UNESCO: CORRUPTION UNDRMINING THE GROWTH OF NATURAL RESOURCES IN AFRICA

Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, Deputy Permanent Secretary, Mr Selestine Gesimba gives his opening speech at the two days workshop on World Heritage Communication Strategy for UNESCO African Field Offices in Dar es Salaam. Centre is UNESCO, Officer in Charge, Abdoul Wahab.

UNESCO, Nairobi, Programme Specialist Culture, Mr. Marc Party present his paper on information sharing at the two days workshop of the world heritage site in Dar es Salaam today.

UNESCO, Consultant for Culture and Development, Ms Nicole Bolomey present a paper on Culture and Development in the World Heritage context at Coral Beach Hotel in Dar es Salaam .

Some of the participants from Burundi, Ghana, Congo Brazzaville, Congo Kinshasa and other countries listening attentively session in Dar es Salaam.

By Damas Makangale, MOblog

High level of corruption in developing countries is undermining and suppresses economic growth management of the environment as well natural resources in Africa. Moblog can report.

Presenting a paper during the two days workshop of the World Heritage Communication Strategy for United Nations Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (UNESCO) African Field Offices, UNESCO, Consultant for Culture and Development, Ms Nicole Bolomey said that corruption in both private and public sector suppresses the growth natural resources including cultural tourism and heritage sites in most of African countries.

She said that governments in the region should found ways to curb rampant corruption in all importance sector including natural resources and tourism as path to foster economic and social development.

Bolomey added that cultural tourism is a driver of world heritage sites in most countries in the world, deserve proper attention from all stakeholders in the private and public sector.

She further said that the convention of 1972 set up a defense system against any destruction and disappearance of heritage sites while it’s reduce heavily the impacts of climate change.

Early in his opening speech the Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, Mr Selestine Gesimba told participants that the government of Tanzania is one of the earliest signatories to the World Heritage Convention, with first sites listed already in 1979.

“Through the ministry of natural resources and tourism, we have been working very closely with UNESCO over the past 4 decades to promote the implementation of the 1972 World Heritage Convention,’

“We are actively participating in the debates during the annual sessions of the World Heritage Committee, and our experts take active part in a number of thematic working groups,’ he said.

On his part UNESCO, Officer in Charge, Abdoul Wahab said that most of the challenges in the World Heritage Sites in the developing countries are fueled by conflicts between conservation and development goals.

“Despite the great success of this convention in other regions of the world, it seems that the African continent is still not totally convinced of its value,” he underscored.