Advancing science for peace and sustainable development

The UNESCO Office in Dar es Salaam aims at achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 5,6,13,14,16 and 17 through promoting UNESCO main lines of actions in science.  

In Science, the office operates in four priority programmes:

• Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme (IHP)
• Man and Biosphere Programme (MAB)
• Geoscience and Geoparks Programme
• Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC)

The National IHP Committee in Tanzania was established in October 2019 by Ministry of Water in consultation with the National Commission for UNESCO (NATCOM). The establishment came after a long consultative process in order to establish an effective National IHP Committee with a clear mandate to deliver the desired outcomes. The Ministry of Water in collaboration with the NATCOM through technical and financial support are now taking a lead role to ensure that the Committee is effective and operational. The National IHP Committee in Tanzania is a multi-stakeholder platform with diversity in its membership. For effectiveness and inclusiveness, the committee has included both scientists/researchers, water managers, other relevant government institutions, private sector, professional associations, and civil society. The new members were selected as per Abuja recommendations to: serve as the backbone for implementing IHP activities at country level, serve as governmental advisory bodies, coordinate contacts with IHP National Committees in other countries and with the IHP Council and its Bureau and be a multidisciplinary body comprising professionals in the public and private sector of the water sector.

Established in 1971, UNESCO's intergovernmental Man and the Biosphere (MAB) programme aims to improve human livelihoods and safeguard natural and managed ecosystems by combining the natural and social sciences and integrating the traditional knowledge of indigenous and local communities in ecosystem management. Through its World Network of Biosphere Reserves, MAB promotes innovative approaches to economic development that are socially and culturally appropriate and environmentally sustainable. Tanzania is one of the countries implementing the biosphere reserve concept, and it was first conceived and adopted in 1981 following the establishment of two biosphere reserves namely, Lake Manyara and Serengeti-Ngorongoro in 1981 (Plate 4 & 5). Thereafter, East Usambara BR (Plate 6) was designated in 2000, Jozani Chwaka Bay (JCB) Zanzibar (Plate 7) in 2016 and later July 2018, the Gombe-Masito-Ugalla (Plate 8). There is also prospective BRs such as Saadani National Parks (Plate 9) Therefore, this makes a total of four (5) Biosphere Reserves in Tanzania. At national level, there is MAB National Committee, which is constituted by members from relevant sectors and ministries related to issues of conservation, research, monitoring and management.

The Geoscience and Geoparks Programme aims at ensuring geological heritage used to promote the sustainable development of the local communities who live there. A geopark achieves its goals through conservation, education and tourism. It seeks to conserve significant geological features and explore and demonstrate methods for excellence in conservation and geoscientific knowledge. The Ngorongoro Lengai UNESCO Global Geopark was formally approved by UNESCO Global Geoparks Council on 18th April 2018 being the only Geopark in Tanzania and the Sub-Saharan Africa.

UNESCO-Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) (Sub-Commission for Africa and Adjacent Islands) provided science-based technical support to Tanzania to further explore the oceans’ blue economy potential through Marine Spatial Planning training the national institutions. The capability to collect, analyze and interpret related data is still limited, hence the importance of capacity development for marine science and technology is vital. The UN Decade of Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030) will provide an opportunity for the improvement of infrastructure and facilities for research, provision of training for scientific and technical staff, as well as translation of science to policy for achieving the blue economy. 

• 6 Man and Biosphere Reserves: Gombe-Masito-Ugalla, Rufiji-Mafia-Kibiti-Kilwa, Lake Manyara, East Usambara, Serengeti-Ngorongoro and Jozani Chwaka Bay.
• 1 Eco-hydrology Demo site: Mara wetland in the Mau-Serengeti-Mara landscape.
• 1 UNESCO Global Geopark: Ngorongoro Lengai in the Northern Tanzania.

UNESCO devolves its mandate to some of the academic/professional institutions to support implementing some of its mandates, the chair ship is hosted by the nominated Universities, higher learning, or academic institutions/committees. Below are the UNESCO Chairs under the natural sciences sector:

Nelson Mandela Africa Institute of Science and Technology - Science, Technology, and Innovation Chair

Sokoine University of Agriculture - Ecohydrology and Transboundary water management Chair

National Environmental Management Council - Man, and Biosphere Reserve National Committee

Ministry of Water - Intergovernmental Hydrology Programme

Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority - National Geopark Committee

Institute of Marine Sciences - Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission

In undertaking its responsibilities, UNESCO partners with the Natural Sciences sector of the National Commission for UNESCO of the United Republic of Tanzania and the relevant Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (DMAs). Some of the partner government institutions are ministries, departments, and agencies responsible for: water, fisheries, minerals, energy, natural resources and tourism, environment, blue economy, science, technology, and innovation. Others are responsible for climate change and disasters. The sector also partners with private sector institutions and non-governmental organizations relevant in areas of our mandate and focus.

UNESCO in carrying out its roles collaborates with other UN agencies under the United Nations Sustainable Development Corporation Framework 2022-2027. UNESCO contributes to the planet outcome group of the corporation framework where issues of disasters risks, climate change, natural resources and alternative renewable energy are handled with the United Nations in the United Republic of Tanzania. UNESCO is also represented in the planet sub-groups such as Kigoma Joint Programme-II and Blue Economy. Despite UNESCO engagement with other UN agencies, it collaborates with other stakeholders being development partners state actors and non-state actors such as non-governmental organizations through the Development Partners Groups for Environmental, Water and Science and Technology.

1. Development of the Baseline report on the status of the Tanzania Science, Technology, and Innovation Systems in the context of the Recommendation on Science and Scientific Researchers (RSSR2017). The project was piloted by UNESCO in Tanzania between 2021-2022 with the purpose of assessing the status of implementation of the Key 10 areas of the RSSR 2017.
2. Report on the assessment for identification of the ecohydrology demonstration site in the United Republic of Tanzania. Under this study, Mara wetland was identified as the proposed site.
3. Commissioned a study on the status of the scientific freedom in the United Republic of Tanzania.
4. Supported a study on the identification of the traditional indigenous knowledge systems (ITK).