Feature Story

NEWSLETTER

Septemer - December 2021
UNESCO Beijing Office
Cluster Office to the Democratic
People’s Republic of Korea, Japan,
Mongolia, the People’s Republic ofChina, and the Republic of Korea

2021 Nanjing
Peace Forum
Inside this issue
From Director’s Desk
Current Progress Made by
UNESCO Beijing OfficeTeam Building for
Future Synergy
Focus on UNESCO
Centres & Chairs
UNESCO’s Contribution
to UN Joint Campaigns
in China

Cover Photo: The 2021 Nanjing Peace Forum Opening Ceremony© Information Office of Nanjing Municipal Government

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From Director’s Desk
Dear colleagues,
I am pleased to present to you the second edition of thenewsletter of UNESCO Beijing Office in 2021, which
covers our work from September to December.
We’re delighted to witness the implementation andinitiation of a variety of projects and activities during
this quarter, encompassing all five cluster countries.
UNESCO Beijing has undertaken the Information andCommunication Technology (ICT) in Education Policy
Review in Mongolia, which led to the preparation ofMongolia’s first ICT in Education Master Plan. These gave
a solid framework for the ICT mainstreaming at all levelsof the education system of Mongolia. The Nanjing Peace
Forum 2021, themed “Living in Harmony with Nature
for Peace”, was held for the second year, championing theconcept of “Eco-civilization” for peace and sustainable
development. To bring synergy from the scientific front,a series of online training workshops were organizedthrough the East Asia Biosphere Reserves Network(EABRN), centering on expert-led discussion on the post2020 Global Biodiversity Framework and the Kunming
Declaration which was crystalized during the COP 15.
Our office has been actively contributing to the UN joint
campaigns in China by working closely with UNCT inthematic campaigns to boost public awareness. Fully
harnessing the power of social media, four campaigns
were publicized and mainstreamed on various platforms,
respectively on United Nations Day, International Day for
the Elimination of Violence against Women, World AIDS
Day, and International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

online and offline sessions given the ongoing Covid-19
situation. Nonetheless, we had fruitful results in enhanced
staff morale and strengthened solidarity. This is anotherexample of what impact the pandemic has brought on ourwork and how we managed to conquer difficulties andachieved resilience.

We continue to have a solid and cordial working
relationship with our UNESCO Category 2 Centres andChairs, which are all prominent actors deeply committed
in their field of expertise. We sincerely hope to utilize thisnewsletter as a platform to promote their visibility. In thisedition, we are pleased to introduce to you a category 2
center in the culture sector: International Training Centerfor the Intangible Cultural Heritage in the Asia-PacificRegion under the auspices of UNESCO (CRIHAP), and a
UNESCO Chair in the communications and information
sector: UNESCO Chair on Media and Gender.

Since I took office in March, I have had the honour tomeet the majority of our development partners to deepen
our partnerships and bring on board more partners to
join. As 2021 is behind us, I wish to avail myself of thisopportunity to thank all of you for the close attention you
have paid and the actions you have taken in support of
UNESCO Beijing as always.

Last but not least, we UNESCO Beijing Office has also
completed the second half of our All Staff Retreat in
December, which is themed on “reconnect, rediscover,rejuvenate”, in continuation to the first half in August. The
retreat was conducted in a hybrid manner, combing both

Shahbaz Khan

Please read our newsletter for more information.

Enjoy your reading please.

Director and UNESCO Representative to
the People’s Republic of China,
the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,
Japan, Mongolia and the Republic of Korea

1Current Progress Made by UNESCO Beijing Office

Current Progress Made by
UNESCO Beijing Office| Education
China
Knowledge Sharing with UNESCO Platforms/Events on Various Topics
Knowledge sharing is one of UNESCO’s key functions that supports theMember States in adoption of international standards and managing
programmes. Facing the new norm of COVID-19, UNESCO Beijing takes
advantage of many online webinars and trainings to support learning andknowledge sharing on various educational themes including:• Distance and open education on the20th China International Conference
on Distance Education• Rural education and lifelong
learning at the International Webinar
on Rural Education in East Asia
• The UNESCO TVET cooperation
platforms at the 2021 Belt and Road
International Conference on TVET

• The futures of TVET development
at the For the Future: International
Symposium on Vocational Education
Development• Entrepreneurship education andhigher education at the International
Symposium on Knowledge Exchange
and Knowledge Entrepreneurship in
the Era of New Globalization

93• Enhancing skills empowerment
and entrepreneurship education
at the China-Germany-Mongolia
Automotive Technology Application
Training Seminar• Career development guidance
to students from several different
universities across China• Education’s role in alleviation ofpoverty at the A5 University Dialogue
on Global Cooperation against
Poverty• 2021 Belt and Road International
Conference on TVET

