UNESCO in News Current Affairs 2024: Explore the Latest UNESCO-related Updates

Explore the latest UNESCO-related updates that made headlines recently, which may be important for those preparing for competitive exams. Stay updated with the latest developments in education, science, culture, and communication as they unfold.

✅ Read Also Category-wise Latest Current Affairs 2024

UNESCO Top Headlines (January to December 2024)

November 2024

• Rashtrapati Bhawan is illuminated in red as part of the ‘Act4Dyslexia’ campaign, organized in collaboration with UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP) and the ChangeInkk Foundation.

• The ‘UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Report 2024’ revealed that 251 million children and youth remain out of school globally.

• According to the ‘UNESCO–World Bank Education Finance Watch 2024’, low-income countries spent only USD 55 per learner in 2022, compared to USD 8,543 per learner in high-income countries, highlighting a significant investment gap.

• The UNESCO South Asia Regional Office, in collaboration with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), hosted a stakeholder consultation on Safety and Ethics in Artificial Intelligence (AI) in New Delhi, with Ikigai Law as the implementing partner.

• Twenty-four coastal villages in Odisha have been recognized by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO as ‘Tsunami Ready.’

October 2024

• Global Media and Information Literacy Week 2024 will be celebrated from 24–30 October, with the theme “The New Digital Frontiers of Information: Media and Information Literacy for Public Interest Information”.

• Between 2015 and 2024, India allocated approximately 4.1% to 4.6% of its GDP to education, as per UNESCO Institute for Statistics reports.

September 2024

• Uzbekistan will host the UNESCO General Assembly (GA) in 2025.

• The French Culture Ministry nominated the “zinc roofing profession” in Paris for UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) list.

• India and UNESCO co-organized the 2024 Chief Science Advisers Roundtable (CSAR) in Paris, France.

• The ‘Illiteracy Eradication Project (IEP)’ is not a recipient of the UNESCO King Sejong Literacy Prize 2024.

• The UNESCO King Sejong Literacy Prize is supported by the Government of South Korea, focusing on mother language-based literacy.

• The UNESCO Confucius Prize for Literacy is supported by China, recognizing contributions to functional literacy and digital tools for adults and out-of-school youth.

• UNESCO International Literacy Day (ILD) is observed annually on 8 September, and the theme for 2024 is “Promoting Multilingual Education: Literacy for Mutual Understanding and Peace”.

• Taj Mahal has been included in Times Travel’s list of the most photogenic UNESCO World Heritage sites in Asia, with Cambodia’s Angkor Wat topping the list.

• Gingee Fort in Tamil Nadu has been nominated for UNESCO’s World Heritage Site list as part of the Maratha Military Landscapes proposal, which includes 11 other forts.

• Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) collaborated with UNESCO to classify the International Center for Research and Ethics in Artificial Intelligence as a Category 2 (C2) center.

August 2024

• The UNESCO World Heritage Committee has decided to register the ‘Sado Gold Mine’ as a cultural heritage site, associated with Japan.

• The first Science Technology and Innovation (STI) Conclave on “Traditional Knowledge for Sustainable Livelihoods” was organized by the International Science, Technology, and Innovation Centre for South-South Cooperation (ISTIC)-UNESCO in New Delhi.

• The ‘Nelson Mandela Legacy Sites’ were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List, excluding Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park.

• During the 46th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, hosted by India, 26 new heritage sites were inscribed on the World Heritage List.

July 2024

• SEVENTEEN, a South Korean boy band, has been appointed as UNESCO’s first-ever Goodwill Ambassador for Youth.

• Moidams, burial places for Ahom kings and queens, are associated with the Indian state of Assam and have been recommended for the UNESCO World Heritage List.

• India will host the 46th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in New Delhi.

• The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has introduced the New World Soil Health Index to standardize soil quality assessment globally.

• New additions to the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve List include reserves in Belgium, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Gambia, Italy, Mongolia, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, and Spain.

• The Global Education Monitoring Report (GEM) 2024 by UNESCO highlights how climate-related stressors are negatively impacting education outcomes.

• Charaideo Maidam in North East India has been nominated as the region’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site in the cultural category.

• The Moidams in Assam are India’s 43rd entry on the UNESCO World Heritage List under the Cultural Property category.

• India’s Prime Minister has announced a contribution of USD 1 million to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre for global heritage conservation.

• The Monastery of Saint Hilarion has been included in both the UNESCO World Heritage Site List and the List of World Heritage in Danger and is associated with Palestine.

June 2024

• New Delhi hosted the ‘National Stakeholder Workshop on Safe, Trusted, and Ethical AI’ organized by UNESCO South Asia Regional Office and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).

• The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) released the ‘State of Ocean Report, 2024,’ highlighting significant warming in the upper 2,000 meters of the oceans.

• UNESCO has launched the ‘Green School Quality Standard’ to set minimum requirements for creating a “green school” with an action-oriented approach.

• Kozhikode has made history by becoming the first UNESCO City of Literature in India.

