QUARTERLY REVIEW OCTOBER - DECEMBER 2014
Page2 MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION To ensure that the mission and objectives of the African World Heritage Fund are achieved by consolidating institutional Capacities. ALGERIA HOSTS AWHF 16 TH BOARD SESSION The 16 th Session of the African World Heritage Fund Board of Trustees session was held in Algiers, Algeria on the 3 rd and 4 th December 2014 courtesy of the Algerian Government (Ministry of Culture). The meeting was attended by Board members representing different African regions, Observers, UNESCO and African Union representatives. The meeting was chaired by Ms. Dolana Msimang, the Ambassador of South Africa to France and Permanent Delegate of South Africa to UNESCO. In her opening remarks Ambassador Msimang thanked the Government of Algeria for accepting to host the meeting. In his remarks Mr. Kishore Rao (Director of World Heritage Centre and UNESCO representative to the Board) commended the Fund for championing UNESCO s convention on the African continent. The Fund has contributed significantly towards improving the capacity of heritage professionals on the continent. The Minister of Culture of Algeria, Madam Nadia Labidi thanked the Fund for choosing Algeria as the host of the meeting. Dr. Betrouni Mourad delivered the speech on behalf of the Minister. AWHF Board Meeting
Page3 MAKING THE WORLD HERITAGE LIST CREDIBLE, REPRESSENTATIVE AND BALANCED African Ministers Meeting Doha, Qatar To ensure increased number of sites from Africa inscribed on World Heritage List Nomination Evaluation Workshops The Nomination Evaluation workshop for French speaking Countries in Africa was held in W Park, Burkina Faso from 10 th to 15 th November 2014. Sixteen (16) from Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Cote d Ivoire, Guinea Bissau, Niger and Senegal attended the workshop. The following sites were examined Iron Metallurgy sites, Ennedi landscapes and rock art, Bijagos Islands and the WAP transfrontier Parks. Experts from IUCN and representatives from UEMOA attended the workshop. It is envisioned that the nomination dossiers for WAP (Extension of W Niger to Benin and Burkina Faso) and Ennedi landscapes and rock art (Chad) will be submitted to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre in January 2015. The workshop was organized in collaboration with the Government of Burkina Faso. Participants Nomination workshop, Burkina Faso Another Nomination workshop for English speaking countries in Africa was held in Maun (Okavango Delta World Heritage Site) Botswana from 20 th 24 th November 2014. The following sites were examined: Mulanje Cultural landscape (Malawi), Zoma of the Isandra (Madagascar), Asmara (Eritrea), Borotse Cultural landscape (Zambia), Tongo Tengzuk (Ghana) and Chobe National Park (Botswana). The City of Asmara will be submitted to UNESCO for examination by January 2015. Participants Nomination Workshop, Botswana
Page4 CONSERVATION OF HERITAGE PLACES To ensure improved management and conservation of World Heritages in Africa through participation of all stakeholders including local communities Field project on Entrepreneurship The entrepreneurship field project took place from the 22 nd September-10 th October 2014 at the Mosi-Oa- Tunya/Victoria Falls World Heritage Site, Zambia. The workshop was designed as a follow up to the first workshop held in Ghana in May 2014. The second workshop was designed as a practical platform to consolidate the knowledge acquired during the entrepreneurship workshop in Ghana and as a follow up on individual entrepreneurial projects. The 26 participants from Botswana, Zambia, Seychelles, South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania and Ghana attended the workshop. The workshop was organized together with the National Heritage Conservation Commission of Zambia and the Mukuni Curio Traders Association with funding from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Participants Entrepreneurship Workshop Research on Traditional Management Systems at World Heritage Sites In January 2014, AWHF commissioned a study to document Traditional Management Systems (TMS) at selected World Heritage Sites in Africa. The results of the study were discussed at a Seminar organized by AWHF in collaboration with UNESCO Office in Harare, Zimbabwe on 5 th 7 th November 2014. Koutammakou, the land of the Batammaribe, Togo/Benin Mijikenda Kaya Elders, Kenya
Page5 TMSs at the following sites were documented: Matobo Hills (Zimbabwe); Mulanje Mountain Biosphere Reserve/Mount Mulanje Cultural Landscape (Malawi); Konso cultural landscape (Ethiopia); The Mijikenda Kaya Cultural landscape (Kenya); Kasubi Royal Tombs (Uganda); Ngorongoro (Tanzania), Ruwenzori (Uganda); Otamari Land (Togo/Benin); Ganvie (Benin); Mbe Royal Domain, Teke Kingdom (Republic of Cong, Brazzaville). The results of the research will be published in 2015. Seminar on Experiences of World Heritage in Africa Participants Experiences of World Heritage in Africa A seminar on Experiences of World Heritage in Africa took place in Marrakech Morocco from 28 th 30 th October 2014. The seminar was organized by AWHF in partnership the Government of the Kingdom of Morocco and UNESCO. The Minister of Culture (Morocco), Mr Mohamed Amine Sibihi opened the seminar. Mr. Sabhi pledged further funding to the African World Heritage Fund in 2015. The seminar deliberated on the experiences of World Heritage in Africa, specifically in the areas related to indigenous management systems, community participation, economic benefits and impacts of armed conflict on World Heritage Sites. Thirty nine participants attended the Seminar. AWHF is grateful to the Kingdom of Morocco and UNESCO for supporting the seminar.