Japan
Regional Exchange Programme on Promoting
Community-Based ESD Initiative (Hiratsuka, Japan/Online)
Within the framework of the ESDfor2030 Roadmap,
UNESCO partnered with Asia-Pacific Cultural Centre
for UNESCO (ACCU) in Japan organized a regional
workshop to promote best practices and knowledge
sharing focused on community-based initiatives in
Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). The AsiaPacific exchange workshop was held from 10-11 August2021 in Hiratsuka, Japan.
A total of 50 participants participated in the two-day
workshop and discussed ESD themes based on theParticipants in the Asia-Pacific exchange workshop © ACCU

experiences acquired from participating institutions andcountries on community-based ESD approaches andexplored future actions in countries including Japan,
Philippines, India, Mongolia, Lao PDR and China. The
importance of continued learning even amid COVID-19
pandemic was also emphasized during the exchanges.

Activities in promotion of ESD in a community centre © ACCU

In addition, youth members in Japan's community
development initiatives shared their stories and experienceson how the learning happens both inside and outside ofschools.
Read more2Current Progress Made by UNESCO Beijing Office| Education
Mongolia
UNESCO Capacity Building of the Higher
Education Sector in Mongolia A Korea Funds in Trust (KFIT) Project

Photo by Buyakaa Buyanbileg

UNESCO Beijing supported the equipment provision for
Mongolia to compliment the on-going Regional Korea
Funds-in-Trust (KFIT) higher education project inMongolia in terms of the policy dialogue, capacity
development and equipment components. The project isaligned with the Mongolian Government’s education
vision 2050 and Education Sector Medium Term
Development Plan (2021-2030). Under education
sector policy review conducted by UNESCO in 2019, thehigher education sector reform is fundamental toproducing the quality graduates for the needs of thelabour market. In addition to equipment provision,
UNESCO will also provide additional policy advice andtechnical support assistance to the Ministry of Educationand Science and National Accreditation Council to reformthe higher education system in Mongolia. The project will
be sustained for the next two years of implementation.
It also contributes towards monitoring, evaluation andthe implementation of regional quality tools in line with
the Tokyo Convention and the 2019 UNESCO Global
Convention on Recognition of Qualifications in
Higher Education.
Read more

Republic of Korea
2021 East and Southeast Asia UNEVOC Network Consolidation
Workshop in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET)© KRIVET

Promoting policy dialogue and sharing
best practices in TVET and Skills
Development in Member States is a
key aspect of the UNESCO’s global
TVET strategy. In September andOctober 2021 respectively, the Korea
Research Institute for Vocational
Education and Training (KRIVET)
hosted two workshops on TVET
development and transformation of
TVET. UNESCO Beijing participatedin the consultation. The two workshops
enhanced the strategic cooperation
with the TVET Institutions that areMembers of the UNEVOC networkin the East and South-East Asia
region. The two webinars focused thediscussions around TVET policies,
quality and relevance of TVET,
green skills demand, Greening
TVET, alignment with SDGs, TVET
standards, quality of TVET Teachers,

Financing of TVET, reform of TVET
to align with needs of labour market,
ICT mainstreaming in TVET, goodpractices and TVET leadership. The
participants presented status of TVETin their countries and discussed
new thematic areas such as adapting
TVET institutions to the impact of
COVID-19.
Read more3Current Progress Made by UNESCO Beijing Office| Culture
Exploring and Safeguarding Shared
Living Heritage in East Asia
Together with the Mongolian National
Commission for UNESCO and theInternational Information and Networking
Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage
in the Asia-Pacific Region (ICHCAP),UNESCO Beijing Office organized avirtual conference on “Exploring and
Safeguarding Shared Intangible Cultural
Heritage (ICH) in East Asia” on 10
September 2021. The conference brought
together culture experts and academics fromJapan, Mongolia, the People’s Republic ofChina, and the Republic of Korea, to share
their case studies on shared heritage and its
current situation/challenges in safeguarding,and to exchange on the significance of shared
ICH to enhance sub-regional cooperation.
Speaking at the opening, Prof. Shahbaz Khanemphasized, “UNESCO encourages multinational nominations ofshared intangible cultural heritage to promote regional cooperationand international safeguarding activities, preventing conflicts among
countries and coping with existing disputes.”

