Changing Course, Transforming Education

As it was detailed in UNESCO’s global Futures of Education report, transforming the future requires an urgent rebalancing or our relationships with each other, with nature as well as with technology that permeates our lives, bearing breakthrough opportunities while raising serious concerns for equity, inclusion and democratic participation.

This year’s International Day of Education will be a platform to showcase the most important transformations that have to be nurtured to realize everyone’s fundamental right to education and build a more sustainable, inclusive and peaceful futures. It will generate debate around how to strengthen education as a public endeavour and common good, how to steer the digital transformation, support teachers, safeguard the planet and unlock the potential in every person to contribute to collective well-being and our shared home.

Education is a human right

The right to education is enshrined in article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The declaration calls for free and compulsory elementary education. The Convention on the Rights of the Child, adopted in 1989, goes further to stipulate that countries shall make higher education accessible to all.

Education is key to sustainable development

When it adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in September 2015, the international community recognized that education is essential for the success of all 17 of its goals. Sustainable Development Goal 4, in particular, aims to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all” by 2030.

Challenges to achieving universal education

Education offers children a ladder out of poverty and a path to a promising future. But about 258 million children and adolescents around the world do not have the opportunity to enter or complete school; 617 million children and adolescents cannot read and do basic math; less than 40% of girls in sub-Saharan Africa complete lower secondary school and some four million children and youth refugees are out of school. Their right to education is being violated and it is unacceptable. 

Without inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong opportunities for all, countries will not succeed in achieving gender equality and breaking the cycle of poverty that is leaving millions of children, youth and adults behind.

https://www.un.org/en/observances/education-day

The absence of the national celebration of Yalda on the World Heritage List

Once again we are on the eve of beautiful Yalda, another Iranian national holiday celebration. Thousands of years ago on such a night, the longest night of the year, the people of Persia celebrated and gathered around a cedar tree, which was adorned with colorful fabrics and shiny stones.

In those days, the values and secrets of nature were not yet known, and Persians like other peoples of the world saw nature as powerful elements or gods with a tremendous impact on their lives and existence. Some people in the world were terrified of these natural powers, however Persians loved all the elements of nature and worshiped the sun as the greatest and most “loving” God, because light and heat energy were considered to be the savior of their lives.

Our ancestors thought that the sun was born at the end of the longest night of the year, to announce the victory of light and heat over darkness and cold. With discovering the secrets of nature, the status of a god was taken from the elements of nature. But the Persians kept their celebrations as an earthly gift—a real, tangible, happy and universal gift. And so it is that most Iranian celebrations have remained thriving, happy and modern to this day.

For the past few decades, while the Islamic government has prevented national celebrations from being held in public places, it has tried its best to replace them with religious events. However, the people of Iran, all over the world and within Iran, despite all the challenges they are facing, celebrate these beloved Persian festivities to an even great extent.

At the Pasargad Heritage Foundation, we believe that even though it is still not recognized on the list of intangible world heritage, Yalda, as one of the most beautiful world celebrations, should be celebrated greatly and fully. That is why we in 2007 submitted a petition to UNESCO for its consideration.

Unfortunately, based on UNESCO’s rules, governments are legally responsible for submitting national celebrations for UNESCO’s consideration, and due to the religious bigotry of the Islamic government and its opposition to our Iranian culture, it has only submitted other religious events and concepts. These have included “Ta’zieh,” “Ashura,” “carpet weavers,””Arba’een” and “aqeeqah,” which the Iranian government has considered as ceremonies worthy of globalization. The Islamic government not only refuses to send Yalda, Mehregan, Sadeh and other Iranian humanistic celebrations and rituals for UNESCO’s consideration, but also suppresses them under various titles and measures.

We believe that the victory of the armies of love and enlightenment over armies of sorrow and cruelty is still unquestionable, as we know that Yalda and our other Iranian celebrations will be victorious through efforts of people who love our culture and the symbol of humanity and love they represent.

Let us celebrate the birth of the beautiful sun of our land next to the evergreen Yalda tree this year as well, while the sun that rises every day in our world exemplifies its victory over eternal darkness.