May 2024

• Recently, Palestinian journalists have been named laureates of the 2024 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize.

• Recently, UNESCO has appointed 24 experts from all regions of the world to develop the first global framework on the ethics of neurotechnology.

• Recently, the Mahabharata from India has not been included in the 2024 cycle of UNESCO’s Memory of the World Asia-Pacific Regional Register.

• Recently, “Sultana’s Dream” by Begum Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain has been added to UNESCO’s “Memory of the World” list.

• Recently, UNESCO has organized an international conference titled “Cultural Heritage and Peace: Building on 70 years of the Hague Convention” in The Hague, Netherlands.

January-April 2024

• India will chair and host UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee 46th session in New Delhi from July 21 to 31, 2024.

• “Maratha Military Landscapes of India” comprises 12 forts, nominated for UNESCO World Heritage List 2024-25.

• INTACH (Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage) aims to include Andhra Pradesh’s ‘Paruveta Utsavam’ as UNESCO’s ‘intangible cultural heritage’.

• Kaziranga National Park in Assam was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985.

• President Droupadi Murmu visited the UNESCO World Heritage site “Aapravasi Ghat” in Mauritius.

• Six heritage sites in Madhya Pradesh added to the tentative UNESCO list, bringing India’s total to 57.

• UN World Water Development Report 2024, published by UNESCO, highlights 2.2 billion without clean drinking water.

• UNESCO’s Executive Board endorsed 18 new sites, bringing the total number of geoparks to 213.

UNESCO in News (January to December 2023)

December 2023

• Pakistan has been elected as the Vice Chair of the UNESCO Executive Board for the term 2023-25 from the Asia Pacific Group.

• UNESCO has approved the inclusion of Garba, an Indian dance form, in its Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) of Humanity.

• Ancient walls encircling the Old City of Kairouan, a UNESCO World Heritage site, have recently collapsed in Tunisia.

• Terminal 2 at Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru, India, has been awarded the “World Special Prize for an Interior 2023” by UNESCO‘s Prix Versailles.

• The Rambagh Gate & Ramparts in Amritsar, Punjab, India, has received the Award of Excellence in the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards 2023 for Cultural Heritage Conservation.

November 2023

• Recently, the Airgun Surrender Abhiyan initiative of Arunachal Pradesh received international recognition at the UNESCO’s International Conference on Biosphere Reserves held in Sabah, Malaysia.

• Recently, the film named Drift received the ICFT-UNESCO Gandhi Medal 2023 at
  the 54th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa.

Recent Creative Cities of India Listed under UNESCO’s UCCN List ????

• UCCN Stands for UNESCO Creative Cities Network
• Recently UNESCO added 55 new cities to its Creative Cities Network (UCCN) List.
• The UNESCO UCCN conference was held in Istanbul, Turkiye.

List of Indian Cities Under UCCN

2023: ‘City of Literature’ – Kozhikode (Kerala)

2023: ‘City of Music’ – Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh)

2021: City of Crafts and Folk Art – Srinagar (J&K)

2019: City of Film – Mumbai (Maharashtra)

2019: City of Gastronomy – Hyderabad (Telangana)

2017: Creative City of Music (2017) – Chennai (Tamil Nadu)

2015: ‘City of Crafts and Folk Arts’- Jaipur (Rajasthan)

2015: ‘Creative City of Music’ – Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh)

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September-October 2023

▪ NCERT and UNESCO collaborated to launch a new comic book, “Let’s Move Forward,” which promotes health and well-being among adolescents.

▪ Strasbourg takes centre stage as UNESCO’s World Book Capital, celebrating the power of literature from World Book Day 2024 to 2025.

▪ India’s rich heritage shines brighter as Santiniketan and Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysalas join UNESCO’s World Heritage list.

August 2023

▪ Recently, Telangana has collaborated with UNESCO to implement UN recommendations on the ethics of AI.

▪ India’s Education Minister launched the Comic Book “Let’s Move Forward” jointly developed by NCERT and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

UNESCO in News 2023 (January to July)

▪ Recently, UNESCO has accepted the proposal of the USA to readmit it to the organization.

▪ Kaas Plateau, a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site (Recently seen in the news), is located in Maharashtra.

▪ Recently, Byculla Railway Station of Mumbai has received UNESCO’s Asia Pacific Cultural Heritage Award 2022.

▪ Jagdish S Bakan became the first Indian selected for UNESCO’s Michel Batisse Award.

▪ Recently, the USA has announced to rejoin the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

▪ Recently, 5 young scientists have been awarded the UNESCO-AI Fozan International Prize for the
Promotion of Young Scientists in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).

1. Dr Federico ARIEL (40 years old, Argentina)
2. Professor Abdon ATANGANA (37 years old, Cameroon)
3. Professor Qiaomei FU (39 years old, China)
4. Dr Hesham OMRAN (38 years old, Egypt)
5. Dr Jelena VLADIC (37 years old, Serbia)

▪ Recently, women journalists Niloofar Hamedi, Elaheh Mohammadi, and Narges Mohammadi from Iran were named the laureates of the 2023 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize.

