First Francophone African Regional Youth Forum on World Heritage

The first Francophone African World Heritage Youth Forum will take place from 26 April to 5 May 2017 in Burkina Faso near the Ruins of Loropéni World Heritage site. The principal objectives are to increase awareness among French-speaking African youth on issues related to the protection and preservation of World Heritage and to create a sustainable platform that will enhance the participation of young people in the field of the protection of World Heritage in Africa.

Organized jointly by the African World Heritage Fund (AWHF), the Government of Burkina Faso and the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, this event will bring together some 30 African participants, 20 and 28 years old, from 24 countries.

This initiative, which specifically targets French-speaking youth, is a follow-up to the first Anglophone African Regional Youth Forum on World Heritage organized in 2016 on the Robben Island World Heritage site in South Africa.

This Youth Forum and a seminar are among the flagship events organized in Burkina Faso to mark the second edition of African World Heritage Day. The seminar on 4 May will be devoted to the theme of training young heritage practitioners in Africa. These events will culminate on 5 May with a celebration of the International Day in the presence of representatives of the Government of Burkina Faso and UNESCO

For further information, please contact the AWFH (Nony Tiana Andriamirado: nonyA@dbsa.org).