Bamako – A national consultation was held this week to align UNESCO’s priorities with Mali’s development objectives. The event, which took place over three days, brought together major institutional players, illustrating a common desire to strengthen cooperation and optimize the programming of actions. This strategic exercise was co-chaired by UNESCO, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the Ministry of Economy and Finance of Mali.
Among the participants were the Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI), the Secretary General of the National Commission for UNESCO, members of the Malian delegation to the General Conference, as well as a representative of the Ministry of Finance responsible for coordinating development aid and steering the national strategy.
The Ambassador of Mali to UNESCO, who led the national delegation to the General Conference, spoke by videoconference. He recalled that Mali sits within 5 strategic bodies at UNESCO: the Intergovernmental Council of the Intergovernmental Hydrological Program, the Intergovernmental Council of the Information for All Program, the International Coordinating Council of the Program on Man and the Biosphere, the Intergovernmental Council of the Program for the Management of Social Transformations as well as the Committee for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict. He called for strengthening Mali’s leadership within these bodies in order to make UNESCO’s interventions real levers for sustainable development in the country. Its strategic analysis and the clarity of the proposed directions were particularly praised.
The work made it possible to present UNESCO’s planning system and the approved C/5 document, as well as the highlights of the interventions of the Assistant Directors-General at the General Conference. Preliminary analyzes focused on:
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Cross-analysis of national priorities;
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The Vision 2063 of Mali ;
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The repository of Snedd 2024-2033 ;
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The common situational analysis from the United Nations cooperation framework;
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Sectoral documents linked to 43 C/5.
With 17 sectoral ministries representedthis meeting marks a decisive step in consolidating UNESCO’s role as a strategic partner of Mali. The objective is to align the Organization’s programs with national priorities in order to promote high-impact programming and mobilize more resources with the support of national authorities.
The inaugural session benefited from national media coverage, with a report broadcast on the ORTM television news, highlighting the importance given to this initiative.
