The UNESCO Chair Inaugurating Conference
On 26-27 November, 2013, an international conference on Career Guidance, Counseling and Dialogue for a Sustainable Human Development (Poradnictwo kariery i dialog dla zrównoważonego rozwoju) was held by the UNESCO Chair. The honorary patrons of the event included Professor Marek Bojarski, Rector of the University of Wroclaw; Professor Elżbieta Kościk, Dean of the Faculty of Historical and Pedagogical Sciences, University of Wroclaw; Rafał Dutkiewicz, Mayor of the City of Wroclaw; Rafał Jurkowlaniec, Marshall of the Lower Silesia Province; Polish UNESCO Committee; Embassy of France in Poland; and Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie.
The conference was attended by participants from as many as 16 countries (Argentina, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Canada, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Island, Italy, Lebanon, Lithuania, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, the RSA and Switzerland) and delegates of six societies assembling career counselling researchers and professionals: International Association for Educational and Vocational Guidance (AIOSP/IAEVG), Division 16: Counseling Psychology of IAAP, European Society for Vocational Designing and Career Counseling (ESDVC), Association des Conseillers d’Orientation-Psychologues de France (ACO-PF), Naukowe Towarzystwo Poradoznawcze (NTP/Counsellogical Association), Stowarzyszenie Doradców Szkolnych i Zawodowych RP (SDSiZ RP/ Polish Association of School and Vocational Counsellors). The event was also attended by representatives of Wydział Edukacji Miasta Wrocławia (Education Department of the City of Wroclaw), Centrum Informacji i Planowania Kariery (Wroclaw Information and Career Planning Centre) and Wrocławskie Centrum Akademickie (Wroclaw Academic Centre).
The Chair and the conference were officially declared open by Professor Marek Bojarski, Rector of the University of Wroclaw; Professor Adam Jezierski, Vice-Rector of the University; and Professor E. Kościk, Dean of the Faculty of Historical and Pedagogical Sciences. An opening address was also given by Professor Jan Sadlak, President of IREG-OBSERVATORY (International Observatory on Academic Ranking and Excellence).
Importantly, over the two days, the conference sessions attracted a very wide audience, including not only scholars, researchers and counselling practitioners, but also Ph.D. candidates and students training for the counselling profession. The conference was co-funded by the L’Agence universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF).
