UNESCO Activities
In support of global efforts to bring the arts and culture into education, the Office of the UNESCO Regional Advisor for Culture in Asia and the Pacific convened two Arts Education symposia in the Asia region.
The first symposium, held in Hong Kong in January 2004, was titled "Measuring the Impact of Arts in Education".
One of the main recommendations of the Hong Kong meeting was that UNESCO act as an advocate for the reform of existing educational systems by establishing a region-wide network of clearing houses, or “Observatories”, at selected institutions throughout the region.
Following this recommendation, the Office of the UNESCO Regional Adviser for Culture in Asia and the Pacific produced a document titled “Asia-Pacific Action Plan” (PDF, 332KB) which describes a strategy to set up a series of Arts Education Observatories in the Asia-Pacific region.
Following on from the Hong Kong symposium, the Office of the UNESCO Regional Advisor for Culture in Asia and the Pacific, convened the "Transmissions and Transformations: Learning through the Arts in Asia" symposium in New Delhi in March 2005.
In November 2005, UNESCO, in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Korea and the Korean National Commission for UNESCO, convened the "Asia-Pacific Regional Conference in Preparation for the World Conference on Arts Education", in collaboration with the Korea Arts and Culture Service.
This Conference, which took place in Seoul, Republic of Korea, between 23 and 25 November 2005, sought to examine and analyze the current situation of Arts Education in the Asia-Pacific region, to share best practice case studies and to strengthen networks in the region.
The Seoul Confererence produced a set of Recommendations which were presented at the "World Conference on Arts Education" in Lisbon, Portugal in March 2006.
The "World Conference on Arts Education: Building Creative Capacities for the 21st Century” was convened between 6 and 9 March, 2006, by UNESCO and the Government of Portugal, in collaboration with a number of non-governmental arts education organizations.
This Conference was the culmination of a series of meetings held worldwide between 2002 and 2006. It brought together representatives of Ministries of Education and Culture, as well as arts educators, artists and experts in the arts and culture from around the world to discuss the future of Arts Education.The World Conference was a dynamic forum for discussion and established a strong basis for the exchange of ideas, practice and knowledge in the field of Arts Education. A key outcome of the conference was a draft document titled the “Road Map for Arts Education”.
This document is designed to promote a common understanding among all stakeholders of the importance of Arts Education and its essential role in improving the quality of education. The "Road Map for Arts Education" is meant to serve as an evolving reference document which outlines concrete changes and steps required to develop more strategic planning for implementing Arts Education in educational settings (formal and non-formal) and to establish a solid framework for future decisions and actions in this field.
Related links:
- UNESCO - Links to Education and Art (Lea International)