Workshops on Key Culture Conventions Held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the 1970
Convention on the Means of Prohibiting andPreventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer ofOwnership of Cultural Property, and the 20th
anniversary of the 2001 Convention on the Protectionof the Underwater Cultural Heritage, UNESCO
Beijing Office and the Ministry of Culture of Mongoliawith support from the Mongolian National Commission
for UNESCO organized three online workshops on the1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural
Property in the Event of Armed Conflict; the 1970
Convention; and the 2001 Convention during
September - October 2021 in Mongolia. It aimed toreinforce national capacity in the implementation of theconventions and to strengthen theefficiency of the cooperation
between key stakeholders.
From 22–23 September, theWorkshop on the 2001
Convention brought together
experts from China, Guam,
Italy, Japan, Mongolia andSpaintoexchangeknowledgeontheimportance of Underwater
Cultural Heritage and its
management. The workshops
on the 1970 and 1954 Conventions attracted more than
120 participants from over 40 organizations representing

line ministries and institutions as well as representatives
from 21 Provinces, 19–21 October. Prof. Shahbaz Khan
highlighted in his opening remarks the importance ofeach convention in protecting and preserving cultural
heritage, and urged Mongolia to ratify the 2001
Convention and the two Protocols of the 1954
Convention. Mr. Batbayar Munkhuu, Vice Minister ofCulture of Mongolia, assured in his welcome speech,
Mongolia’s commitment to protect cultural heritage.
As a result, a set of recommendations and action plans
towards the ratification of the UNESCO 2001 Convention
and capacity-building for the protection of underwater
cultural heritage in Mongolia was put forward, together
with the UNESCO campaign #Unite4Heritage launchedby the Ministry of Culture on 22 October to raise publicawareness on the protection of cultural heritage.

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Current Progress Made by UNESCO Beijing Office| Culture“Conservation and Management of World
Heritage Sites in China” Project Phase IV
Launched in Songtao, Guizhou Province, China
UNESCO and China Youth Development Foundation
Mercedes-Benz Star Fund took the 15-year partnership to
the next stage by announcing the Phase IV of the Funds-inTrust project “Conservation and Management of World
Heritage Sites in China” from 2021 to 2024. The project’s
Phase III achievement release and Phase IV launching meeting took place on 15 October 2021 in Songtao, Guizhou
Province, bringing together representatives from the Ministryof Culture, National Cultural Heritage Administration, National Forestry and Grassland Administration, partner institutions and pilot sites. The project Phase IV will firmly alignwith and contribute to the theme of rural revitalization in
China’s 14th Five-Year Plan, and the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) for
China (2021-2025). The six-volume China World Heritage
Capacity Building Manuals publication series, one of the
major outputs of the Phase III, was officially launched during
the meeting.
Read more

Prof. Shahbaz Khan, Director and UNESCO Representative
to the People’s Republic of China,
the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Japan,
Mongolia and the Republic of Korea,
and Ms. Gu Lan, Senior Director of China Youth Development
Foundation with the commemorated plaquein celebration of the 15-year collaboration© Songtao Fusion Media Centre

Piloting the Culture | 2030 Indicators in Shilin, Yunnan Province, China
Within the framework of UNESCO’s“Conservation and Management ofWorld Heritage Sites in China” Phase
IV, UNESCO Beijing Office launched
the first county- and site-level pilotof the Culture|2030 Indicators in
Shilin, Yunnan Province of South
China Karst World Heritage site, byorganizing an online workshop on 10
November 2021 in collaboration withexperts from the global expert facilityof the Culture|2030 Indicators. The
workshop brought together experts

and local government officials
particularly involved in the datacollection and monitoring exercise, tointroduce the Culture|2030 indicators
framework and the objectives of thepilot exercise. This pilot activity is seen
as a holistic review and demonstrationof the synergies between cultureand sustainable development-related
policies at the local level, and could
contribute to raising awareness andbuilding consensus across sectors on
culture’s enabling role in sustainable

development, making culture play amore active role in the implementationof the 2030 Agenda. The Thematic
Indicators for Culture in the 2030
Agenda (Culture|2030 Indicators)
is an important methodologicalframework developed by UNESCO in2020 to inform policies and decisions
as well as operational actions on
culture for sustainable development at
both the country and local levels.

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Current Progress Made by UNESCO Beijing Office| Natural Sciences
EABRN Training Webinars on Ecology and Designated Sites Management
In order to share the outstanding research and governanceexperiences in the network, facilitate the capacity buildingof member countries and enhance the influence of EABRN,
from 22 September to 27 October 2021, the East Asia
Biosphere Reserves
Network (EABRN)
Secretariat organizeda series of online
training workshops
and invited experts
and academics inrelevant fields toact as trainers forthe training webinars,
focusing on a range of topics in the field of ecology and designated sites
management.
The topics include Innovation in monitoring activities in Biosphere Reserves,
Ecotourism in Biosphere Reserves, Co-management of multi-designated sites,
the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, Panel discussion on Kunming
Declaration, and Education for Sustainable Development in Biosphere Reserves.

