News

30 April 2019

Notre Dame de Paris: The Cathedral’s Place in European History

The Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris (“Our Lady of Paris”), part of the “Paris Banks of the Seine” UNESCO World Heritage Site, suffered a devastating fire on 15 April 2019.

Professor Dimitri Spivak, UNESCO Chair in Comparative Studies of Spiritual Traditions, their Specific Cultures and Inter-religious Dialogue, provided expert commentary on Channel 5 (Russian Federal TV channel), discussing the cultural and religious significance of the Cathedral within Western culture. To watch, click HERE. (Commentary provided in Russian).
26 March 2019

The participation of the UNESCO Chair in the celebration of the 65th anniversary of the UNESCO Associated Schools Network in the framework of the Jubilee X St. Petersburg International Educational Forum

March 26, 2019, the head of the UNESCO Chair for comparative studies of spiritual traditions, the specifics cultures and interreligious dialogue, operating at the Institute of Heritage, D. L. Spivak, deputy head A. V. Venkova and academic secretary M. A. Stepanov took part in the special venue “65 years of the network of UNESCO Associated Schools: history, experience, new thematic areas of activity” at the Jubilee X St. Petersburg International Educational Forum.
The event, which was attended by more than 300 people from different regions of Russia, was dedicated to the anniversary of the network of UNESCO associated schools in Russia and included a large-scale press conference with the participation of representatives of all UNESCO departments in the North-West Region, the Education Committee of St. Petersburg, the Committee for state control, use and protection of historical and cultural monuments of the Government of St. Petersburg.
The participants were greeted by the Executive Secretary of the Commission of the Russian Federation for UNESCO, G. E. Ordzhonikidze, the national coordinator of the UNESCO Associated Schools project in the Russian Federation, the rector of TISBI Management University N. M. Pruss, the regional coordinator of the network of UNESCO Associated Schools in the region “Baltic-North” T.V. Vlasova. The conference discussed the protection and promotion of cultural heritage among students and young people, the development and consolidation of “best practices” and strategies for harmonizing intercultural and interreligious dialogue in UNESCO strategies, especially the work with objects of intangible cultural heritage.
As part of the event, the UNESCO Chair organized and conducted a master class “Work with objects of cultural heritage in UNESCO strategies”.
12 March 2019

The 4th National Congress of UNESCO chairs in the Russian Federation

The 4^th National Congress of UNESCO chairs in the Russian Federation took place on March 6-7, 2019, in Kazan (Tatarstan, Russia), basing on the facilities of the Tisbi University, Kazan.

The Congress took place in presence of UNESCO Director General, Ms. A.Azoulay, and under general coordination of G.Ordzhonikidze (National Commission of the Russian Federation for UNESCO), and V.Egorov (Coordination Committee of UNESCO Chairs in Russia).Problems and prospects of about 60 UNESCO chairs, being active in Russia, in the fields of science, education, and culture, were presented and discussed.

At the meeting of the Coordination Committee, its four-year report (2015-2019) was presented, and its fellows for the next four-year period were elected. Applications of four major Russian universities for the initiation of new UNESCO chairs were discussed as well. Dimitri Spivak took part in the works of the Congress as head of one of the most respected chairs, working in the realm of culture, in Russia, and as a full member of the Coordination Committee. Problems of Culture and Dialogue were regarded in his plenary report, which was concentrated upon basic insights of the cultural strategy of UNESCO, including the paradigmatic shift from the concept of intercultural dialogue – to the rapprochement of cultures, as well as problems and prospects of interfaith dialogue on the vast territory of Russia, especially between Orthodox Christianity, Northern (Lamaist) Buddhism, and Islam, both Suni and Shi’a; and upon basic issues in the work of our UNESCO/UNITWIN Network of Interfaith Dialogue.
1 March 2019

