On May 2, 2024, Mr. Mohamed Elfarnawany, Director of PAX UNESCO, paid a courtesy call to Kenya’s Ambassador and Permanent Delegate to UNESCO, His Excellency Professor Peter K. Ngure, at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. The meeting focused on the implementation of the Global Priority Africa Strategy and key UNESCO flagship initiatives.

During their discussions, Mr. Elfarnawany and H.E. Professor Ngure explored ways to enhance cooperation within the framework of UNESCO’s Global Priority Africa Implementation Strategy. The strategy is designed to empower African nations through education, culture, science, and innovation, with a focus on sustainable development and capacity building.

Key topics included several flagship initiatives, such as:

• Campus Africa: A program aimed at fostering collaboration between African universities and UNESCO to promote higher education, research, and innovation across the continent.
• The General History of Africa: An initiative aimed at revisiting and rewriting the history of Africa from an African perspective, ensuring that the continent’s rich history and diverse cultures are accurately represented and disseminated globally.
• EARFAI (Eastern African Regional Flagship Initiative): A regional platform designed to strengthen educational and cultural cooperation among Eastern African nations, focusing on knowledge sharing and capacity building in key sectors.

H.E. Professor Ngure emphasized Kenya’s strong commitment to supporting UNESCO’s efforts in advancing the Global Priority Africa agenda. He highlighted Kenya’s role as a key player in regional education, science, and cultural initiatives, stressing the importance of strengthening collaborations that benefit African nations as a whole.

Mr. Elfarnawany echoed the importance of Kenya’s contributions to the implementation of these flagships and expressed PAX UNESCO’s readiness to continue working closely with Kenya in achieving the goals of the Global Priority Africa strategy.

Both parties agreed on the need to intensify joint efforts to promote sustainable development, strengthen regional partnerships, and ensure that Africa’s rich cultural heritage and educational resources are preserved and utilized for the benefit of future generations.