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Last month China’s president Xi Jinping presented his pragmatic vision for China’s arts and creative industries. (...)Whereas his predecessor Hu Jintao saw culture as a means to boost China’s global prestige and soft power, Xi is as concerned with shaping China’s hearts and minds.

Chief Executive of the Ministry for Culture and Heritage, Lewis Holden led the New Zealand delegation at the second Edinburgh International Culture Summit, held at the Scottish Parliament last week. New Zealand was one of 25 international government delegations brought together with speakers, arts leaders and culture experts from across the world.

Irena Kozymka has authored “The Diplomacy of Culture: The Role of UNESCO in Sustaining Cultural Diversity” recently published by Palgrave Macmillan.  In her book she discusses how cultural diversity plays an essential role in international relations, especially when there is an increasing shift towards globalization.

A wide range of activities are taking place in the central province of Quang Nam from May 20-26 to celebrate the 15th anniversary of Hoi An Ancient Town being recognised as a World Cultural Heritage site.  Hoi An ancient town was recognised as a World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO on December 4, 1999, and presented four awards in heritage management, protection and promotion.

he United Nations and the European Union have forged an agreement today to fund the restoration of cultural heritage in Timbuktu that was destroyed by extremists after fighting broke out in 2012 between Malian Government forces and Tuareg rebels.“This is vital for Mali and is important for the rest of the world because World Heritage is common to us all,”said UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova.

In a year of social, economic and political challenges, UNESCO is working to fulfil its peace-building mandate by addressing the root causes of conflict. While undertaking a far-reaching reform destined to increase the Organization’s ability to serve its 195 Member States, UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova defined the vision that underpins the Organization’s activities when she was elected for a second mandate last November.

The vast Tsukiji Market in Tokyo is where the country's finest delicacies are sold and auctioned, not only fish -- for which the market is famous -- but also fruit and vegetable. Earlier this month, UNESCO, the U.N. cultural organization, added traditional Japanese cuisine, or "washoku," into its Intangible Cultural Heritage list. "'Wa' means Japanese, 'shoku' means 'to eat' or 'meal' or anything food-related," explains cooking instructor and "washoku" enthusiast Reiko Yoshikawa.

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