Activities >> Seminars

Recommendations
3rd Directors Seminar
Kenya 2001

Introduction

In the framework of the AFRICA 2009 Programme, the 3rd Directors Seminar was organized from 24 - 28 September 2001 in Mombasa, Kenya. The seminar brought together the 21 participants of the 3rd Regional Course on Conservation and Management of Immovable Cultural Heritage and 26 Directors and Heads of Cultural Heritage Organizations from Anglophone and Francophone, Sub-Saharan Africa. The seminar benefited from the participation of representatives of ICCROM (including the Director General, Dr. Nicholas Stanley-Price), UNESCO World Heritage Centre and the Division of Cultural Heritage, CRATerre-EAG, PMDA, the National Museums of Kenya, AFRICOM, NORAD, the Riksantikvaren (Norway), the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the French Embassy in Kenya, and the three members of the independent assessment team.

The main objectives of the seminar were:

• to allow course participants to present various aspects of the 3rd Regional Course to the Directors;
• to examine the AFRICA 2009 Programme and review its achievements and limitations;
• to examine the draft programme for the next phase of AFRICA 2009 (2002 - 2005) and explore future development.

Taking stock of the deep-seated recognition of the unprecedented importance of the AFRICA 2009 programme for the conservation and promotion of African immovable cultural heritage, all the participants of the seminar affirm their shared strong will to continue and reinforce the programme.

Considering:

1. the recommendations of the three previous seminars held in Abidjan in 1998, Mombasa in 1999, and Porto Novo in 2000;
2. the good results of the pilot phase of the programme;
3. the recommendations of the report of the independent assessment team;
4. the draft programme for 2002 - 2005 proposed by the Coordination Committee.

Recommendations

The Directors recommend:

1. to implement the main recommendations of the independent assessment team to increase support for AFRICA 2009 to allow it to attain its objective, to be implemented through the following steps:

Step One: design its programme proposal in a logical framework with an achievable objective and with output indicators for monitoring
Step Two: complete the assessment by conducting impact and needs assessments on the ground addressed to the beneficiaries
Step Three: conduct a programme formulation workshop to adjust programme based on the information collected in Step Two;

2. that the logical framework, based on the work of this Directors Seminar, be finalized by the end of 2001, and include plans for the implementation of steps two and three during the year 2002;

3. that the questions related to organization, the programme management, and the sustainability of the programme be taken into account during the reformulation of the programme based on the results of the group work organized during this Directors Seminar.

The Directors reaffirm the need to:

1. reinforce and diversify the types of training within both the Projet Cadre and the Projets Situés to take into account the specific needs;

2. rotate the location of the regional course among participating countries whenever possible;

3. give support and/or organize national and regional seminars for awareness and technical issues related to conservation of immovable cultural heritage;

4. initiate and implement research programmes;

5. develop a strong system of communication and exchange of experience,

6. reinforce the network of AFRICA 2009, more generally of immovable cultural heritage professionals;

7. create and disseminate relevant scientific documentation on immovable cultural heritage;

8. produce and disseminate graphic and audiovisual material for awareness and promotion of African immovable cultural heritage;

9. extend the good will of the AFRICA 2009 to carry out actions in countries where there have been/are wars and natural disasters, in collaboration with other organizations engaged in this field.

The Directors encourage:

1. the Chairman and members of the World Heritage Committee and the Director of the World Heritage Centre to reinforce their involvement and financial support for the programme;

2. the Division of Cultural Heritage of UNESCO to become involved in the activities of AFRICA 2009;

3. The General Assembly and Director General of ICCROM to intensify their involvement and financial support for the programme;

4. CRATerre-EAG to consolidate and enlarge its partnership in AFRICA 2009.

The Directors:

1. taking into account their important contributions to Africa 2009, ask NORAD, Sida, the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Italy, Finland and Norway, and French Embassies in Africa, to continue and enlarge their support to meet the growing activities of the programme;

2. solicit other potential donors to consider contributing to the programme in its next phase.

The Directors invite all African countries who have not yet done so:

1. to become members of ICCROM at the earliest opportunity;

2. to ratify the 1972 World Heritage Convention of UNESCO at the earliest opportunity.

The Directors adopt:

1. the draft programme for 2002 - 2005 for AFRICA 2009 taking into account the remarks and suggestions made during this Directors Seminar;

2. the management structure taking into account the remarks and suggestions formulated during this Directors Seminar;

The Directors ask that the proposals and recommendations made during this Directors Seminar be progressively implemented by the Programme.