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UNESCO Harare was initially established in 1986 as a sub-regional office for education in Southern Africa, with a special emphasis on higher education. Since then, it has also played the role of cluster office, covering four countries (Botswana, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe) and since 2014 as UNESCO Regional Office for Southern Africa (ROSA), covering all of UNESCO’s programme sectors in nine countries, namely Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The office serves as UNESCO’s focal point for cooperation with the Southern African Development Community (SADC) as well as for the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA).

Guided by the principles of cultural diversity and human dignity and in collaboration with its partners, governments, and institutions, the regional office seeks to advocate for and build countries’ capacity for:

• the provision of universal access to quality basic education and expanded access to pre-basic, post-basic and continuing education;
• the development and application of scientific and technological knowledge for social development;
• the promotion of cultural diversity and the preservation of the world’s cultural heritage;
• the expansion of access to information and communication technologies.

Through the regional office, UNESCO undertakes these actions in the region by focusing on poverty reduction, HIV/AIDS prevention and the mitigation of its impacts, especially among women and young people.