UNITED NATIONS EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC
AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATION (UNESCO)

Address by H. E. Professor Michael Abiola Omolewa
President of the General Conference of UNESCO
Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria to UNESCO
on the occasion of the Official Opening of the
29th Session of the World Heritage Committee
Durban, South Africa: 10 July, 2005

Your Excellency, Honourable Minister of Arts and
Culture of the Republic of South Africa,

Mr. Themba Wakashe, Chair of the 29th Session
of the World Heritage Committee,

Mr Koichiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO,

Advocate Bience P. Gawanas, Commissioner,
Social Affairs, African Union Commission,

Ministers of Culture of States Parties
to the World Heritage Convention,

Your Excellencies, Ambassadors and
Permanent Delegates to UNESCO,

Distinguished Experts,
Members of the press,

Dear Friends,

Ladies and Gentlemen:

It is a source of pride and pleasure for me to address, here in South Africa, the 29th
Session of the World Heritage Committee. I will also like, on behalf of the Chairman of the
Executive Board of UNESCO, Ambassador Hans-Heinrich Wrede, Ambassador, Permanent
Delegate of Germany, who unfortunately can not be with us today, to extend the warmest
regard to you all and best wishes for a successful conference. For this gathering on
African soil, we are all grateful for the invitation of the Government and people of
South Africa, who have spared no cost and no pain in the preparations for the meeting
and who, in their traditional manner, have extended to us their gracious hospitality,
for which I personally have been the humble recipient on several occasions. Your
Excellency, please allow me, on behalf of all of us, from all corners of the World,
to thank you most warmly and through you, the Government and people of South Africa
for the gesture of solidarity that has brought us together to consider questions of
great importance to all of us, in the field of culture.

Mr. President, Honourable Ladies and Gentlemen:

The responsibility for the preservation and conservation of our cultural heritage
is one of those duties clearly articulated in the constitution of UNESCO. The
Organization has never been wanting in efforts, in many various ways, to fulfil
the expectations which spring from that mandate; the mandate which finds reality
in activities involving individual Member States and activities of world-wide
nature, which go beyond the satisfaction of national ambitions and manifestations
to encompass international action especially those concerning Universal Cultural
Heritage and the means for their protection, preservation and conservation, for
the present and also particularly for future generations. The 1972 World Heritage
Convention, mentioned above and the World Heritage List stand out among the
instruments available to UNESCO and of course its Member States for the necessary
action in his field. Since its adoption in 1972, the World Heritage Convention
brings the world together through the promotion of cultural diversity and through
the collective international action to safeguard the world's most outstanding
places. The Convention contributed to the maintenance of international stability
through mutual understanding and respect, as fundamental ingredients for peace
and development of our societies. Indeed, wars and conflicts of all sorts, which
still ravage our continents, are a complete denial of the democratic principles
of equality and mutual respect of Human beings. They are at the extreme opposite
of the spirit and the letter of the Convention, based on people assisting each
other, sharing their skills and experiences, caring for a common Heritage. We
all know that when two elephants fight, it is always the grass that suffers.
My personal plea, our plea and indeed UNESCO's plea is: "Let us not allow our
Heritage be that grass." Wars and conflicts propagate through ignorance and
prejudice. In our history we have ample examples of how ignorance and
prejudice have provided fertile ground for the germination of wars and
conflicts of all kinds. The inscription of the Auschwitz Concentration
Camp and the Genbaku Dome of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial onto the World
Heritage List are but two testimonies of Humanity's atrocities and denial
of the fundamental Human Rights. We all need to work together for the
education of our people, for the promotion of mutual understandings and
for the conservation of our common Heritage.

Honourable Ladies and Gentlemen:

Africa remains under-represented on the World Heritage List. It is only
through adherence to the World Heritage Convention that this fact can be
reversed. Despite some progress during the past decade, and some increase
in the number of sites in Africa. This is not enough!

There are still too many African countries which have yet to become States
Parties to the World Heritage Convention. I need not remind you that "it is
incumbent on the international community as a whole to participate in the
protection of the cultural and natural heritage of outstanding universal
value" found within this world. While I realise that the political realities
of some countries may make it difficult to place adherence to the Convention
on their agendas, I can only hope that their country's cultural policies will
seek to remedy this situation swiftly, making the World Heritage Convention
truly universal, thus assuring the "conservation and protection of the
world's inheritance" through "an effective system of collective protection
of the cultural and natural heritage of outstanding universal value."

With this in mind, I am most happy to welcome the plans for improving our
action in general and to personally endorse the Africa Position Paper,
African World Heritage Fund Workshop held last March in Somerset West
and which I had the pleasure of attending:

This Position Paper is indeed both a vision and a ten-year plan of action
with real recommendations aimed at enhancing both the preservation and
promotion of Africa's heritage through its sustainable use and through
increased economic development thus eradicating the scourge of poverty
that is all too rampant on our soil. I am encouraged that the Africa
Position Paper will be presented to this session of the World Heritage
Committee and, subsequently, to the Council of Ministers of Culture of
the African Union, and, most importantly ultimately, to the Summit of
the African Union to be held in 2006. Within the context of NEPAD,
UNESCO works towards the promotion of cultural diversity and pluralism
as favourable elements for the sustainable development of Africa,
increasing our Continent's cultural ties both regionally and by
increasing integration throughout Africa. But the integration we
seek goes beyond the confines of the continent to situate our
rightful place within the international community at large.

When we look at all the challenges that Africa faces, we see before
us a daunting task. We can and we must do more. But please allow me
a little indulgence while I pause here to acknowledge one or two recent
African contributions to international action. I must recall the enormous
efforts of Professor Asmal, the Chairperson of the Intergovernmental
Meeting of Experts, for the Draft Convention on the Protection of the
Diversity of Cultural Contents and Artistic Expressions, which was
successfully concluded on 3rd June 2005: there is also our dear sister,
Mrs. Wangari Maathai who was awarded the 2004 Nobel Peace Price - the
first African woman to receive this prize, which can only highlight and
give much-needed support to our efforts to promote Women's empowerment;
and finally, I would be amiss not to mention you, my dear brother, Mr.
Themba Wakashe, who, as the current Chairperson of the World Heritage
Committee has shown great commitment and wisdom in steering the work
of our Committee. Each one and all of you are shinning examples for
our continent and we salute you.

Dear Friends,

You have in your hands the very delicate task to ensure the implementation
of the Global Strategy for a more representative, balanced and credible
World Heritage List. While taking your decisions, I trust you will always
keep in mind the uniqueness of the African Heritage, which goes beyond the
"monumental" approach of Heritage in associating both tangible and intangible
aspects, as two sides of the same coin - the forest of Osun in my country is
a magnificent illustration of the combination of the tangible and intangible
in one cultural manifestation. There are many other examples from different
parts of our universe. It is the multiplicity of these many coins, put
together that make up the diversity and the richness of Humanity which we
must acknowledge and justly reflect in our work and in our decisions.
This is our aim. And this must be the finality of our deliberations
here in the next ten days.

I realize that your work will not be easy but I will plead with you to be
encouraged by the adage that a river never gets tired of running. The
Global Strategy must start bearing its fruits, and our different heritage,
among them the African Heritage, will have the recognition and care they
profoundly deserve.

I thank you very much for your attention and may the LORD bless you.