Foreword
 

Dear colleagues and friends in Asia and the Pacific, and across the world,

The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic has affected us all. We are all concerned that this global health emergency is already having major impacts on economies, on livelihoods, on our children education and our well-being.

Most governments around the world have temporarily closed educational institutions in an attempt to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. UNESCO Jakarta office has managed to implement our programmes and activities through electronic means.

During the closure of schools in Jakarta, our office through Learning for Empathy Project has actively supported embedding of empathy learning into learning material to help teachers strengthen students resilience to discriminatory narratives and create caring attitudes which also needed during the #COVID19 pandemic.

To commemorate the World Water Day, UNESCO Jakarta and young climate journalists organized a series of online events including webinar with the objective of strengthening the capacity of Indonesian youth leaders for effective communication using visual media. With leadership of ADG/SC Dr Mme Shamila Nair-Bedouelle we actively engaged with U-INSPIRE Alliance to bring together Asia and the Pacific Youth and Young Professionals for scoping actions on DRR for COVID-19 on May 15.

On May 19, our office organized a webinar with UNESCO AP Science Family on COVID-19 with support from Japanese Funds-in-Trust (JFIT) and Malaysia Funds-in-Trust (MFIT). The event attracted more than 1600 regional stakeholders and managed to reach out to more than 7000 viewers through online streaming. This webinar was a special event in the series of regional coordination meetings - “Science to Enable and Empower Asia Pacific for SDGs (SEE-AP)” which have been serving as a platform to promote inter-disciplinary discussion and collaboration for peace and sustainable development. The experts from across UNESCO’s regional science networks made recommendations for a Statement of Action through an animated, interactive and constructive discussions.

The COVID-19 is posing great challenges to disaster management agencies and humanitarian activists. What if this pandemic condition is worsened by other disasters especially caused by natural hazards that can happen any time The Indian Ocean Tsunami Information Center of UNESCO-IOC in UNESCO Jakarta in collaboration with several Indonesian government agencies published a leaflet in Bahasa Indonesia titled “Guide for Tsunami Evacuation during COVID-19” for Local Disaster Management Agencies (BPBD).

In this issue, we also would like to share the story of how the members of the Youth and Sport Task Force are helping communities cope with the COVID 19 related challenges. We also would like to share how our office celebrate the World Press Freedom Day by organizing "Journalism without Fear of Favour" Design Competition. Our office also relaunches the masterclasses on UNESCO Global Geoparks, MAB programme and a series of virtual WhatsApp classes with UNESCO and World Heritage site managers.

We are delighted to share more news and publications in this first edition of 2020 newsletter.

#StaySafe&Healthy
 
Shahbaz Khan

Director and Representative

 

Teachers' Guidebook for Learning for Empathy

 

UNESCO Office Jakarta through Learning for Empathy Project try to embed empathy learning into learning material to help teacher strengthen students resilience to discriminatory narratives and create caring attitudes which also needed during the #COVID19 pandemic.

For all, especially teachers, please check link for “Teachers’ Guidebook for Learning for Empathy”.
#BelajarPeduli

 

Science to Enable and Empower Asia Pacific for COVID 19 response a special webinar, was held by UNESCO Jakarta Office supported by Japanese Funds-in-Trust (JFIT) and Malaysia Funds-in-Trust (MFIT) on Tuesday, 19 May 2020, via video conferencing, in order to take stock of the impact of the pandemic on UNESCO’s regional science networks, and to discuss on how respond to the challenges. Attendees included SEE-AP alumni, UNESCO Headquarter, UNESCO Field Offices, Category II Centres and Chairs, and stakeholders from extended regional science networks. Registered participants were 1,627 from across 24 countries.

The main output of the webinar is the Asia Pacific Statement of Action by the UNESCO Science Family in Asia and the Pacific in Response to COVID-19 Challenges. 
 

Click here to read more

 

 

 

On Friday 15 May 2020, a webinar on Youth and Young Professionals engagement on COVID-19 brought together 186 participants to learn of practical experience and good practices of 12 Youth and Young Professionals in Asia and the Pacific in addressing the global disaster of COVID-19.  The Regional Science Bureau for Asia and The Pacific, UNESCO Office Jakarta, jointly with the U-INSPIRE Alliance organized the webinar.
 

