Documente Academic
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The Deputy Director-General (DGG) of the United managing international organizations advancing the
Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Or- cause of poverty eradication, peace building and,
ganisation (UNESCO), Mr. Getachew Engida, vis- sustainable development.
ited the UNESCO Windhoek Office on 03 Decem-
ber 2015. Mr Engida arrived in Namibia for the Mr Engida is from Ethiopia and has had a distin-
10th Session of the Intangible Cultural Heritage guished international career in auditing and financial
(ICH) Committee. management for prominent international companies
and also worked for the International Fund for Agri-
The DGG met with UNESCO Windhoek Office cultural Development (IFAD) as Assistant Comptrol-
staff and was welcomed by the Head of Office ler.
(HoO) and Representative to Namibia, Dr Jean
Pierre Ilboudo to advise on financial matters con- Mr Engida was appointed as Deputy Director-
cerning the future of UNESCO. General of UNESCO in April 2010.
After a working session at the Namibia Training Authority, second from In his presentation Mr. Haufiku
left: Ambassador and First Secretary of the Permanent Delegation of the outlined the achievements, chal-
Republic of Korea to UNESCO, His Excellency (HE) Lee Byung Hyun lenges experienced and lessons
learnt regarding managing Donor-
UNESCO Head of Office, Dr the Senior Programme Specialist Funded Projects.
EDUCATION
Jean-Pierre Iboudo received a from the Section of Youth, Literacy According to Mr. Haufiku, the NTA
high level delegation from the and Skills Development at the together with the Government of
Republic of Korea on a three Head Quarters accompanied the Namibia aims to work on a fund-
day visit to Namibia. The dele- Permanent Delegation of the Re- ing framework for the TVET sec-
gation arrived in Namibia on 16 public of Korea to UNESCO. tor.
January 2016 to exchange ide-
The overall objective of the BEAR During his presentation, he also
as with national stakeholders
project is to improve the relevance mentioned that the current finan-
and to witness progress as well
of Technical, Vocational Education cial support UNESCO gives to
as discuss remaining challeng-
and Training (TVET) programmes NTA makes the implementation of
es faced regarding the imple-
by making TVET attractive to the BEAR project possible in Na-
mentation of the Better Educa-
learners, teachers and the general mibia. To Page 5….
tion for Africa’s Rise (BEAR)
Project.
The group included the Ambas- The Korean-
sador and First Secretary of the delegation
Permanent Delegation of the together with
the UNESCO-
Republic of Korea to UNESCO,
HoO, listen
His Excellency (HE) Lee Byung
attentively to
-Hyun and Mr. Lee Youngchan.
a Presenta-
Mr. Yoo Hyoung-Gyu, the Sec- tion by Mr
ond Secretary at the Ministry of Amon Hau-
Foreign Affairs in the Republic fiku
of Korea and Mr. Saehun Seol,
NTA,” he said.
also the Chair of the UNESCO Na- which has achieved national suc-
After a successful morning ses- cess in the TVET area.
tional Commission in Namibia.
sion at the NTA, the delegation
She welcomed the delegation and “The TVET subsector has a poten-
was accompanied by Dr Ilbou-
mentioned the impact TVET has to tial to transform Namibia’s econo-
do to pay a courtesy visit to the
transform the Namibian economy, my and the livelihood of its people.
Minister of Higher Education,
especially if it is guided by a coun- In Namibia, we honestly feel
Training and Innovation, Dr.
try such as the Republic of Korea strongly that it is important for us
Itah Kandjii-Murangi who is
to connect with other countries
that have walked visible miles and
are successful in achieving results
through TVET,” she said.
After meeting Dr. Kandjii-Murangi,
the delegation met with the Deputy
Minister of Education, Arts and
Culture, Hon Anna Hipondoka.
Ambassador Byung-Hyun wanted
to discuss with the Deputy Minister
whether Namibia has compre-
hended the significance of TVET
in the education curriculum.
