Event Dedicated to Acknowledging the Collaboration Between the University of Bucharest and the National Commission of Romania for UNESCO

On Wednesday, December 11, 2024, the University of Bucharest (UB) hosted a special event to recognize the contributions of its community members actively involved in strengthening the partnership between UB and the National Commission of Romania for UNESCO.

The meeting took place in the office of Marian Preda, PhD and Rector of the University of Bucharest in the presence of Madlen Șerban, Secretary General of the National Commission of Romania for UNESCO and of Gabriela Gabor, Coordinator of the Education Sub-commission of the National Commission of Romania.

During the ceremony, awards and certificates of recognition were presented to: Marian Preda, PhD, Rector of the University of Bucharest, Lucian Ciolan, PhD, Vice-Rector Development Projects, Lifelong Learning and Educational Infrastructure, Romiță Iucu, PhD, President of UB’s Council for Strategic Orientation and Analysis, Constantin Vică, PhD, UB Vice-Rector Internationalization and Public Relations, and Sorin Costreie, PhD, Coordinator of the CIVIS Alliance at UB.

Also appreciated for their active involvement were Viorel Vizureanu, PhD., Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Bucharest and Co-Coordinator of the UB UNESCO Chair for Interculturality, Good Governance, and Sustainable Development, Lilian Ciachir, Co-Coordinator of the UB UNESCO Chair, Emilian Mihailov, PhD, and Oana Șerban, PhD, faculty members of the Faculty of Philosophy at UB. Additionally, Ioana Podina, PhD, a faculty member of the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences at UB, made significant contributions to the initiatives of the UNESCO Chair as well as to UNESCO activities that led to the adoption of certain Recommendations during the UNESCO General Conference, with others currently under development.

The expertise of the University of Bucharest manifests through the active involvement in the initiation and development of the activities of the UNESCO Global Geoparks in Romania. The Faculty of Geology and Geography was represented in the meeting by Alexandru Andrășanu, PhD, Cristian Ciobanu, PhD, and Cristina Toma. Furthermore, the University of Bucharest was represented in the UNESCO Program „Man and Biodiversity” (MAB) by Paulina Anastasiu, PhD, teaching staff at the Faculty of Biology, in the domain of geodiversity starting November 2024.

The domain of education through and for culture and arts benefited from the contributions of Anca Nedelcu, PhD, and Firuța Tacea, PhD.

The University of Bucharest is the only Romanian institution that provides a study program in Romani, and its advocate and supporter, Delia Grigore, PhD, was proposed by the National Commission of Romania for the 2024 UNESCO prize in the domain of tolerance and non-discrimination, due to her remarkable achievements.

The University of Bucharest’s commitment to involvement and support in ensuring female excellence is highly relevant, as girls and women are a priority target group for UNESCO. In this context, we also emphasize the contribution of Laura Grunberg, PhD, from the Faculty of Sociology and Social Work.

Moreover, the meeting reflects the University of Bucharest’s commitment to supporting UNESCO initiatives and highlighting collaborations that promote education, research, and culture.

Additionally, the contribution of Zoltan Rostas, PhD, was noted for developing Romania’s first application within UNESCO’s „Memory of the World” program by recalling Dimitrie Gusti’s initiative to create films about multidisciplinary research of Romanian villages, along with young researchers. In this context, the collaboration with Gabriel Mihăilescu, PhD and Cristina Ioana Dima, Phd, from the Faculty of Letters was also highlighted for preparing future national and international applications from within the same program. Furthermore, the Faculty of Letters, through the Department of Communication and Public Relations, represented by Alexandra Crăciun, PhD, complements the collaboration with the National Commission of Romania.

The Rector of the University of Bucharest, Marian Preda emphasized the importance of these efforts, expressing gratitude who, through their dedication continue to strengthen the role of the University of Bucharest in supporting UNESCO values and developing international collaborations in education, science, culture, and communication.