MEDIA ADVISORY/ 33rd AU Summit

Advocacy Side Event for the African World Heritage Fund

What: Advocacy Side Event for the African World Heritage Fund (AWHF).

His Excellency President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita of Mali, is hosting the event in favour of AWHF during the African Union Assembly.

The event will be organized as luncheon during the Assembly. All Heads of States and Governments as well as the Chairperson of the AU Commission, His Excellency Mr. Moussa Faki Mahamat, and other distinguished guests will be given an occasion to take the floor.

The organizers will distribute briefing and communication material during the event.

Date: Sunday, 9 February 2020

Time: 13:00-14:30 hrs.

Where: Multipurpose Hall, New Conference Center, African Union Headquarters, Addis Ababa

Why: In February 2019, during the African Union Assembly, His Excellency Mr Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, President of the Republic of Mali was appointed AU Champion for Arts, Culture and Heritage. The Board of Trustees of the AWHF requested President Keita to support their resource mobilisation programme to pursue their work of identifying, protecting and promoting the outstanding heritage of Africa. This meeting should be an opportunity for African leaders to reaffirm their political engagement for AWHF and, for the AU Members States who wish so, to announce their contribution to the Fund in the upcoming years.

Who: Organized and hosted by the Department of Social Affairs of African Union Commission (AUC) and the African World Heritage Fund.

Objectives:

a. Reinforce the engagement of Heads of States and high-level decision makers to support the protection of heritage for sustainable development in Africa;

b. Reaffirm the engagement of African Union Members States to support the AWHF’s programmes;

c. Consolidate the engagement of African States for the entry into force of the Charter for African Cultural Renaissance.

Press briefing: There will also be a brief chat for the media after the luncheon session.

Media is invited to cover the Advocacy Side Event for the African World Heritage Fund. (Programme attached)

Media contact:

Mrs. Wynne Musabayana | Head of Communication | African Union Commission I E-mail: MusabayanaW@africa-union.org

Mr. Gamal Eldin Ahmed A. Karrar | Senior Communication Officer | Directorate of Information and Communications (DIC) | E-mail: GamalK@africa-union.org

Ms. Luyanda Sithole | African World Heritage Fund | E-mail: LuyandaS3@dbsa.org |

About the African Union

The African Union spearheads Africa’s development and integration in close collaboration with African Union Member States, the Regional Economic Communities and African citizens.

AU Vision: To accelerate progress towards an integrated, prosperous and inclusive Africa, at peace with itself, playing a dynamic role in the continental and global arena, effectively driven by an accountable, efficient and responsive Commission.
Learn more at: http://www.au.int

About the African World Heritage Fund (AWHF)

The African World Heritage Fund (AWHF) is a pan African organisation endorsed in January 2006 by the Sixth African Union Ordinary Assembly in Khartoum (Sudan). The Fund is hosted by South Africa on behalf of the Continent with a mandate to support African States in the implementation of the UNESCO World Heritage Convention. AWHF therefore works closely with UNESCO to champion the protection and promotion of natural and cultural heritage of outstanding value on the African continent.

Since its creation, AWHF has strived to champion challenges faced by many African countries in the implementation of the 1972 World Heritage Convention, specifically the underrepresentation of African sites on the World Heritage List and constrains related to effective conservation and management of World Heritage properties. AWHF has also strived to identify conditions that will allow World Heritage Sites to play a catalytic role in socioeconomic growth and infrastructure development in Africa.

To achieve the above, AWHF established an Endowment Fund with a target to raise 25 million US$ that will be invested, and the returns help to finance the programmes and operations of the organization. For that purpose, African and Non-African States are encouraged to contribute financially to the Fund. Since 2007 when AWHF started its programmes, 30 countries (including 20 African) have provided financial support having amounted 17 million US$ including 30% invested in the Endowment Fund.

For further information contact
Directorate of Information and Communication | African Union Commission I E-mail: dic@africa-union.org I Web Site: www.au.int I Addis Ababa | Ethiopia
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