Convention on Biological Diversity,
15th Conference of Parties (COP15)
As invited by the Ministry of Ecology and Environmentof the People’s Republic of China, UNESCO attended the
COP 15 in Kunming from 10 to 14 Oct, 2021.
The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) enteredinto force on 29 December 1993. With the participation ofalmost 2918 delegates in Kunming, and 2478 connecting
online, the phase one of COP 15 was held in Kunming,
setting the stage for the adoption of an effective post-2020
global biodiversity framework at the resumption of themeeting in spring 2022.
During COP15, Prof. Khan was interviewed by CGTN and
People’s Daily as to the COP 15 and ecological civilization,and by Xinhua News Agency and CCTV respectively upon
President Xi’ keynote speech and biodiversity conservation.
© CGTN

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Current Progress Made by UNESCO Beijing Office| Natural Sciences© Alliance of International Science Organizations (ANSO)

Strategic Meeting with ANSO on “It’s about life” Exhibition
Following the success of the Beauty of Life on Earth
Exhibition in Beijing, UNESCO Beijing Office, ANSO
and other partners also managed to bring this inspiringexhibition to COP15, Kunming. This exhibition waspart of the “It’s about life” Exhibition, which aims tocelebrate the 50th anniversary of the UNESCO MAB
Programme.

Garden. After the guided tour, Natural Science Unit
had a strategic meeting with ANSO, which solidified
UNESCO and ANSO's commitment to futurecollaboration.

UNESCO prepared 16 panels for this Exhibition
from Austria, China, Germany, Indonesia, Maldives,
Morocco, Spain, the United Republic of Tanzania and
Uruguay. The exhibition was successfully launched at theKunming Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academyof Sciences on 11 Oct 2021, and lasted throughout thewhole first stage of COP 15.
On 14 Oct, Prof. Khan and Natural Science Unit wereinvited to visit the Exhibition at Kunming Botanical© Alliance of International Science Organizations (ANSO)

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Current Progress Made by UNESCO Beijing Office| Social and Human Sciences

Feature story

2021 Nanjing Peace Forum© Information Office of Nanjing Municipal GovernmentThe UNESCO Beijing Office collaborated with the
Chinese National Commission for UNESCO,
the Information Office of Jiangsu Provincial Government, and the Nanjing Municipal Government to organize the 2021 Nanjing Peace Forum from 24 to 26
October 2021, in Nanjing, China. In order to enhance
the notion and importance of eco-civilization for peace,
this year’s overarching theme for the 2021 Nanjing Peace
Forum was “Living in Harmony with Nature for Peace”.
During the main forum from 25 to 26 October 2021,
experts from different fields were invited to give keynote
speeches on several themes, including Natural Environment and Human Destiny, Sustainable Investment andGreen Finance, Environmental Challenges and Youth Action, Sustainable Green Production and Consumption,
Global Green Recovery and Business for Good, etc. A
roundtable focused on the theme of Peace Education, Defenses of Peace Constructed in the Minds was also held.
Furthermore, a “Dialogue with Generation Z” Youth
Sharing Party was organized during the Forum to provide a platform for young people to engage in the peace
movement. Moreover, keynote speeches and future action
sharing on the topic of Positive Peace and Sustainable De-

velopment also enriched the whole Forum.
In addition, as an important part of the road to the 2021
Nanjing Peace Forum, a series of regional/sub-regional
dialogues and capacity building trainings were also held.
Hundreds of people with diverse backgrounds participated in and benefited from the regional dialogues and capacity building trainings.
Click here for more details and materials

Current Progress Made by UNESCO Beijing Office| Social and Human Sciences© Information Office of Nanjing Municipal Government© Information Office of Nanjing Municipal Government

At the closing ceremony, the 2021 Nanjing Peace Consensus was adopted. The consensus calls on peace-loving people
from all countries to abide by the concepts of openness and tolerance; to adhere to common values of peace, development,
fairness, justice, democracy and freedom for all mankind; and to work together to build a Shared Future for All Life on
Earth.
Read more

The 2021 International Youth Forum on Creativity and Heritage along the Silk
Roads: Special Dialogue on Youth Leadership in Creativity, Heritage, and Resilience
The International Youth Forum on Creativity andHeritage along the Silk Roads: Special Dialogue on Youth
Leadership in Creativity, Heritage, and Resilience (2021
IYFSD) was organized jointly by UNESCO, the National
Commission of China for UNESCO, as well as the
Changsha and Nanjing Municipal Governments online
in Beijing, Changsha and Nanjing simultaneously on 17
December 2021. More than 80 youth from 46 countries
participated in the Special Dialogue to share and exchange
their thoughts, stories and actions.
The 2021 IYFSD consisted of a plenary session and twoparallel sessions that respectively focused on “Youthleadership in innovation and creativity for resilient
World Heritage conservation” and “Youth leadershipin innovation and creativity for resilient and inclusive
cities”. During the sessions, youth participants had adynamic discussion on the topics. The usage of modern
technologies in World Heritage conservation and its
drawbacks were deeply emphasized. Cultural heritage
preservation in different countries and regions like Sudan,
Turkey and Latin America were also discussed. Youngpeople also shared their insights on inclusiveness.
The 2021 IYFSD provided a platform of exchange, mutual
learning, and mutual inspiring for young people all aroundthe world. Through the forum, youth have shown theirefforts and demonstrated their future leadership in World
Heritage conservation and development of sustainable,
resilient and inclusive cities.

