Recent Current Affairs related to UNESCO

The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and the Ministry of Education have signed an MoU with UNESCO to promote clean sport values among school-going children across the country.

The partnership will implement the “Sports Values in Every Classroom Toolkit” (SViECT) to embed essential ethical values. It is to be noted that the toolkit was initially developed for students aged 8 to 12.

UNESCO has released its 2026 Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Gender Report titled “Gender equity in access to education” to mark the International Day of the Girl Child (11 October 2026).

The report states that between 2000 and 2024, the share of countries with fewer than nine girls per ten boys enrolled declined from 15% to 2% in primary education, and from 18% to 5% in upper-secondary education.

The Permanent Delegation of India to the UNESCO has added 3 new Indian sites to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List.

The newly included locations are the Karst-mud-volcano Complex of Baratang and the Andaman Subduction Volcanoes (situated in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands), along with the Sirpur Cultural and Archaeological Landscape (Chhattisgarh). With these additions, the total number of Indian entries on the tentative list has increased to 81, comprising 59 Cultural, 3 Mixed, and 19 Natural sites.

Dr TM Balakrishnan Nair, the Director of the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), has been elected as the Chair of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) Sub-Commission for the Indian Ocean (IOCINDIO) under the UNESCO.

The election took place during the second Intergovernmental Session of IOCINDIO held in Bali, Indonesia. Turki Al-Said of Kuwait and Badal Mohammed Rezah of Mauritius were elected as the Vice-Chairs of IOCINDIO.

World Teachers’ Day

Day - October 05

Theme 2026 - “Standing with teachers: 60 years of protecting the profession, advancing its status and shaping our futures”

Observed by - UNESCO

Observed since - 1994

Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), the National Culture Fund (NCF), and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) have signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) for the conservation and development of heritage sites.

HAL has approved financial support worth ₹23.60 crore until the FY29 to preserve these heritage sites, enhance visitor amenities, and promote sustainable heritage tourism.

The Permanent Delegation of India to the UNESCO has announced the inclusion of 5 new heritage sites in the Tentative List of the World Heritage Convention (WHC). Four of these sites are located in Madhya Pradesh: the Bagh Cave Paintings, the Group of Temples of the Chambal Valley, the Udaigiri Caves, and the Ginnorgarh Fort.

A serial transnational proposal between India and South Africa, titled ‘Sites of Satyagraha’, has also been included. This property consists of 9 components, including 7 sites in India and 2 in South Africa (the Pietermaritzburg Station and the Phoenix Settlement).

It is to be noted that the total number of sites from India on the UNESCO Tentative List has increased to 78, comprising 58 cultural, 17 natural, and 3 mixed category sites.

According to the 10th edition of the “Travel and Tourism Development Index (TTDI 2026): Insight Report September 2026” released by the World Economic Forum (WEF), India is ranked 31st with an overall score of 4.42.

Japan is ranked top with a score of 5.27, followed by the USA, Spain, Australia, and France. Mali is ranked at the bottom of the index with a score of 2.75.

India is set to host the 4th Junior and 11th Senior Asian Pencak Silat Championship in 2027. The international tournament will be held at the Manohar Parrikar Stadium in Goa.

The hosting rights were announced by the Indian Pencak Silat Federation (IPSF) and have been officially endorsed by the International Pencak Silat Federation (PERSILAT).

National Engineer’s Day

Day - September 15

Observed since - 1968

Commemorating - the birth anniversary of Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya

National Teachers’ Day

Day - September 5

Theme 2026 - “Teachers at the Heart of Education Recovery”

Observed since - 1962

Commemorating - Birth anniversary of Dr S Radhakrishnan, the first Vice-President and the second President of India

The Permanent Delegation of India to the UNESCO has announced the inclusion of 4 new cultural heritage sites in the Tentative List of the World Heritage Convention (WHC).

The newly added sites are the Rangpur-Sivasagar Historic Ensemble (Assam), the Colonial Penal Settlement (Andaman Islands), the Nicobarese Cultural Continuity in the Central Group of Nicobar Islands, and the Painted Haveli Towns of Shekhawati (Rajasthan). With this, the total number of sites from India on the UNESCO tentative list has increased to 73.

The IIT Madras has partnered with the UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (UNESCO MGIEP) to develop AI-based immersive learning technologies.

The collaboration aims to transform global education systems through the integration of advanced technological solutions.

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has officially designated the Gollala Gudi Temple, located in Palampet, Telangana, as a Monument of National Importance. The temple is situated in southwest of the Kakatiya Rudreshwara (Ramappa) Temple, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

With this addition, the total number of centrally protected monuments in Telangana has increased to 10. It is to be noted that there are currently 3,693 centrally protected monuments and archaeological sites of national importance across India.

The 48th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee (WHC) was held at the Busan Exhibition and Convention Center (BEXCO) in Busan, South Korea, under the chairmanship of Lee Byong Hyun. During the session, 25 new sites were inscribed, bringing the total number of UNESCO World Heritage (WH) sites to 1,273 across 173 countries.

This session marked the first-ever WH inscriptions for three African nations: Comoros, Sao Tome and Principe, and South Sudan. The Centre of Vienna (Austria) was removed from the list of World Heritage in Danger, while Mount Amel Castles (Lebanon) and Sebastia (State of Palestine) were included on an emergency basis.

The “Busan Declaration on World Heritage” was adopted to protect vulnerable assets. It introduced “collaboration” as the 6th “C” of the strategic objectives, joining the existing five: conservation, credibility, capacity-building, communication, and communities.

The committee adopted the “World Heritage Strategy for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) 2026-2034,” a roadmap supported by a $13 million budget. It is to be noted that the 49th session of the UNESCO WHC will be held in Istanbul, Turkiye, under the presidency of Mustafa Yurdakul.

The Pacific island nation of Nauru, the third-smallest nation in the world, has officially changed its name to the 'Republic of Naoero'.

This name change is intended to preserve its indigenous language, 'dorerin Naoero', which the UNESCO classifies as severely endangered.

The Ancient Buddhist Site of Sarnath in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, has been inscribed as the 45th UNESCO World Heritage Site of India. The announcement was made during the 48th Session of the World Heritage Committee (WHC) held in Busan, South Korea.

The site had been on the UNESCO Tentative List since 1998, marking the end of a 28-year wait for this designation. This is the 4th UNESCO World Heritage Site in Uttar Pradesh. With 45 sites, India now ranks 6th globally in terms of the number of World Heritage properties.

World Youth Skills Day

Day - 15 July

Theme 2026 - "Skills for a Shared Future"

Observed since - 2015

The Jestha Varna Mahavihar, a historic Buddhist monastery located in Lalitpur, Nepal (also known as Jyaba Bahi or Chakrabahil), has been conferred with the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Award 2025. The award recognises the outstanding conservation and restoration work undertaken following the damage caused by the 2015 Gorkha earthquake.

It is to be noted that the restoration project was supported by the Government of India (GoI) through its post-earthquake cultural heritage reconstruction grant, with financial assistance of NPR 13.78 crore.

World Music Day

Day – June 21

Theme 2026 – "Music for Peace"

Observed since – 1982

Initiated by – Jack Lang and Maurice Fleuret from France