Committee: UNESCO. Agenda 1: Alleviating the literacy gap between more developed countries and less developed countries

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2 Committee: UNESCO Agenda 1: Alleviating the literacy gap between more developed countries and less developed countries Agenda 2: Ways to protect cultural heritage from destruction in the process of country development Student Officers: Seheun Kim, JungYu Kwon

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4 Agenda 1: Alleviating the literacy gap between more developed countries and less developed countries I. Committee Introduction The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, also known as UNESCO, is responsible for coordinating international cooperation in education, science, culture and communication. It strengthens the ties between nations and societies, and mobilizes the wider public so that each child and citizen: has access to quality education; a basic human right and an indispensable prerequisite for sustainable development; may grow and live in a cultural environment rich in diversity and dialogue, where heritage serves as a bridge between generations and peoples; can fully benefit from scientific advances; and can enjoy full freedom of expression; the basis of democracy, development and human dignity. UNESCO implements its activities through the five areas: education, natural sciences, social and human sciences, culture, and communication and information. Projects sponsored by UNESCO include literacy, technical, and teacher-training programs, international science programs, the promotion of independent media and freedom of the press, regional and cultural history projects, the promotion of cultural diversity, translations of world literature, international cooperation agreements on secure the

5 world cultural and natural heritage (World Heritage Sites) and to preserve human rights, and attempts to bridge the worldwide digital divide. It is also a member of the United Nations Development Group. UNESCO's messages are of increasing importance today, in a globalized world where interconnections and diversity must serve as opportunities to build peace in the minds of men and women. II. Agenda Introduction Literacy has not always been historically significant, as a national or global issue. However, recently the seriousness of illiteracy is being emphasized, and today we recognize literacy as a basic human right and organizations all over the world are trying to increase the literacy rate of developing nations, eventually decreasing the gap between more developed countries and less developed countries. Having the ability to read or write not only empowers a person but also opens a variety of opportunities that are required in order to abolish poverty in particular. Most of the countries that have been reported as having very low literacy rate are also among the poorest in the world. A majority of people living in less developed nations hardly eat three square meals per day, and are not given the proper condition to go to school and get educated. At the same time, social inequality may be the primary cause of illiteracy likewise poverty. Nations such as Pakistan and Nigeria have alarmingly high illiteracy

6 rate among women, and the social atmosphere keeps women from various social activities. Women in those nations generally receive less chance to get education, as their status are relegated to secondary priority. It is important for us more than ever to recognize that education is a basic human right and must be given equally to everyone. The literacy gap nowadays proves that there exist people whose basic human rights are not being guaranteed, and in this status quo, the matter of alleviating the literacy gap is continuously being mentioned with its significance. i) Definition of key terms Literacy Literacy, an antonym of illiteracy, is frequently understood as the ability to read or write. This term refers to basic education, which allows people to have basic knowledge including especially interpretation skills. Less developed Countries / More developed Countries A less developed country or underdeveloped country, also called a third world country, a nation with a less developed industrial base, and a low Human Development Index (HDI) relative to other countries. On the other hand, a more developed country is a nation with more developed industrial base, possessing enough resources or finances than developing nations.

7 ii) Urgency & importance of this agenda The literacy gap is a problem worldwide which has been hard to eliminate, and is extremely more severe in the developing countries. Illiteracy has high possibility of danger, as the illiterate suffers from disadvantages such as not being able to read trademarks of medical supplies or bank statements, not being able to sign up for an employment too. This matter also leads to scarce of information, which declines the nutrition and sanitary levels. Most of all, as we are living in a information-oriented society, the lack of literacy represents the minority. It is believed to be urgent for us to focus more on this issue because of increasing poverty and its vicious cycle related to less education. III. Status Quo Due to the quantum leap in information and communications industry, lately, the percentage of adults with basic literacy worldwide reached up to 86%. Yet globally, 758 million adults today still remain illiterate, lacking basic literacy, and 250 million children are failing to acquire basic literacy skills. 1 This number is a decrease compared to 775 million adults illiterate in However, the reducing is not fast enough plus the literacy gap between more developed countries and less developed countries still remains unsolved. In 2015, Southern Asia 1 project literacy annual report 2016

