Education and culture top priorities for UNESCO Director-General’s first visit to Iraq

Literacy, higher education and the restoration of a World Heritage site were top priorities when Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO, and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki met in Baghdad on 7 May. Following their meeting the Director General signed three memoranda of understanding with the Government of Iraq.

“UNESCO’s leadership in education and cultural heritage builds on our existing work and notable successes in Iraq since we started here more than six years ago,” the Director General said. “We are adding to our activities now with the support of the Government of Iraq and we appreciate this vote of confidence.”

The memoranda of understanding focus on two critical areas for the Iraqi government, education and the preservation of historical sites. The Iraqi government will co-finance the following activities:

• A National Literacy Campaign: Designed to reduce illiteracy by 50% in the next five years. Illiteracy is currently pegged at about 5 million people.

• Establishing the College of Archaeology: To be located at the universities of Samara and Kofa for the purposes of developing a national capacity to maintain and protect the heritage of the country for future generations.

• Restoration of the Al-Malawyah Minaret, the Great Mosque, Samara: Part of the Samara Archaeological City, which was placed on the list of World Heritage Sites in danger. UNESCO has been actively involved in restoration of historical sites in Iraq, including the Great Mosque of Samara, as well as protecting Iraqi antiquities.

The Director General’s delegation included Her Highness Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al-Missned in her capacity as both First Lady of Qatar and UNESCO Special Envoy for Basic and Higher Education. Her Highness confirmed that Qatar will fund three UNESCO education projects in Iraq focusing on Curriculum Review, Support to Higher Education and Support for Iraqi Academics.

In addition to his meetings with the Prime Minister, the Director General spoke by telephone with President Jalal Talabani and with the president of the Kurdistan Regional Government, Masoud Barzani. The Director General also visited the Iraq National Museum, which will soon reopen to the public following a UNESCO supported restoration that included capacity building and equipment for the museum’s laboratories, which were looted and destroyed in March 2003.

The Director General thanked the Special Representative of the Secretary General and head of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq, Staffan de Mistura, and the UNAMI staff for their assistance in making this important visit possible. UNESCO’s office for Iraq prepared the visit in close cooperation with UN SGSR and Mr de Mistura accompanied Mr Matsuura throughout his visit.