Page6 FUNDRAISING AND COMMUNICATION To seek support for the AWHF Endowment Fund and Operational Funding Fundraising Missions Between September and December 2014, AWHF organized a number of missions aimed at meeting with potential partners to discuss collaboration opportunities. In Europe several countries were visited to explore new partnership and strengthen existing ones. These partners visited included Statoil in Norway, as well as the Counsellor for Trade Affairs for the Royal Norwegian Embassy. In Belgium, the Department for the Management of the Flanders Trust Funds, the International Investment &Trade Organisation and the Flemish Commission of UNESCO were met. Visits in the Netherlands included the National Commission of UNESCO, the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science and the Department of Foreign Affairs in the Netherlands as well as the African Business Council, and the Prins Klaus Fund. Discussions were also held with Maersk in Denmark. Potential partners particularly for the implementation of programmes where explored. Government of Netherlands pledges US$ 50,000 to AWHF Following successful fundraising mission to Europe the Government of Netherlands provide US$ 50,000 to the AWHF to support the Risks preparedness programme. This follows discussions with the Ministry of Education and Arts. Norwegian Foreign Ministry signed a new financial supporting agreement with AWHF for the funding of Core Programmes. The funding which will be for the period 2015 to 2018 will be for 9,5 million NOK (1.5 Million USD). This is in addition to the support the government of Norway is already giving to the Periodic Reporting Exercise in Africa.
Page7 Fundraising Dinner for AWHF A Partners Dinner for AWHF was held on 7 th October 2014 hosted by the Ambassador of South Africa to France and Permanent delegate of South Africa to UNESCO, Ambassador Dolana Msimang. The Director General of UNESCO, Madame Irina Bokova and the Chairperson of the Africa Union Commission, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma were present as well as Ambassadors and representatives from Angola, Benin, Brazil, China, Cote d Ivoire, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Finland, India, Japan, Kuwait, Mexico, the Netherlands, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, Tanzania, the United Arab Emirates and the United States of America. There were also representatives from the private sector including Total. (Left)- The Director General of UNESCO, Madame Irina Bokova and the Chairperson of the Africa Union Commission, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma at the function. (Centre) - Ambassador Dolana Msimang (Right) - H.E Mr Mariano-Ebang Ebang Anguesomo, Ambassador and Permanent delegate of Equatorial (Left) - Mr Scott Turner, representative of the US Ambassador to UNESCO (Right) - HE Mr Lionel Stenghart Veer, Ambassador of the Netherlands to UNESCO
Page8 PRIVATE SECTOR ENGAGEMENT MAERSK SHIPPING COMPANY AND ANGLO AMERICAN Following several meetings in Denmark and South Africa discussions were held to partner AWHF in the Risk Preparedness Programme. The Partnership seeks to tape into the MAERSK and ANGLO-AMERICAN operation experience on the African continent and ensure that Heritage managers develop skills to analyses, identify and prepare for Risks at World Heritage places in Africa. STANDARD BANK Meetings were held seeking a partnerships with Standard bank (South Africa) on the World Heritage sites and entrepreneurship. The programme seeks to identify small business opportunities in and around African World Heritage sites particularly for the youth and women. Discussions are underway on potential sites in East and southern Africa. Other strategic Meetings ECOWAS Cultural Heritage Directors Meeting, Lome, Togo, 26-28 November 2014 As a follow up to the initial meeting held in Burkina Faso in August 2013, the ECOWAS Cultural Heritage Director s meeting focused on national inventories with a view to explore actions on issues and areas of common interest in the region. One of the outcomes was the need to coordinate efforts and resources toward a regional heritage sites list using cross-cutting themes such as slave and trade routes, traditional architecture and indigenous technologies (e.g. iron metallurgy). The ECOWAS Commission expressed the wish to increase collaboration and partnership with AWHF. Participants ECOWAS Cultural Heritage Meeting
Page9 UPCOMING EVENTS: JANUARY MARCH 2015 Business Breakfast AWHF is planning a business breakfast in March 2015. The event will be hosted by AWHF Patron, Phuthuma Nhleko. Sustainable Tourism Programme The AWHF will launch a new project in 2015 within the Africa Nature Sustainable Tourism programme. The project runs in collaboration with the UNESCO World Heritage Centre who have developed a capacity building tool for site managers ( How To Guides) to help them manage tourism at their sites more sustainably. The project aim to test the How To Guides tool at 4 Natural World Heritage Sites in Africa, introducing the guides into the planning and management of sustainable tourism in order to enhance stakeholder engagement in planning, development and management of sustainable tourism. The project will be structured into 3 phases: inception workshops, follow-up workshops and specialized workshops. Field Project on Risk preparedness Cidade Velha, Historic Centre of Ribeira Grande World Heritage The third field project on risk management within the periodic reporting programme will be held in Cape Verde at the Cidade Velha, Historic Centre of Ribeira Grande World Heritage Site from 16 th February 6 March 2014. The workshop will be attended by Portuguese speaking countries in Africa. Lusophone field project will focus on the conservation and risk management of the World Heritage property. Following on from the training workshop held in Mozambique in July 2014, the field project will provide practical training for the participants in managing and documenting risks and attributes of heritage properties. AWHF Contacts Physical address: Development Bank of Southern Africa (main campus) 1258 Lever Road, Midrand, South Africa Postal address: 1258 Lever Road Headway Hill Midrand P.O. Box 1234, Halfway House, Midrand, 1685 South Africa Email: info@awhf.net Tel: +27 (0) 11 313 3061 Fax: +27 (0) 11 206 3061