern Africa region inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2018 © National Museums of Kenya