Issued by: Department of Foreign Affairs
3 May 2001
Mr K Matsuura, the Director-General of UNESCO will make his first official visit to South Africa at the invitation of Professor Kader Asmal, Minister of Education, and Cabinet Minister responsible for South Africa's relations with UNESCO, from 4 to 7 May 2001.
Mr Matsuura will start his visit in Cape Town on 4 May, and will meet the Speaker of Parliament, and the Chairpersons of the Portfolio Committees for Arts, Culture, Science and Technology as well as Science and Education. He will then hold discussions with Minister Kader Asmal. On Saturday Mr Matsuura will visit Koegelberg, one of South Africa's International Biosphere sites, listed in terms of the United Nations Biodiversity Convention and administered by UNESCO. He will also visit Oscar Mpeta High School, formally linked to UNESCO in terms of its Associated Schools Project. He will also have discussions with Dr Rob Adam, the Director-General of the Department of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology.
On Sunday morning Mr Matsuura will visit Robben Island, one of four South African World Heritage Sites inscribed on the World Heritage List, administered by UNESCO in terms of the World Heritage Convention. As Chairman of the World Heritage Committee during 1999, Mr Matsuura played an active role in having three of the South African sites, Robben Island, St Lucia Wetlands and Sterkfontein Hominid Site inscribed. Mr Matsuura will end the Cape Town leg of his visit by meeting with Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
In Johannesburg and Pretoria on Monday, 7 May 2001, the Director-General will meet the Deputy-Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Aziz Pahad, with whom he will discuss enhancing UNESCO programme implementation through decentralisation and reform within the organisation, priorities for UNESCO in the coming years, and the restructuring of the South African National Commission.
Mr Matsuura will also hold talks with Professor Philip V Tobias, renowned archaeologist and former Chairman of the South African National Commission for UNESCO, and Nadine Gordimer, author and Nobel Prize winner. Mr Matsuura will be hosted by the University of the Witwatersrand, where he will address University Principals on Regional Collaboration among Institutions of Higher Education.
South Africa rejoin UNESCO in December 1994 after an absence of 38 years and is one of the 58 member states of the Executive Board. South Africa is represented at UNESCO in Paris, by the South African Ambassador, Mrs TE Skewyiya, as Permanent Delegate.
South Africa actively pursues a reform driven agenda within the organisation, to ensure that UNESCO meets the challenges of Education for all, Poverty Alleviation and Combating HIV/AIDS and related diseases, within its special fields of competence.
For more information, please contact Basetsana Thokoane
Office No : 012 351 0174
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