UNITED NATIONS EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC
Statement by Professor Michael OMOLEWA
Chairperson of the Executive Board:
____
AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATION (UNESCO)
President of the UNESCO General Conference
and Permanent Delegate of Nigeria to UNESCO
during the First meeting of the Forum of
African regional and sub-regional
organizations to support cooperation
between UNESCO and NEPAD (FOSRASUN)
UNESCO Headquarters, Paris, France
10 to 13 September, 2004
Ambassador Hans-Heinrich Wrede
Mr Director-General:
Koïchiro Matsuura
Dr. [Chief] Bimbola Ogunkelu:
Chairperson of the UNESCO Committee for NEPAD
The Assistant Director-General, Africa
Department, Mr Noureini Tidjani Serpos
Distinguished members of the
African Union and NEPAD
Representatives of the African region
and sub-region organizations
The Regional Economic Communities (CER)
Executive Secretaries and Representatives
Representatives of Civil Societies
Excellencies
Dear brothers, Sisters and Friends
Dear Colleagues
Ladies and Gentlemen
It is for me a great privilege and an honour to be invited to this first meeting of the
Forum of African regional and sub-regional organizations in support of cooperation
between UNESCO and NEPAD (FOSRASUN). It is with great pleasure that l join others to
welcome you all to UNESCO Headquarters.
I am particularly pleased that we are here to meet once more in pursuit of our quest to
advance our goals towards building a better continent of Africa for the benefit of all
peoples.
For I recall the meetings of the UNESCO-NEPAD committee in Burkina Faso last year and
the subsequent meeting which was held here in April this year where the idea for the
inauguration of this important FOSRASUN was articulated and where a recommendation was
made to the Director-General to invite a representative of the Committee to the
inaugural meeting.
Today I want to limit my intervention to a few comments. First, I wish to congratulate all
those who have made this meeting possible: Friends of Africa and those concerned with the
welfare of the people of the continent. I firmly believe that we all have the immense and
collective challenge of ensuring that the Africa Union, and in particular the partnership
for Africa Development (NEPAD), are given the support to fully address the challenges of
poverty extreme-poverty, education on sustainable development including gender parity, fresh
water issues, cultural preservation, capacity-building and the fight against the scourge of
diseases especially malaria and the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen:
My second is to congratulate the Director-General for his continuing engagement with
Africa and now for the wisdom in bringing more partner on board to assist provide a solution
to the problems of Africa. Perhaps I should mention that the establishment of this Forum is an
initiative of significant importance that dates to the very foundation of UNESCO bringing
people together as partners in the promotion of the ideals of UNESCO. Perhaps I may recall
that at its very inception in 1945, the founders of this organisation had carefully considered
the need to make UNESCO inclusive, and had appreciated the need to involve other partners
partly because of the limitations of funding and personnel, and partly because it considered
the work of UNESCO too vast for any organisation to handle all on its own. It was for that
reason that UNESCO had established contact with scientific and professional organizations,
NGOs, intellectual committees, distinguished personalities etc. Thus Dr Julian Huxley, the
first Director General of UNESCO, then reporting the work of the Preparatory Commission in
his capacity as its Executive Secretary observed at the second plenary meting of the first
session of UNESCO on the afternoon of Wednesday, 20 November, 1946 that UNESCO must
cultivate the habit of searching for partners. In his words "we have considered the obvious
necessity of cooperating with all existing agencies with similar aims. We could never hope to
undertake everything ourselves; duplication of effort would be grave, partly because it would
give rise to wasteful and dangerous competition, partly because there are not enough good
people to carry out this difficult and exacting type of work, and perhaps most of all because
we feel it right in principle that people should help themselves, rather than transfer all their
responsibilities to some remote overgrown organisation. Therefore, wherever responsible
voluntary agencies exist, capable of carrying out the work for which we exist, we shall
endeavour to assist them to do so”.
This wisdom must have been used to establish this Forum which can be used as an excellent
platform for the development, adjustment and fine-tuning of the Organization’s programmatic
responses to the needs of the continent in its fields of competence. It is and should remain an
opportunity for the periodical airing of evaluations on African’s political, economic and
socio-cultural experiences, challenges, progress and shortcomings on the regional and
subregional levels.
UNESCO will continue to secure the support of the Africa Group, the Permanent Delegations
for its programmes and projects and strengthen the participatory commitment of National
Commissions in the implementation of programmes and projects.
As focal point for cooperation with African regional and sub-regional organizations, as well
as for the joint United Nations Programmes in Africa, UNESCO also continue to constitute
the framework on regulating and inspiring its actions of cooperation, harmonization and
exchange of experiences and views.
In conclusion, please permit me to thank the Director-General and the entire Secretariat for
the laudable efforts to bring UNESCO to the service of the development of Africa. I am glad
our Africa Department continues to play such an effective coordinating role. I wish to thank
all the Friends of Africa for the continued support generously provided.
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, Excellencies, I wish you every
success in your work and I thank you for your attention. GOD bless you.