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From 22 to 26 May 2017

Message of the Director We celebrated Africa Day

2017 last week at a time when the

continent is striving towards

attaining peace, inclusive

economic growth and

sustainable development. As

you well know, UNESCO has an

important role to play in changing

the narrative of the

continent and we can only

achieve this if we work towards

peace-building by fostering inclusive, peaceful and resilient societies and

build capacities for sustainable development and poverty eradication. These

fields of action are enshrined in UNESCO’s Medium Term Strategy (2014 - 2021)

and UNESCO Field Offices have an important role to play in these fields of

action.

Our action and impact can only be enhanced if we work together. I am glad

that in the Eastern African region, we were able to organize a regional Senior

Management Team meeting on the 26 May 2017. The purpose is to enhance

regular communication and briefing on innovative ideas, interventions or

successful partnership ventures by the Regional Office as well as discuss and agree

upon emergency issues.

The meeting stressed the importance of having coordination at the national and

regional levels, which must be accompanied by regular monthly meetings

organized by all sectors. These monthly meetings are important as they help to

update colleagues on regional initiatives and monitor progress more

systematically.

During the regional Senior Management Team meeting, colleagues were briefed

on the implementation of the recommendations on the recently concluded

Ministerial SDG4 Regional Forum for Eastern Africa that took place in Dar-es-

Salaam in the United Republic of Tanzania as well as the inter-sectoral Ministerial

Conference on Higher Education, Policy and Research held in Djibouti. During

these meetings the organization’s core mandate as a catalyst for international

cooperation, capacity builder and norms and standard-setter were

demonstrated. Continuous follow-up is needed to monitor the implementation of

recommendations from these meetings in order to empower Member States

through sustainable partnerships.

It is worth noting that we are already engaged in a number of strategic partnerships

in furthering the priorities of the organization.The focal point for some of these,

Jaco du Toit was on missions to both Rwanda and Uganda. In Rwanda the

UNESCO Korean-Funds-In-Trust project: ICT Transforming Education in Africa is

offering important opportunities for partnerships with a range of ministries,

civil society organizations and academia. In Uganda, the UNESCO Chinese-

Funds-In-Trust project: Enhancing Teacher Education for Bridging the Education

Quality Gap in Africa also offer opportunities to leverage on gains achieved in the

first phase of the project and following the presentation of the second phase of the

work plan during the teacher education working group meeting in Kampala,

Uganda on 15 May 2017, more synergies are to be found for partnerships. The

upcoming technical workshop on Education for Sustainable Development and

Global Citizen Education and the Inter-ministerial Roundtable on Strengthening

synergies for Cultural Heritage Protection will also offer additional intersectoral

and cross partnership ventures.

In the spirit of SDG 17, let us all strengthen the means of implementation and

revitalize the regional partnership for sustainable development!

Ann Therese Ndong Jatta

Announcements

New Appointments

Welcome to the UNESCO Team!

Mr. Pascal Rukundo

UNESCO Rwanda

Our colleague from Rwanda just joined as National

Associate Project Officer with a wide experience in

Education Teaching, Leadership and Management in

Institutions of Higher Learning and the Ministry of

Education in Rwanda. He will serve the Education sector all

programme activities in the country, with a focus on the

Korean Funds-in-Trust project and in consultation with

UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa.

Events of the Week

22 May

International Day for Biological Diversity

25 May

Africa Day/ Africa Week (from 22 to 24 May)

30 to 31 May

UNESCO/Ministry of Education- meeting to develop the Education for

Sustainable Development (ESD) policy action plan - Nairobi, Kenya

30 May to 2 June

5th Edition of the Africa Internet Summit, Nairobi Kenya

Missions

Karalyn Monteil

UNESCO Culture Sector Retreat

6 to 9 June 2017

Paris, France

Web News of the Week

UNESCO Director-General Participates at the Transform

Africa Summit 2017 in Kigali, Rwanda

UNESCO builds capacity in Rwanda on the

Information for All Programme and Supports

Development of the Digital Talent Policy

UNESCO Builds Capacity on Knowledge Societies with

Education and Youth & ICT Sector Stakeholders in

Rwanda

Meetings

Education

7 to 14 May & 15 to 19 May 2017

Ethiopia, Addis Ababa

Kenya, Nairobi

Madagascar, Antananarivo

Tanzania, Dar es saalam

Uganda, Kampala

UNESCO, in partnership with the

Republic of Korea and in

collaboration with the respective

government ministries in charge of

TVET in five member states

embarked on a five-day scooping

mission in view of an upcoming

TVET project: Better Education for

Africa's Rise (BEAR) II. This

scooping exercise aimed at getting

an overview and gaining an in depth understanding of the TVET landscape in the

respective countries. Based on the findings, the next steps will involve the

development of country specific project proposals, validation of the Project

documents and project launch by the end of the year. The BEAR II project will

address the importance of TVET to the needs of the economy and the labor

market, the quality of TVET institutions and the perception that young people

have on TVET.

