UNESCO

Digital spaces should be safe for everyone. Yet, nearly half of the world’s women and girls, 1.8 billion globally, remain without any legal protection from digital violence. UNESCO works alongside governments, educators and digital platforms to strengthen protections, foster digital literacy and make online environments safer. By joining the #16Days campaign, we are redoubling efforts #ForAllWomenAndGirls to ensure that digital spaces are inclusive, accountable and free from violence. Learn more about our work: https://lnkd.in/eijRCQpG #NoExcuse #ACTtoEndViolence via UN Women

The 2025 UNESCO-Equatorial Guinea International Prize for Research in the Life Sciences has launched a new support program for young women scientists in Africa. This year, two outstanding researchers were selected as the fellowship recipients: 🔬Dr. Pearl Abu, Ph.D, whose research contributes to the development of protein and maize varieties that are tolerant to abiotic stresses. 🔬Dr. Tegwinde Rebeca Compaore, whose work advances precision diagnostic strategies specifically adapted to African contexts. These fellowships honour female researchers who stand out for their scientific rigor and relevance to the major challenges facing the African continent. Through the UNESCO-Equatorial Guinea fellowship programme, UNESCO reaffirms its commitment to inclusive, innovative science and the role of women in science. Learn more about their stories: https://lnkd.in/e8YS4RYj

In Benin, communities are revitalizing ancestral knowledge to protect the Ookpo Sacred Forest in Pobè and shape a more resilient future. Launched in 2019, the NGO ‘The Culture at the Heart of Development’ preserves the cultural and spiritual significance of the Ookpo Sacred Forest through conservation, education, ecotourism and digital engagement. The initiative blends traditional knowledge with modern environmental education to safeguard sacred natural heritage. Today, the site serves as a living classroom for schools, a research and innovation hub, and a vibrant space for sustainable tourism, cultural expression, and creative productions. This initiative is one of the 2025 laureates of the UNESCO-Japan Prize on Education for Sustainable Development. The Prize recognizes innovative, inclusive and transformative projects that empower learners and communities to advance sustainability. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/e5t7rY4C #Education #ESDPrize #GreeningEducation

Women and girls in sport face some of the highest levels of gender-based violence. Last week, athletes-advocates met at our HQ in Paris to shape UNESCO’s Global Policy Standards for Safe Sport — calling for survivors to be heard, believed, and supported. #16Days https://unes.co/03fi91 #NoExcuse Mhairi Maclennan Emma Thomas

Artificial intelligence is no longer a future challenge, it is a strategic priority for governments today. The AI and Digital Transformation in Government course, created by the Saïd Business School, University of Oxford in partnership with UNESCO, helps civil servants around the world build the skills needed to lead ethical, inclusive and effective digital transformation. 🌐 Free and fully online (English & Spanish) ➡️ Details and registration: https://lnkd.in/dXcKBAid

Aldabra: tackling one of the world’s most challenging cleanups. 🌍 After the Henderson expedition, Plastic Odyssey turned its attention to other UNESCO World Heritage Sites facing plastic pollution. Aldabra quickly stood out: hundreds of tons of waste scattered in tiny fragments along 50 km of rugged coastline. With the Seychelles Islands Foundation, the team mapped the entire shoreline, measured and weighed representative samples, and tested extraction methods on this difficult terrain made of sharp coral rock and powerful currents. This new episode shows the first steps of an ambitious effort to remove the plastic already here, and to develop solutions that go beyond landfilling. UNESCO and Plastic Odyssey are partnering to combat plastic pollution in marine World Heritage sites through science-driven action, innovation and community-based solutions. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eBFJbTwn #Aldabra #UNESCO #WorldHeritage #PlasticOdyssey 📹 Credit: Marine Reveilhac

🇨🇦 In Canada’s Pimachiowin Aki World Heritage Site, the land is not a resource but a relative. Known as “Ji-ganawendamang Gidakiiminaan”, or “keeping the land,” this way of life isn’t just knowledge. It’s responsibility. It’s relationship. It’s resilience. 📘 This story will appear in UNESCO’s publication: Indigenous Knowledge, Ancestral Places. Stay tuned to discover how Indigenous knowledge in #WorldHeritage sites, #BiosphereReserves, and #Geoparks is helping shape a more sustainable future for all. Read the full story: https://lnkd.in/ekRcmsgB #Biodiversity #ForNature 📸: © Amber Bracken

On this year’s International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, we are shining a light on a growing and deeply concerning reality: online violence, which already affects 35% of women worldwide. Digital spaces offer immense opportunities, for learning, connection, creativity and participation. Yet they have also become places where gender-based violence spreads rapidly and with devastating consequences. For some girls, these attacks begin as early as nine years old. This is not only a threat to the safety and dignity of women and girls. It is a threat to our democracies. When women are pushed out of digital spaces through harassment, intimidation or abuse, societies lose essential voices in public debate and decision-making. Today, we reaffirm our collective commitment: to prevent all forms of gender-based violence, wherever they occur, online or offline. UNESCO will continue working with partners, governments and communities to make this a reality. Learn more about our efforts: https://lnkd.in/dYnwBE_t #OrangeTheWorld #NoMoreViolence #EndViolenceAgainstWomen #StopViolenceAgainstWomen #25November #GenerationEquality #16Days #UN #UNESCO

This year’s UNESCO-Equatorial Guinea International Prize for Research in the Life Sciences awards three remarkable scientists: 🔬Prof. Rose Leke, working to improve outcomes in pregnancy-associated malaria. 🔬Prof. George F. Gao, whose research contributes to virology and global public health. 🔬Prof. Abderrezak Bouchama, whose work aims to advance our understanding of heatstroke and its causes. The UNESCO-Equatorial Guinea International Prize for Research in the Life Sciences, rewards outstanding research that has contributed to improving the quality of human life. The life sciences offer an enormous potential for medical progress but also for more responsible management of our natural resources. Learn more about these inspiring scientists: https://lnkd.in/ehCem7zR

Online violence against women journalists is a direct attack on press freedom and on the safety of those who report from the frontlines of our societies. Its impact is profound: 30% of women journalists self-censor on social media, 20% withdraw from online interaction altogether, and 26% report negative mental health impacts linked to online violence. UNESCO works to protect women journalists by strengthening legal frameworks, supporting emergency response mechanisms, and partnering with newsrooms to improve safety protocols. A free press cannot exist when women journalists are threatened, silenced or forced offline. https://lnkd.in/dYnwBE_t