African Continental Crafts Doreen Kiconco was selected for 2023 VV Grow Fellowship at Vital Voices

Doreen Kiconco

At African Continental Crafts, which is a social enterprise incubated by Engabu Za Tooro, we are excited to share that our own Doreen Kiconco was selected for 2023 VV Grow Fellowship at Vital Voices. She has joined 99 fellow women entrepreneurs from around the world in a 10 months’ accelerator that involve customized business and leadership training and connecting to global network and ecosystem of women leadership and entrepreneurship for impact. Join us for this journey to accelerate our shared vision for change and growth #VVGROW

Rwagweri participates in the examination of UNESCO files in the 17th UNESCO Session

Stephen Rwagweri

Stephen Rwagweri has participated in the in the examination of UNESCO files in the 17^th Session of UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Rabat, Morocco.

The files which were examined are reports by States Parties on the current status of elements inscribed on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding, reports of the first cycle of periodic reporting on the implementation of the Convention and on the current status of elements inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by States Parties in Europe,

Reports by States Parties on the use of International Assistance from the Intangible Cultural Heritage Fund.

Others are report of the Evaluation Body on its work in 2022, nominations for inscription on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding, nominations for inscription on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, proposals to the Register of Good Safeguarding Practices, requests for International Assistance, follow-up on elements inscribed on the Lists of the Convention, Report of the non-governmental organizations forum and strategy for the monitoring, evaluation and identification of lessons learnt for International Assistance projects

Engabu Za Tooro inscribed two elements in UNESCO’s ICH list which are Empaako and Koogere Oral Traditions. Empaako Oral Tradition received UGX 1 billion from UNESCO’s International Assistance Fund to revitalize it which was successfully implemented

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 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.

“Opportunity Collaboration global innovation meeting is an Opportunity for Uganda and Africa to access global innovation resources” says Rwagweri

Rwagweri addressing the media

Stephen Rwagweri has said that Opportunity Collaboration global innovation meeting is an Opportunity for Uganda and Africa to access global innovation resources while speaking at a press conference held on Saturday 1^st October, 2022 after being welcomed from Entebbe Airport after his flight from Dominican Republic

“Those with good ideas are close to resources to implement those good ideas and Opportunity Collaboration provided a very big breakthrough and breaking all the barriers of accessing global resources. The conference was attended by over 500 people and 200 were people who control world resources and 200 are those who implement so we were sitting at the same table to distribute world development resources” Said Rwagweri

He adds, “we are in the era of promoting social innovations as a driver of fighting global poverty and Opportunity Collaboration is indeed a platform for collaboration where people with innovative progressive ideas and energies to execute those ideas converge with people with global resources”

Rwagweri will be received an Internationally Acclaimed Social Innovator of his Time Award from Opportunity Collaboration for his Traditional Artisan Inclusion Innovation.

 Rwagweri, who is the Executive Director of Engabu Za Tooro NGO and CEO African Continental Crafts Limited has been attending a global summit of innovators in Miches City, Dominican Republic from 25^th to 29^th September, 2022.

While in the Dominican Republic, he pitched his innovation to global Impact investors and discussions are underway with the impact investors to enable him get funding to pilot the innovation across the countries of Africa.

His social innovation (Traditional Artisan Inclusion model) won an Award by Opportunity Collaboration because it is addressing market exclusion leading to extreme poverty among the traditional artisans in Africa as a result of limited product development, design innovations, business skills, digital skills and infrastructure.

The innovation mobilizes capacity to advance product development, design innovations, business practices and digital marketing solutions to drive market access for traditional artisans and adapt them to the main stream creative manufacturing sector.

The innovation  is implemented by “African Continental Crafts Ltd” which is a for profit social enterprise which was first incorporated in Uganda in 2021 and having a business focus on the artisan sector across Africa.