The Unesco Courier

The Unesco Courier UNESCO’s magazine – bringing you local perspectives on global issues since 1948. Subscribe for free: https://on.unesco.org/2O5yIIf Available in 6+ languages.
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Of all the journals published by the United Nations and its specialised institutions, the UNESCO Courier has always occupied first place for the number of its readers and the range of its audience, said the American journalist Sandy Koffler, the Courier's founder and first editor-in-chief, in 1988. The magazine has changed a great deal over the years, both in content and in form. But it pursues it

s original mission: promote UNESCO’s ideals, maintain a platform for the dialogue between cultures and provide a forum for international debate. Available online since March 2006, the UNESCO Courier serves readers around the world in the six official languages of the Organization (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish) and in Portuguese. A limited number of issues are also produced in print.

16/06/2026

Artificial intelligence is not “just another” technological shift.

Its effects are unfolding at a speed unlike anything we’ve experienced before. And for the first time, the technology itself presents as human-like: it speaks, writes and interacts with us.

Profressor Wayne Holmes works at the University College London. He is one of the leading researchers examining how AI is transforming education and society. In this conversation, he reflects on what makes this technological shift fundamentally different and why AI doesn’t always help students. Quite the opposite!

If students have to double-check everything AI tells them… is it really saving time?

Read the full article in our latest issue : https://courier.unesco.org/en/articles/learning-think-ai-era

What if one of the best things we can do for our children is also one of the simplest?In her article "Time to Go Out and...
11/06/2026

What if one of the best things we can do for our children is also one of the simplest?

In her article "Time to Go Out and Play", researcher Hayley Christian from the Kids Institute Australia reminds us that play is far more than a pastime for children. Through running, climbing, exploring and inventing games, they develop essential physical, social and emotional skills that help them thrive throughout their lives.

Yet opportunities for outdoor play are not what they used to be, because of busy schedules, urban environments and screen-based activities.

This International Day of Play is a reminder that play is not optional. It is a vital part of childhood, learning and well-being!

Read the full article and… go out and play! > https://courier.unesco.org/en/articles/time-go-out-and-play

This World Oceans Day, we're celebrating some incredible young ocean explorers. 🌊🔬Through UNESCO's “eDNA Expeditions”, s...
08/06/2026

This World Oceans Day, we're celebrating some incredible young ocean explorers. 🌊🔬

Through UNESCO's “eDNA Expeditions”, students and pupils around the world are helping scientists reveal the hidden biodiversity of our seas, one water sample at a time.

Their work is a reminder that the ocean is not a distant world "out there". It sustains every breath we take, shapes our climate, and connects us all.

This year's World Oceans Day’s theme, Reimagine, invites us to build a new relationship with the ocean: one based on curiosity, responsibility and collective action. The IOC is launching on 8 June the eDNA Expeditions 2026-2028, see https://ednaexpeditions.org/

These students are already showing us what that future can look like!

05/06/2026

TRUE or FALSE? 🤔

How much do you really know about species extinction: Can a species come back to life after being declared extinct? Have we already discovered most species on Earth? Is climate change accelerating extinction?

Violaine Nicolas, Director of the Institute of Systematics, Evolution and Biodiversity at the National Museum of Natural History, in Paris, separates fact from fiction and reveals why declaring a species extinct is often more complicated than it seems.

How many answers would you get right? 👀

Curious to learn why some species can remain "missing" for decades before being declared extinct, and why others unexpectedly return? Explore Violaine Nicolas's article in the latest issue of The UNESCO Courier. Read here: https://courier.unesco.org/en/articles/when-do-we-decide-species-extinct

As generative AI rapidly enters classrooms, teachers in Argentina are finding themselves torn between excitement and con...
01/06/2026

As generative AI rapidly enters classrooms, teachers in Argentina are finding themselves torn between excitement and concern. Some techers see AI as an opportunity to personalize learning, help struggling students, and reduce time spent on administrative tasks. Others fear it could fundamentally change the way students think, learn, and engage with knowledge.

From primary schools to universities, the debate reveals a growing tension between innovation and the foundations of education. Can AI become a meaningful learning tool without weakening critical thinking, creativity or student autonomy? Are schools really prepared for a technology evolving faster than educational systems themselves?

Natalia Paez’s article in our latest issue explores the hopes, doubts, and contradictions surrounding AI in education in Argentina and why this conversation is becoming impossible for schools to ignore. Read the article here: https://courier.unesco.org/en/articles/argentine-teachers-divided-over-ai

Copyright: Andy Landoni

In rural China, an AI-supported learning system is being introduced in classrooms where access to qualified teachers can...
27/05/2026

In rural China, an AI-supported learning system is being introduced in classrooms where access to qualified teachers can be limited. Its goal is not to deliver answers, but to guide students through questions, encouraging participation, dialogue, and critical thinking.

This is not about replacing teachers. It is about extending the reach of education where it is needed most. But how do we ensure that every learner, everywhere, is not just exposed to knowledge but empowered to think?

Credit: Hongyan AI Project

25/05/2026

Artificial intelligence is not “just another” technological shift.

Its effects are unfolding at a speed unlike anything we’ve experienced before. And for the first time, the technology itself presents as human-like: it speaks, writes and interacts with us.

Profressor Wayne Holmes works at the University College London. He is one of the leading researchers examining how AI is transforming education and society. In this conversation, he reflects on what makes this technological shift fundamentally different and why AI doesn’t always help students. Quite the opposite!

If students have to double-check everything AI tells them… is it really saving time?

Read the full article in our latest issue. Link in bio.

What happens when artificial intelligence officially enters the classrooms? 👀Last year, the United Arab Emirates has mad...
22/05/2026

What happens when artificial intelligence officially enters the classrooms? 👀

Last year, the United Arab Emirates has made AI a mandatory subject in public schools, from kindergarten through secondary education.

Anam Rizvi’s article in our latest issue looks at how different schools are approaching AI not only as a technological tool, but as a subject requiring critical understanding, ethical reflection and human guidance.

It also highlights some of the questions educators are already facing: what happens when students increasingly rely on AI for assignments? How can AI affect the way young people learn and think? Why do teachers remain essential in the rapid rise of these technologies?

“AI goes to school in the United Arab Emirates” is available now in the UNESCO Courier: https://courier.unesco.org/en/articles/ai-goes-school-united-arab-emirates

A library where light changes with the seasons, giant glass walls open onto a park, and books seem to stretch endlessly ...
20/05/2026

A library where light changes with the seasons, giant glass walls open onto a park, and books seem to stretch endlessly into the horizon…

This stunning place was featured in an article from out latest issue celebrating some of the world’s most remarkable libraries.

Any guesses where this library is located? 👀 One clue: its contemporary extension is nicknamed the “Calendar of Light” 👇

12/05/2026

In his interview in The UNESCO Courier’s latest issue, “Artificial intelligence: do we still need to think?”, Professor Wayne Holmes explores what education truly means in the age of AI. Beyond knowledge acquisition and pure learning, he reminds us that education is about learning to live with others, shaping our values, and growing as individuals within society, dimensions that generative AI cannot replicate. While technology can support learning, he warns that it can also undermine it when over-relied upon, risking a generation of students who outsource their thinking.

What’s your opinion? What parts of education are fundamentally human and cannot be left in the hands of AI technologies?

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