Priority Africa Flagship Programmes
Africa is one of UNESCO's two global priorities.
The Operational Strategy for Priority Africa 2022-2029 has been developed based on consultations with Member States, including the UNESCO Africa Group, programme sectors at Headquarters, field offices in Africa and the Bureau of Strategic Planning. It also took into account the evaluation of the previous Strategy 2014-2021 conducted by the Internal Oversight Service.
This Operational Strategy aims at achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations’ Agenda 2030 and the African Union's Agenda 2063 "The Africa We Want", in UNESCO's fields of competence.
In Agenda 2063, the African Union renews its vision for “An integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens, representing a dynamic force in the international arena”.
To achieve this pan-African vision, Africa will need to address innovatively the major challenges it faces, while seizing the opportunities they present.
The Operational Strategy for Priority Africa 2022-2029 has five Flagship Programmes:
Flagship Programme 1
Campus Africa: Reinforcing Higher Education in Africa (Education)
Overall goal:
The overall objective of Campus Africa is to build integrated, inclusive, and quality tertiary education systems and institutions, for the development of inclusive and equitable societies on the continent. This includes the following:
- Enhance the research capacity of African tertiary institutions and increase research outcomes with effective networking;
- Improve the availability and quality of data on tertiary education in Africa to inform evidence-based decision-making.
- Improve access to higher education and TVET for all in Africa, and promote equal opportunities for learners of all backgrounds, including vulnerable and marginalized groups, in pursuing learning opportunities and individual development;
- Promote recognition of qualifications backed up by mutually-recognized quality assurance mechanism
Flagship Programme 2
“The General History of Africa (GHA) as a catalyst for achieving Agenda 2063 and the 2030 Agenda” (Education-Social and Human Sciences-Culture)
Overall Strategic Objective:
The overall long-term strategic objective of this flagship program is to promote inclusive African societies which are just, democratic, respectful of human rights and the rule of law.
Strategic objectives include :
- Accelerating the transformation of the continent’s educational systems with a view to attaining the seven aspirations of the Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda.
- Deepening scientific production on the history of Africa to update the pioneering work (GHA) completed in 1999.
- Making the awareness of the GHA narratives widely accessible to all African populations and diasporas.
Flagship Programme 3
“Fostering cultural heritage and capacity development” (Culture)
Main objectives:
- To support African Member States in capacity building on World Heritage, particularly for the purposes of nominations and removal of sites from the List of World Heritage in Danger.
- Support African Member States in the fight against illicit trafficking in cultural property under the 1970 Convention and in facilitating the return and restitution of cultural property under the Intergovernmental Committee for Promoting the Return of Cultural Property to its Countries of Origin or its Restitution in case of Illicit Appropriation (ICPRCP), as well as in the promotion of museums.
The long-term goal of this program is to empower local communities, especially women, to protect Africa's rich cultural heritage.
Flagship Programme 4
“Harnessing new and emerging technologies for sustainable development in Africa, including through the implementation of the recommendation on the ethics of artificial intelligence” (SHS-SC-CI)
Main objectives:
- Improve the capacity of African countries in the adoption and implementation of artificial intelligence (AI).
- Improve the capacity of all AI stakeholders in Africa to propose AI solutions that are ethical, and to assess the impact of AI on individuals, societies and the environment.
- Promote the ability of individuals in Africa to take control of their personal data, manage it, and improve data governance.
- Build multiple partnerships to support the ethical application of AI.
- Use AI to address environmental challenges in Africa.
- Strengthen gender equality in the design and use of AI systems.
- Contribute to building inclusive knowledge societies in Africa through the integration of Open Educational Resources (OER).
- Foster digital skills and competencies and bridge the cognitive and digital divide.
Flagship Programme 5
“Enhance Open Science, reinforce capacity building in Basic and Applied Sciences and Scientific Research to strengthen innovation and technology development and use in Ocean Science, climate change resilience and water resource management in Africa” (SC-IOC)
Main Objectives:
- Harnessing science to inform the management of natural resources and the development of sustainable ocean economy.
- Preventing risks and enhancing resilience and adaptive capacity to climate change and disasters.
- Developing national capabilities in science, technology and Innovation and education for sustainable development.
- Enhancing adaptive capacity to the multiple intersecting challenges of water-energy-food-ecosystem (WEFE).
- Fostering open science through enhanced access to scientific information and knowledge, knowledge sharing and skills development in the digital age.
- Developing ethical standards, norms and frameworks for action to meet the challenges of innovative technologies and digital transformation.
- Harnessing the potential of the African Diaspora to enhance the STI systems and capacities of Africa.