12 January

• Appointment of Ms Mireille Mathieu as Vice Rector of the Associative Life and Development of the Agence universitaire de la Francophonie
  The Rector of the Agence universitaire de la Francophonie, Mr. Bernard Cerquiglini, announced the appointment of Ms Mireille Mathieu as Vice Rector of the Associative Life and Development on Monday 7 December in Paris. Ms Mathieu will take the post up on 1 June 2010 and continue with her current functions as Vice Rector of International Relations at the University of Montreal.
  More information in French: http://www.auf.org/communication-information/actualites/vice-rectrice.html?var=lettre55%22

8 January

• Financial crisis threatens to set back education worldwide, UNESCO report warns
  The aftershock of the global financial crisis threatens to deprive millions of children in the world’s poorest countries of an education, warns the 2010 Education for All Global Monitoring Report. The Report, published by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), will be launched by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon and UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova on January 19 at UN Headquarters in New York.
  More information: http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=47195&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html

7 January

• Montenegro becomes the 35th country to participate in the Culture Programme
  A Memorandum of Understanding was signed this week by the Director General for DG Education and Culture, Mrs Odile Quintin and Montenegro's Ambassador to the EU, Ms Slavica Milacic, clearing the way for Montenegro to join European cultural cooperation in the framework of the Culture Programme 2007-2013.
  From 2010 onwards European operators can look forward to cooperating with Montenegrin partners, whose rich cultural heritage ensures ample opportunities for fruitful projects. The Culture Programme is the first of the Community programmes that Montenegro, gaining its independence in 2006, participates in. Montenegro becomes the third country from the Western Balkans to participate in the programme, followed by Croatia (joined in 2007) and Serbia (in 2008).
  More information: http://ec.europa.eu/culture/news/news2435_en.htm

• Commission welcomes Council's decision to designate 2011 as the European Year of Volunteering
  Today, the EU Council decided that 2011 will be designated the "European Year of Volunteering". The organisation of the Year had been proposed by the European Commission and received a positive opinion by the European Parliament. Welcoming the Council's decision, Mr Maroš Šefcovic, the Commissioner for Education, Training, Culture and Youth, said: ''Volunteering is a way for individuals to make a valuable contribution to society. At the EU level, volunteering promotes civic participation, social cohesion and provides learning opportunities for the volunteers as well as a multitude of benefits for society at large. I am pleased that our idea to have a European Year dedicated to promoting volunteering activities received such solid support from the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers."
  More information: http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/09/1836

5 January

• "The place of culture in tomorrow’s Europe" EUROMEDINCULTURE Citizenship project. Synthetic Document 2009
  With the aim of promoting a public discussion on the significance of the European Agenda for Culture, the EUROMEDINCULTURE Citizenship project has brought together 9 European partners, all of them members of the EUROMEDINCULTURE(s) network. The project, which has received support from the European Commission in the framework of the Europe for Citizens programme, has involved the realisation of 9 regional forums, gathering different audiences from several countries in order to express themselves on the main challenges of the Agenda. Simultaneously, a questionnaire was widely disseminated, then analysed by scientific experts in each participating country. This project has further opened itself to the Mediterranean area thanks to the Tunisian member of the EUROMEDINCULTURE(s) network who disseminated an Arabic version of the questionnaire and organized a local forum.
  More information: http://citoyennete.euromedinculture.org/index.php?lang=en

• 2010, International Year for the Rapprochement of Cultures - Already 300 project proposals
  The year 2010 will be celebrated as the International Year for the Rapprochement of Cultures (see Resolutions). The goal of the International Year consists in making the rapprochement of cultures the hallmark of all policy-making at local, national, regional and international levels, involving the greatest number of relevant stakeholders. Entrusted with the mandate to contribute to build "the defences of peace in the minds of men" thanks to international cooperation in the fields of its competence, namely through education, sciences, culture and communication, UNESCO is designated to play a leading role for the celebration of the Year within the United Nations system. In fact, over the years and indeed in the past decade, the Organization has gained special experience and has won recognition through its efforts to demonstrate the beneficial effects of cultural diversity highlighting the importance of borrowings, transfers and exchanges between cultures.
  More information: http://portal.unesco.org/culture/en/ev.php-URL_ID=39761&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html

18 December

• TOURISME AUTREMENT-Newsletter - December- Tourism and Climate
  Founded in October 2005 and privately funded, the non-profit organization was born out of the reflection made by its founders on the expansion of tourism, its “new” frantic consumption and on the damage that it brings to climate, environment, social and economic relations in the receiving countries, while having important financial repercussions, which are in their biggest part expatriated towards the tourism multinational companies of the emission country.
  More information in French: http://www.tourisme-autrement.be/

