UNESCO Endorses the Imagine Cup
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) is
the UN agency
responsible for the promotion of international cooperation in the fields of education,
science, culture and communication. UNESCO functions as a laboratory of ideas and
standard setter to forge universal agreements on emerging ethical issues, and also
serves as a clearinghouse for the dissemination and sharing of information and knowledge,
while helping member states to build their human and institutional capacities.
UNESCO is pleased to officially endorse the Imagine Cup, the world’s premier student
technology competition run by Microsoft. For UNESCO, with its unique mandate to
promote international cooperation in the fields of education, science, culture and
communication, the Imagine Cup provides a creative forum that encourages young people
to apply their imagination to technology around the 2008 theme, "Imagine a world
where technology enables a sustainable environment."
“With its unique mandate to promote the free flow of ideas and knowledge, UNESCO
fully endorses the principles and the purpose of the Imagine Cup as a great initiative
to engage and enthuse young technologists in the pursuit of excellence and innovation
in technology,” said Abdul Waheed Khan, Assistant Director-General for Communication
and Information, UNESCO. “The Imagine Cup is truly a global contest of software
creation, capturing not only the spirit of competition, but also the broader goal
of tackling development challenges through innovation. We recognize the importance
of developing ICT expertise among young people throughout the world. By challenging
students to develop working solutions to development challenges, the Imagine Cup
allows new ideas and new economic opportunities to flourish.”
Millennium Development Goals
UNESCO is working to create the conditions for genuine dialogue based upon respect
for shared values and the dignity of each civilization and culture. This role is
critical, particularly in the face of terrorism, which constitutes an attack against
humanity. The world urgently requires global visions of sustainable development
based upon observance of human rights, mutual respect and the alleviation of poverty,
all of which lie at the heart of UNESCO’s mission and activities.
Through its strategies and activities, UNESCO is actively pursuing the Millennium
Development Goals, especially those aiming to:
- Halve the proportion of people living in extreme poverty in developing countries
by 2015
- Achieve universal primary education in all countries by 2015
- Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education by 2005
- Help countries implement a national strategy for sustainable development by 2005
to reverse current trends in the loss of environmental resources by 2015.
Contributing to partnerships for development is a core part of corporate citizenship
and an integral part of conducting responsible business. In November 2004, Koichiro
Matsuura, Director General of UNESCO, and Bill Gates signed a global cooperation
agreement on behalf of UNESCO and Microsoft.
The partnership focuses on assessing how information and communications technologies
(ICTs) can be used positively to reduce poverty and seeks to develop joint programmes
to address the digital divide and enrich educational curricula. The partnership
with UNESCO is executed in collaboration with other educational and private partners
in support of the common goal of promoting socio-economic development around the
world.
Today, UNESCO functions as a laboratory of ideas and a standard-setter to forge
universal agreements on emerging ethical issues. The Organization also serves as
a clearinghouse – for the dissemination and sharing of information and knowledge
– while helping Member States to build their human and institutional capacities
in diverse fields. In short, UNESCO promotes international co-operation among its
192 Member States and six Associate Members in the fields of education, science,
culture and communication.