Botswana and Unesco

13 BOTSWANA AND UNESCO 2014 ANNUAL REPORT BOTSWANA NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR UNESCO Republic of Botswana Connecting Botswana to the world We provide high quality affordable and accessible WHOLESALE BROADBAND for both national and international connectivity. Explore Plot 74769, Unit 3 Mowana Mews, CBD Gaborone, Botswana [T] +267 399 5500 [F] +267 3903414 [E] [W] T S WA N O A B The Mandate BOBS is responsible for developing and implementing Botswana Standards as well as coordinating quality assurance activities to improve the quality of life of the citizens and protection of the environment. The standards implementation is also meant to enhance and facilitate trade. Services provided by BOBS Testing BOBS provides independent testing of goods at Standards Development the request of the clients in order to determine BOBS facilitates the development of national compliance with quality standards. standards through established national technical committees comprising representatives Any person or company can request for testing of stakeholders in a particular field. of any product which has standard. Benefits of product testing include: assurance of accep- The development of standards is based on the tability by market, reduction in liability risks, and identified needs and as such they are market- determination of its effectiveness and provides driven. The usage of standards is generally on an opportunity to maintain superiority and a voluntary basis since they are business man- differentiation in the marketplace. agement tools that benefit business enterprises, government and society at large. Calibration BOBS provides calibration services for test and However the standards may be used by regula- measuring equipment in various industrial, tory bodies to enforce their technical regulations scientific and medical applications. Calibration or in instances where a regulatory body does determines the performance of an instrument not exist, they may be declared as compulsory under specified conditions by using instruments standards and enforced/implemented by BOBS. of significantly better and known performance and traceable to international standards. Standards that are declared as compulsory specifications are those that have a bearing on Any person, organization or company can the health and safety of the consumer or those request for calibration of measuring instru- that are meant to protect the environment. ments if in doubt of their accuracy. The use of standards help organizations become Benefits of calibration of equipment include efficient in their operations, reduce production assurance of quality of metrological per- costs and access markets. formance of instruments, reduction in liability and risks. Certification BOBS provides third party certification services Training for both products and management systems BOBS’ provides training services which are to various companies. Any company can apply accredited by the Botswana Training Authority for certification. Consumers cannot apply for (BOTA). Courses offered are specific to stan- product certification. Certification has the fol- dardization and quality assurance and are in lowing benefits amongst others: the following areas: • Quality management systems If you are a manufacturer/supplier, certification • Environmental management systems widens market opportunities, removes uncer- • Occupational health and safety management tainty, protects your brand and reputation systems and if effectively utilized can improve overall • Medical, general testing and calibration labo- performance. ratory management systems • Sampling of drinking water. If you are a buyer, certification is testimony from an independent body that you are buying Regulatory Compliance a product/service, which meets the requirements BOBS ensures compliance to compulsory stan- of an appropriate standard. dards and regulations. Examples include bot- tled water, electrical appliances, some vehicle accessories, labeling of products, etc. Regu- latory compliance services are both planned and requested. NB: There are other regulatory bodies that cover other products/services such as food control, veteri- nary services, and consumer affairs-related matters. You can contact BOBS for more information on this. Gaborone office: Francistown office: Plot No. 55745, Block 8, Main Airport Road Toll Free Number: (0800 600 900), Insurance House, Plot No. lots 13393/4/5 Private Bag B0 48, Gaborone, Botswana, E-mail: [email protected] Private Bag F465, Fracistown, Botswana, Tel: (+267) 3903200, Fax: (+267) 3903120 Tel: 2416232, Fax: 2416251 THE UNITED NATIONS EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATION BOTSWANA NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR UNESCO Information magazine N°13 3 BOTSWANA NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR UNESCO