8 accounted for more than half of all illiterate adults, and sub-saharan Africa for more than one-quarter. The two regions were home to more than 90 per cent of illiterate young people in the world. 2This results in an exclusion of low-literate and low-skilled youth and adults from full participation in their communities and societies. 3 Therefore, the essence of the general effort for worldwide literacy seems to be transposing into dealing with the reducing of illiteracy rate in less developed countries rather than more developed countries. Organizations are at the forefront of efforts to alleviate literacy gap between more developed countries and less developed countries, founding projects, institutes and taking approaches to promote literacy worldwide, via international attention and cooperation. Currently, the global society seems to be aware of the urgency and importance of reducing the gap. UNESCO has emphasized on the necessity of handling the problem due to literacy being an integral part of lifelong learning and a key step to mutual development worldwide, specifically the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. 4 September 8 is International Literacy Day. In 2016, the celebration of the 50 th anniversary of the International Literacy Day took place, with its annual event, UNESCO International Literacy Prizes Awards Ceremony

9 IV. History Since 1950, the adult literacy rate worldwide has increased by 5 percentage points every decade on average, from 55.7 per cent in 1950 to 86.2 per cent in Decades of universal education policies, literacy interventions and the spread of print material and information and communications technology took place. However, unlike the increase of the percentage in literacy, the absolute number of illiterate persons increased worldwide. Fortunately, the number displayed decrease to 745 million lately in 2015, but still it remains higher than in In 1965, the World Conference of Ministers of Education was held in Tehran for the theme of eradication of illiteracy. UNESCO has been at the forefront of global literacy efforts since To highlight the importance of literacy, the International Literacy Day was declared on November 17, Global movements, such as Project Literacy, were founded and are active worldwide. V. Stance of involved nations/organizations - nations Afghanistan As a representative nation of gender inequality, the literacy rate also suggests that there exists much gender difference in this nation. Even its total literacy rate is particularly low, 5 Published in 2017 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization 7, place de Fontenoy, Paris 07 SP, France ISBN: Reading the past, writing the future Fifty years of promoting literacy

10 and Afghanistan s social atmosphere hardly allows people to get proper education. Being also a less developed country, its education status is very low because of less interest, as the whole society is in extreme poverty. Therefore more effort seems to be required, starting from providing with basic needs to proper education. Russian Federation/ Finland On the other hand, high education standards are seen in some countries, literacy rate reaching almost 100%. These government have been proceeding numerous projects, for example providing free schooling up to the secondary level of education. These highliterate nations also possess higher percentage of its GDP spent on education, and at least some amount of the budgets is being allotted for the education sector. From these nations where literacy rates are the highest, we can see that public instruction policies and the emphasizing of educational spending within government budgets can contribute to increasing a population s knowledge base.

11 Countries with The Lowest Literacy Rates In The World - organizations WLF( World Literacy Foundation) WLF was founded to help eradicate the illiterate statistic through the promotion of literacy and education, and the provision of learning resources and teaching materials. Since its establishment in 2003, the World Literacy Foundation has steadily dedicated its resources to advocate for better international literacy standards, and sets providing free access to quality education materials and innovating solutions that target wide-scale illiteracy as its main goal. UNESCO (The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization)

12 UNESCO has been at the lead of global literacy efforts since 1946, improving the vision of a literate world for all. It views acquiring and improving literacy skills throughout life as an essential part of the right to education. UNICEF (The United Nations Children's Fund) The United Nations Children's Fund promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child in 190 countries and territories, focused on reaching those in greatest need. As the status quo suggests a majority of children do not get better opportunities to go to school or get education, and rather encouraged to be responsible of the family s survival, it is this organizations role to help advocate those children to get affordable education. VI. Future Outlook If the nation is in higher level of per capita income, generally it provides with more education. Globally, continuous development in education or communication is proceeded to cover the literacy gap between LEDCs (Less economically developed countries) and MEDCs (More economically developed countries). Yet, on the other hand, as the E-learning method has propagated rapidly in recent years, the developed nations reach the goal of affluent education faster than developing nations, some of whom are not available in even access of the Internet, aggravating the gap more than before. Thus, it is sincerely suggested that the global society urgently take action to think of methods to alleviate the literacy gaps.