9Current Progress Made by UNESCO Beijing Office| Social and Human Sciences
Supported Mongolia to Strengthen Capacities
for Inclusive and Equitable Development
The UNESCO Beijing Office provided support for therevision of the Charter of the Commission of Health,
Education and Social Protection for Children with
Disabilities of Mongolia in order to improve theefficiency of its rules and regulations. The revised Charter,
which was submitted to the Mongolian Government for
approval, will lay a foundation for fostering the inclusion
and rights of children with disabilities in Mongolia.
Moreover, with support of the UNESCO Beijing Office,Mongolian policymakers and implementers developed
policy recommendations to reduce gender-based violenceand ensure equal distribution of social care and service
in the post-COVID-19 pandemic period. In addition,
the UNESCO Beijing Office also provided support for
catalyzing Mongolian youth participation and actions in
responding to social-economic impact of the COVID-19
pandemic.

Ethics Teacher Training Course in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
The UNESCO Beijing Office collaborated with the
Mongolian National Commission for UNESCO and theMongolian Academy of Sciences to organize an online
Ethics Teacher Training Course (ETTC) from 12 to 15
October 2021, in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. 37 participantsfrom Mongolian universities, research institutions, andgovernment entities attended the course.
Prof. Shahbaz Khan, Director of the UNESCO Beijing
Office, opened the training. In his welcome speech, Prof.
Khan stressed the crucial roles of bioethics and ethics ofscience and technology in responding to the dual crisesof the pandemic and climate change, and the significanceof strengthening ethics infrastructure through ethics
education in all countries. “Ethics education provides thefoundation for widespread reflection on ethical issues”, Prof.
Khan underlined.
The four-day ETTC training was facilitated byinternational and national facilitators, covering latest

developments in bioethics and ethics from global andnational perspectives, practices in ethically and socially
responsible governance for the post-pandemic era, as
well as reflection on gender disparities in the responseto the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants expressed
their appreciation for the ETTC as a multidimensional
knowledge sharing and learning process.

10Current Progress Made by UNESCO Beijing Office| Communication and Information

Cover post for launching the new set of UNESCO media and information literacy
resources during Global Media and Information Literacy Week 2021.

Launch of Media and Information Literacy Resources
to Enhance MIL Competencies of Children, Parents,
and Teachers in China
In celebration of Global Mediaand Information Literacy Week
2021, under the theme “Media andInformation Literacy for the Public
Good”, UNESCO launched a setof Media and Information Literacy(MIL) resources tailored for children,
parents, and teachers in China.
Developed based on UNESCO MIL
resources with support from private
sector partners and local experts, theresource set aims to empower children,
parents, and teachers from China toaccess, evaluate, engage with, andcontribute to all aspects of the current
digital and non-digital media andinformation landscape. The contents
cover MIL related topics ranging fromsocial media do’s and don’ts, online
safety and security, disinformationand misinformation, among others.
All contents are gender-sensitive,
culturally responsive, and reflect newand emerging concerns. The resources
also serve as a timely response to theproliferation of information especiallyduring the COVID-19 crisis.
The resource set is freely available
and openly accessible at UNESCO
website: https://en.unesco.org/
fieldoffice/beijing/publications.
Read more

Telling HERstory through Memory of the World in Mongolia
With support from UNESCO, the Mongolian
Culture and Art Research Institute has identified
and collected five “HERstories” respectively
featuring five women who were leaders in theintellectual and creative sector in Mongoliansociety and development of the twentiethcentury. All documents of the five HERstories,
including written descriptions and audio-visualmaterials, will contribute to the “Women in
History – Telling HERstory through Memoryof the World (MoW)” online exhibition.
The “Women in History – Telling HERstory
through Memory of the World” project was
initiated by the UNESCO Bangkok Office as an
attempt to raise awareness of gender sensitive
documentary heritage in the Asia-Pacific region.
It encourages memory institutions to evaluate
their collections with gender dimensions. The
exhibition includes some important records
from the region on gender equality issues,achievements of women in history and stories told by women.
In order to inspire more collections, it also highlights some
inscriptions of prominent women on the MoW international
register who contributed to women’s empowerment aroundthe world.

Pictures of five women featured in Mongolia’s “HERstories” collection: Oyun
Erdenebat, Pagmadulam Damdin, Tsedenbal Filatova, Badam Engel, andUdval Sonom (top to down, left to right).

11Current Progress Made by UNESCO Beijing Office| Communication and Information
Group photo of participants at the Third
National Stakeholder Forum on Media andInformation Literacy in Mongolia.

transitioning to the Digital Nation,using MIL to prevent and protect
against disinformation and hatespeech, as well as media and society inthe twenty-first century.

