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Meeting of the Director-General with the Africa Group
During this special moment of exchange, the Director General wished everyone peace, with a special thought for the civilian victims of conflicts around the world, including in Africa, and called for the release of the students kidnapped by armed groups in Nigeria.
Audrey Azoulay welcomed the African Union's inclusion in the G20 as recognition of Africa's growing influence on the world stage. She underlined the special relationship between UNESCO and the African continent in all of UNESCO's fields of competence, which is reflected in Africa's strategic priority.
"In UNESCO's own growing budget, I wanted to increase the percentage allocated to Africa from 24% to 27%. Nearly $120 million more will be allocated to Priority Africa for the 2024-2025 biennium. A milestone has now been reached: more than a quarter of UNESCO's budget is now devoted to Africa".
Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO
During 2024, which has been designated "Year of Education" by the African Union, nine events will be organized jointly by UNESCO and the African Union Commission on educational issues. Artificial intelligence will also be a priority in Africa. UNESCO wishes to mobilize more partners in this cross-cutting field, in order to facilitate the sharing and exchange of knowledge and to support the development and ethical use of AI in Africa. UNESCO is ready to support the African Union in developing a strategy on artificial intelligence.
The Chairman of the Africa Group, H.E. Mr François Nkulikiyimfura, Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of Rwanda to UNESCO, noted the many successes achieved by the Africa Group within UNESCO, notably in the preservation of cultural and natural heritage. He said that these successes were the fruit of the hard work and fruitful cooperation of all the members of the Africa Group within UNESCO.
The adopted term "Global Priority Africa" has provided a unifying framework for understanding and appreciating the various initiatives undertaken by UNESCO across the continent. The information provided has proven invaluable, contributing significantly to our collective knowledge and understanding.
François Nkulikiyimfura, Chairman of the Africa Group
The Chairman of the Africa Group called for the development of a solid implementation plan for the Operational Strategy for Priority Africa 2022-2029 and the exploration of creative solutions to overcome budgetary constraints.
To meet today's complex challenges, he stressed the crucial importance of collaboration between UNESCO and African nations.
