UNESCO Endorses the Imagine Cup
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) is the UN agency
responsible for the promotion of international cooperation in the fields of education, science, culture and communication. UNESCO functions as a laboratory of ideas and standard setter to forge universal agreements on emerging ethical issues, and also serves as a clearinghouse for the dissemination and sharing of information and knowledge, while helping member states to build their human and institutional capacities.
UNESCO is pleased to officially endorse the Imagine Cup, the world’s premier student technology competition run by Microsoft. For UNESCO, with its unique mandate to promote international cooperation in the fields of education, science, culture and communication, the Imagine Cup provides a creative forum that encourages young people to apply their imagination to technology.
“With its unique mandate to promote the free flow of ideas and knowledge, UNESCO fully endorses the principles and the purpose of the Imagine Cup as a great initiative to engage and enthuse young technologists in the pursuit of excellence and innovation in technology,” said Abdul Waheed Khan, Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information, UNESCO. “The Imagine Cup is truly a global contest of software creation, capturing not only the spirit of competition, but also the broader goal of tackling development challenges through innovation. We recognize the importance of developing ICT expertise among young people throughout the world. By challenging students to develop working solutions to development challenges, the Imagine Cup allows new ideas and new economic opportunities to flourish.”
Millennium Development Goals
UNESCO is working to create the conditions for genuine dialogue based upon respect for shared values and the dignity of each civilization and culture. This role is critical, particularly in the face of terrorism, which constitutes an attack against humanity. The world urgently requires global visions of sustainable development based upon observance of human rights, mutual respect and the alleviation of poverty, all of which lie at the heart of UNESCO’s mission and activities.
Through its strategies and activities, UNESCO is actively pursuing the Millennium Development Goals, especially those aiming to:
- Halve the proportion of people living in extreme poverty in developing countries by 2015
- Achieve universal primary education in all countries by 2015
- Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education by 2005
- Help countries implement a national strategy for sustainable development by 2005 to reverse current trends in the loss of environmental resources by 2015.
Contributing to partnerships for development is a core part of corporate citizenship and an integral part of conducting responsible business. In November 2004, Koichiro Matsuura, Director General of UNESCO, and Bill Gates signed a global cooperation agreement on behalf of UNESCO and Microsoft.
The partnership focuses on assessing how information and communications technologies (ICTs) can be used positively to reduce poverty and seeks to develop joint programmes to address the digital divide and enrich educational curricula. The partnership with UNESCO is executed in collaboration with other educational and private partners in support of the common goal of promoting socio-economic development around the world.
Today, UNESCO functions as a laboratory of ideas and a standard-setter to forge universal agreements on emerging ethical issues. The Organization also serves as a clearinghouse – for the dissemination and sharing of information and knowledge – while helping Member States to build their human and institutional capacities in diverse fields. In short, UNESCO promotes international co-operation among its 192 Member States and six Associate Members in the fields of education, science, culture and communication.