UNESCO Mentorship Programme for African Heritage professionals
The UNESCO Mentorship Programme was developed in 2020, in collaboration with the African World Heritage Fund (AWHF) and the three Advisory Bodies (ICOMOS, ICCROM and IUCN) to create opportunities for African practitioners to become heritage experts and be more involved in evaluation, advice and monitoring activities therefore more engaged in the implementation of the 1972 Convention.
Enhance capacity for professionals in Africa with the knowledge and expertise required in the field of World Heritage Convention as much as possible.
Build a network of professionals in the field of cultural and natural World Heritage with whom stakeholders can easily work in Africa and beyond.
Increase the participation of African professionals in evaluation, advice, or monitoring activities as well as in the preparation of nomination dossiers.
Create a shared training and knowledge exchange platform between cultural and natural heritage professionals and promote synergies between them.
Building collaborative and cross generational relationships between emerging heritage specialists and recognized heritage experts.
Methodology
Every year “Mentees” are mentored by “Mentors” (1 mentor for 2 mentees) for a duration of 12 months in order to become technical experts in heritage. Candidates are selected following a call for interest launched by UNESCO, requesting them to submit their CVs and motivation letters.
Each mentoring phase lasts 1 year. Each year, 20 candidates (10 women and 10 men) are selected to become mentees.
At the start of every phase, an online launch event is organised by UNESCO and its partners, inviting mentors and mentees, but also high-level speakers (such as Ambassadors or Permanent Delegates).
Throughout the mentoring year, online meetings are organised between WHC-AFR, mentors, mentees and partners to monitor the programme and evaluate the progress. Mentees are also involved in field work and field mission, depending on their profiles, to participate in Reactive Monitoring Missions, Advisory Missions, Conferences, Events, Forums, Session of the World Heritage Committee, among others.
Testimonials of junior heritage professionals from West Africa
The mentees currently benefitting from the UNESCO Mentorship Programme for African Heritage professionals participated in a field mission as part of a workshop co-organized on 12 and 13 February 2024 by the UNESCO Regional Office in Dakar and ICCROM. This workshop aimed to support the regional and national focal points of West Africa with their Periodic Reporting, in particular to evaluate the implementation of their action plan.
