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China, Africa to strengthen cooperation in protecting world heritage
A five-year plan was preliminarily formed to boost capacity building for China and Africa regarding world heritage conservation and management at a side event of the ongoing 44th session of the World Heritage Committee of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) that kicked off on July 16 in Fuzhou, capital of southeast China’s Fujian province.
The plan is aimed at establishing platforms for more direct exchange of knowledge between Chinese and African experts and scholars in the field of world heritage as well as custodians of world heritage sites so that the two sides can intensify exchange and sharing of experience, jointly carry out capacity building activities, and elevate the level of world heritage protection and management together.
The side event, which took place on July 19 under the theme of “Capacity Building for World Heritage Conservation and Management–Towards Future Cooperation Between Africa and China”, was attended by more than 150 people, including officials from the UNESCO, representatives of international organizations, and Chinese and African experts and scholars.
Before formulating the five-year plan, participants in the event reviewed the fruits of cooperation between China and Africa in the field of world heritage since 2019, and discussed the current situation of capacity building concerning the conservation and management of world heritage in Africa and China.
As the home of the world-famous Great Pyramids and the Sphinx, the lofty Mount Kilimanjaro on savannas, and the amazing ancient stone towers of the Great Zimbabwe ruins shrouded in forests, Africa is a continent endowed with rich and colorful natural and cultural resources. However, due to multiple factors, including social and economic development, Africa has long lagged behind other regions of the world in applying for UNESCO World Heritage status, as well as the management and protection of its world heritage.
There are 12 countries in Africa that still don’t have any heritage recognized as world heritage by the UNESCO, and 22 of the 53 properties included on the List of World Heritage in danger by the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO are located in Africa, according to Souayibou Varissou, executive director of the African World Heritage Fund (AWHF).
At the side event, Varissou called for increasing financial support for the AWHF to improve Africa’s capability to protect world heritage.
The 44th session of the World Heritage Committee tries to give priority to Africa in policy formulation, capacity building, international aid, and upstream procedures, in a bid to enhance the representativeness and improve the balance of world heritage, said Tian Xuejun, director of the Chinese National Commission for UNESCO and also chairman of the 44th session of the World Heritage Committee.
Upholding the idea of the China-Africa community with a shared future, China attaches great importance to its cooperation with Africa in protecting world heritage, held the UNESCO-Africa-China Forum on World Heritage Capacity Building and Cooperation, and supports efforts to carry out training in risk management and protection of world heritage for custodians of world heritage sites in African countries including Uganda, Benin, and Tanzania, Tian said.
Greater efforts need to be made and more strength pooled to put into practice UNESCO’s Global Priority Africa resolution, which demonstrates the status and role of African countries in the cause of world heritage protection, Tian stressed, adding that China will continue supporting African countries in protecting world heritage, assist with talent cultivation in developing countries, and carry out talent cultivation programs for world heritage protection.
Africa urgently needs to strengthen capacity building regarding application for UNESCO World Heritage status, and the management and monitoring of world heritage, said Mechtild Rössler, director of UNESCO World Heritage Center.
Rössler thanked China for its tremendous efforts to help protect world heritage in Africa through platforms of UNESCO, and is looking forward to more new results of the cooperation between China and Africa in world heritage protection.
World heritage in Africa is an integral and distinctive part of the world heritage system, said Lyu Zhou, director of the National Heritage Center of Tsinghua University as well as a professor of the School of Architecture of Tsinghua University.
World heritage in Africa is underrepresented on the existing UNESCO World Heritage List, which not only needs Africa to constantly enhance capacity building concerning application for UNESCO World Heritage status, but also requires the world to realize more deeply the uniqueness of Africa’s history and culture, Lyu said.
An identification and interpretation system that accords with the characteristics of Africa’s world heritage should be established to demonstrate the cultural value of the world heritage in Africa, Lyu added.
Muhammad Juma, chief of the Africa Unit of the UNESCO World Heritage Center, gave a systematic introduction to capacity building efforts in Africa at the side event, and pointed out that capacity building in the future should be oriented to the needs of management organizations of world heritage sites, people who work in the field of world heritage, stakeholders in relevant communities, and researchers of colleges, universities, and research institutes.
