Rwagweri gets a rare moment to meet with the UNESCO Director General, Ms Audrey Azoulay

 

Rwagweri with UNESCO boss

The Executive Director of Engabu Za Tooro (Tooro Youth Platform for Action) and CEO of “African Continental Crafts Ltd” Stephen Rwagweri yesterday got a rare opportunity to meet and have a light moment with the UNESCO Director General, Ms Audrey Azoulay during the opening ceremony for the meeting and a Royal Dinner hosted by the Kingdom of Morocco.

 

Rwagweri is attending the seventeenth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage will be hosted by the Kingdom of Morocco in Rabat (Sofitel Rabat Jardin des Roses) from 28 November to 3 December 2022.

 

Audrey Azoulay was elected as the Director-General of UNESCO since 2017, becoming the second female leader of the organization. She previously served as France's Minister of Culture in the government of Prime Minister Manuel Valls from 2016 to 2017.

UNESCO is a specialized global agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It has 193 member states and 12 associate members, as well as partners in the non-governmental, intergovernmental and private sector.  Headquartered at the World Heritage Centre in Paris, France, UNESCO has 53 regional field offices and 199 national commissions that facilitate its global mandate.

UNESCO was founded in 1945 as the successor to the League of Nations's International Committee on Intellectual Cooperation. Its constitution establishes the agency's goals, governing structure, and operating framework. UNESCO's founding mission, which was shaped by the Second World War, is to advance peace, sustainable development and human rights by facilitating collaboration and dialogue among nations. It pursues this objective through five major programme areas: education, natural sciences, social/human sciences, culture and communication/information. UNESCO sponsors projects that improve literacy, provide technical training and education, advance science, protect independent media and press freedom, preserve regional and cultural history, and promote cultural diversity.

Rwagweri at the opening ceremony

As a focal point for world culture and science, UNESCO's activities have broadened over the years; it assists in the translation and dissemination of world literature, helps establish and secure World Heritage Sites of cultural and natural importance, works to bridge the worldwide digital divide, and creates inclusive knowledge societies through information and communication. UNESCO has launched several initiatives and global movements, such as Education for All, to further advance its core objectives.

UNESCO is governed by the General Conference, composed of member states and associate members, which meets biannually to set the agency's programs and the budget. It also elects members of the executive board, which manages UNESCO's work, and appoints every four years a Director-General, who serves as UNESCO's chief administrator. UNESCO is a member of the United Nations Sustainable Development Group, a coalition of UN agencies and organizations aimed at fulfilling the Sustainable Development Goals.

 

Rwagweri arrives in Morocco for the 17th UNESCO Session

Stephen Rwagweri

Stephen Rwagweri arrived in Rabat, Morocco yesterday to attend the 17^th Session of UNESCO’s of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Rwagweri yesterday attended the opening ceremony which took place at the Royal Club Equestre Dar Essalam in Rabat.

During the meeting, delegates will examine requests for International Assistance up to US$100,000, follow-up on elements inscribed on the Lists of the Convention and Rwagweri will be formally adopted into a global pool of experts who UNESCO presents to governments all over the world to provide consultancies to UNESCO’s ICH projects

Stephen Rwagweri is the Executive Director of Engabu Za Tooro (Tooro Youth Platform for Action) and CEO of “African Continental Crafts Ltd” which is a for profit social enterprise incorporated in Uganda and having a business focus on the artisan sector across Africa.

Engabu Za Tooro was accredited by UNESCO to provide advisory services to the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage and has since facilitated implementation of the UNESCO Convention.

 

Rwagweri attends the 17th Session of UNESCO’s of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Rabat, Morocco

Stephen Rwagweri

 The Executive Director of Engabu Za Tooro (Tooro Youth Platform for Action) and CEO of “African Continental Crafts Ltd” which is a for profit social enterprise incorporated in Uganda and having a business focus on the artisan sector across Africa travelled to Rabat Morocco today to attend the 17^th Session of UNESCO’s of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.

 

The seventeenth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage will be hosted by the Kingdom of Morocco in Rabat (Sofitel Rabat Jardin des Roses) from 28 November to 3 December 2022.

 

The UNESCO meeting has 980 delegates who are registered to attend from 146 countries across the world. They include ambassadors of UNESCO, culture ministries representing governments, UN agencies, intergovernmental and multilateral bodies, independent culture experts and 147 globally accredited culture NGOs.

 

During the UNESCO meeting, Engabu Za Tooro Stephen Rwagwri will be formally adopted into a global pool of experts who UNESCO presents to governments all over the world to provide consultancies to UNESCO’s ICH projects

 

Engabu Za Tooro which is a cultural Non Governmental Organisations based in Fort Portal and operating in the Rwenzori region was accredited by UNESCO in 2010. Engabu Za Tooro provides advisory services to the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Engabu Za Tooro admitted as a member of “Catalyst 2030”

Engabu Za Tooro admitted as a member of “Catalyst 2030” a network of global organizations collaborating to drive innovations for achieving the next economy and SDGs by 2030. Among the several collaborative programs, Engabu Za Tooro will participate in the Catalyst Market www.catalystmarket.net, a trade and e-commerce platform to allow member enterprises to access the global market and transform business of the underserved communities.