I had the great honour today to open the International Forum of UNESCO Chairs and their partners on Transforming knowledge for #Africa’s future.
This Forum is the culmination of years of reflection by the African Union, UNESCO, the UN system, and other partners on Africa’s future and its intellectual contribution to our shared future.
To shape new possible futures for Africa and humanity, we must transform how we define, produce, and use knowledge. So, the main question is: How can we transform knowledge?
I think he question can be addressed from three perspectives:
Epistemological perspective: UNESCO views knowledge, including languages and cultures, as part of humanity’s intangible heritage, advocating for the use of technological innovation to protect and enhance this shared resource while overcoming historical exclusions and preserving diversity.
Cultural and historic perspective: Africa has been a priority for UNESCO since its foundation. Recognizing its crucial role in global peace and prosperity, the Organization supports African youth, promotes African perspectives through initiatives like the General History of Africa project, and encourages knowledge sharing and intercultural dialogue, connecting places of memory and museums of slavery in Africa, the Americas, and Europe.
Socio-economic perspective: Africa’s future is closely tied to its demographic trend, with a youth population expected to reach 830 million by 2050. This holds immense potential if and only if youth are given access to quality education and training opportunities. We must strengthen #education systems, particularly higher education, to address the global knowledge imbalances and dependencies. Today, only 1% of global scientific research is produced in Africa. UNESCO’s Campus Africa programme aims to enhance higher education and research ecosystems, as well as mobility and employability on the continent.
The common thread connecting these approaches, is easy to say: it’s about peace.
As UNESCO’s Constitution says: “Peace must be founded, if it is not to fail, upon the intellectual and moral solidarity of humankind.”
This is the spirit of the global network of UNESCO Chairs and UNITWIN Networks. The number of UNESCO Chairs in Africa is growing.
These Chairs are a key modality for enhancing such intellectual and scientific solidarity. It is a means of redressing knowledge exclusions, inequalities, hierarchies, and epistemic injustice, which is no less important than social injustice.
Learn more via the link in the comment below 👇
