Audrey Azoulay announced the creation of specialized training programs for archaeologists, architects, and heritage teachers, including the “implementation of programs and tools to enhance skills among a new generation of African professionals.”
The current session of the World Heritage Committee, which began on Monday in Paris, reviews applications to join the World Heritage List until Sunday, as UNESCO has incorporated into its strategy the support of the 11 African countries that have yet to get a site listed.
Among these are the “turquoise waters of the Bijagós Archipelago (Guinea-Bissau), its mangroves, exceptional biosphere reserves, the Maputo National Park, one of the five sites indicated with ‘exceptional potential,’ as well as the Gola Tiwai Forests (Sierra Leone), a refuge for threatened species like forest elephants,” the Mandara Mountains in Cameroon, and Mount Mulanje in Malawi.
The commitment of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and its Director-General, Audrey Azoulay, to the countries of Africa was also highlighted by the head of the organization’s World Heritage Center, Lazare Eloundou Assomo.
“Since her arrival in 2018, Audrey Azoulay has made Africa not only her priority but also one of UNESCO’s global priorities. And we are beginning to see very positive results,” he said.
The budget dedicated to Africa is set to increase to over a quarter of the UN organization’s total budget (27%) by 2025, yet the goal of increased African representation remains distant, as official data shows.
The number of sites listed in sub-Saharan Africa rose from 93 to 108 in recent years, a low proportion out of more than 1,200 sites globally.
UNESCO began in the 1990s to include more “living cultures,” previously underrepresented, allowing sacred sites and mud brick constructions to be included on the World Heritage List due to their spiritual, social, or symbolic significance.
However, Eloundou Assomo and Audrey Azoulay drew attention to the threats facing African heritage.
“The increase in armed conflicts, global warming, and the exploitation of mining and oil resources are challenges that could endanger African sites,” Assomo said.
“The issue of heritage should be viewed as a means to contribute to the development to which many countries naturally aspire,” he added.
“In Africa, several sites are under constant threat due to a combination of factors: conflict, illegal exploitation, and environmental stress — like in the Kahuzi-Biega National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where we supported the closure of illegal mining sites and helped train 100 ecological guards. And in Sudan, UNESCO is taking measures to protect World Heritage sites and museum collections,” stated the Director-General.
The 47th meeting of the World Heritage Committee is taking place until July 16 at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France.
