The Arab World, Heritage and Civilization

Jun 10, 2014 | 'The Arab World, Heritage and Civilization' is a documentary produced in the framework of UNESCO's Arabia Plan, that provides an overview of the history of the rich Arab civilization.

A Slice of France, the Baguette Is Granted World Heritage Status

THE NEW YORK TIMES: More than six billion baguettes are sold every year in France. But the bread is under threat, with bakeries vanishing in rural areas.

President Emmanuel Macron of France described the baguette as “250 grams of magic and perfection in our daily lives.” | Eric Gaillard/Reuters
PARIS — It is more French than, perhaps, the Eiffel Tower or the Seine. It is carried home by millions each day under arms or strapped to the back of bicycles. It is the baguette, the bread that has set the pace for life in France for decades and has become an essential part of French identity.

On Wednesday, UNESCO, the United Nations heritage agency, named the baguette something worthy of humanity’s preservation, adding it to its exalted “intangible cultural heritage” list.

The decision captured more than the craft knowledge of making bread — it also honored a way of life that the thin crusty loaf has long symbolized and that recent economic upheavals have put under threat. UNESCO’s choice came as boulangeries in rural areas are vanishing, hammered by economic forces like the slow hollowing out of France’s villages, and as the economic crisis gripping Europe has pushed the baguette’s price higher than ever.

“It’s a good news in a complicated environment,” said Dominique Anract, the president of the National Federation of French Bakeries and Patisseries, who led the effort to get the baguette on the UNESCO heritage list. » | Catherine Porter and Constant Méheut | Wednesday, November 30, 2022

LIRE AUSSI CET ARTICLE EN FRANÇAIS À CE SUJET :

« L’inscription de la baguette au patrimoine de l’Unesco est une effroyable régression » : Auteur de nombreux ouvrages sur le pain, l’historien Steven Kaplan regrette que l’on célèbre un produit générique, déjà en perte de vitesse sur le territoire, créant selon lui une confusion entre des pains qui n’ont rien en commun. »

BBC News report on the story here.

UNESCO Reacts to US Withdrawal amid Accusations of 'Anti-Israel Bias'

Finland's First Female President on Women's Rights, Healthcare & Rise of Far Right in Europe

As we broadcast from UNESCO in Paris, we speak with Tarja Halonen, who was elected in 2000 as Finland’s first female president and served until 2012. Her election came about 100 years after Finland became the first European country where women were given the right to vote. In 2009, Forbes named Halonen among the 100 Most Powerful Women in the world. Since leaving office, she has become a prominent advocate for gender equality as well as transparency. She spoke today to mark the International Day for the Universal Access to Information, and we asked her about the country’s cost-effective healthcare system, which she says has given Finland "a lower infant mortality rate, better maternity care than the United States."

Intervention du président de la République lors de la 38e session de la Conférence générale de l'UNESCO

Intervention du président de la République lors... by elysee

ISIS Culturally Cleansing the Middle East: UNESCO Director

Islamic State has been systematic in its destruction of ancient archaeological sites, temples and artifacts. And though efforts are being made to protect priceless cultural property in Syria and Iraq, the destruction of human life presents an even greater problem. Can organizations such as UNESCO do enough to protect mankind's joint heritage and will it be obliged it to choose between human life and preservation of culture? Oksana is joined by Irina Bokova, the Director-General of UNESCO, to discuss these issues.