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Americans for UNESCO has recently elected a new slate of officers. T he full slate of AU officers consists of: President                                            Mary Futrell Senior Vice-President                   Ray Wanner Vice-President                                 Susie Rauch Vice-President                                 Emily Vargas-Baron Vice President/Treasurer            Richard Nobbe Secretary                                             Laura Engel

Also as part of the effort to celebrate the  40th Anniversary of the World Heritage Convention...   On Monday the  Smithsonian  and  UNESCO  announced the launch of a joint project called "Protection, Preservation and Prosperity: Stories of World Heritage."   The project highlights 10 World Heritage sites around the world and features a new website and a mobile app, along with an educational curriculum and poster-based exhibition.   You can  check it out right here !  

As part of the 40th Anniversary Celebration of UNESCO's World Heritage Program, the National Park Service has  coordinated the release  of a new National Park Service passport specifically aimed at U.S. World Heritage sites.   Some of you may be familiar with the National Park Service passport program, which promotes travel to our nations park sites and recognizes travellers who do.   Tying World Heritage sites in the U.S. to the NPS Passport idea was an idea that came out of our UNESCO Commission - and the National Park Service really followed through on it.   Check out the whole story here !

The  U.S. National Committee of the International Council on Monuments and Sites  (ICOMOS) is hosting it's  16th Annual International Scientific Symposium  next May in Savannah, GA.   Between now November 15th, organizers are accepting proposals for presentations to be made at the conference. If you have an abstract that you'd like to submit,  go here !  

The World Heritage flag Along with several other partners,  The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation  convened a conference of U.S. World Heritage program stakeholders in Charlottesville, VA this past June.   The gathering produced some excellent ideas and recommendations for how the tap the potential of the World Heritage program in the U.S.. You can read the report from the conference, which was just released,  here .   

In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention, the National Park Service has produced a short film on all the World Heritage sites in the U.S. These stunning images remind us why these sites were deemed to have truly global significance, connecting them to a world-wide network of such iconic places as the Pyramids, the Taj Mahal and the Great Wall of China. Enjoy!

Rutgers University's program in Cultural Heritage and Preservation is convening a conference on Cultural Preservation in the 21st Century this October 12 - October 14. The meeting has been recognized by UNESCO as an official World Heritage 40th Anniversary Event. If you are interested in attending or would like to find out more -  go here .   The conference will feature a poster competition - if you'd like to get in on that action -  go here ! The deadline for that is Wed 8/15!

Do you know any U.S. students who are planning to do a short-term research project overseas relating to education, natural science, social science, communications, or culture? If so, please let them know about the Laura W. Bush Travelling Fellowship. This program named in honor of our former First Lady is designed to help young Americans conduct short term research projects abroad relating to the sectors of UNESCO's mandate. The next application deadline is Monday 9/24/12. Find out more here .

2011 U.S. National Commission for UNESCO Annual Meeting The 2012 U.S. National Commission for UNESCO Annual meeting has been tentatively set for Monday 11/26/12 in Washington, DC. The Commission will again be accepting the hospitality of George Washington University, as it did last year.

http://www.planwithyouth.org Forest Whitaker, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Peace and Reconciliation and a co-founder of the International Institute for Peace, sends an inspirational message to youth everywhere, encouraging their participation in the online discussions for the upcoming Policy Forum on 'Engaging Youth in Planning Education for Social Transformation'. This virtual, pre-forum dialogue is important becauseit will shape the discussions at the event in Paris, ensuring that voices of youth are included in the Policy Forum's Agenda for Action.