“Namibia is currently reforming its
education curriculum to include
Ambassador Byung-Hyun with the Deputy Minister of Education, Arts TVET subjects in- To page 6….
and Culture, Hon Anna Hipondoka
President of the
UNESCO 38th
General
Conference,
Hon. Stanley
Simaata (fourth
from left) meets
the Korean Del-
egation and
UNESCO Head
of Office
...From Page 5
selected schools as we have realised the
importance of technical and Vocational ed-
ucation,” said Hon Hipondoka.
HEAD OF OFFICE
from January 25 until January 28, 2016. The main ob- a new way of thinking about teacher education.
jective of the mission was to assess the efficiency, ef- The evaluators recognized this institutional re-
fectiveness, relevance, partnership and cooperation, thinking of practices as a clear indication for
sustainability and indications for impact of the impact in the long run.
UNESCO China Funds-in-Trust project ‘Capacity De-
The lecturers, government officials and teach-
velopment for Quality in Pre- and Lower Primary
ers that took part in the project’s national action
Teacher Education in Namibia’.
research initiative undertaken in 28 schools in
The project’s National Coordinating Committee en- Namibia shared their experiences with the pro-
sured that the team was able to meet the relevant ject team. The researchers testified how the
stakeholders in the country involved in the project im- collaborative work provided a conducive envi-
plementation. ronment to learn from the experience and ex-
The meetings included audiences with the education pertise of colleague-professionals.
ministries; interviews with other development partners Feeling empowered, the researchers informed
in the country such as UNICEF and the EU Delegation- to have refined their skills, See page 8…..
The evaluation
team listened to
the experiences
of researchers
involved in the
project. Dr
Charmaine Vil-
let (second from
left) also took
part in the re-
search project.
munity of practitioners, an online communi- hood and Lower Primary Department at UNAM, the UNAM
ty of Namibian education stakeholders that campuses and the Regional Education Offices.
serves as a support system as well as a The evaluation delegation commended the project team for
hub for educational innovation, inspiration its own reflective practices throughout the project implemen-
and new ideas. tation. A National Coordinating Committee that succeeds in
Dr Nyambe’s unit has taken on full respon- meeting on such a regular basis to make sure that all project
sibility for the functioning of the forum. The activities have relevance and can be adjusted responding to
evaluators recognized the great potential of current realities was recognized as a key factor for success.
the forum and commended the project team Together with the intended results, multiple initially un-
for this achievement. Dr Nyambe also indi- planned spin-off results have contributed to what the evalua-
cated to be eager to institutionalize the suc- tors called a successful implementation of the project in Na-
cessful CPD approach implemented mibia.
through the project. Dr Hong Wei Meng, the Chinese representative in the dele-
The team also visited two schools that were gation reported to only have two very strong words at the
part of the 28 schools involved in the pro- end of the mission: “Congratulations” and “Thanks”.
ject’s national action research initiative: The evaluation of the project implementation in Namibia will
Dordabis Primary School and Bloukrans contribute to China’s decision to fund a potential second
Primary School. In the schools, the teach- phase of the UNESCO-China Funds-in-Trust project in Afri-
ers involved in the project demonstrated ca. The project is implemented in a total of 8 African coun-
their newly acquired ICT integration skills. tries, of which Namibia is one.
The project’s strong focus on integrating
ICTs in Teaching and Learning was recog- The evaluated project, the UNESCO China Funds-in-Trust
nized as a challenge but the teachers project ‘Capacity Development for Quality in Pre- and Lower
demonstrated the significant progress that Primary Teacher Education in Namibia’ was implemented in
was made, by allowing the delegation to 2014-2015 by UNESCO, in close collaboration with the Min-
observe their lessons. istry of Education, Arts and Culture, the Ministry of Higher
Education, Training and Innovation and the University of Na-
The hands-on toolkit of strategies develop- mibia’s Faculty of Education.
or discussions about ESD and agenda and support the government of the Republic of Namibia and
the SDGs in order to keep the development partners to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals
momentum going. and they can do this by means of incorporating ESD into their work.