Mongolian National Stakeholders Gather to
Discuss Covid-19 and Infodemic Immunity
The Third National Stakeholder
Forum on Media and Information
Literacy (MIL) was held in Mongolia
on 25 November 2021, under thetheme “Digital Literacy and Inclusion
as a Booster for Infodemic Immunity”.
Prof. Shahbaz Khan sent a video
message to the forum, congratulating
the remarkable achievements on
promoting MIL at different levels in
Mongolia, and calling for sustained

and coordinated efforts among all
stakeholders.
Around60
key
stakeholders
representing governmental, nongovernmental as well as civil society
organizations
participatedindiscussions over topics including
inclusiveness and access to education
during the COVID-19 pandemic,
opportunities and challenges in

The second edition of the UNESCO
Model MIL Curriculum titled “Mediaand Information Literate Citizens:
Think Critically, Click Wisely” wasintroduced at the event, followed
by heated discussion over terms anddefinitions for its localization in
Mongolia. The outcomes derived fromthe discussions during the meeting
will be consolidated and compiled
into recommendations, which later
will be delivered to the Mongolian
Government for further consideration
towards a national Media andInformation Literacy Policy.
Read more

Launch of the Updated Handbook on Media
Reporting for Promoting Disability Equality in China
On the occasion of the 2021 International Day of
Persons with Disabilities on 3 December, UNESCO
launched the latest version of the
Handbook on Media Reporting for
Promoting Disability Equality in
China.
With the support of the United
Nations Partnership on the Rights
of Persons with Disabilities China
Programme, the Handbook has been
prepared by, for, and with persons withdisabilities, aiming to serve for a wide
range of audience, including media
professionals, journalism educators,
as well as organizations of persons
with disabilities from China andabroad. The Handbook encourages
all media to portray persons withdisabilities in a manner consistent
with respect for human rights, andprovides organizations of persons with disabilities withpractical guidance on advocacy through media channels.
Compared with the previous version,
the updated version incorporates
two additional chapters, respectively
focusing on barrier-free access to
information and communication andissues related to media reporting; andreporting of public emergency anddisability equality, in response to themost pressing issues that come alongwith the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cover of the Chinese version of the newHandbook on Media Reporting for Promoting
Disability Equality in China.

The Chinese version of the
Handbook is now freely and openly
accessible. The English version willsoon be made available to the generalpublic.
Read more

12Team Building for Future Synergy

Team Building for Future Synergy“Reconnect, Rediscover, Rejuvenate” – Beijing Office All Staff Retreat III

n continuation to the all staff retreat part 1 inAugust, UNESCO Beijing Office colleagues
conducted a second half in December, withthe focus extended from strategic planningto team building. Under the major theme“Reconnect, Rediscover, Rejuvanate” , thisretreat aims to promote interpersonal exchanges
and build a better connection between different
sector units. It was carried out in hybrid format
within 3 separate days during November 25thto December 1st .
Prof. Shahbaz Khan opened the online retreatby sharing the importance of collaboration.
"To promote inter-sectoral cooperation for
UNESCO’s programmes, it is crucial that wework more than ever as one team." A sharing
session on UN career was given by Mr. Han
Qunli, former UNESCO Director of theDivision of Ecological and Earth Sciences
based on his profound working experience
both at Headquarter and in the field. Whatfollowed was internal training sessions on
disability inclusion and gender mainstreaming,
which deepened colleagues’ understanding andguided colleagues how to mainstream these two
important issues into programming.
A series of interactive teambuilding exercises
were conducted afterwards, led by a professional
facilitator. From a warm up exercise “nice tomeet you” to “meaningful work”, colleagues
exchanged actively in mixed groups and learned
more about each other’s personal backgroundand values. An in-between interview was
assigned for each colleague to discover others’
perceptions of them, including their talents,
strengths or qualities. During the interview,
colleagues engaged in in-depth conversations
and gained a renewed understanding ofthemselves. Another game aboutcollaboration and trust entitled“win as much as possible” thenunited colleagues together
by requesting developing
strategies as a whole. The lastday was an offline session in
the office, centered arounda “land” team exercise.
Thoughout this exercise, allsector units presented, reflected
and understood each other’s work
better.
Overall, this retreat provided an opportunity
for deeper inter-sectoral connection, andevoked a lot of learnings. Through selfexploration, in-depth communication, andteamwork, colleagues achieved closer rapport,
discovered new grounds and stood ready forfurther contribution, as identified by the theme“reconnect, rediscover, rejuvanate”.

In theclosing
ceremony, a
big tree was hung under
the logo of UNESCO as anemblem of the office. The 7 sector’s
key values at the bottom symbolize
the roots that nourish the tre. On
the trees are each colleague’s paper
apples with their name, values,
talents and their take away. As
part and parcel of this tree, allteams and all colleagues areinterconnected, flourishing as one– Beijing office.