Interdisciplinary Study of the Cultural Heritage of Azerbaidjan

In 2018, our Chair initiated a large-scale international project, aimed at interdisciplinary study of the cultural heritage of Azerbaidjan, including religious monuments and sacred sites of this ancient country, acting in close cooperation with the Caucasus History Centre, led by a prominent local scientist, Dr. R.Huseynov, as well the Central Scientific Library of the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaidjan. An international working group was created, comprising keynote scientists from Azerbaidjan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Ukraine, and Turkey. In April 2018, the Group gathered in Baku, Azerbaidjan, in order to launch the project as a whole, and to define its major outline and perspectives, in line with the lofty ideals of UNESCO, and its cultural strategy.
28 November 2018

Competitions of secondary school students, related to the cultural strategy of UNESCO

In 2018, members of our Chair co-organized in several competitions of secondary school students, related to the cultural strategy of UNESCO or, took part in their jury. To name but a few, one of these competitions, entitled ‘I am a Renovator: Guarding the cultural Heritage Together’, was conducted in March 2018, basing at the facilities of college No.192 in St.Petersburg, Russia, under the auspices of the National Coordination Centre of UNESCO Associated Schools. Another one, called ‘UNESCO Workshop – National Objects of cultural Heritage’ was conducted in April 2018, basing on the facilities of college No.639, as part of the 4th International Forum of Social Initiatives of Young People «Just Act», under the auspices of the National Coordination Centre of UNESCO Associated Schools. The third one, entitled the 4^thAnnual Toksovo Readings took place in April, 2018, basing on the premises of Municipal Education Institution ‘Toksovo Education Centre’, under the auspices of our Chair and the Administration of the Municipal Institution ‘Toksovo Township’. In his introductory talk to the Readings, D.Spivak presented new trends in the organization of intercultural and interfaith dialogue, elaborated in the framework of UNESCO.
30 May 2018

4th National Scientific Conference ‘Present-Day Mass Media in Context of Information Technologies’

In May 2018, D.Spivak gave an invited plenary talk ‘Actual Issues in Media Text in the Framework of Cultural Strategy of UNESCO’ at the 4th National Scientific Conference ‘Present-Day Mass Media in Context of Information Technologies’, which was conducted basing on the facilities of the St.Petersburg State University of Industrial Technologies and Design. The talk comprised detailed analysis of interfaith issues in present-day media.
27 February 2018

Seminar Dedicated to Popularization of Objects of Cultural Heritage

In February 2018, A.Venkova took part as invited expert in a seminar dedicated to promotion of objects of cultural heritage, including objects of religious practices, which was organized by the Committee of State Control, Usage and Protection of Objects of Cultural Heritage of the Government of St.Petersburg, Russia. A.Venkova presented viewpoints and best practices elaborated and applied in the framework of UNESCO in this particular realm. Following the meeting, a Letter of Appreciation to the Chair was issued by the aforementioned Committee.
13 December 2017

A new paper on Cultural Dialogue in the strategy of UNESCO

Professor Dimitri Spivak’s new paper on intercultural dialogue in the cultural strategy of UNESCO, was recently published by one of the leading journals in the field, ‘Culture and Dialogue’,

The paper is mostly a result of internal discussions, conducted at the UNESCO chair in St. Petersburg, Russia, and of talks given to local students and societal activists, interested in the UNESCO policies, as well as discussions with our colleagues from other UNITWIN/UNESCO Network chairs.

Abstract
UNESCO is a scientific, educational, and cultural branch – or specialized agency, to speak in technical terms – of the United Nations organization, which has for the latest seventy years been instrumental in setting standards, promoting scientific research and societal discussions, and supporting innovations, both nationally and internationally. Intercultural dialogue has invariably served as a focal point of its manifold activities. Tracing back some of the basic issues in the elaboration of intercultural dialogue as well as the most actual trends in its development forms the main objective of the present paper. This account comes from years of experience as head of one of the well known and respected UNESCO research and educational chairs: Comparative Studies of Spiritual Traditions, their Specific Cultures and Interreligious Dialogue.1

To read more, the Full Report