UNESCO Courier articles from July 1999

UNESCO Courier archives from July 1999

Dancing with the rivers.(Bangladeshi settlements built on chars)
July 1, 1999... Dire poverty has driven some five million Bangladeshis to migrate to "chars", islands that are periodically submerged by the country's mighty rivers In the space of a single day, their land, home and belongings might be eroded by water,...

For a new beginning.(Manifesto 2000 for a Culture of Peace and Non-violence)(Editorial)
July 1, 1999... * The year 2000 must be a new beginning for us all. Together we can transform the culture of war and violence into a culture of peace and non-violence. This transformation demands the participation of each and every one of us. It must offer...

The silent casualties of war.(impact of warfare on crop biodiversity)
July 1, 1999... By destroying local seed supply systems, warfare in the developing world jeopardizes the crop biodiversity on which sustainable agriculture depends I Moved by the human tragedy of war, we often overlook one of the other major casualties -...

Colombia: the seeds of return.(preserving biodiversity is a priority for the food security of displaced communities)
July 1, 1999... As terror and death stalk rural Colombia, preserving biodiversity is a priority for the food security of displaced communities "I grabbed the basket we used for storing beans and maize, threw in a couple of blankets and some nappies and put...

Somalia's bitter harvest.(Baidoa/Afgoi gene bank)
July 1, 1999... An ambitious international project to maintain crop variety in a war-torn country In 1989 a scientist travelled from Somalia to Kenya with a precious cargo in his luggage - a complete duplicate set of the 284 samples of sorghum and maize...

Asia takes a crash course in educational reform.
July 1, 1999... Southeast Asia's booming economy for decades masked deficiencies in educational systems. But now, in the wake of financial crisis, the region is bent on getting smarter faster Asia's financial crisis may have a silver lining, at least when...

Is cultural tourism on the right track?(Tourism and Culture: Rethinking the Mix)
July 1, 1999... Tourism has long been assumed to promote cultural understanding and peace, but in fact it often chips away at cultures and leads to conflict Among the Toraja people of Sulawesi, Indonesia, not all was going well with tourism. In fact,...

The pioneers.(Tourism and Culture: Rethinking the Mix)(19th century travellers)
July 1, 1999... Once upon a time there were travellers. . . . Then, in the 19th century, a ferment of social and economic change ushered in the tourist revolution Art, like other potent substances, should be consumed in moderation.This conclusion is to be...

The globalization of tourism.(Tourism and Culture: Rethinking the Mix)
July 1, 1999... If the World Tourism Organization's forecasts are on target, international tourist arrivals will climb from the present 625 million a year to 1.6 billion in 2020. By this date, travellers will spend over US$2 trillion, (against US$445 billion...

The Himalayas: masked dances and mixed blessings.(People and Tourism)
July 1, 1999... As growing numbers of travellers seek to catch a glimpse of monastic life and traditions on the rooftop of the world, tensions are starting to arise in some communities while others are reaping the fruits of tourism Once a region that...

Masters in their own tepees.(People and Tourism)(aboriginal tourism in Australia and Canada)
July 1, 1999... In Canada and Australia, aboriginal communities are taking control of tourism in their homelands. In the frozen wastelands of the Canadian Arctic, several kabloonas (Inuit for strangers) clumsily hack out huge ice blocks and piece them...

Ecotourism without tears.(People and Tourism)(tours arranged with the consent of local communities)
July 1, 1999... From Ecuador to Namibia, indigenous communities are striking up innovative partnerships with tour operators to promote ecotourism on their own terms - a strategy to bring in revenue and protect their culture and environment In the heart of...

Peru's 'meet the people' tours.(People and Tourism)(ecotourism)
July 1, 1999... The European Union and the Peruvian government are setting up a scheme for alternative tourism that benefits host communities Peru, the cradle of ancient civilizations and the home of active indigenous communities, is attracting more and...

Will market forces rule.(Safeguarding Heritage)(tourism as a boon to a country's heritage)
July 1, 1999... Tourism can be a boon for a country's heritage as long as the law of the market is applied in moderation Visiting archaeological sites, monuments and museums is often an ambivalent kind of tourism. On the one hand, it is seen as having an...

Pompeii puts its house in order.(Safeguarding Heritage)(ancient Roman city)
July 1, 1999... Engulfed in volcanic ash 2,000 years ago, the ancient Roman city was slowly dying a second death. But help is on the way The Roman city of Pompeii, a stone's throw from Naples, was buried beneath volcanic ash when Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD....

