Impact of COVID-19 on the Cultural Sector

Cultural events cancelled, cultural institutions closed, community cultural practices suspended, empty UNESCO World Heritage sites, heightened risk of looting of cultural sites and poaching at natural sites, artists unable to make ends meet and the cultural tourism sector greatly affected… The impact of COVID-19 on the cultural sector is being felt around the world. This impact is social, economic and political – it affects the fundamental right of access to culture, the social rights of artists and creative professionals, and the protection of a diversity of cultural expressions.

The unfolding crisis risks deepening inequalities and rendering communities vulnerable. In addition, the creative and cultural industries (CCI) contribute US$2,250bn to the global economy (3% of GDP) and account for 29.5 million jobs worldwide. The economic fall-out of not addressing the cultural sector – and all auxiliary services, particularly in the tourism sector – could also be disastrous.

Protecting the diversity of cultural expressions is more important than ever

The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed and magnified the creative industries’ pre-existing volatility. Due to the complex nature of their work, cultural professionals are particularly affected and lockdown measures around the world directly impact the entire creative value chain.

UNESCO has launched a page that aims to serve as a reference for those seeking to draw inspiration from best practices in the development of appropriate responses adapted to national contexts. UNESCO has also launched a weekly “Culture & COVID-19: Impact and Response Tracker” to provide an overview of the rapidly evolving situation.

Background

On 4 October 1957 the first human-made Earth satellite Sputnik I was launched into outer space, thus opening the way for space exploration. On 12 April 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first human to orbit the Earth, opening a new chapter of human endeavour in outer space.
The Declaration further recalls “the amazing history of human presence in outer space and the remarkable achievements since the first human spaceflight, in particular Valentina Tereshkova becoming the first woman to orbit the Earth on 16 June 1963, Neil Armstrong becoming the first human to set foot upon the surface of the Moon on 20 July 1969, and the docking of the Apollo and Soyuz spacecrafts on 17 July 1975, being the first international human mission in space, and recall that for the past decade humanity has maintained a multinational permanent human presence in outer space aboard the International Space Station.”

UN and Space
From the very beginning of the Space Age, the United Nations recognized that outer space added a new dimension to humanity’s existence. The United Nations family strives continuously to utilize the unique benefits of outer space for the betterment of all humankind.
Recognizing the common interest of humankind in outer space and seeking to answer
questions on how outer space can help benefit the people’s of Earth, the General
Asssembly adopted its first resolution related to outer space, resolution 1348 (XIII) entitled “Question of the Peaceful Use of Outer Space”.
On 10 October 1967, the “Magna Carta of Space”, also known as the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies entered into force.
Today, the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) is the United Nations office responsible for promoting international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space. UNOOSA serves as the secretariat for the General Assembly’s only committee dealing exclusively with international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space:
The United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space(COPUOS).
UNOOSA is also responsible for implementing the Secretary-General’s responsibilities
under international space law and maintaining the United Nations Register of Objects
Launched into Outer Space.

The World Engineering Day for Sustainable Development was proclaimed by UNESCO at its 40th General Conference in 2019. It is celebrated worldwide on 4th March of each year since 2020. The day offers an opportunity to highlight engineers and engineering’s
achievements in our modern world and improve public understanding of how engineering and technology are central to modern life and for sustainable development.
The World Engineering Day 2021 (WED2021), with the theme “Engineering for A Healthy Planet- Celebrating the UNESCO Engineering Report”, will focus on celebrating the launch of the 2nd UNESCO Engineering Report “Engineering for
Sustainable Development: Delivering on the Sustainable Development Goals”. Ten years after the publication of the 1st UNESCO Engineering Report, “Engineering: Issues, Challenges and Opportunities for Development”, the new report highlights the crucial role of engineering in delivering the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development, shows how inclusive and gender equitable engineering profession can bring about new perspectives and thus respond to the shortage of engineers, showcases of engineering innovations for implementation of the SDGs, analyses the progresses in and challenges in engineering education and capacity building, and summarizes the regional trends of engineering development. Finally, it gives recommendations for developing engineering for the SDGs, and calls for global cooperation with multiple stakeholders to promote
development of engineering for the SDGs.

Women Scientists at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19.

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has clearly demonstrated the critical role of women researchers in different stages of the fight against COVID-19, from advancing the knowledge on the virus, to developing techniques for testing, and finally to creating the vaccine against the virus.

At the same time, the COVID-19 pandemic also had a significant negative impact on women scientists, particularly affecting those at the early stages of their career, and thus contributing to widening the existing gender gap in science, and revealing the gender disparities in the scientific system, which need to be addressed by new policies, initiatives and mechanisms to support women and girls in science.

Against this backdrop, this year’s celebration of the Day will address the theme “ Women Scientists at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19 ” and will gather together experts working in fields related to the pandemic from different parts of the world.

The 2021 main event will take place online . A simultaneous interpretation of the debates will be provided in English and French.

On 11 February 2021, the 6th International Day of Women and Girls in Science
Assembly will be held at the United Nations Headquarters virtually. With great
momentum and interest to accelerate progress in achieving the 2030 Development
Agenda and its 17 Global Goals, the 6th International Day of Women and Girls in
Science Assembly theme will be Beyond the Borders: Equality in Science for Society,
with a special focus on the value of the social aspects and cultural dimensions in Science, Technology and Innovation to enhance sustainable development programmes.

Science and gender equality are both vital for the achievement of the internationally
agreed development goals, including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development .
Over the past 15 years, the global community has made a lot of effort in inspiring and
engaging women and girls in science. Yet women and girls continue to be excluded from participating fully in science.

At present, less than 30 per cent of researchers worldwide are women. According
to UNESCO data (2014 – 2016), only around 30 per cent of all female students select
STEM-related fields in higher education. Globally, female students’ enrolment is
particularly low in ICT (3 per cent), natural science, mathematics and statistics (5 per
cent) and in engineering, manufacturing and construction (8 per cent).

Long-standing biases and gender stereotypes are steering girls and women away from
science related fields. As in the real world, the world on screen reflects similar
biases—the 2015 Gender Bias Without Borders study by the Geena Davis Institute showed that of the onscreen characters with an identifiable STEM job, only 12 per cent
were women.

In order to achieve full and equal access to and participation in science for women and
girls, and further achieve gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, the United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution A/RES/70/212 declaring 11
February as the International Day of Women and Girls in Science .