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In this issue

Message from the Director 1

Announcements 2,3

Web news of the week 3

Events of the week 4

Missions 5

From the office 5

Meetings 6,7

Message from the Director I attended the Regional UNDG Meeting for Eastern and Southern Africa on 31 January 2017. The meeting updated members on the regional initiatives by Sister agency champions and on the implementation of the Great Lakes Strategy which is slowly picking up; Disaster Risk Reduction strategy whose formulation captures the conclusion of the Sendai recommendations and the Strategic Framework for Resilient Development which is almost ready for testing in a few countries after its endorsement at the next joint annual R/UNDG in Botswana in April 2017. These initiatives are meant to inform UNCT’s interventions to accompany Member States in responding to challenges of sustainable development in the Africa region. More and more emphasis of UN sister agencies work is focused on the principle of ‘leaving no one behind’: ‘In committing to the realization of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Member States recognized that the dignity of the individual is fundamental and that the Agenda’s Goals and targets should be met for all nations and people and for all segments of society. Furthermore, they endeavored to reach first those who are furthest behind.’ Interventions should target underserved populations. I also had an opportunity to meet with the Regional Directors of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Among others, we agreed to enhance cooperation in targeting the marginalized, with specific emphasis on refugees. Early childhood learning can be a possible field of cooperation in the region, but also in targeted countries. A few other engagements were raised with the Directors/Representatives especially on services for the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme and Norwegian Refugee Council secondees. These are services which have contributed to the staffing of the regional bureau. Each of these entities have worked with us in recruiting staff for Public Information and Education in emergencies and who would join the staff of the UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa in February 2017. I would also like to appreciate the exercise on the mid-term review of My Talent of staff, in view of the mid-term performance appraisal cycle for 2016-2017. I met with several staff members whose sense of commitment and dedication to the service of humanity through the competencies and talents they exhibit is commendable, but particularly the efforts at team spirit in the office. I encourage all to continue serving for the results and change we expect in the development work we are engaged in. Ann Therese Ndong Jatta

Weekly Newsletter

UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa

Issue 12: 30th January to 3rd February 2017

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Announcements Office Staff Club

Unlocking the Potential of Girls - STEM (UNESCO) video UNESCO participated in the implementation of the Kenya Gender Empowerment and Women’s Equality UNDAF Annual review at Statehouse in Nairobi in 2016. The video entitled Unlocking the Potential of Girls - STEM (UNESCO): https://goo.gl/7WEMA1 was showcased during the ceremony and documents the advancement of gender equality in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Registration for Africa Green Building Summit 2017

On 22 to 24 March 2017 the Kenya Green Building Society (KGBS) will host the Africa Green Building Summit at the UN Complex in Nairobi, Kenya. The 2017 theme is centered on Financing Sustainable Development

Goals, a key global priority for nations and the growing property sector alike. This summit will see KGBS host the World Green Building Council’s Africa Regional Network meeting in Kenya for the first time. UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa was represented by Mika Odido at the Africa Green Building Pre Summit Cocktail in Nairobi, Kenya on 19 January 2017.

Following the analysis of a survey regarding the Office Staff Club, the Staff Club was established. During the staff meeting on Tuesday 1 February 2017 some members of UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa volunteered to be in the committee of the Staff Club. The club aims to organize social and recreational events for staff of UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa including outings, parties, sports activities among other social activities.

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Nada Al-Nashif and Forest Whitaker visit to Uganda 7 to 12 Feb 2017

Web news of the week

Au revoir Irene Ranaivozanany

Ms. Irene Ranaivozanany has worked with UNESCO in Madagascar since 2008. Ms. Irene is retiring at the end of January 2017. UNESCO would like to thank her for her valuable contribution to the work of UNESCO in Madagascar

A delegation led by the UNESCO Assistant Director General for Social and Human Science, Ms. Nada Al-Nashif will be travelling to Uganda to Kiryandongo and Gulu Districts from 7 to 12 February 2017. The delegation is composed of Mr. Forest Whitaker, UNESCO special Envoy for Peace and Reconciliation as well as member of the advocacy Group for the Sustainable Development Goals.

Training of documentation and information center managers in Madagascar to increase access to public information

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Events of the week

Rwanda 6 to 8 Feb 2017 Workshop on e-assessment for curriculum developers, Rwanda Education Board staff and

policymakers in Kigali

9 Feb 2017

Consultative Meeting in Mapping of ICT for Teacher Training Activities in Kigali

Kenya 6 to 10 Feb 2017 Curriculum monitoring and evaluation framework workshop for basic education curriculum developers, organized in partnership with UNESCO, International Bureau of Education(IBE), Ministry of Education, Science and Technology(MoEST) and Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) in Nairobi.