The workshop discussions were Dr Ilboudo said the workshop was a very important one, given the
based on a number of topics in- sustainable development challenges the entire world is facing today.
cluding; Transitioning from the He also emphasised that ESD Media Workshops can be an “effective
MDGs to the SDGs: Global and strategy to mobilize national and international media to report on mat-
National contexts, The role of ters relating to sustainable development and help transform societies.”
the United Nations in the SDGs, The Head of Development Planning and Inclusive Growth at the Unit-
SDGs in Namibia: Practical ap- ed Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in New York, Mr Baba-
plication, Education for Sustain- tunde Omilola discussed the role of the UN in the SDGs. Mr Omilola’s
able Development: UNESCO’s presentation was particularly important as it established a firm plat-
role in ESD and building a sus- form for the journalists to understand the involvement of different UN
tainable future for all, Under- institutions in the implementation and achievement of the SDGs.
standing legal frameworks: Multi
-lateral environmental agree- Mr Omilola said journalists should find ways to reach the unreached,
ments, Media as partners in give priority to public awareness, and inform the public on how the
ESD: overall framework and SDGs are interrelated. He also recommended publicizing the SDGs in
many more. local languages.
The Head of UNESCO Wind- After all the presentations and discussions, the media practitioners
hoek Office and Representative participated in group work and in the end they came up with possible
to the Republic of Namibia, Dr stories and programmes that can be developed based on ESD and
Jean Pierre Ilboudo in his open- the SDGs and they assured the organisers that they were going to
ing remarks encouraged the jou- work on the stories and programmes.
puppetry
Afghanistan - Attan -ional group dance
Mongolia - Coaxing ritual
for camels Algeria - Sbuâ, annual pil- Austria - Classical horseman-
grimage to the zawiya of ship and the High School of
Portugal - Manufacture of Sidi El Hadj Belkacem in the Spanish Riding School
cowbells Gourara Vienna
The former Yugoslav Re- Andorra; Spain; France - Azerbaijan - Copper crafts-
public of Macedonia— Summer solstice fire festi- manship of Lahij
Glasoechko, male two-part vals in the Pyrenees
singing in Dolni Polog Bangladesh - Jatra traditional
Argentina - Filete porteño performing arts
Uganda - Koogere oral in Buenos Aires, a tradi-
tradition of the Basongora, Bosnia and Herzegovina -
tional painting technique
Banyabindi and Batooro Konjic woodcarving
peoples Armenia - Kochari, traditi
See page 15….
The Representative List of the
Intangible Cultural Heritage of
Humanity previously numbers UNESCO
314 elements to date. It aims to Head of Of-
enhance the visibility of commu- fice (centre)
was also
nities’ traditions and knowledge
present at
without recognizing standards of
the 10th
excellence or exclusivity. session of
The nominations during the ses- ICH
sion for the Representative List
of the Intangible Heritage of Hu-
manity were:
Afghanistan - Attan
Italy - Celebration of the Celestine Pardon United Arab Emirates; Saudi Arabia; Oman;
Kazakhstan; Kyrgyzstan - Aitysh/Aitys, art of Qatar - Majlis, a cultural and social space
improvisation United Arab Emirates; Saudi Arabia; Oman;
Kyrgyzstan - Kok-boru, traditional horse game Qatar - Arabic coffee, a symbol of generosity
United Arab Emirates; Oman - Al-Razfa, a tra- The next committee meeting will decide on
ditional performing art measures to safeguard oral traditions and expres-
sions, performing arts, social practices, rituals, fes-
tive events, knowledge and practices concerning
See Page 16….
erbs and folk tales of the tradition as few of them Some of the participants who attended the 10th Session of
have been recorded to date. This material will be the Intergovernmental Committee .
filmed, transcribed, translated and published.
helps States Parties mobilize international coopera-
The Committee also defined operational directive tion and assistance to ensure the transmission of
recognizing the role that the safeguarding of intangi- these cultural practices with the participation of the
ble cultural heritage can play in achieving the 2030 communities concerned.
sustainable development goals that the General As-
The Representative List of the Intangible Cultural
sembly of the United Nations adopted in Septem-
Heritage of Humanity, now numbering 336 ele-
ber.
ments, shows the diversity of this heritage and rais-
Similarly, twelve ethical principles were adopted by es awareness of its importance.