BOTSWANA AND UNESCO Foreword I present to you the 13th edition of the Botswana UNESCO annual report. The report shares the value add of Botswana’s membership to UNESCO which I hope will continue to be demonstrated in the current biennium of 2014-2015 and beyond. Botswana as a Member State to UNESCO participated in the election of a number of UNESCO SEATS in 2014. She became a member of the Inter-governmental Governing Council for the Information for All Programme (IFAP) for the period January 2014 – December 2017. In May 2014 Botswana was further elected to the Executive Committee of IFAP. Botswana chairs IFAP Working Group on ICTs and Infor- mation Literacy for the 198 UNESCO member states. The seat holder from Botswana is Dr. Omponye Coach Kereteletswe. Botswana is also a member of the UNESCO Institute for Statistics Governing Board (UIS) which consists of 12 International experts from the 198 UNESCO member states. Mrs Annah Majelantle is Botswana’s seat holder. The institute serves UNESCO Member States, the wider UN system as well as a range of Intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations, Research Insti- tutes and Universities. Botswana as a State Party to the 1972 on the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage contributed to the achievement of objective no. 1 of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre Action Plan of 2012 – 2017 for the Africa Region, which aims at improving the representation of African heritage sites on the World Heritage List through the preparation of successful nomination dossiers. The Okavango Delta was inscribed as a 1000th World Heritage Site on the 22nd June 2014 without debates and amendments in Doha, Qatar. Furthermore, Botswana on behalf of UNESCO World Heritage Centre and African World Heritage Fund hosted a World Heritage Nomination Workshop for the Anglophone in November 2014. The workshop aimed at building capacity to increase the number of successful nomination dossiers submitted by the African Continent. Botswana continues to benefit from UNESCO programmes including Fellowship Programme where two (2) officers were admitted for UNESCO/Israel Mashav Co-sponsored fellowship programme by Ministry of Education and Skills Development (MoESD) and UNESCO from 12 May – 12 June 2014. An additional eight (8) officers from the Ministry also received support from the fellowship Programme through UNESCO International Institute of Educational Planning (IIEP) for a short course co-sponsored by MoESD and UNESCO on Quality Assurance and Standards. Botswana managed to complete four projects which were funded through UNESCO Participation Programme. The projects were implemented by Ministries of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism and Youth Sport and Culture. The projects were Botswana Community Based Cultural Heritage Inventory Making Project; Capacity Building for Kgatleng District ICH Cluster Committees; Renovation of Bonnington Open Air Museum and Ratification of UNESCO 1970, 1954 and the UNIDROID Conventions. Ministry of Youth Sport and Culture also received funds from UNESCO Multi-Sectoral Regional Office in Southern Africa to conduct training of Trainer of Trainers (TOT) on Intangible Cultural Heritage in September 2014. Lastly I would like to pass my sincere gratitude to those who contributed to the production of this report making submissions and I encourage all those who did not to do so in future. Mr Mokgweetsi E.K. Masisi Vice President of the Republic of Botswana, Minister of Education and Skills Development, Minister Responsible for Relations with UNESCO 5 BOTSWANA NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR UNESCO BOTSWANA AND UNESCO Introduction I welcome you to the 13th Edition of Botswana UNESCO Annual Report, this is a 2014 production. The annual report show case the coordination and facilitation efforts by Botswana National Commission for UNESCO (NATCOM) on the execution of UNESCO mandate in Botswana. The NAT Com facilitated mobilisation of funds from UNESCO to support programmes and activities to implement UNESCO mandate in Botswana. The implementing partners included Government Ministries, non- Governmental Organisations, Parastatals and Community Based Organ- isations. UNESCO has continued to provide technical expertise in its five (5) competency areas in Botswana as well as building capacity through high level forums at international, regional and national levels. This year, Botswana’s performance in terms of delivering UNESCO mandate was very much significant as the country listed its second World Heritage site, Okavango Delta in the World Heritage List. The listing will enhance growth in the Tourism sector which will boost the country’s economic growth. Botswana National Commission for UNESCO would like to highly appreciate the efforts made by all the ministries,

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