Accra, Sept. 17, GNA- Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, Chairman, Ghana Commission for UNESCO, has called on Member States to step up efforts to designate more biosphere reserves to avert the menace of climate change in the region.
He said Ghana was instrumental in the formation of the African Network of Biosphere Reserves aimed at promoting regional cooperation among MAB National Committees and Biosphere Reserves in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The Minister said this at the opening of a four-day Regional Meeting of African National Commissions for UNESCO in Ghana.
The meeting will discuss issues related to biodiversity conservation, artificial intelligence, media pluralism, heritage management, and the pedagogical use of the general history of Africa.
« Ghana has been at the forefront of multilateral action through the UNESCO Man and Biosphere programme to sustainably utilize biodiversity and ecosystem services to improve livelihoods and protect the environment, » she said.
He commended UNESCO for using the Biosphere Reserve concept to chart a clear pathway in global climate change mitigation.
He said education transformation and how Africa stands to progress on Sustainable Development Goal four targets, including the opportunities offered by digital learning in recent years, was a subject of immense importance to all.
« In the area of heritage management, Ghana joined the international community under the UNESCO World Heritage Convention as far as 1979, to protect and cherish the world’s natural and cultural heritage by inscribing on the World Heritage list, the Forts, and Castles and Ashanti Traditional Buildings in her territory. »
This historic move , he stated, was an important one since Ghana was home to over 80 per cent of these ancient, iconic monuments in Africa found along the Atlantic Coast of the country.
He urged UNESCO to deepen its work on the Routes of Enslaved People’s Project with a view to offering lasting legacies and lessons for the peoples of the world.
Ghana with support from UNESCO, he said, had adopted a holistic and multi-sectoral approach to addressing key management and conservation challenges of the diverse heritage, including the World Heritage properties hosted by the country.
These strategic approaches have led to the formation of the Ghana Heritage Committee which recently launched the first-ever Multi-Stakeholder Heritage Strategic Framework in the West Africa Sub-Region.
Mr Charles Abani, UN Resident Coordinator, Ghana, said the role of the National Commissions would be welcomed to support UNESCO Accra Office in the mobilization of all MMDAs working in the fields of education, sciences, culture, communication, and information.
He called for continued cooperation with the UNESCO National Offices to be strengthened and for tailored strategies in each country to be developed to ensure that the footprint of UNESCO in the UN Response was best harnessed.
Ms Anna Bossman, Ambassador to France and Portugal, stated that the conference would engage in constructive dialogue to develop common strategic priorities and outline a clear agenda for African National Commissions to reimagine the Global Priority Africa Programme for the benefit of the continent.