The main output of the webinar is the statements that reaffirms UNESCO and U-INSPIRE Alliance will continue collaborate on SETI for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR)

Click here to read more

 

“We know that by 2050, more than half of the world’s population could live in the regions subject to water stress due to the acceleration of global warming.” said Ms Audrey Azoulay, the Director-General of UNESCO, in a video message on the occasion of the launch of World Water Development Report 2020.

To launch the report in Indonesia, UNESCO Jakarta and Climate Tracker organized a series of events culminating on 24 April 2020, contributing to SDG #6 (Clean water and sanitation) and #13 (Climate action). All activities were organized entirely online in recognition of the importance of respecting and promoting national and local measures to limit the spread of COVID-19 (with national campaign of #dirumahaja – stay at home).

Coming from different backgrounds - university, government, youth activism, and social media communication - the panellists discussed water and climate change in the Indonesian context, current policy, youth engagement, and water stewardship.

The webinar concluded with a screening of ten short videos, representing the best entries into UNESCO and Climate Tracker’s online film-making and social media messaging campaign and competition.

With the objective of strengthening the capacity of Indonesian youth leaders for effective communication using visual media, UNESCO and Climate Tracker received a total of 76 short videos – and provided online training on basic knowledge of climate change, water issues, social media content strategy as well as communication skills in promoting climate change actions in Indonesia.

Out of ten finalist videos, three outstanding examples were chosen and announced as the first, second and third prize winners – congratulations to all participants, and to the three winning entries, available here:

Click here to read more

 

E-learning Courses Platform

 

The Corona Virus Pandemic (COVID-19) already overwhelms disaster management agencies and humanitarian activists. What if this COVID-19 crisis condition is worsened by other disasters especially caused by natural hazards that can happen any time, such as earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, volcanic eruptions, and other natural phenomenons.

The Indian Ocean Tsunami Information Center of UNESCO-IOC in UNESCO Office Jakarta in collaboration with the National Agency for Disaster Management (BNPB), The Agency for Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics (BMKG), the Institute for Technology Bandung (ITB), the Indonesian Association of Tsunami Experts (IATsI) and the Youth and Young Professionals in SETI for DRR (U-INSPIRE) published a leaflet in Bahasa Indonesia titled “Guide for Tsunami Evacuation during COVID-19” for Local Disaster Management Agencies (BPBD).

The guide provides information about the tsunami's early warning to be issued in case of tsunami emergency, preparedness for tsunami evacuation that need to be organized by the local disaster management agencies with this COVID-19 situation, and guide how to evacuate the people during tsunami emergency based on their exposure to COVID-19.

Download the leaflet (English) (Indonesian )

 

Around the world, UNESCO-designated sites – World Heritage sites, Biosphere Reserves and UNESCO Global Geoparks – protect and manage the world’s most special places. The COVID-19 pandemic affects people, wildlife and their environment in different ways.

The Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park – a natural World Heritage site – is located in the Sulu Sea in the Philippines. It protects an area of almost 100,000 hectares of high quality marine habitats containing three atolls and a large area of deep sea. The property is home to a great diversity of marine life. Its ecosystems support over 350 species of coral and almost 500 species of fish. Amid the pandemic of COVID-19, the park has been closed since the beginning of March 2020 which cutting off one of the revenues of the park. Nevertheless, marine park rangers are still continuing the safeguarding of the park.

Click here to watch the video
Credit: FB Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park @tubbatahareefsnp

How UNESCO Youth and Sport Task Force cope with COVID-19 in Southeast Asia

The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic affected us all. We are concerned that this global health emergency is already having negative impact on economies, on livelihoods and our wellbeing. Without much warning, we are finding ourselves engaged in the common fight against this new challenge.

