The UNESCO Observatory Multi-Disciplinary Research in the Arts
The UNESCO Observatory brings together people with shared interests in the arts and encourages activities that cross disciplinary divisions, drawing on the combined expertise of national and internationally recognised researchers. The Observatory's focus crosses over the areas of architecture; the physical, natural, social and health sciences; well-being, culture, heritage, arts practice, education in the arts, community arts practice, research methodology, philosophy, ethics and program evaluation across pure, strategic, applied and action research.
The multi-disciplinary groupings associated with UNESCO and the Observatory operating team's current research projects, plus all the numerous research projects of the collaborating partner groups, will assist the University in meeting its longer term aims of supporting cross-disciplinary collaborative partnerships and research with government and industry bodies, and further developing our contribution to public life within Australia and across the Asian and Pacific regions.
The UNESCO Observatory contributes to the Faculty's research profile, acting as a research hub, clearing house and conduit to untapped research potential in the Asian and Pacific region. UNESCO has achieved countless projects and works for the benefit of humanity. The numerous partnerships and associations with experts, NGO's, institutions, governments etc. over all fields of endeavour are not, in the majority, being researched, published, analysed or disseminated, thus disappearing into the ether. The UNESCO Observatory in the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning with research partners will focus on the future benefit of society through education at all levels and across all areas. Children and young people across the region will experience a positive impact of this initiative, either in the formal education systems or in non-formal systems. The effectiveness of the arts are now being recognised as mechanisms for overcoming disaffection, exclusion, marginalisation and poverty. The Observatory will crystallise through research the success and sustainability of arts programs across a multi-disciplinary field. This will have flow-on effects through UNESCO Member States to overcome enormous spending by governments on health, social services and in the long-term return a good investment to communities.
Support for the Observatory will amount to strategic leveraging that will continue to grow. This will not be a passive secretariat but an Observatory actively engaging in research, facilitating work, and utilising everyone's capacity on a local, national and regional platform.
Support for the Observatory has been received from academics, institutions, NGO's and a wide gamut of potential collaborators. The strength of the proposal lies in UNESCO itself, an organisation with the widest range of connection to associated schools, governments, ministries, NGO's etc. through the Member States. The Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning at The University of Melbourne, with our partners and collaborators, will provide a much needed research operation for UNESCO in the Asian and Pacific regions.
Lindy Joubert, Director
Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning
The University of Melbourne
T: +61 3 8344 7437
F: +61 3 8344 5532
E: lindyaj@ unimelb.edu.au