Our Events

Previous Events

AWHF Champions Global Support for Africa’s Heritage at UNESCO Headquarters

Location: Paris, France | 28 February 2025

The African World Heritage Fund (AWHF), in collaboration with the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, proudly marked the successful conclusion of the high-level advocacy event “Supporting the World Heritage Convention in Africa”, held at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris on 28 February 2025. The event was supported by the Permanent Delegation of the Republic of Azerbaïjan to UNESCO and the Permanent Delegation of the Republic of South Africa to UNESCO, underscoring the power of international partnerships in safeguarding Africa’s cultural and natural heritage.

This landmark gathering brought together ambassadors, UNESCO leadership, heritage experts, and strategic partners to address urgent challenges facing Africa’s heritage. Despite progress since AWHF’s establishment in 2006, Africa still accounts for only 12.2% of global World Heritage properties and holds 32% of sites on the Danger List, highlighting the need for stronger advocacy and resource mobilization.

AWHF’s Executive Director, Dr. Albino Jopela, emphasized the Fund’s commitment to advancing Africa’s representation and resilience within the World Heritage system. In his remarks, Dr. Jopela called for renewed solidarity and investment:
“Africa’s heritage is a global treasure. Protecting it requires collective responsibility and sustained partnerships.”

Objectives and Key Discussions

The event aimed to:

  • Raise visibility and advocacy for Africa’s heritage and its role in sustainable development.
  • Mobilize resources and partnerships to strengthen conservation and capacity-building efforts.
  • Foster collaboration among States Parties, UNESCO, and international partners.

The programme featured opening remarks from UNESCO leadership and Permanent Delegates, expert presentations on UNESCO’s strategy for Africa and AWHF’s role in implementation, and a dynamic round table discussion with ambassadors from Norway, UAE, Brazil, Japan, and Kenya. An interactive engagement session allowed participants to share ideas and commitments, reinforcing the spirit of collective action.

Outcomes and Way Forward

The event concluded with concrete pledges of financial and technical support, strengthened partnerships, and actionable recommendations to enhance the sustainability of AWHF and improve the conservation of African World Heritage Sites. These commitments signal a renewed momentum to ensure Africa’s cultural and natural treasures are preserved for future generations.

As the discussions closed, one message resonated clearly: Africa’s heritage matters—and protecting it is a shared global responsibility.

AWHF Contributes to a Historic Step Forward in Reframing Heritage Authenticity in Africa

International Conference on Cultural Heritage in Africa concludes with the Nairobi Outcome

Location: Nairobi, Kenya |Date: 6–9 May 2025

The African World Heritage Fund (AWHF), in partnership with UNESCO and the Government of Kenya, proudly marked the successful conclusion of the International Conference on Cultural Heritage in Africa: A Global Dialogue on the Concept of Authenticity, held in Nairobi from 6 to 9 May 2025. This high-level gathering brought together over 400 participants, including government representatives, heritage professionals, academics, community custodians, and civil society stakeholders from across the African continent and beyond.

The Conference emerged in response to growing calls from African heritage stakeholders to revisit and reframe global heritage practices—particularly the interpretation of Outstanding Universal Value (OUV), authenticity, and integrity—through an African lens. Despite Africa’s immense cultural and natural wealth, the continent remains underrepresented on the UNESCO World Heritage List and disproportionately affected by inscriptions on the List of World Heritage in Danger.

AWHF’s Executive Director, Dr. Albino Jopela, played a pivotal role in shaping the intellectual trajectory of the event, serving as a member of the Scientific Committee and providing strategic leadership throughout the conference. Dr. Jopela’s contributions underscored the Fund’s ongoing commitment to decolonizing heritage discourse and championing African-led conservation approaches rooted in community agency, spiritual traditions, and lived experiences.

Success at UNESCO: African World Heritage Fund Showcases Capacity Building at 47th World Heritage Committee

The side-event on "World Heritage Capacity Building in Africa" concluded successfully at the 47th session of the World Heritage Committee, held in Paris, France11111. The event, which took place on Tuesday, July 15th, 2025, in Room XI at UNESCO Headquarters, was a vital platform to showcase the profound impact of the African World Heritage Fund (AWHF)2222222.

Addressing the Challenge of Representation

The session highlighted the critical challenge of underrepresentation of African heritage on the World Heritage List3. As of June 2025, the continent holds only $12.2\%$ of the total 1199 properties on the List, with 11 countries still lacking a single inscribed site4. Furthermore, Africa accounts for $35\%$ of the properties on the List of World Heritage in Danger5.

The consensus was clear: this inequity is not due to a lack of Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) but is a result of structural barriers such as:

  • Insufficient institutional capacity and technical expertise6.
  • Chronic financial and human resource constraints7.
  • Conflict and political instability8.

The event stressed that investing in nomination capacity is not just a technical intervention, but a strategic act of “heritage justice” to redress historical imbalances9.

AWHF: A Proven Model of Impact

The AWHF, created in 2006 by the African Union and UNESCO, is the only fund dedicated to supporting the implementation of the World Heritage Convention in Africa10. The Fund’s efforts have led to significant progress between 2006 and 202311:

  • States Parties to the World Heritage Convention increased from 37 to 4612.
  • States Parties with Tentative Lists increased from 25 to 4413.
  • World Heritage Properties in Africa increased from 57 to 10314.

Since 2008, the AWHF’s World Heritage Nomination Capacity-Building Programme has trained over 800 heritage professionals from all 54 African countries15. This programme has directly contributed to the successful inscription of 37 new African sites on the UNESCO World Heritage List16.

Partners and Supporters

The side-event provided an opportunity to thank the generous financial contributions from partners who directly support the AWHF’s mandate17. The event was formally organized by the Permanent Delegation of the Arab Republic of Egypt to UNESCO in collaboration with the AWHF18.

The Provisional Programme featured distinguished speakers from key partners and supporters:

  • H.E. Dr Philemon Mjwara, Ambassador, Permanent Delegate of South Africa to UNESCO, and Trustee of the AWHF, provided opening remarks19. The AWHF is hosted by the Government of the Republic of South Africa20.
  • Prof. Khaled El-Enany, Patron of the African World Heritage Fund, also gave opening remarks21.
  • H.E. Mr Alaa Youssef, Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of the Arab Republic of Egypt to UNESCO, delivered the closing remarks22. The Egyptian Delegation was a co-organizer of the event23.

The Roundtable session, “Building Capacities in World Heritage in Africa,” included high-level representation from other African nations:

  • H.E. Ms Judith Mulenga, Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of Zambia to UNESCO24.
  • H.E. Ms Rachel Annick Ogoula Akiko, Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of Gabon to UNESCO25.
  • H.E. Mr Dhia Khaled, Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of Tunisia to UNESCO26.

The AWHF was represented by Dr Albino Jopela, Executive Director, who presented on the Fund’s vital work in building capacities27.

The event successfully showcased the AWHF’s fundamental role in implementing the World Heritage Convention in Africa and underscored the need to mobilize further financial contributions to strengthen its support for African States Parties in line with the Action Plan for World Heritage in Africa (2021-2027) and the Operational Strategy for Priority Africa (2022-2029) 28282828.