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Abstract:
In the field of education our focus has been on the collaboration with other UN, as well as related, agencies to work in the most deprived and underdeveloped areas of Nepal. In some of these remote areas literacy rates amongst women are as low as 5% (compared to a combined rate in the Kathmandu Valley of over 90%). Likewise, life expectancy in these remote areas can be as low as 36 years (compared to a national average of 55 years and an average in the Kathmandu Valley of 66 years). The challenges of working in the remote areas include long days of driving followed by hours or days of walking to project sites where even helicopters cannot always land or take-off. Advisory and monitoring visits must be undertaken even during the Monsoon when roads can be flooded or even washed away. This arduous work is worthwhile even though it is costly and time consuming. For these reasons our missions to the remote areas are listed towards the end of this report alongside the important international missions made and received.
One of the highlights of the year in the field of culture was the visit by the UNESCO High Level Mission concerning the Kathmandu Valley World Heritage Site and its possible inscription on the Heritage In Danger List. Our Office was able to arrange meetings for this Mission with both His Majesty the King and the Prime Minister. Following the World Heritage Committee's decision in Cairns, this Office has taken action to explain the nature of the "sword of Damocles" which now hangs over the World Heritage Site. The Nepalese authorities and interested organisations show signs of a new degree of motivation, and in this context we look forward to the forthcoming Campaign Review Committee in March 2001 as the occasion for a renewed commitment to the preservation of the heritage of the Kathmandu Valley.
Another important development concerns the most sacred site in the World for Buddhists - Lumbini. Thanks to the intervention of the UNESCO Representative, His Majesty's Government and the Japan Buddhist Federation (as major donor) have pledged to "restore" the Mayadevi Temple in conformity with the principles set out in the World Heritage Centre's Convention. A high level Technical Mission was received in April 2000, and a further international Scientific/Technical Meeting is being organised for April 2001 to prepare a draft design satisfactory to all interested parties.
Much of our activity in both education and culture is in this "invisible" area of advice and advocacy. A s such, it cannot always be described in terms of concrete projects, but it is no less important.
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Publisher:
UNESCO
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(2000)
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Type / Script:
Annual Report
in English
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Keywords:
EDUCATION, BASIC EDUCATION, RURAL AREAS, COMMUNITY LEARNING CENTRES, CULTURE, CAPACITY BUILDING, TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS, GIRLS TRAFFICKING, EDUCATIONAL REFORM, CULTURAL HERITAGE, CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT, AWARENESS, ARCHAEOLOGY, MONUMENTS, HISTORIC SITES, CUSTOMS, TRADITIONS, HISTORIC BUILDINGS, RELIGIOUS PLACES, CULTURAL PROPERTY PRESERVATION
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Thematic Group:
UNESCO
:
Educational, Scientific and Cultural
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Thesaurus:
15.02.00
- Protection Of Intellectual And Cultural Property
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