UNESCO

International
experts, including
Pregaluxmi
Govender, antiapartheid
activist
and deputy chair of
the South African
Human Rights
Commission, met in
September to discuss
global inequality
during the third
World Social Science
Forum 2015 under
UNESCO’s patronage.
‘Transforming Global Relations for a
Just World’ was the theme of the third
World Social Science Forum (WSSF),
organized by the International Social
Science Council (ISSC), under UNESCO’s
patronage, in Durban (South Africa)
in September. Over 1,000 people from
84 countries attended. Participants
considered ways of addressing
Plurality of languages
and places of philosophy
On World Philosophy Day in November, a
round table brought together philosophers
from several countries at UNESCO
Headquarters. It focused on three major
topics: knowledge and dissemination of
the philosophical thought of non-Western
cultures; philosophy outside of the academic
enclosure, using new places and formats; and
the variety of places and forms of teaching
and learning philosophy. ‘We need to share
the wonder of philosophy more widely
and differently. We are working to make
philosophy, the most ancient of disciplines,
reach broader audiences thanks to cuttingedge
technologies – for instance, through
online teaching tools,’ said Irina Bokova.
injustice and inequality, and examined
the trends, magnitude, nature, causes
and drivers of inequalities and injustices.
This encompasses not just issues such as
access to basic services, relations among
peoples and overall quality of life, but also
the national and international processes
that generate inequality. UNESCO’s
MOST Programme organized three main
events: a ministerial and research session,
a panel on gender equality and another
one on the Arthur Lewis Centennial.
The ministerial panel ‘Contributing to
a just world within the post-2015 agenda:
which role for social science?’ included
ministers and high-level representatives
from Argentina, Ecuador, Kenya, Malaysia,
Nicaragua, Oman and South Africa, as
well as heads of regional and global social
science organizations, who discussed the
challenges and the responses needed
to achieve a more just world. UNESCO
will work with its governmental and
non-governmental partners, through
its MOST programme, to take forward
the dynamic of the WSSF.
In November, the Seventh Latin
American and Caribbean Conference
on Social Sciences took place within
the framework of the 25th General
Assembly of the Latin American Social
Sciences Council (CLACSO). One of
the largest academic research events
in social sciences and humanities in
the world, it focused on democratic
transformations, social justice and peace
processes. The UNESCO Cluster Office
for Central America, in San José (Costa
Rica), organized a multidisciplinary
panel which addressed the link between
social sciences and the formulation of
public policies; it focused on relevant
issues for the region, such as inequality,
inclusion, development, youth and ethics.
The participants identified problems
and challenges related to these themes,
and proposed options for the promotion
of inclusive social policies.
74
Philosophy students from the University of
Calabar in Nigeria parade to celebrate 2015
UNESCO World Philosophy Day (19 November).