the Committee. They aim to prevent disrespect and
The Representative List includes forms of expres-
misappropriation—be it moral, legal or commer-
sion that testify to the diversity of the intangible her-
cial—of intangible cultural heritage. They recognize
itage and raise awareness of its importance. The
the importance of ensuring the free and informed
review of nominations for inscription on this list dur-
prior consent of local communities, respecting the
ing the 10th session saw 23 elements inscribed out
rights of those concerned to full and equitable par-
of a total of 35 that were proposed, including Na-
ticipation in any process, project or activity that may
mibia’s Oshituthi shomagongo, marula fruit festival.
affect them. They acknowledge the crucial role of
communities in maintaining and managing their cul- The Oshituthi shomagongo, marula fruit festival,
ture and heritage. runs for two to three days between March and April
when eight Aawambo communities from northern
The Committee inscribed five elements on the List
Namibia meet to enjoy omagongo – a beverage
of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent
made from the fruit. To prepare, men carve utensils
Safeguarding out of eight submissions. It also add-
and serving tools and the women make basket’s
ed 23 elements to the Representative List of the
and pots. They gather the fruit with young people,
Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity out of a
to process and ferment its juice. Traditional songs
total of 35 nominations.
are sung, poems recited and lives discussed.
Now numbering 48 elements, the List of Intangible Transmitted through observation and participation,
Cultural Heritage in need of Urgent Safeguarding - the element unites generations and communities.
Several stakeholder meetings attention of public bodies and civil society to the power of radio in times
were held at UNESCO Wind- of emergency and disaster.
hoek National Office to prepare
UNESCO Windhoek Head of Office (HoO) and Chairperson of the
the celebration of the fifth edition
Meeting, Dr Jean-Pierre Ilboudo welcomed all stakeholders present at
of World Radio Day in Namibia.
the first meeting and thanked them for attending the first conceptual
The Ministry of Information and phase of the celebrations. He explained why the specific stakeholders
Communication Technology were invited and the objective of calling such a high level meeting.
(MICT), National Commission
“Each year, there is a specific theme and stakeholders dealing with
for UNESCO (NATCOM) and
that theme are actively involved in the celebrations. The objective of
various other stakeholders from
this preparatory meeting is to share information and brainstorm on ac-
public services, mainstream and
tivities to be implemented in Namibia as part of WRD celebrations,” he
community media were present
said. To page 18...
at the first meeting. World Radio
Day is officially celebrated on 13
February internationally and the
main theme for this fifth edition
is ‘Radio in Times of Emergency
and Disaster.’
The preparatory meetings were
strategically organized to bring
together partners from the radio
broadcasting sector as well as
humanitarian organizations ac-
tive in Namibia in the field of dis-
aster preparedness and re-
sponse to celebrate World Radio
Day (WRD) 2016. This year’s Participants listening attentively during the World Radio Day
celebration aims to draw the preparatory meeting held at the UN House.
emergencies and use food and or cash after food distribution event in Omusati
emergencies to aid recovery. Our longer term
country. In 2005 up until 2008, WFP supported Orphans
approaches to hunger assists with the transition
and Vulnerable children (OVC) in Namibia providing nutri-
from recovery to development. FAO on the other
tious food assistance to tackle the impact of HIV/AIDs on
hand is the world's agricultural knowledge agen-
poor families. WFP played a major role in ensuring that the
cy, providing policy and technical assistance to
OVCs were integrated in the national child social grants
countries to promote food security, nutrition and
system which is run by the Government.
sustainable agricultural production.
Another major achievement for WFP in Namibia was the
Although WFP and FAO have specific roles,
feeding of thousands of refugees who sought refuge in Na-
these roles are complementary. Food security
mibia during the time of conflicts in Angola and the Great
and agricultural development are major challeng-
Lakes Region. WFP was here to provide assistance to
es facing the world today and both WFP and
these refugees until 2013 when most of them returned
FAO work together to address these challenges
home, after conditions in their countries of origin had im-
to achieve a world without hunger. WFP and
proved or durable solutions such as resettlement were
FAO also share a common vision of promoting
found.
world food security through the twin-track ap-
proach of alleviating hunger with food assistance, Since 2012, WFP focus has shifted from food assistance to
nutrition support measures and social protection provision of technical assistance and policy guidance to the
instruments; and eliminating the root causes of government on hunger related issues. Through WFP tech-
hunger and poverty. nical assistance,
The government of Namibia has developed policy
and strategic guidelines for effective management of
UW: What are some of the key achievements
food safety nets such as school feeding. Currently
of WFP in Namibia thus far?