From the Office

The UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa

is conducting a 2 weeks social media campaign

and advocacy to raise awareness and catalyze

action towards the Final Outcome Statement and

the Youth Statement of the Conference on Higher

Education, Policy and Research that took place in

Djibouti, from 2 to 4 May 2017.

Follow the campaign online, on ourFacebook page

& read more about the Statements of the

Conference, by consulting our website

You want to get to know more about our

project in Kibera that UNESCO carried out ,

on Health Literacy for Behavior Change?

The UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern

Africa proudly presents a documentary on

Health Education for Behavior Change.

The Pilot project implemented by the Ministry of Education, Science and

Technology - Kenya and UNESCO, with the support of the Government of

Azerbaijan. Sexual Health information changes people's behavior and choices.The

materials developed for the project were posters, stories, poems,drama scripts,

leaflets, songs, role plays, scripts for radio and teachers' guides. The project

addressed 8000 adolescent girls, trained 135 teachers on health and sexuality, in

21 schools- primary and secondary, formal and non-formal, in the informal

settlement of Kibera, Kenya, 25 staff members of the Ministry of Education,

County Government, Ministry of Devolution and Planning (Directorate of

Gender).

Click to view the short version of the documentary

and the long version of the documentary.

Sustainable Development Goals in the Office

The UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa has

the new 17 SDG displayed on the wall on the stairway

of the Office. This is a daily reminder of the

extraordinary work that UNESCO and the UN do in

the Eastern Africa Region. It is an opportunity to learn

more about each SDG, and how each one aligns with

out the sectors and the IOC at UNESCO!

26 May 2017

Regional Senior Management Team

The Regional Senior Management

meeting took place on Friday 26 May

2017 focusing on the preparation,

gathering of information and release of the

Strategic Results Report to be launched

on 16th June 2017, covering the activities,

results and achievements of UNESCO

Regional Office for Eastern Africa in the

last three years a six months.

The Director of the UNESCO Regional Office of Eastern Africa empathized the

importance of reporting, results and levels of coordination. Moreover, the

UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa should be seen as a Laboratory of

ideas, a thought leadership institution that acts as a Resource instead of a

capacity builder.

The thought leadership must be reflected in publications, website and documents

properly archived, written and shared for communication and awareness raising

purposed.

29 May 2017

Meeting Kibera Project

The Kibera Working Group

UNESCO Team presented the

draft concept Leaving no one

Behind: Harnessing the Youth

Dividend in Kibera informal

Settlement for Sustainable

Developmentto the UNESCO

Director on Monday morning.

Further development and fine-

tuning of the concept note

include partnership engagement,

objectives and action plan.

More to come, stay Tuned!

Public Holidays in Member States

The official Ramadan 2017 starts on Friday, 26 May to Saturday, 24 June.

It is the ninth month of the Islamic Calendar, and it is observed by Muslims

worldwide as a month of fasting (Sawm) to commemorate the first revelation of

the Quran to Muhammad, according to Islamic belief. This annual observance is

regarded as one of the Five Pillars of Islam.

Kenya

1 June 2017

Madaraka Day

This day commemorates that day in Kenya attained self-rule in 1964

Madagascar

5 June 2017

Whit Monday (or Pentecost Monday) is the holiday celebrated the day after

Pentecost

Seychelles

5 June 2017

Liberation Day celebrates the events of June 1977, when current head of state

was overthrown by a revolt. Seychelles then gained independence from Britain in

1976 and became republic within the Commonwealth

Uganda

3 June 2017

Martyr's Day.

This day commemorates the group of 23 Anglican and 22 Catholic conversion to

Christianity in the historical kingdom of Buganda, now part of Uganda, who

were then executed between 31 January 1885 and 27 January 1887.

Global Day of Parents

1 June 2017

World Environment Day

5 June 2017

World Oceans Day

8 June 2017

Birthdays Lydiah Gachungi

27 May 2017

Aurora Sze-Ming Cheung

1 June 2017