The 7th edition of the African World Heritage Youth Forum will be held under the theme “Engaging African Youth in Climate Action for World Heritage Conservation,” with an online phase taking place from 23 to 28 October 2023, followed by an in-person meeting in Cairo, Egypt, from 20 to 24 November 2023.
The 7th edition of the African World Heritage Youth Forum will bring together African young leaders to share their perspectives, experiences and solutions for addressing the challenges posed by climate change. By empowering youth to play a leading role in conservation efforts and fostering cross-cultural dialogue and collaboration, the Forum will help build a strong network of young leaders who are committed to Climate Action and the conservation of World Heritage properties for the benefit of present and future generations.
Dates: Online 23–28 October 2023 & in person 20–24 November 2023
Format: The Forum will comprise three distinct but interconnected phases.
1. The first phase will be an online session focusing on the theoretical background concerning the general frameworks for World Heritage conservation and Climate Action in Africa. The first phase will result in the development of proposals by participants concerning climate heritage initiatives to improve the state of conservation of World Heritage in Africa.
2. In the second phase, the participants will engage in hands-on activities, group discussions and guided visits to a World Heritage site in Egypt (Historic Cairo). During this five-day gathering, participants will finalize and present their Climate Action projects as part of the official closing ceremony of the Forum.
3. The third and last phase of the Forum will consist of a follow-up on the implementation of the projects through the engagement of various stakeholders and partners.
Language: The primary working language will be English. However, the African World Heritage Youth Forum promotes the idea of greater regional integration by advocating the principle that participants should be able to overcome language barriers and interact with facilitators and among themselves in other official languages of the African Union (French, Portuguese or Arabic).
The application package should be submitted through the African World Heritage Fund portal. For more information, contact the Head of Programmes at the AWHF, Dr Albino Jopela (jopsj@dbsa.org).
Application deadline: 29 September 2023