13 VII. Possible Solutions Methods to eliminate poverty (Providing the basic necessaries) It has been suggested that poverty is the primary cause of illiteracy. However hard the nation tries to educate the citizens, if they do not have the basic needs of life, they would not care of receiving education, as their top priority becomes survival. Financial aids of developing nations or such organizations may help them satisfy their basic needs, as to reconsider education as one of their top priorities. Before just alleging that education is needed, it is imperative to first provide them with their elementary needs to live. Mechanism of effective education Education of literacy in the current status quo may be considered just as a short-term solution, but as the term education lasts for a long time, the ways of giving effective education should be discussed profoundly as well as other possible solutions. As the future outlook of literacy shows us that the education using Internet is increasing, there are a lot of components that are ought to be considered in thinking of education methods. Raising public awareness Waking the world society s awareness might be one of the most effective ways to prevent the increasing number of illiteracy rate. Campaigns or advertisements around the world might lead a change of high-illiteracy rated nations, inculcating the necessity and

14 importance of getting educated. VIII. Conclusion Delegates must keep in mind that the committee s agenda is not limited to the overall reducing of illiteracy rate, but alleviating the literacy gap between more developed countries and less developed countries. Dealing with the polarization shall require far more complex measures than dealing with the number. There are countless factors responsible for the remaining literacy gap between nations. There may be gender issues, financial issues, or religious issues, etc. Through the conference, the delegates would cover the agenda by approaching from variety of perspectives, actively debating and sharing opinions for an applicable solution to the status quo. Moreover, alleviating the literacy gap is an international quest. All nations are obliged to be concerned and be alarmed for seeking a practical solution, urging for a healthy and a sustainable international society. IX. Questions to consider Countless efforts have been acted out to solve the literacy gap between nations, yet the literacy gap still remains at a considerable rate. Here are few questions that the delegates should consider and keep in mind to make national stances and resolutions throughout the UNESCO conference. * Considering that indigence is one of the highest factors hindering the opportunity of

15 education, what can be the short term solution? * Within less developed countries, women are less likely to get equal opportunity to be educated compared to men, due to religious or cultural reason. What can be the long term solution to handle such issue? * If financial support is necessary, and the conference does arrive to such conclusion, from which source will the financial support come from? * What is the most efficient way to provide everyone the opportunity to be educated? * Some less developed countries are currently in extreme situations; for them, education cannot be considered as priority. ( war events, poverty, etc. ) Then, is international society also responsible to handle every other problems ongoing in nations that hinder citizens from learning?

16 Agenda 2: Ways to protect cultural heritage from destruction in the process of country development I. Committee Introduction The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, also known as UNESCO, is responsible for coordinating international cooperation in education, science, culture and communication. It strengthens the ties between nations and societies, and mobilizes the wider public so that each child and citizen: has access to quality education; a basic human right and an indispensable prerequisite for sustainable development; may grow and live in a cultural environment rich in diversity and dialogue, where heritage serves as a bridge between generations and peoples; can fully benefit from scientific advances; and can enjoy full freedom of expression; the basis of democracy, development and human dignity. UNESCO implements its activities through the five areas: education, natural sciences, social and human sciences, culture, and communication and information. Projects sponsored by UNESCO include literacy, technical, and teacher-training programs, international science programs, the promotion of independent media and freedom of the press, regional and cultural history projects, the promotion of cultural diversity, translations of world literature, international cooperation agreements on secure the world cultural and natural heritage (World Heritage Sites) and to preserve human rights,

17 and attempts to bridge the worldwide digital divide. It is also a member of the United Nations Development Group. UNESCO's messages are of increasing importance today, in a globalized world where interconnections and diversity must serve as opportunities to build peace in the minds of men and women. II. Agenda Introduction Throughout flourishing and perishing of human civilizations worldwide, numerous cultural heritage of immeasurable value is existing all over the world. Cultural heritage varies in form, some may be famous, some may be out of the world s interest. Tangible cultural heritage which are out of the world s interest, many are facing the risk of being destroyed due to the development business taking place where the cultural heritages are located. The problem is no different for intangible cultural heritage, since development of the country and the change of industry is threatening for the maintenance of intangible cultural heritage. International society is aware of the urgency to prevent the destruction of cultural heritage. However, conflict sparks when the subject of the development sets the interest earned via the process of development prior to conserving of the cultural heritage. Ill-considered criticism is inadequate, yet international cooperation seems necessary to find a measure considerate enough to effectively prevent the damage of cultural heritages, without severe infringe of national sovereignty or rights.

