21 - 27 June 2001
Issue No.539
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 21 - 27 June 2001 Issue No.539 |
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Plain talk
I have a soft spot for UNESCO. Indeed it is more than just a soft spot. I am strongly attached to this noble international organisation. In a way I am what you might call one of the founding fathers of UNESCO.
The story goes back to November 1945 when a "Conference for the Establishment of an Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation of the United Nations" was held in London. This conference which was attended by 20 countries including Egypt, eventually came out with the UNESCO constitution.
The Egyptian delegation to that conference consisted of the late Ahmed Naguib Hashem, who was at the time director of the Egyptian Institute in London and myself, then secretary of the Institute. You can imagine my enthusiasm and pride at finding myself amidst such a bevy of leading world intellectuals headed by the great British scientist Julian Huxley who was to become UNESCO's first director-general.
In his speech Clement Atlee, then prime minister of Britain, declared the memorable words: "Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must be constructed." These words were used to begin the preamble of the UNESCO Constitution.
The preamble continues by stressing the dangers of ignorance. For ignorance of each other's ways and lives has been a common cause, throughout the history of mankind, of that suspicion and mistrust between the peoples of the world through which their differences have all too often broken into war.
The preamble proceeds to point out that "the wide diffusion of culture, and the education of humanity for justice and liberty and peace, are indispensable to the dignity of man and constitutes a sacred duty which all the nations must fulfil in a spirit of mutual assistance and concern." Finally it adds that UNESCO must "develop and increase the means of communication between the peoples for the purposes of mutual understanding and a truer and more perfect knowledge of their lives."
It is on this point that I wish to ponder. These means of communication are mainly in the form of a number of magazines covering all aspects of UNESCO's activities. The most important of these publications, the one which has carried the message of UNESCO for over 50 years, is The Courier. Translated into 28 languages it is considered the organisation's flagship and an intellectual window open to readers from all countries and cultures.
Apart from covering the activities of UNESCO, The Courier also includes "dossiers" about different issues of international cultural affairs. Special "dossiers" dealt with music, dance, languages, communication technologies, education, etc. These special issues are important references for the subjects they cover. I have often referred to these dossiers in this column.
Unfortunately, the newly elected Japanese director- general of UNESCO has proposed to stop the publication of The Courier for financial reasons.
The issue was raised in a recent meeting of the Executive Council of UNESCO where the discussion centred around proposals of the General Conference, the highest authority of this international organisation. These proposals authorise the director-general to undertake a number of steps, including, and here I quote:
"To continue to spread the ideals and messages of UNESCO through the UNESCO Courier and the magazine UNESCO Sources, and, in particular, to continue the renewal of The Courier so as to make it a tool for information and learning that will help to regain an audience of young readers and, in general terms, increase its circulation."
The overwhelming majority of delegates of the Executive Council was for the continuation of the Courier's publication. Yet the director-general strongly opposed their views saying "I am firmly convinced that the Courier has served its historical purpose."
Has, then, UNESCO served its historical purpose? The question is but an extension of the same view, and it is a question for the Japanese director- general to answer!
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