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Focus on UNESCO Centres & Chairs

Focus on UNESCO Centres & Chairs| UNESCO Category 2 Institutes and Centres
Category 2 Institutes and Centres under the auspices of UNESCO are a global network of institutions of excellencein the Organization’s domains of competence. Given their expertise, these Institutes and Centres contribute to theimplementation of UNESCO’s strategic priorities, programmes, and global development agendas, throughinternational and regional cooperation, research, knowledge production, policy advice, and capacity development.
There are currently 25 Category 2 Centres in the cluster countries, 5 in Education, 6 in Culture, 11 in Natural
Sciences, 2 in Social and Human Sciences, and 1 in Communication and Information sector.
Read moreInternational Training Centre for the Intangible
Cultural Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region
under the Auspices of UNESCO (CRIHAP)
Introduction
As a regional and international organization and coordinating agency in the field of Intangible Cultural
Heritage (ICH) under the auspices of UNESCO,CRIHAP is committed to conducting international
training activities in the field of ICH, proactively
building up a regional and international exchange andcooperation platform, engaging in the implementation of the Global Capacity-Building Strategy of UNESCO for strengthening national capacities for implementing the Convention, and making
contributions to ICH safeguarding undertakings in
the Asia-Pacific Region and worldwide.
Objectives:a) Promote the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage and contribute to its implementation in the Asia-Pacific Region;b) Increase the participation of communities, groups
and individuals in Safeguarding Intangible Cultural
Heritage in the Asia-Pacific region;c) Enhance the capacity of the Asia-Pacific Member
States of UNESCO in Safeguarding ICH, particularly
by strengthening the capacities of concerned personnel;d) Foster regional and international cooperation forsafeguarding ICH.

Highlights in 2021
From July 26-29, co-organized by CRIHAP as well as the
UNESCO offices in Jakarta, Bangkok, Phnom Penh andHanoi, the Capacity-Building workshop on Multinational
Nomination of Intangible Cultural Heritage targeting
Southeast Asian countries was held online.
On July 5, the opening session of the Capacity Building
Workshop on ICH for Youth: First Workshop of the ThreeYear Training Programme was held online. The workshop
was co-organized by CRIHAP and the UNESCO Beijing
Cluster Office, and it drew 130 students aged 18-28
from 50 colleges and universities in China as trainees.
The training lasted for two months, and was conductedin the combination of online courses and offline video
shooting practice. As the training results, the members
have completed 72 ICH themed videos. Amongthese projects, the youthful trainees reached out anddemonstrated a considerable lot of the ICH elements fromtheir perspectives by shooting videos. Additionally, manyof the videos centered issues around minorities, education,and sustainable development, which made insightful
explorations on ICH.
Read more

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Focus on UNESCO Centres & Chairs| UNITWIN/ UNESCO Chairs Programme
Launched in 1992, the UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs Programme, which involves over 850 institutions in 117
countries, promotes international inter-university cooperation and networking to enhance institutional capacities
through knowledge sharing and collaborative work. The programme supports the establishment of UNESCO Chairs
and UNITWIN Networks in key priority areas related to UNESCO’s fields of competence – i.e. in education, thenatural and social sciences, culture and communication.
There are currently around 40 UNITWIN/ UNESCO Chairs, 21 in China, 10 in Japan, 5 in the Republic Of
Korea, and 2 in Mongolia.
Read more

UNESCO Chair on Media and Gender
The UNESCO Chair on Media and Gender
was established in September 2005 at theCommunication University of China (CUC).
It is also a member of International Networkof UNESCO Chairs in Communication(ORBICOM). The Chair-Holder is Professor
Liu Liqun, President of China Women’s
University (CWU). She used to serve as Vice
President of CUC and has been transferred to
CWU since 2014.
Since its establishment, the Chair on Mediaand Gender has hosted 9 sessions of UNESCO
Chair on Media and Gender Forum andpublished 4 Blue Books on Media and Gender,
Report on the Development of Media and Gender.
Figure 1 UNESCO Chair on Media and Gender Activities & Publications
Authorized and supported by UNESCO,©UNESCO Chair on Media and Gender
it also published the Chinese version of
UNESCO publications Gender-Sensitive Indicators for Media: Framework of Indicators to Gauge Gender Sensitivity in MediaOperations and Content and Model Curricula for Journalism Education: a Compendium of New Syllabi and promoted
them in China. It has completed the project supported by IPDC titled “Promoting Gender Awareness in China's
Mass Media”. The UNESCO Chair on Media and Gender, with its executive organizations being Media and Gender
Institute of Communication University of China and the School of Culture and Communication of China Women’s
University, has undertaken various projects, forums, teaching & trainings, etc., of the UNESCO and its member states.
Among others, it has participated in the compilation of important
documents in China such as “China National Program for Women's
Development” and has cultivated a great amount of Ph.D. students,
M.A students, as well as international students from more than
70 developing countries, and women leaders, entrepreneurs andeducators in China.