• (in French) Microprogramme de 1er cycle sur la diversité culturelle
  Ce microprogramme a pour objectif d'amener l'étudiant à développer une réflexion critique sur le rapport entre les cultures en situant cette rencontre dans le contexte actuel de la mobilité des personnes, des idées et des biens. Objectifs particuliers :
  • déterminer les problèmes soulevés par la rencontre de différentes cultures;
  • déterminer les réactions qu'une telle rencontre peut susciter et savoir y répondre;
  • développer un regard critique sur les solutions généralement proposées;
  • mieux apprécier la richesse dont sont porteuses les cultures contemporaines;
  • relativiser son propre cadre de référence sans perdre de vue les enjeux globaux qui affectent la vie citoyenne.

  More information in French: http://www.distance.ulaval.ca/fad/programmes/p0202kk.htm

16 December

• (in Italian) Sesto Rapporto Annuale Federculture
  La crisi economica sembra non aver lasciato indenne neanche il settore culturale. E’ quanto emerge dal sesto rapporto annuale di Federculture presentato martedì 15 dicembre presso il Museo Maxxi di Roma. Il turismo culturale dopo venticinque anni di continua crescita subisce per la prima volta nel 2009 una battuta d’arresto, e decresce contestualmente il numero di visitatori dei musei gestiti dallo Stato che fanno registrare un calo delle visite pari al 3,88%. Tra gennaio e aprile 2009 i turisti americani e russi sono diminuiti rispettivamente del 35% e del 30%, e gli scavi di Pompei, uno dei siti più visitati in Italia, hanno perso il 12% degli ingressi.
  More information: http://www.tafter.it/2009/12/16/sesto-rapporto-annuale-federculture/

Best Practices Manual for Work Abroad Programmes – learn more
The WYSE Work Abroad Association recently released its Best Practices for Volunteer Programmes, the latest section to its comprehensive Best Practices Manual for Work Abroad Programmes 2010. The manual, available to association members, provides a broad overview of the work experience and cultural exchange community and its many programmes such as volunteering, internships, work & travel, gap year and more. It features an in-depth look at best practices, marketing and media relations tips and programme development advice garnered from association members and leading industry experts. WETM-IAC Conference participants will have the opportunity to meet with the global trade association and its members to discover more about your industry and engage with like-minded professionals.
http://www.wyseworkabroad.org/

Construyendo autoridad moral desde las aulas. Reflexiones y propuestas para la acción
Alfredo Rojas Figueroa y Nora Lambrecht
ISBN: 978-956-322-014-8
El manual que se presenta a continuación fue elaborado con el aporte de numerosos
educadores. Parte de la base que, mediante el dominio de las competencias
comunicacionales que aquí se presentan, se contribuirá a fortalecer la autoridad moral
de los maestros y maestras de América Latina, en especial de los que atienden a grupos
o poblaciones vulnerables.
http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0018/001864/186447s.pdf

Diversidad Cultural e Interculturalidad en Educación Superior. Experiencias en América Latina
Daniel Mato, Coordinador
ISBN: 978-980-7175-00-5
La obra que a continuación presentamos ofrece un documentado y novedoso análisis sobre el tema, acompañado de más de treinta estudios sobre experiencias concretas que permiten apreciar la riqueza y vitalidad que este campo exhibe en América Latina, así como los problemas y desafíos que enfrenta. El libro es resultado de la labor del Proyecto Diversidad Cultural e Interculturalidad en Educación Superior en América Latina, y ha sido posible gracias a las contribuciones de más de cuarenta colaboradores de once países de la región.
http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0018/001838/183804s.pdf

Fuga de cerebros, movilidad académica,redes científicas - Perspectivas latinoamericanas
Sylvie Didou Aupetit y Etienne Gérard (eds.)
ISBN: 978-607-95013-8-9
En América Latina, la fuga de cerebros es una cuestión que aparece recurrentemente en la prensa. En la década pasada, despertó intereses más amplios y fue incluido en las agendas de investigación y política de las asociaciones universitarias, de las instancias gubernamentales encargadas de la educación superior o de la ciencia y de los organismos internacionales, tales la Organización para la Organización y El Desarrollo Económico (OCDE), el Banco Mundial y la UNESCO. Como consecuencia, en el plano intelectual, se ha vuelto objeto de artículos que exploran sus dimensiones específicas (su intensidad según las áreas disciplinarias o las profesiones, por ejemplo). En el plano social, ha propiciado, en los países de envío, la constitución de asociaciones de familiares de migrantes e inversiones de los propios migrantes en proyectos de desarrollo en sus lugares de origen.
http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0018/001864/186433s.pdf