CENTER FOR HERITAGE DEVELOPMENT IN AFRICA AND ECOLE DE PATRIMOINE AFRICAIN RECEIVE STATE PARTY SUPPORT AT ICCROM GA 2009
Excerpt from the minutes of the XXVI GA of ICCROM, November 2009
The representative of Angola thanked the General Assembly for having accepted to stay while the votes were being counted. On behalf of the African delegates represented at the General Assembly he wanted to put forward the following Motion regarding the EPA. In the year 2000, ICCROM accepted to create the EPA fund to support the Ecole de Patrimoine Africain, located in Porto Novo in Benin. To accomplish this, ICCROM contacted a number of celebraties to constitute a prestigious patronage committee. Thanks to this committee, Euro 2,387 billion were collected. This fund has turned out to be indispensable to guarantee the proper functioning of the EPA and to ensure its sustainability so they wished to thank the Director-General and all ICCROM staff for their efforts in the creation of this fund. They also wished to thank the donors who have so generously contributed to the fund, notably Italy that contributed a substantial amount exceeding 50% of the amount collected.
Over the past ten years EPA has become an important center for expertise and training in the conservation and promotion of African heritage. The financial report presented by the Council indicated that the interest generated by the fund is still not sufficient to cover the totality of the EPA's needs. As the EPA is constantly solicited for new activities, the African countries present at this 26th General Assembly of ICCROM believed that it is important to increase the Euro 700,000 for the EPA fund, thereby reaching a total sum of Euro 3 million.
On the occasion of ICCROM's 50th anniversary, the African delegations wished to ask the General Assembly to authorize ICCROM's Director General to launch this new fund raising campaign and extend a particular invitation to the African countries to contribute to the EPA Fund.
On the subject of the CHDA, in the year 2000 the centre for heritage development in Africa was set up in Mombasa Kenya. It has always been accomplishing its roles through the support of the Africa 2009 programme. African countries appreciate and commend the role played by this institution in the conservation, management and promotion of cultural heritage. Acknowledging this abovementioned fact, the African delegates present at the 26th General Assembly have the honor and pleasure to submit a request to the General Assembly to mandate ICCROM's Director-General to initiate and coordinate, in collaboration with partners and African countries, the following:
On the occasion of ICCROM's 50th anniversary, the African delegations wished to ask the General Assembly to authorize ICCROM's Director General to launch this new fund raising campaign and extend a particular invitation to the African countries to contribute to the EPA Fund.
On the subject of the CHDA, in the year 2000 the centre for heritage development in Africa was set up in Mombasa Kenya. It has always been accomplishing its roles through the support of the Africa 2009 programme. African countries appreciate and commend the role played by this institution in the conservation, management and promotion of cultural heritage. Acknowledging this abovementioned fact, the African delegates present at the 26th General Assembly have the honor and pleasure to submit a request to the General Assembly to mandate ICCROM's Director-General to initiate and coordinate, in collaboration with partners and African countries, the following:
- Strengthening and consolidating the organizational and structure and management of CHDA, and
- Starting a reflection on a sustainable funding mechanism for the effective implementation of CHDA's roles.
In closing, they expressed once more their sincere thanks to all partners who support these two excellent institutions, which are in the programme that is coming to completion, and he begged them for their accompaniment in carrying out the new programmes after the end of the Africa 2009 programme. He wished to express once more most sincere thanks for all the support received for these two excellent institutions.