6 to 11 Feb 2017 Needs Assessment on Intangible Cultural Heritage in Kenya – Consultative Meetings in Mombasa, Nairobi and Kisumu. 7 Feb 2017 Technical review meeting of re-entry to school guidelines in Nairobi 9 Feb 2017 Focus Group Discussion on Monitoring and Evaluation of the Health Literacy Project in Kibera, Nairobi.

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Missions

Mika Odido

8 to 10 Feb 2017 UNESCO HQ, Paris, France Meeting of UNESCO/IOC Heads of Sections and Regional Subsidiary Bodies to co-design activities for 39C5.

Vitalice Ochieng

9 to 10 Feb 2017 Mombasa and Kisumu, Kenya Needs Assessment on Intangible Cultural Heritage in Kenya. Nada Al-Nashif and Forest Whitaker 7 to 11 Feb 2017 Kiryandongo and Gulu, Uganda Visit to Kiryandongo and Gulu Districts. From the Office Connect U training: Review of previous sessions 30 Jan 2017

The Connect U meetings resumed on Monday 30 Jan 2017 for the first meeting of this year. This week there was a review of the six previous sessions of Connect U trainings to measure the progress of trainings. Staff from the UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa reviewed the use of skype for business, setting up profiles, setting up meetings and uploading documents for skype meetings. The training session also served as question and answer session for staff on problems encountered in using Connect U and Skype for Business.

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Meetings UNESCO meeting with KNATCOM and KEFUCA 30 Jan 2017 Representatives of UNESCO Clubs met with members of the Kenya National Commission for UESCO and the Kenya Federation of UNESCO Clubs, Centers and Associations (KEFUCA) on Monday 30 January 2017 to discuss the activities of UNESCO Clubs in schools in Kenya and how stakeholders such as the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology and the various counties would be more involved in their activities. Participants also noted among other things the need for training and capacity building of club patrons.

Meeting on regional approach to improve lives of displaced populations in Eastern and Horn of Africa 2 Feb 2017

The UNESCO Regional and National Offices in Eastern Africa programme staff held a joint brainstorming session on Thursday 2 February 2017 to discuss a regional and intersectoral approach in responding to the crisis of increased refugees, migrants, asylum seekers and returnees regionally and globally. Promoting just, peaceful and inclusive societies in the Eastern and Horn of Africa regions is a priority for the UNESCO Regional Office in Nairobi. This requires a systematic and multidisciplinary approach. The initiative is spearheaded by the CI sector with a view to mobilizing the necessary resources to support interventions required in addressing this urgent need.

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Meeting on strengthening partnerships with Somalia media actors in Nairobi 2 Feb 2017

UNESCO participates in a donor meeting on Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) activities in Somalia, in Nairobi 31 Jan 2017 On Tuesday 31 January 2017 Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) convened a meeting for donors and partners implementing TVET activities in Somalia. The meeting took place in Nairobi, Kenya and explored ideas on collaboration and coordination for better synergies in TVET. The meeting highlighted potential coordination and partnership opportunities for UNESCO and also indicated areas of synergy with different activities presented by participating organizations. ICT Essentials training in Kigali, Rwanda 31 Jan 2017

An ICT Essentials of Teachers Workshop Programme was organized by UNESCO from 31 January to 3 February 2017 in Kigali, Rwanda. The Rwanda ICT Essentials for Teachers provides benefits for both educators and learners in education for improved teaching and learning processes to better learner outcomes, from increased learner engagement to seamless communication with educators which provides robust opportunities that ICT offers for the social development of knowledge based-economies

for education. The programme is based on the UNESCO ICT Competency Framework for Teachers (ICT CFT) a framework that outlines the competencies that teachers need to integrate ICT into their professional practice. The activity is funded under the UNESCO-Republic of Korea Joint Initiative omit Transforming Education in Africa: ICT Transforming Education in Rwanda.

On Thursday 2 February 2017, the UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa’s Communication and Information sector held a meeting with Finnish Foundation for Media and Development (VIKES) in Somalia which is funded by the Finnish government. The meeting focused on how the two media partners can synergise their efforts and maximise on the impact of their support in Somalia. Following this meeting, UNESCO and VIKES programme in Somalia will now join efforts in capacity building of the public broadcasting sector in Somalia, support the training of the security and judiciary on freedom of expression and safety of journalists and also work together in preservation of archived public materials and making it accessible to the citizens.