IFACCA has marked International Arts Education Week by releasing an update of its Arts and Education Fact Sheet.

Irina Bokova, Director General of UNESCO notes: 'The General Conference of UNESCO proclaimed the fourth week of May as International Arts Education Week. It will be marked for the first time from 21 to 27 May 2012 and should highlight the importance and usefulness of arts education. The World Conferences on Arts Education, held in Lisbon in 2006 and Seoul in 2010, identified some strong guiding principles. The Seoul Agenda for the development of quality arts education added an action plan available to all Member States. The time has now come to speed up implementation. Now that the world is seeking new paths to peace and development, we can unleash the potential of culture and cultural diversity. Arts education is one of the keys to unlocking this potential, for the benefit of all. Art and creation must take their rightful place at the heart of society. In this International Arts Education Week, I call on UNESCO’s partners, governments, educational institutions and members of society to support projects and activities that draw on the force of art for dialogue, social cohesion and peace.'

At the beginning of May, IFACCA participated in a meeting with the UNESCO Chairs in Arts and Learning via teleconference, during the International Polylogue on Arts Education World Summit, at the Hong Kong Institute of Education , to discuss the International Network for Research in Arts Education (INRAE). Possible future areas of collaboration were discussed, and these are detailed in the fact sheet, along with a description of current projects in Africa and Europe, IFACCA's arts and education email group, and past events.

There is a wide programme of events taking place in Paris to mark the week and more information is available here: http://www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/events/prizes-and-celebrations/celebrations/international-weeks/international-arts-education-week-2012/. These events are co-hosted by Korean Government (Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism) and IFACCA's Affiliate member, KACES (Korea Arts & Culture Education Service).

For further information on UNESCO’s activities in arts and education, please visit their website http://www.unesco.org/new/en/culture/themes/creativity/arts-education/

Information on activities in Korea to mark the Week are available here http://www.arteweek.kr/2012arteweek_brochure.pdf .