UNESCO has announced that it will promote awareness of certain Turkish intellectuals on the avviversary of their death, as well as celebrate the 100th anniversary of Turkish and Islamic Art Museum.
According to Turkish National Commision of UNESCO, the 37th UNESCO General Conferance included the likes of Halide Edip Adivar, Ismail Gaspirali and Matrakci Nasuh on its program agenda for 2014.
Halide Edib Adivar (1884 - 1964) was a Turkish novelist and nationalist and feminist political leader. Her novels are still very popular in Turkey. Ismail Gaspirali (1851 - 1914) was a Tatar intellectual, and politician. He is known as first Muslim intellectual in the Russian Empire. Matrakci Nasuh Efendi (1480 - 1564) is known also as Nasuh the Swordsman because of his talent with weapons. He was an Ottoman polymath, mathematician, historian, geographer, cartographer, swordsmaster, navigator, painter, and miniaturist.
TURKEY TO CONTINUE FINANCIAL AID
Turkey is aware of the financial difficulties faced by UNESCO and will continue to help the organization overcome these difficulties, said Turkish Minister of Education Nabi Avcı Friday.
Avci met with Director General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Irina Bokova in French capital Paris, where he visited to attend the 37th session of the general conferance of the organization.
Congratulating Bokova for her election to the head office for the second time, Avci stated that he belived the cooperation between the organization and Turkey would continue in the future.
In the meeting, Turkish minister emphasized that Turkey was among the top 25 countries to give UNESCO the greatest contribution.
Stating Turkey’s financial contribution to UNESCO’s budget has doubled this year, Avci said, “We are aware of the financial difficulties faced by UNESCO and will continue to help the organization overcome these difficulties.”
Avci also expressed his hopes to see more Turkish citizens who assume significant roles in UNESCO.
“Turkey is represented less than it should be in terms of the number of personnel to work in UNESCO”, said the Turkish minister, calling the organization to give the few existing Turkish personnel the opportunity to assume higher roles.