Juma also invited China to share its experience in applying for UNESCO World Heritage status and protection and management of world heritage.
By Wan Yu, People’s Daily
Stephen Olufemi Oni, Ilorin
A security team, comprising operatives of DSS and forest guards, has rescued two victims of abduction in a forest between Oba Isin/Owa Onire area of isin and Ifelodun Local Government Areas of Kwara State.
The rescued victims are 16-year-old Fatima Azeez and Ibrahim Azeez who is five-year old.
The team also eliminated two armed bandits, while others escaped with severe injuries as the security forces stormed their hideouts, according to a report by DSS and local authorities.
The security team also recovered several items from the kidnappers, including one Ak-47 rifle; one single barrel; one fully loaded magazine with nine empty; mini-solar panel; and food items.
The rescue operation is connected to the multi-agency counterterrorism and anti-kidnapping efforts of the government.
Stephen Olufemi Oni, Ilorin
The Kwara State Police Command has commenced full-scale investigations into the killing of a farmer, Mr Azeez Garba, whose body was discovered on his farmland along the Owa-Onire axis, the boundary between Isanlu-Isin and Owu-Isin in Isin Local Government Area of the State.
The Commissioner of Police, Ojo Adekimi, described the murder as “cruel, senseless and unacceptable,” and directed the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) to intensify efforts to identify and arrest those behind the attack.
According to the police, preliminary investigations showed that the deceased left home for his farm in the morning but did not return, prompting his family members and local vigilantes to organise a search.
The search party reportedly found his motorcycle parked on the farmland before discovering his lifeless body a short distance away. Police said the victim had sustained deep machete cuts.
Reacting to the incident, CP Adekimi ordered investigators to deploy all available intelligence and investigative resources to unravel the circumstances surrounding the killing.
“The killing is cruel, senseless and unacceptable,” the commissioner of Police said, assuring residents that the command would leave no stone unturned in bringing the perpetrators to justice.
Although no suspect had been arrested as of Monday, the command said all available leads were being diligently pursued.
The police also assured the bereaved family, the people of Isin Local Government Area and the general public that investigators were working tirelessly to track down everyone connected with the crime.
“The Kwara State Police Command remains unwavering in its commitment to safeguarding lives and property across the state and will not relent until every person responsible for this reprehensible act is brought before the law,” the statement added.
The statement was signed by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, on behalf of the Commissioner of Police.
Stephen Olufemi Oni, Ilorin
A coordinated security operation involving the Kwara State Police Command, other security agencies and the Kwara State Polytechnic Security Unit has led to the arrest of a suspected cultist, Agboola Olamilekan, with a locally fabricated pistol recovered from him in Ilorin.
The operation, carried out as part of ongoing efforts to combat cultism and violent crimes across the state, was described by the police as another breakthrough in intelligence-driven policing aimed at dismantling criminal networks and reducing the circulation of illegal firearms.
Police Public Relations Officer, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, in a statement issued on Wednesday on behalf of the Commissioner of Police, said the suspect was apprehended during the joint operation while in possession of the firearm.
According to the statement, the operation is part of the Command’s sustained strategy to disrupt cult-related activities and deny criminal elements the opportunity to operate within the state.
Commenting on the development, the Commissioner of Police, CP Ojo Adekimi, reaffirmed the Command’s determination to intensify the fight against cultism and other violent crimes.
“Every successful operation represents another step towards dismantling criminal networks and enhancing public safety across the state through proactive and intelligence-led policing,” the commissioner said.
The police disclosed that investigations are ongoing to identify and arrest other suspected members of the criminal network linked to the suspect.
The Command added that it remains committed to advancing the policing vision of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, through intelligence-led policing, strategic collaboration with relevant stakeholders and sustained operations aimed at ensuring that those responsible for threatening the peace and security of Kwara State are brought to justice.
Kwara: Security Team Kills Two Bandits, Rescues Two Kidnap Victims
Kwara: Police Launch Investigations Into Killing Of Farmer On Farmland
Kwara: Joint Security Team Arrests Alleged Cultist, Recovers Firearm
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