FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PANASONIC AND UNESCO RENEW STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT
· The renewed partnership will further promote next generation education, continued communication activities, and Panasonic’s technology in supporting UNESCO’s efforts
· Panasonic will donate Solar LED Lanterns to the UNESCO office at Angkor Wat
18th June 2013, Phnom Penh, Cambodia – Panasonic Corporation and the UNESCO World Heritage Centre today announced the renewal of their strategic partnership which will continue for the next two years, from June 2013 to May 2015. The renewed agreement seeks to strengthen its commitment to environmental and cultural education for the next generation, enhance communication activities, and utilize Panasonic’s technology in societal contribution.
Under the education umbrella, the ‘World Heritage Eco Learning Programme’ will focus on sites located at Cambodia, Vietnam, Spain and Brazil, over the next two years. 4,000 students worldwide have already taken part in the programme, currently hosted at 11 different world heritage sites in 10 different countries. A collaboration between Panasonic, UNESCO World Heritage Centre and World Heritage Sites, the programme raises awareness on nature conservation as well as cultural conservation. It also gives students the opportunity to learn and understand in-depth, UNESCO’s work.
Irina Bokova, UNESCO Director General, commented, “UNESCO’s work with Panasonic is an example of partnership for innovation, through collaborative, on-the-ground actions that are essential for the preservation of our Planet.”
Lending further support to the conservation of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Panasonic’s ‘Eco Picture Diary Contest’ will be expanded. The ‘Eco Picture Diary Contest’ began in 2008 in Japan. It encourages students to describe their environmental conservation activities via picture diaries, thereby honing their creativity and tapping into their imaginations. The global contest sees participation of 300,000 students from 51 different countries. In 2011, the global award ceremony was held at the UNESCO headquarters, and in 2012, the Nijo Castle in Japan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. As part of this renewed partnership, Panasonic will continue to work together with UNESCO to further promote the conservation of World Heritage Sites.
In enhancing communication activities, Panasonic has confirmed its continued sponsorship of the ‘The World Heritage Special’ with the National Geographic Channel for the next two years. ‘The World Heritage Special’ introduces the work being carried out in the conservation of World Heritage Sites and the protection of the environment. It serves as an educational tool on the technology and people that make this work possible. Since the start of the program in June 2011, the series has been broadcasted in 193 countries worldwide. The third series is scheduled for October 2013.
Utilising advanced Panasonic technology in the societal contribution, the company will supply audio visual equipment to the UNESCO headquarters and global offices. Panasonic will also provide its latest 3D technology with ‘Dive into World Heritage 3D’, a 3D system which allows viewers to experience the world heritage sites as if they were there, through vivid, life-like imagery. It will provide training in recording and editing techniques to UNESCO volunteer staff.
Moreover, the company will continue its project to replace incandescent light bulbs with energy-saving LED lights at UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Lights bulbs at these sites, the Shirakawa-Go in Gifu Prefecture, Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto, and Itsukushima Shrine in Hiroshima, Japan, and the Prague Castle have been replaced thus far.
Noteworthy is the development of the ‘World Heritage Calendar’ catered for computers, smartphones and tablets. The smart application, launched in 2012, enables users to learn about cultural and nature conservation. The ‘World Heritage Calendar’ has been distributed to UNESCO schools worldwide as an educational tool.
Regarding the renewal of the strategic partnership, Takumi Kajisha, Senior Managing Executive Officer of Panasonic Corporation, said, “Two years have passed since the start of the partnership, created through the matching of UNESCO’s commitment to the conservation of the environment and the next generation, and Panasonic’s corporate vision, which values sustainability, and its commitment to contributing to people’s daily lives, to society and to the next generation throughout the world. The various activities being carried out through this partnership have achieved great results and are becoming well established. Through our partnership with UNESCO, we will continue to contribute to society throughout the world.”
As part of Panasonic’s Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives, under the ‘100 Thousand Solar Lantern Project’, Panasonic will donate Solar LED Lanterns to the UNESCO office located at Angkor Wat. The project sees 100,000 Solar LED Lanterns being donated to areas with limited access to electricity by 2018, 100 years since the company’s founding.
With the renewal of the strategic partnership, Panasonic will continue to contribute to the conservation of world heritage sites and the global environment, as well as education activities for the next generation.
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About Panasonic
Panasonic Corporation is a worldwide leader in the development and engineering of electronic technologies and solutions for customers in residential, non-residential, mobility and personal applications. Since its founding in 1918, the company has expanded globally and now operates over 500 consolidated companies worldwide, recording consolidated net sales of 7.30 trillion yen for the year ended March 31, 2013. Committed to pursuing new value through innovation across divisional lines, the company strives to create a better life and a better world for its customers. For more information about Panasonic, please visit the company’s website at http://panasonic.net/.
About Panasonic Asia Pacific
Panasonic Asia Pacific has expanded its operations across the Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa (APMEA) region from January 2012. The company focuses on delivering comprehensive eco solutions as part of the group’s global direction, with its operations spanning across 100 countries with a total of 108 companies.
The region has 57 manufacturing sites, which hold as a key hub for Panasonic’s global production activities supporting the consumer, solutions and components and devices business. Based in Singapore, Panasonic Asia Pacific headquarters promotes environmental conservation initiatives and encourages the adoption of environment-friendly products through public eco-awareness campaigns designed for each country in the region. Panasonic Asia Pacific also has specific goals to encourage green innovation and reduce its regional carbon dioxide emissions footprint in support of Panasonic’s global eco initiatives.
For media enquiries, please contact:
Tokyo Public Relations Office
Panasonic Corporation
Tel: 03-3574-5664 Fax: 03-3574-5699
Panasonic News Bureau
Tel: 03-3542-6205 Fax: 03-3542-9018
For more information on Panasonic’s eco initiatives, visit www.panasonic.net/eco/ecoideas
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