▪ The International Day of Light, established by UNESCO, is annually observed on the 16th of May. This important day aims to increase awareness about the vital role of light and light-based technologies in various fields including medicine, communication, art, and energy.

▪ Recently, Santiniketan (West Bengal) has been recommended for inclusion in UNESCO’s
World Heritage List.

▪ Visva-Bharati University, situated in West Bengal, has recently been granted a “heritage” designation by UNESCO, becoming the first-ever living heritage university in the world.

▪ Angela Merkel, the former Chancellor of Germany, has been awarded the prestigious Felix Houphouet-Boigny UNESCO Peace Prize for the year 2022.

▪ Dr. Mahendra Kumar Mishra, hailing from India, has been selected to receive the UNESCO International Mother Language Award 2023.

▪ This prestigious award is given to individuals or organizations that have made outstanding contributions towards the promotion of linguistic and cultural diversity. 

▪ The award ceremony will take place on the occasion of the 24th edition of International Mother Language Day, which is celebrated every year on 21st February. 

▪ The theme for this year's celebration is "Multilingual Education - a Necessity to Transform Education".

▪ The central government has decided to nominate Charaideo moidams (located in Assam) for addition to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list.

▪ Recently, UNESCO has decided to dedicate the International Day of Education 2023 to Afghan girls and women, celebrated on January 24 every year.

▪ UNESCO has designated “Odesa” as a World Heritage in Danger site, located in Ukraine.

UNESCO in News (January to December 2022)

• Baguette bread of France was added to UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) of Humanity.

• Rock cut Relie Sculptures of the Unakoti in Tripura have been added to the tentative list of UNESCO world heritage sites.

• Three new cultural sites in India, including the iconic Sun Temple at Modhera, historic Vadnagar town in Gujarat, and rock-cut relief sculptures of Unakoti in Tripura, have been added to the tentative list of UNESCO world heritage sites.

• Recently, Mawmluh Cave of Meghalaya has been listed as one of the world’s UNESCO’s ‘First 100 IUGS (International Union of Geological Sciences) Geological Sites’.

• Recently, UNESCO released a survey of 18,600 glaciers at 50 World Heritage Sites.

• Recently, Franca Ma-ih Sulem Yong won the 2022 edition of the UNESCO-Madanjeet Singh Prize.

• Recently, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurated the UNESCO-India-Africa Hackathon 2022 at Gautam Buddha University in Greater Noida.

• Recently, Mumbai’s Byculla station received the Merit Award at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Asia-Pacific Awards 2022 for Cultural Heritage Conservation.

• Recently, the UNESCO-MONDIACULT 2022 World Conference was held in Mexico City, Mexico.

• UNESCO has released a list of 50 exclusive and iconic heritage textile crafts of India under the title “Handmade for the 21st Century: Safeguarding Traditional Indian Textile”

• The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) has underlined some green norms for the UNESCO World Heritage Site ‘Living Root Bridge’ in Meghalaya.

• Indian Hotels Company (IHCL) has partnered with UNESCO to preserve India’s intangible cultural heritage.

• UNESCO has adopted March 21 as World Poetry Day which is now observed annually.

• On the occasion of World Water Day (22nd March), the National Mission for Clean Ganga, UNESCO released three animation films under its initiative “H2Ooooh! – Water Wise program for the Children of India”.

• The Kerala Institute of Local Administration (KILA) has named Kozhikode a City of Literature under a UNESCO program.

• The Sri Veerabhadra Swamy Temple and the Monolithic Bull (Nandi) of Andhra Pradesh have been included in UNESCO’s tentative list of world heritage sites in India for 2022.

• Geoglyphs from the Konkan region of India are part of India’s provisional list to qualify for inclusion in UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

• UNESCO commemorates April 7 as the International Day of Remembrance of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.

• Bihar has sent a fresh proposal seeking UNESCO’s heritage tag for the 2,500-year-old ‘Cyclopean wall’.

• UNESCO has added the Khuvsgul Lake National Park of Mongolia to the World Network of Biosphere Reserves.

• The Vidya scheme has been awarded UNESCO’s King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa Prize for using Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in Education for 2021.

• India has been selected as a member of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO’s 2003 Convention for the 2022-2026 cycle.

• Recently, the 106-year-old astronomical observatory of Bihar‘s Langat Singh College was added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Observatories.

• India has nominated the Gujarati garba dance form for inclusion on UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

• So far, 14 elements from India have been inscribed on UNESCO's List of Intangible Cultural Heritage and Humanity.
•  Kolkata's Durga Puja is the latest addition to UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list.

• UNESCO and Royal Enfield join hands to promote and protect India’s cultural heritage from the Himalayas.

• Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been awarded the UNESCO Peace Prize 2022.

• Recently, 3 Indian cities have joined the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities (GNLC).

The Three Indian Cities are:
1. Warangal (Telangana)
2. Nilambur (Kerala)
3. Thrissur (Kerala)

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