WFP is working with the government on a school
JB: WFP key achievements in Namibia date feeding policy.
back to 1990 when it first established its pres-
Systems for assessing and monitoring food security
ence in Namibia. The organisation provided food
needs as well as the impact of food assistance pro-
aid to communities that were affected by the
grammes have been developed and are being uti-
drought in 1991 and 1999 thereby averting hun-
lised across the country.
ger in areas that were affected. Most of the food
safety nets you see in Namibia today such as the Through knowledge generation and knowledge man-
National School Feeding Programme and the agement approaches, the evidence base on food se-
emergency food assistance programmes were curity has been enhanced.
initiated by WFP and have remained an im-
See page 21...
portant strategy for addressing hunger in the
strategic meeting
ings at sub regional level.
WFP has also facilitated learning and in- either through markets or own production. Hence govern-
formation sharing between Namibia and ment plans to expand the social safety nets to include food
other countries on food and nutrition secu- banks and the basic income grant is a welcome policy deci-
rity and food assistance. Namibia has sion that will enable people who are vulnerable to shocks
been able to share its good practices with and other risks to live descent and more productive lives.
other countries and also acquired
knowledge on other countries' practices
which have been replicated here. UW: There are reports that most of the countries in
Southern Africa will have a serious drought this year
UW: As the representative for WFP in Namib- due to El Niño conditions. Could you please tell us
ia, what are some of the pressing emergen- what El Niño is all about?
cies regarding food programme in Namibia? JB: El Niño is a weather pattern that results from the warm-
JB: One of the pressing challenges we are fac- ing of sea temperatures in the equatorial pacific causing hot
ing in Namibia is food insecurity which is caused air to rise and disrupt global weather patterns. This anoma-
by multiple factors including low food production ly happens at irregular intervals of two to seven years, and
due to poor soil fertility, natural hazards, lack of lasts nine months to two years. The average interval is five
access to adequate means of production, unem- years. When this warming occurs for seven to nine months,
ployment, poverty, inequality etc. Namibia as it is classified as El Niño "conditions"; when its duration is
you may know is a food deficit country that pro- longer, it is classified as an El Niño "episode". These al-
duces about 40% of its annual food require- tered weather patterns can cause severe droughts – as is
ment. the case in many countries in southern Africa - whilst simul-
taneously causing heavy flooding in other countries or even
Sixty percent (60%) of its national cereal re- in some parts of a country experiencing drought elsewhere
quirement is imported from regional or global at the same time, as in Malawi.
markets and because of this, food prices in the
country are susceptible to factors such as high In the southern Africa region, El Niño is associated with dry
commodity and fuel prices influenced by situa- conditions which are often are not conducive for agriculture.
tions in other countries such as conflicts and These conditions affect commodity prices and constrain the
unfavourable weather conditions. supply of rain-driven agricultural commodities; reduce agri-
cultural output; create high food-prices and generalised in-
For a country that has about 28% of its popula- flation, etc. In some instances, the El Niño cycle is associ-
tion unemployed and 27% poor, any increase in ated with increased risks of some of the diseases
food prices will have a huge impact on these
people in terms of their ability to access food See page 22….
A child during a
WFP supported
Food Security
Assessment in
Namibia
INVITEE OF THE MONTH
Based Violence ment Goals. How has this new Agenda im-
pacted/will impact on your work in Namibia?
