#SOSAfricanHeritage
Special support programme for UNESCO sites in Africa
Initiated by the Federal Foreign Office and the Goethe-Institut, an International Relief Fund was set up in summer 2020 to provide rapid support to cultural and educational organisations abroad during the Covid-19 pandemic. With its special support programme #SOSAfricanHeritage, the German Commission for UNESCO was an active member of the Relief Fund consortium.
Funded projects in total
African countries ar project locations
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the resulting restrictions, many African UNESCO sites were not accessible to visitors at all or only to a limited extent. This led to a great loss of income with serious consequences: for example, poaching and overexploitation of natural resources had increased sharply since the beginning of the pandemic, as many people had lost their livelihoods and, due to the financial shortfalls, the staff to protect the sites could no longer be paid in some cases.
The aim of the #SOSAfricanHeritage special programme was therefore to provide rapid and targeted support to UNESCO sites on the African continent.
Projects funded
On September 1, 2020, an international jury of experts selected 22 projects from 19 African countries for funding. Until December 2020, each project received up to 25,000 euros from the German Commission for UNESCO. In 2021, another 12 projects in 12 different African countries were selected for funding as part of the second edition of the programme. From August to November, these projects received support of up to 20,000 euros each. One project was funded by the Canadian National Commission for UNESCO.
The activities supported included, among others, digitisation and education measures, approaches to maintain or restore infrastructure, and protective measures against poaching and looting. In addition, projects were supported that opened up new and sustainable income opportunities and thus helped to cushion the economic downturn caused by the pandemic in the long term. The funded projects contributed to the preservation of independent and sustainable organisational structures at the sites, strengthened the involvement and participation of the local population and secured spaces dedicated to the promotion of global citizenship education, sustainability and cultural diversity.
Find out more about the diverse project contents, their implementation and impact in the project profiles.
The International Relief Fund
Initiated by the Federal Foreign Office and the Goethe-Institut, an International Relief Fund was set up in summer 2020 to provide rapid support to cultural and educational organisations during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Foreign Office provides the basic funding of three million euros. Additional funding is made available by the Goethe-Institute, the S. Fischer Foundation, and the Robert Bosch Foundation. The overall coordination is directed by the Goethe-Institute.
Numerous other cultural organizations and private foundations, including the DAAD's Berlin artist program, the Mercator Foundation, and the Siemens Foundation, provide additional support funds or participate with their own programs. With its special support programme #SOSAfricanHeritage, the German Commission for UNESCO is part of the Relief Fund consortium.
Pojects funded in 2021
Projects funded in 2020
