United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and Southern African Development Community (SADC) reaffirmed their commitment to operationalize their Memorandum of Understanding signed in September 2016.
The commitment was made when UNESCO Regional Director Prof. Hubert Gijzen held a meeting with SADC Executive Secretary, Her Excellency Dr. Stergomena Lawrence Tax at the SADC Secretariat in Gaborone, Botswana on the 12th June 2017.
SADC and UNESCO signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), on cooperation focusing on eight priority areas namely; Education, HIV and Health, Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, Water Security, Renewable Energy and Disaster Risk Management, Social and Human Sciences, Culture, Communication and Information and Data for Development.
Dr. Tax expressed gratitude to UNESCO for the continued support the UN body has rendered to SADC on numerous occasions. She called for a continued partnership between the two organizations.
The two parties committed to finalizing the framework so that it is operationalized. They further agreed that SADC should sign one MoU with all UN Agencies and negotiate collectively on areas of cooperation and collaboration to avoid duplications.
Prof. Hubert Gijzen was accompanied by Director for UNESCO Eastern African Regional Office in Nairobi,Kenya, Ms. Ann Therese Ndong-Jatta and UNESCO's Representative to Namibia Dr. Jean-Pierre Ilboudo.
