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Zambia has reaffirmed its commitment to advancing a united African agenda rooted in heritage preservation, socioeconomic development, and resilience.
Ambassador to France and Permanent Delegate to UNESCO, Judith Mulenga, urged African Member States to ensure that Africa’s voice remains coordinated and impactful in global heritage discourse.
Mulenga in her capacity as Vice Chairperson of the 47th Session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee made the remarks during the Africa Group meeting, held on the sidelines of the Committee session currently underway at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris.
This is according to a statement issued in Lusaka on Wednesday by Naomi Mweemba, the First Secretary for Press at the Zambian Embassy in Paris, France.
She emphasised the importance of working collectively to increase the number of African properties inscribed on the World Heritage List, while enhancing conservation and management efforts to reduce the number of African sites currently listed on the World Heritage in Danger.
Meanwhile, during her intervention on the report of the World Heritage Centre on its activities and the implementation of the Committee’s decisions, Mulenga expressed concern over the lack of structured collaboration between the World Heritage Centre and the African World Heritage Fund.
“This is a UNESCO Category 2 Centre dedicated exclusively to World Heritage in Africa, in the design and delivery of recent capacity-building initiatives in Africa,” she noted.
Mulenga described it as regrettable that UNESCO’s current initiatives appear to operate in parallel with AWHF’s programmes and strategic mandate, rather than in synergy.
“This fragmented approach not only limits impact but also risks redundancy, inefficiency, and a missed opportunity to strengthen African ownership and leadership in heritage conservation,” she noted.
The Zambian delegation to the 47th Session includes experts from the National Heritage Conservation Commission, the Zambia National Commission for UNESCO, and the Zambezi River Authority.
The annual session, running from 6 to 16 July 2025, has brought together 21 Committee Members, UNESCO Member States, and Non-Governmental Organisations with a shared commitment of protecting the world’s natural and cultural heritage.
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