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Building safer, healthier and wealthier societies
around the globe is the main goal of the International Year of Planet Earth -
Earth science for Society - launched on 12 and 13 February at UNESCO
Headquarters in Paris.
The International Year of Planet Earth aims to ensure greater and more effective
use, by society, of the knowledge accumulated by the world's 400,000 Earth
scientists. It runs from January 2007 to December 2009, the central year of the
triennium (2008) having been proclaimed by the UN General Assembly as the UN
Year.
The UN sees the Year as a contribution to their sustainable development targets
as it promotes wise (sustainable) use of Earth materials and encourages better
planning and management to reduce risks for the world's inhabitants.
A joint initiative by UNESCO and the International Union of Geological Sciences
(IUGS), the Year also enjoys full political support of 191 UN countries.
The main activities revolve around Science and Outreach programmes. Funding for
projects in both programmes is sought from industry, Foundations and governments
worldwide. Both programmes essentially operate in a response, or ‘bottomup'
mode.
The Science Programme consists of 10 broad, societally relevant and
multidisciplinary themes: health, climate, groundwater, ocean, soils, deep
Earth, megacities, hazards, resources, and life.
Brochures on each of these themes are available in hard copy, and can be
downloaded from the
Year's website. Scientists from all countries of the world are invited to
submit Expressions of Interest (EoIs) dedicated to specific questions within
each theme.
For more information, visit the
UNESCO Portal or
Planet Earth - Earth, Sciences and Society.
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7th Khami World Heritage
International Youth Camp |
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Harare Cluster Office’s Culture sector hosted the
7th International Youth Volunteer Camp on the Restoration of the Khami World
Heritage Site from 14 June to 7 July 2007. See the Culture section.
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Malawi hosts Girls
Science Camp in Blantyre |
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The Ministry of Education in Malawi, in
partnership with the Malawi National Commission for UNESCO, is
organising the Girls Science Camp in Shire Highlands Division in
Blantyre from 24-29 July 2007 to improve girls’ participation in
science.
More.
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SIDA donates US$1 million to the Culture
Fund of Zimbabwe |
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SIDA has donated US$1 million to the Culture
Fund in Zimbabwe. Speaking at the launch of the Culture Fund, the
Swedish Ambassador, His Excellency, Sten Rylander, re-iterated his
long-term commitment to the growth and development of the arts in the
country.
More.
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