18 i) Definition of key terms Cultural heritage According to UNESCO, the term cultural heritage covers various categories, such as tangible cultural heritage (which includes movable cultural heritage, immovable cultural heritage, underwater cultural heritage) and intangible cultural heritage. Movable cultural heritage refers to paintings, sculptures, coins, manuscripts. Immovable cultural heritage refers to monuments, archaeological sites, and so on. Underwater cultural heritage refers to shipwrecks, underwater ruins and cities. 6 country development Country development may refer to any private or public business taking place in the borders of the country, contributing to the promotion of the country s economic standard, basic quality of life, etc. In this agenda, the conference shall focus on specifically developments that have an influence on the exploitation of cultural heritage. ii) Urgency & importance of this agenda Humanity is responsible for maintaining the previous generations spiritual value and transmitting it to the future generations. Cultural heritage represents humankind s history, societal development, and scientific progress. However, approximately over 200 are in 6 cultural-heritage-laws/frequently-asked-questions/definition-of-the-cultural-heritage/#toppage

19 danger of loss and damage. Fewer than 80 are recognized as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Protecting cultural heritage from destruction is a highly urgent and at the same time, sensitive matter. Plummeting international and domestic mass tourism is one of the most destructive forces. However, since mass tourism is a huge source of economic interest in many societies, it occurs a rising conflict. Protecting cultural heritage from destruction in the process of country development is a conflict of interest and matter of values. 7 III. Status Quo The interest in the world s heritage is steadily increasing. Nevertheless, these cultural and heritage resources are nowadays facing major challenges referring to human development. In the face of this alarming situation, concern for the protection of these heritage sites has become more widespread and heritage-related issues have become more complex. Heritage, tangible or intangible, contribute largely to the identity and quality of life of a people. Therefore, it seems to be important for us to take it matters. IV. History 7 Saving Our Vanishing Heritage: Safeguarding Endangered Cultural Heritage Sites in the Developing World Global Heritage Fund Palo Alto, California USA

20 The World Heritage was first built in 1960 when Egypt built the Aswan High Dam. When the dam was finished, the remains of the Nubian site in the submerged area of the dam were meant to be threatened. It appealed to international support to protect the remains of the Nubian site, and 60 countries responded to the Archaeological Site of the Nubian site, providing archaeological research, excavation and technological support. This event prompted a movement to preserve cultural and natural heritage. Eventually, on November 16, 1972, the Convention on Conservation of Nature and Natural Heritage of Natural Heritage was carried out on UNESCO conference. The treaty officially took effect in 1975 after the United States ratified it in Twelve natural and cultural heritages in the United States were first listed on the World Heritage List, including Yellowstone National Park and Ecuador's Galapagos Islands. V. Stance of involved nations/organizations -Nations United States of America (USA) As a highly developed country, United States is having its federal government to keep an official list of districts, sites, buildings, etc, deemed worthy of preservation, called The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). More specifically, the nation s protection system includes tax incentives

21 China China has a long history, which through centuries big and small dynasties perished and flourished. China is proud of its rich culture, tradition and history. Therefore, NGOs such as Beijing Cultural Heritage Protection Center (CHP), is active inside the country for preserving the cultural heritage. NGOs acclaim that though the government surely has laws and policies in the field of cultural heritage protection, and are generally wellconceived, they are often misunderstood and poorly implemented. 9 Japan For the past 150 years, Japan went through a rapid modernization, and during the process, conservation of cultural heritage was marginalized. Yet, in recent years, Japan s society and economy matured, seeking for non-material satisfaction among the society. Therefore, the cultural heritage protection system has been established and has evolved to meet the socio-economic changes. Russian Federation In 2010, Russian Federation have established the Preservation and Promotion of Cultural Heritage Project. The mission of the project is to support the conservation, safekeeping and promotion of cultural heritage assets and to strengthen regional capacity for cultural heritage management so it supports the socio-economic development of the participating 9