Learning holidays: a thumbnail guide.(Safeguarding Heritage)
July 1, 1999... People wanting to spend their vacations in pursuit of culture have a fairly wide choice of options that go beyond mere sightseeing. Numerous companies organize tours for lovers of architecture or art. Those who don't mind roughing it can do...

Petra's new invaders.(Safeguarding Heritage)(ancient city in Jordan)
July 1, 1999... Petra was declared a world heritage site in 1985, Since then it's been an uphill battle to protect Jordan's glorious ancient city hewn from pink rock "Petra has changed more in the last 15 years than it did in the previous 14 centuries,"...

Venice: coping with culture vultures.(Safeguarding Heritage)(Venice, Italy)
July 1, 1999... Inundated with visitors, Venice is now trying to scare some of them off. But there are better ways of rescuing the city from tourism Beauty bears its burdens, and in tourism no place illustrates this more clearly than Venice. So popular a...

Luang Prabang: a ghost town returns to life.(Safeguarding Heritage)(former Laotian royal capital)
July 1, 1999... The former royal capital of Laos is turning back to its traditional culture and its architectural heritage Lung Ouane Phothiphanya is tired but happy. In the main room of Wat Xieng Thong, one of the most splendid pagodas in Luang Prabang,...

A slow rescue for Morocco's earthen citadels.(Safeguarding Heritage)
July 1, 1999... Reviving southern Morocco's ancient fortified villages is no easy task Will tourism save the ksars and kasbahs of the valleys and oases of southern Morocco? Perched on rocky crags, these fortified buildings made of compacted earth mixed...

Central Europe: castles gear up for business.(Safeguarding Heritage)
July 1, 1999... From the Danube to the Baltic, a French-backed initiative is drumming up funds to transform a string of palaces into top-notch hotels He never dreamt he would return to a free country. But nearly fifty years after fleeing his native...

The right road for Compostela.(Safeguarding Heritage)(Santiago de Compostela, Spain)
July 1, 1999... Investment, political commitment and respect for heritage have turned a religious centre into a cultural attraction for millions of tourists "Buen camino!" - "Have a good journey". For centuries, hundreds of thousands of pilgrims from...

An empire built on the sands.(Reflections)(Club Mediterranee founder Gilbert Tragano's views on mass tourism)
July 1, 1999... Mass tourism is unavoidable and even desirable according to Gilbert Trigano, one of the Club Mediterranee's founders He built an empire on the sands of some of the world's most beautiful beaches by wheeling and dealing with kings and...

Philosophy of a guidebook guru.(includes sampler of leading guidebooks)(views of the publisher of the Lonely Planet guidebooks)
July 1, 1999... The man behind Lonely Planet, a guidebook series originally designed for travellers eager to quit the beaten track, defends his record "Bali was wonderful until your guidebook came along," said a member of the audience, during a talk I...

Towards an ethics of tourism.(Reflections)(World Tourism Organization's Global Code of Ethics for Tourism)
July 1, 1999... With pressure on sites and cultures set to rise in the coming years, initiatives are multiplying to reduce tourism's negative impacts and promote awareness at all levels As glossy travel catalogues thicken by the year and U.S. companies...

Humanitarian intervention: a controversial right.(includes related article on the right to intervene)
July 1, 1999... The crisis in Kosovo has fuelled the debate between supporters and opponents of the right of humanitarian intervention. The contributions below were made at the beginning of June 1999 The term "right" or "duty" of "intervention" - to which...

The first lessons of Kosovo.(the legitimacy of military action by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization)
July 1, 1999... Olivier Corten and Mario Bettati agree on some points but differ over the legitimacy of NATO intervention The member states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) decided on March 24, 1999 to start the massive bombing of...

War comics: the new realism.(includes related article on adventure and propaganda)
July 1, 1999... Comic strip authors today are tackling the horrors of war with a critical eye August 1993. In shell-battered Sarajevo, three newborn babies, Nike Hatzfeld, Leyla Mirkovic and Amir Fazlagic, are being fed with milk in Kosevo Hospital. One...

Morse: the end of an era?(includes related article on Morse code)
July 1, 1999... A world information highway built as a result of the 19th-century century communications revolution came to the end of the road at the beginning of this year. Or did it? From midnight, January 31, 1999, international regulations no longer...

Oswaldo De Rivero: debunking the myths of 'development.'.(includes related articles on international development)(Peruvian diplomat and development expert)(Interview)
July 1, 1999... In a recent book El mito del desarrollo ('the Myth of Development'), Peruvian diplomat Oswaldo de Rivero warns that many national economies will become non-viable in the 21st century and analyses the failure of current development theories...