OFFICIAL VISIT

OF THE DIRECTOR - GENERAL OF UNESCO

TO THE REPUBLIC OF

(6 – 7 JUNE 2013)

JOINT COMMUNIQUE

Windhoek, 7 June 2013

1. Madam Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO paid an official visit to Namibia from 6 to 7 June 2013.

2. During her visit, Madam Bokova paid courtesy calls on:  His Excellency, President Hifikepunye Pohamba, President of the Republic of Namibia.  The Right Honourable Hage G. Geingob, Prime Minister of the Republic of Namibia.  Honourable Theo-Ben Gurirab, Speaker of the National Assembly.  Honourable Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, Minister of Foreign Affairs.

3. The meeting with the President of the Republic of Namibia gave the opportunity for the Director General to have wide exchanges on matters of mutual interest, namely on challenges and opportunities Africa faces for its sustainable development and the importance of peace in that context, be it in economic, environmental or cultural areas. The President underlined the longstanding and fruitful history of UNESCO support to People, even before independence. The President pointed to the enduring relevance of UNESCO today, and reaffirmed Namibia’s strong support to UNESCO. In times of uncertainty, the President looked to deepening cooperation with UNESCO, whose mandate is essential to promoting democracy, sustainability and development.

The Director General thanked the President for this support and vision, and emphasised UNESCO’s readiness to continue accompanying Namibia in achieving the objectives of “Vision 2030”. Effective governance and sustainability were at the heart of the discussions between the Prime Minister and the Director General. With the Speaker of the National Assembly, the Director General explored together the experience of the MDGs and the importance of setting an ambitious agenda to follow 2015.

4. The official visit also offered the Director-General the occasion to meet with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and to have a joint meeting with the Honourable Ministers with relations to UNESCO’s fields of competency, namely:  Hon. Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, Minister of Foreign Affairs  Hon. Bernard Esau, Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources  Hon. , Minister of Youth, National Service, Sport and Culture  Hon. Joel Kaapanda, Minister of Information and Communication Technology  Hon. Rosalia Nghidinwa, Minister of Gender Equality and Child Welfare  Hon. Silvia Makgone, Deputy Minister of Education 2  Hon. Stanley Simataa, Deputy Minister of Information and Communication Technology and Representative of Namibia to the UNESCO Executive Board.

5. The Government of the Republic of Namibia expressed its wish to reinforce cooperation with UNESCO, with particular attention to social inclusion, gender equality as well as human rights, while emphasizing policy development and capacity building in the following programmatic and thematic areas:

Education:  Acceleration of progress towards the achievement of the Education for All (EFA) and relevant Millennium Development (MDG) goals before the target year of 2015, and support to address new education challenges and needs for a new global education agenda for sustainable development;  Specific areas would include, among others: early childhood care and education, technical and vocational education and training (TVET) as well as higher education, including teacher education;  Education Management Information System (EMIS) and training of education planners to enhance evidence-based policy making; and education for sustainable development.

Natural Sciences:  Supporting science, technology and innovation (STI) policy development to enhance the sustainable and equitable access to and utilization of natural resources and renewable as well as alternative sources of energy;  Further areas of cooperation would emphasize cooperating in the implementation of the Consolidated Plan of Action for Science and Technology Development in Africa, including: geological sciences, the development of biosphere reserves and water management and Disaster Risk Reduction and Management.

Social and Human Sciences:  Supporting youth empowerment and development programmes within the context of building on the African Union Decade on Youth Empowerment and Youth Development and the UNESCO Strategy on African Youth;  Promoting programmes focusing on the fight against racism and combating discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, particularly through policies to support youth development, and the building of relevant skills, attitudes and values. 3

Culture:  Effective monitoring and implementation of the Culture Conventions’ provisions that Namibia has ratified as well as introduction of the outstanding Conventions aimed at promoting the role of culture, cultural heritage and diversity as well as creativity in sustainable development, peace and poverty alleviation;  Further areas would include: safeguarding and management of cultural heritage, the promotion and fostering of creativity and the diversity of cultural expressions, and the development of dynamic cultural and creative industries for inclusive, social and economic development.

Communication and Information:  Supporting the development of community and other media, and promoting universal access to information and knowledge, media literacy as well as freedom of expression, press freedom, strengthening of media training institutions and continuous training of media professionals;  In addition, the promotion of ICTs and its application in education, the sciences, culture and communication and information would also be undertaken.

6. The Director General took note of the areas of cooperation highlighted by the Government of the Republic of Namibia and expressed the readiness of the Organization, within the framework of the wider cooperation with the international community, including the United Nations System in Namibia, to provide technical support within the context of its domains of competence as well as to assist in mobilizing partnerships to that end.

Done in , June 7, 2013

For UNESCO For the Republic of Namibia

Irina BOKOVA Bernard ESAU Director-General Hon. Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources 4