Figure 2 The 9th UNESCO Chair on Media and Gender Forum©UNESCO Chair on Media and Gender

UNESCO Beijing Office has been working closely with the
UNESCO Chair on Media and Gender. At the 9th UNESCO
Chair on Media and Gender Forum held on 28 December 2021,
Prof. Shahbaz Khan sent a video message at the opening session,
reaffirming the Chair’s contribution to China’s international
communication capacity-building and promotion of women’sdevelopment over the past 16 years, and calling for the establishmentof a more accurate, inclusive and equal media environment globally.

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UNESCO’s Contribution to UN Joint Campaigns in China

UNESCO’s Contribution to
UN Joint Campaigns in China
United Nations Day | 24 October
For the celebration of the 2021 UN Day, UNESCO joined the UN China’s efforts
to call for immediate actions of every individual citizen on climate change andsustainability, aiming toward a net-zero future through the #ActNow campaign.
UNESCO staff took pictures on how they have reduced their carbon footprint in their
daily lives, including by planting more trees, eating more vegetables, sorting waste, using
reusable bags, etc. Read more

Figure 3 Shahbaz Khan, Director andrepresentative of UNESCO Beijing, isplanting a tree to advocate for a green
environment.

Figure 1 A UNESCO colleague isturning off the air conditioner and using
a fan to advocate for saving energy.

Figure 4 A UNESCO colleague is wastesorting to advocate for recycling ourwastes.

Figure 2 A UNESCO colleague is riding
a bike instead of driving to advocate for
reducing our carbon footprint.

International Day for the Elimination ofViolence against Women
25 November

To commemorate the International Day for the Elimination of Violenceagainst Women under the theme “Orange the world: End violence against
women now”, UNESCO joined the 16 Days of Activism against GenderBased Violence campaign in China commencing from 25 November, callingfor efforts to protect and promote the rights of women based on the statusquo of violence against women and girls in education, culture, sciences,climate change, media and the Internet, and disability inclusion.

Read more(Left) School-related gender-based violence is asignificant barrier to educational achievement
and students’ health and wellbeing. Stop schoolrelated gender-based violence now!
(Middle) Violence against women journalists
harms everyone’s right to access to information.
End violence against women journalists now!
(Right) End online violence against women now!
Ensure safety and gender equality in the online
environment.

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UNESCO’s Contribution to UN Joint Campaigns in China

World AIDS Day | 1 December

Poster of the World AIDS Day 2021 social
campaign ©UNAIDS

This year is the 34th World AIDS Day, with the theme to end theinequalities that drive AIDS and other pandemics around the world.
UNESCO Beijing joined the social media campaign led by UNAIDS
China Office to commemorate the Day. In
China, unprotected casual sex has become
the main cause of HIV infection, making
young people particularly vulnerable.
UNESCO
promotes
comprehensive
sexuality education (CSE) to equip young
people with essential knowledge, skills andattitudes that protect them from HIV. Sucheducation is rights-based and stresses genderequality, and thus has transformative effect.
To reduce inequality in young people’s
access to skills-based HIV and sexuality
education, in 2021 UNESCO worked
with its partners to enable the delivery of
1,552 CSE lessons benefiting over 20,000
students in schools mostly located inwestern provinces.
Read more

Message from Prof. Shahbaz Khan on WorldAIDS Day 2021 ©UNAIDS

International Day of Persons with Disabilities | 3 December# 看见残障人 #In celebrating this year’s International Day of Persons with Disabilities,
UNESCO and the UN Theme Group on Disability in China carried out
the Disability-Inclusive Photo Collection Campaign #Make Persons with
Disabilities Visible (看见残障人)#, calling for photos that showcase theleadership and participation of persons with disabilities in our society.
As of 10 December, the topic #make persons with disabilities (看见残障人)# has generated over 5.11 million views, and a variety of photos
have been posted on Sina Weibo, demonstrating persons with disabilities
participating in work, study and social services, and enjoying sports,
culture, traveling, handcrafting, as well as other types of social activities.
Read more#Make Persons with Disabilities Visible#(Left top) HE Yajun (middle, withvisual impairment) completes a
10-kilometer run with guidance fromvolunteers. Photographer: CAI Cong
(with visual impairment)(Left bottom) “High Altitude Group
Photo on Wheelchair” Two people withphysical impairment taking a photo on
top of Huangshan Mountain at 1,600
meters altitude. Photographer: YANG
Miao
(Right) “The Silent Blossoming of
Flowers” A youth with speech andhearing disorders is practicing
woodcarving in the intangible heritage
Heze woodcarving workshop in Heze,Shandong, China.

17

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