The UNESCO Chair Global Health & Education and the UNITWIN Network ‘Health and Education: Innovating for Sustainable Development’will be present at the UNESCO Chairs and Partners Forum: Transforming Knowledge for Africa’s Future, to be held in Addis Ababa from 30 September to 2 October. Organised by UNESCO under the patronage of H.E. Sahle-Work Zewde, President of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, this meeting aims to strengthen interdisciplinary and collaborative research capacity in Africa, including through more inclusive and effective South-South and South-South-North research partnerships.
Transforming knowledge systems
The future of humanity is inextricably linked to that of Africa. Yet established narratives around the future of the continent continue to reflect the long-standing imbalances in knowledge production and in academic research on Africa. Research is still largely dominated by institutions based in, or with close links to, the Global North. Reframing the narrative around Africa’s future requires mobilising different knowledge traditions.
Transforming knowledge systems is essential if Africa is to overcome existing barriers and unlock its full potential for sustainable development. The opportunities for younger generations for many decades to come will be shaped by how well Africa harnesses knowledge and innovation. A paradigm shift in the way knowledge is generated, shared and used in Africa is needed to pave the way a more just, sustainable, and prosperous future. The co-construction of a shared research agenda for Africa’s future must draw on diverse but complementary forms of knowledge, perspectives and contexts. It implies interdisciplinary, inter-sectoral, cross-cultural and forward-looking approaches, nourished by diverse ecologies of knowledge, which include the valorisation and integration of indigenous knowledge systems.
Read the concept note
More information on the forum
A photo exhibition to showcase the initiatives of UNESCO Chairs
As part of the forum, a photo exhibition will be organised to showcase the initiatives and projects of UNESCO Chairs and UNITWIN Networks, as bridge-builders between academia, public authorities, civil society and communities.
The UNESCO Chair Global Health & Education is proud to participate in the call for photo’s with an image taken on 1 July 2024 at the graduation ceremony of the first class of the EPROS (Education and Health Promotion) professional degree. This image of two young graduates symbolises the joy that the Chair and the entire teaching staff of ENSETP at Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar felt in celebrating the success of this first class and congratulating all the students on their commitment and hard work.
The degree is the result of a long-term co-operation by teams from Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar, the School Medical Control Division (DCMS) of the French Ministry of Education (MEN) and the UNESCO Chair Global Health & Education (University of Clermont Auvergne). This training course aims to build the capacity of professionals to work with communities to improve individual and collective health. Offered in hybrid mode, it has been co-developed with a network of local, national and international partners. It offers a multi-disciplinary programme combining public health, education sciences, medicine, nursing sciences and human and social sciences, with a focus on knowledge for operational purposes. In order to adapt teaching content to the socio-economic realities and contexts in which it is used, the programme makes extensive use of speakers from the field, and aims to combine scientific knowledge, practical and professional knowledge and community knowledge.
©DIRCOM UCAD