May your life be bright and your Yalda a happy one.

Shokooh Mirzadegi

Pasargad Heritage Foundation

Yalda 2021

Human Rights Day is observed every year on 10 December — the day the United Nations General Assembly adopted, in 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). The UDHR is a milestone document, which proclaims the inalienable rights that everyone is entitled to as a human being – regardless of race, colour, religion, sex, language, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Available in more than 500 languages, it is the most translated document in the world.

The Fourth of July—also known as Independence Day or July 4th—has been a federal holiday in the United States since 1941, but the tradition of Independence Day celebrations goes back to the 18th century and the American Revolution. On July 2nd, 1776, the Continental Congress voted in favor of independence, and two days later delegates from the 13 colonies adopted the Declaration of Independence, a historic document drafted by Thomas Jefferson. From 1776 to the present day, July 4th has been celebrated as the birth of American independence, with festivities ranging from fireworks, parades and concerts to more casual family gatherings and barbecues. The Fourth of July 2021 is on Sunday, July 4, 2021; the federal holiday will be observed on Monday, July 5, 2021.

International Day of Families is an annual observance celebrated on May 15. It is organized by the United Nations and aims to raise awareness about the economic, social, and demographic issues that affect families all around the world, and to highlight how important families are in the fabric of international communities and the foundation of society. In recent year, the International Day of Families has commemorated all families, both traditional and non-traditional, to enforce the fact that there is no blueprint for what a family is meant to be – a family is simply a group of people that love and support each other, and are connected by a strong bond.

Background
During the 1980’s, the United Nations began focusing attention on issues related to the family. In 1983, based on the recommendations of the Economic and Social Council, the Commission for Social Development in its resolution on the Role of the family in the development process (1983/23) requested the Secretary-General to enhance awareness among decision makers and the public of the problems and needs of the family, as well as of effective ways of meeting those needs.

In its resolution 1985/29 of 29 May 1985, the Council invited the General Assembly to consider the possibility of including in the provisional agenda of its forty-first session an item entitled “Families in the development process”, with a view to consider a request to the Secretary-General to initiate a process of development of global awareness of the issues involved, directed towards Governments, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations and public opinion.

Later, based on the recommendations of the Commission for Social Development, formulated in its 30th round of sessions, The Assembly invited all States to make their views known concerning the possible proclamation of an international year of the family and to offer their comments and proposals.

The Council also requested the Secretary-General to submit to the General Assembly at its forty-third session a comprehensive report, based on the comments and proposals of Member States on the possible proclamation of such a year and other ways and means to improve the position and well-being of the family and intensify international co-operation as part of global efforts to advance social progress and development.
In its resolution 44/82 of 9 December 1989, The General Assembly proclaimed The

International Year of the Family.
In 1993, the General Assembly decided in a resolution (A/RES/47/237) that 15 May of every year should be observed as The International Day of Families. This day provides an opportunity to promote awareness of issues relating to families and to increase the knowledge of the social, economic and demographic processes affecting families.

On 25 September 2015, the 193 member states of the United Nations unanimously adopted the Sustainable Development Goals, a set of 17 goals aiming to eliminate poverty, discrimination, abuse and preventable deaths, address environmental destruction, and usher in an era of development for all people, everywhere. Families and family-oriented policies and programmes are vital for the achievement of many of these goals.

According to several news outlets, the Manhattan District Attorney handed over 33 looted antiquities valued at roughly $1.8 million to the Afghan ambassador to the U.S., Roya Rahmani and other officials on April 20th , at a repatriation ceremony in New York City.
Based on the reports, these artifacts are a small number of thousands of historical artifacts, some of which are more than 1,800 years old, and were removed from Afghanistan over the past half century due to war and unrest.
The returned artifacts were part of 2,500 historical artifacts worth $143 million that were seized during dozens of police operations and in the collection of disgraced antiquities dealer Subhash Kapoor, who is now in prison in India and awaiting extradition to the U.S.
The works handed over to the Afghan ambassador on Monday will finally be exhibited at the Kabul National Museum.