While we are locking ourselves down and self-isolating to defeat the virus, we declare our resolve to use the spirit of sport: friendship, solidarity, empathy for others, cooperation, and the mutual respect to overcoming this challenge, together.  We, the members of UNESCO’s Youth and Sport Task Force, are actively supporting each other, as well as our communities, in using the power of sport to heal, to come together, to promote mental health, and to maintain physical welllbeing.

The Youth and Sport Task Force represent creative, passionate and innovative young leaders across Asia and the Pacific who use sport as a tool for positive social change in their communities. These young leaders and activists are using sport to make a difference: to empower young women and girls, to promote tolerance, to counter extremism, to reach out to the vulnerable and marginalized, to educate about the environment, to promote the values of respect, empathy, and fairness.

To see how the members of the Youth and Sport Task Force are helping communities cope with the COVID 19 related challenges, check out the following story of Yik Wan Chee (Rico)

Click here to read more
 

Mr Muhammad Nanda Subkhi, the winning design of World Press Freedom Day 2020

The artwork by a young designer that depicts the working condition of journalists during the COVID-19 was selected as the winner of a regional design competition to celebrate the World Press Freedom Day that falls on 3 May 2020.

The UNESCO Office in Jakarta organized the competition calling on designers to illustrate the global theme of the Day which is “Journalism without Fear or Favour” to help raise awareness of the importance of journalism and to show appreciation to journalists who risk their lives in carrying out their duties.

“Journalists and media workers must have protection when carrying out their task of spreading the truth” said the winner of the competition Mr Muhammad Nanda Subkhi when asked about the inspiration for his design. He is currently a communication and broadcasting student as well as a freelance designer based in East Java, Indonesia. Three other designs from Hanna Khairunnisa, Arif Priyono, and John Luwie Pascual received an honourable mention for their excellent submissions.

Click here to read more

Survey on the State of Journalism and Mass Communication Education in Preparing Future Journalists to Counter Misinformation and Disinformation in Southeast Asia

 

Developments in the last few years have placed journalism under fire. Political, technological, economic and social transformations are inexorably reshaping the communications landscape and raising many questions about the quality, impact and credibility of journalism. In addition, the information ecology is being contaminated by orchestrated campaigns to spread untruths via disinformation. This disruption is accompanied by manipulation of half-truths via mal-information, and by the unwitting sharing of misinformation. The situation is both a challenge and opportunity for the field of journalism and mass communication.
 
UNESCO as the United Nations specialized agency with the mandate to promote freedom of expression and its corollary freedom of the press has a long-standing commitment to support quality journalism around the world through policy-advice, awareness raising, capacity building, and research.  Through the UNESCO Office in Jakarta and Bangkok, UNESCO is conducting a survey to better understand the state of journalism and mass communication education in preparing future journalists to counter misinformation and disinformation in Southeast Asia.

Deadline for submission: Friday, 15 May 2020
Click here to read more


 

UNESCO and Five World Heritage Sites in Indonesia Go Live to Celebrate World Heritage Day 2020

COVID-19 does not deter the heritage site managers of Indonesia to celebrate the World Heritage Day.  Under home confinement, the site manager of five World Cultural Heritage Sites– Borobudur, Prambanan, Sangiran, Bali Province, and Ombilin Coal Mine of Sawahlunto – took turn to deliver online public lectures between 18 and 22 April 2020 on the Outstanding Universal Value of their respective sites and the challenges in managing it.  

Considering limited internet connection in small towns, the initiative was delivered through WhatsApp.  Shortly after the classes had been announced on social media, the registration of participant reached its full quota just in a few hours.   

Each session had 200 participants in average from 27 provinces of Indonesia as well as Indonesians living abroad with various profile including students, lecturers and teachers, heritage experts and activists, media, entrepreneurs, tour guides and many more.   

Click here to read more

Tools to Promote Disability-Inclusive COVID-19 Response
Watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3iJN1TjCQY
Download the publication here

Buku Panduan Guru Belajar Empati
 

Guide on Tsunami Evacuation during COVID-19
Panduan Langkah Evakuasi Darurat Peringatan Dini Tsunami dalam Situasi COVID-19



Science to Enable and Empower Asia Pacific for SDGs 2 (SEE-AP 2)