Sao Tomé and Principe supported to finalize its first Tentative List
Sao Tome and Principe remains one of the three African countries without any sites on its Tentative List. In the framework of Priority Africa, UNESCO supports Sao Tome and Principles through the “Capacity-building programme for the nomination of World Heritage sites in the Africa Region”, funded by the Government of Japan, targeting 10 African countries without inscribed World Heritage property.
Already, in March 2009, a Training Workshop on Tentative List was organized in Sao Tome and Principe by UNESCO World Heritage Centre and the African World Heritage Fund (AWHF). The training resulted in a draft national Tentative List. In 2019, a mission led by UNESCO, AWHF and the World Heritage Training and Research Institute for the Asia-Pacific Region (WHITRAP) was conducted to prepare a “World Heritage Training and Conservation Field Project” in Sao Tome and Principe, with particular emphasis on the finalization of the national Tentative List. The follow-up could not be carried out due to the COVID-19 pandemic and logistical constraints.
On 24 – 28 October 2022, a workshop was organized by the African World Heritage Fund (AWHF), with support from UNESCO, to assist the State Party in finalizing its first Tentative List. During this workshop, the national stakeholders recommended two sites for the first Tentative List: the Roças Sao Tome and Principe and the National Parks of Sao Tome and Principe. UNESCO will continue to support the Sao Tome and Principe in finalizing the Tentative List with the partners in early 2023.