22 oblasts. 10 France In 2015, French President Francois Hollande have reiterated the urgent need to safeguard cultural heritage of Iraq and Syria. President Hollande commended UNESCO s efforts to defend cultural heritage, and promised France s unswerving support. We stand together the President said. We are all concerned when works that are the heritage of humanity are destroyed. 11 -Organization UNESCO (The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) UNESCO is under the mission of seeking to encourage the identification, protection and preservation of cultural heritage around the world considered to be of outstanding value to humanity. UNESCO has adopted an international treaty called the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage in UNSC (The United Nation Security Council) UN Security Council (UNSC) adopted the resolution 2199 in 2015, explicitly recognizing the link between illicit traffic and security, outlawing all trade on cultural gods from Iraq 10 Promotion-of-Cultural-Heritage-Project 11

23 and Syria and requested that UNESCO coordinate efforts in this domain with Interpol. 12 GHF (Global Heritage Fund) Global Heritage Fund (GHF) is an international conservancy, with the mission to protect, preserve, and sustain the most significant and endangered cultural heritage sites in the developing world. GHF has launched Global Heritage Network (GHN) in 2010, monitoring system using state-of-the-art satellite imaging technology, to VI. Future Outlook Many nations are aware of the urgency and importance of protecting cultural heritage from destruction in the process of country development. Yet, future society is thought to have no less rapid growth in economy, population, and industry. For instance, economic growth may result in more resource extraction, and subjects of extraction may be less considerate of identifying heritage assets which are all too often identified late after being damaged or destroyed. Thus the growing mass tourism industry is predicted to be specialized as a sole industry among certain nations as the main source of income and national growth. This may lead to exploitation of cultural heritage sites. Nationally, various NGOs are active within nations, monitoring the rules and political methods regarding protection of cultural heritage, but cannot solely handle the issue 12

24 without governmental funding or international support. VII. Possible Solutions The protection of cultural heritage from destruction in the process of country development can be dealt via not only national effort but international attention and hands of help. Such as Global Heritage Network (GHN) launched by Global Heritage Fund (GHF) in 2010, a monitoring system can be helpful for the nation to keep track with cultural heritage within their nations borders. This Network may not be limited to national level international funding for a worldwide monitoring system can also be an effective start for further specifying of practical measures, both short term and long term. Firstly, a short term solution may focus a bit more on providing an alternative method of country development, a method practical without damaging cultural heritage. Short-term solutions are likely to start off from dealing with urgent matters, such as damaging that is currently occurring. Secondly, a long term solution may approach from enhancing the general awareness of people towards the cultural heritage, highlighting the urgency and necessity of protecting the cultural heritage despite hindering national developments. VIII. Conclusion As most nations agree on the point that the cultural heritage should be conserved

25 worldwide, conflicts of whether the conservation of heritages is important will not be expected during the conference. Delegates are rather recommended to discuss the protection from artificial development, as there are increasing endangered heritages these days. It is up to the nations to decide which solution would be most feasible for the effective protection of cultural heritage also regarding the country development. Considering the situation of endangered heritages and the level each nations support would be significant. It is also imperative to which extent the country development should be progressed without damaging cultural heritage, because arguments vary. In addition, how the solution can affect other nations, and the effects the solutions may bring in the long / short term must be considered. IX. Questions to consider The protection of cultural heritage is a crucial problem to be solved during the century, and more effort is needed to find substantial answers. These are some critical questions regarding this agenda, and for fluent debates, members of UNESCO are strongly recommended to think over these items prior to the conference. Please note that these are basic ideas and it is up to the delegates to develop specific measures * To which extent country development should be progressed in the current situation, regarding that there shouldn t be more cultural heritage destruction? * There exists problem solely in the conservation policy itself as one of the cause of

26 heritage damage, not having considered the influence of nation development. What are the most effective ways to protect and conserve the cultural heritage? (mobilizing artificial techniques vs. conserve naturally not using other scientific methods..ect) * Which value should be top prioritized? (The cultural heritage and identity vs. country s economic development) * Growing mass tourism industry is considered to be a sole industry among nations as the primary source of development, but at the same time, this leads to exploitation of heritage sites. What can be the proper standard or extent of tourism industry, also under the condition of protecting cultural heritage? * How can we alert the international community to focus on heritage issues? (solution of education Delegates should be reminded that there can be both short and long term solutions) * What can be substituted, or be an alternative method in nation development instead of the current projects that negatively influence the heritage sites? X. Bibliography

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