Partnership Opportunities

Sustainable Funding /Endowment Fund

The Endowment Fund ensures AWHF’s long-term capacity to deliver. By contributing to the Fund you will be supporting the people and heritage of Africa. To ensure sustainability in the long term AWHF aims to raise a total of USD 25 million. The returns from the Endowment Fund are already being employed to support strategic projects, programmes and operational costs. The AWHF has a wide variety of programs partners can help to support.

Capacity Building Programmes

a) Nomination of African Sites to the UNESCO World Heritage List 

Africa, as a continent, is underrepresented on the UNESCO World Heritage List (89 sites from Sub-Saharan Africa out of a world total of 1007). This is despite the fact that Africa is rich in natural and cultural heritage. The heritage of Africa is diverse and has the potential to act as a catalyst in transforming Africa’s image and as a means to stimulate socio-economic growth and infrastructure development. The objective is to strengthen the capacity of African States to increase the number and quality of nominations to the World Heritage List.

b) Risk Preparedness Programme for World Heritage Sites 

African natural and cultural heritage has been facing serious challenges related to conservation and management. Different disasters have destroyed valuable attributes of African World Heritage Sites. The conflict in Mali and the Democratic Republic of Congo continues to affect iconic sites such as Timbuktu and the Virunga National Park. African World Heritage Sites are increasingly being exposed to threats such as fire, expanding settlements, resource exploitation, floods and climate change. It is important to address the sites’ conservation and management needs in order to prevent future disasters.

c) World Heritage Sites and Sustainable Tourism Programme 

The long-term objective of the African World Heritage Fund (AWHF) is to ensure that the Heritage Sites in Africa are properly managed. The programme aims at improving the management of World Heritage Sites and promoting local entrepreneurial development through sustainable tourism.

d) Award for best practice in Heritage Conservation. 

It is also envisaged to establish an award for best practice to encourage State Parties to implement the best conservation and management practices.