….from page 22 JB: SDG2 which is to "End hunger, achieve food
security and improved nutrition and promote sus-
-Enhancing systems for food security monitoring and
tainable agriculture" and its first 3 targets are di-
impact assessment remains a priority for WFP as this
rectly related to WFP's global mandate. SDG2 is
allows for effective preparedness and response. Build-
going to be the focus of WFP for the next 15
ing a capable team of government cadres to manage
years and WFP's corporate strategic objectives
and implement effective and efficient food security pro-
will be derived from this SDG. In Namibia, WFP
grammes that address hunger is a key component of
will continue to pursue the same agenda of en-
our programme. Social safety nets are essential for en- suring Zero Hunger in Namibia.
suring access to nutritious food while addressing persis-
tent poverty and reducing inequality. WFP continues to Work has already begun to establish a compre-
work with the government to strengthen the efficiency hensive analysis of the food and nutrition security
in the country; determine the progress that poli-
and effectiveness of safety nets such as school feeding
cies and programmes aimed at improving food
and emergency food assistance.
security and nutrition have made; identify gaps in
UW: What are some of the key opportunities for the response and prioritize actions that will be
WFP and the Namibian Government working togeth- required to fill the gaps to accelerate progress
er in Namibia within the framework of UNPAF? towards Zero Hunger. This initiative will contribute
to the establishment of a Zero Hunger strategy for
JB: WFP's vision is a world in which every man, woman
Namibia which will also guide WFP strategy in
and child has access at all times to the food needed for
Namibia.
an active and healthy life. Without food, there can be no
sustainable peace and development. We are happy that
this vision is shared by the Government as evident in UW: Behind every successful person there is
a great story to tell. Can you tell us a bit about
the recent declaration of war against hunger by the
your professional career and how you ended
President of Namibia and Namibia's commitment
up in Namibia?
through the 2014 Malabo Declaration to end hunger in
JB: My career with the UN begun 20 years ago. I
Namibia by 2025. The Zero Hunger challenge and the
joined the UN in Rwanda soon after genocide
new sustainable development agenda provide an op-
where as Head of WFP Sub Office in the prefec-
portunity for WFP and the Government of Namibia to
work together to end hunger in Namibia. tures of Butare, Kibungo and Cyangugu, I facili-
tated the implementation of food assistance pro-
UW: What opportunities are there for UNESCO and grammes for returning– To page 24...
WFP to work together in Namibia?
school feeding event UW: How do you deal with challenges and bal-
ancing between your demanding work and the
family?
….from page 23
refugees, displaced persons and vulnerable com- JB: Currently my family is not in Windhoek with me.
So I have plenty of time to focus on my work during
munities. Prior to joining WFP, I worked with Con-
the day but in the evening, thanks to social media, I
cern Worldwide in Kigali, Rwanda also supporting
am in constant touch with my family. When my family
the repatriation of Rwandan refugees.
visits, I always manage to find time to adjust my
In 1999 I was assigned as an Emergency Officer schedule to accommodate quality family time without
with WFP in Pyongyang, Korea Democratic Peo- compromising my work responsibilities. I am also
ple’s Republic (DPRK) where I was responsible for lucky to be working for an organization that respects
monitoring WFP emergency operation in DPRK. I and encourages work-life balance. So I always make
then joined WFP Office in Asmara, Eritrea in 2001 time to bond and catch up on so many things with
to coordinate the School Feeding Programme my family.
where school meals and take home rations were
UW: Are you a lover of books? If so what book
provided regularly to vulnerable children to encour-
are you currently reading, who is the author and
age them to enrol in school and attend classes
why did you choose the specific book?
regularly. In 2005 I joined WFP in Khartoum, Su-
dan where I was responsible for WFP Country Pro- See page 25….
gramme on school feeding. After Khartoum, I
moved to South Sudan in 2006, where I served as
WFP Head of Sub Office in Lakes State. Here I
was responsible for the overall management of
WFP operations including assessing and respond-
ing to emergency food needs. Prior to joining WFP
Namibia in 2011, I led the food cluster in Multan
Pakistan during the 2010 flood emergency and
was responsible for coordinating the cluster's
emergency food response to flood affected dis-
tricts in Punjab province. I am currently serving as
WFP Representative in Namibia and I am respon-
sible for providing leadership in defining and imple-
menting WFP policies and strategies that contrib- Ms. Jennifer Bitonde discussing with stakeholders
ute to Zero Hunger in Namibia. during a school feeding meeting