A culture of peace cannot be imposed from the top; it must be built collectively from the realities, endogenous mechanisms and territorial dynamics specific to each of our ten Member States.
M. Hilaire MputuActing Director and Representative of the UNESCO Regional Office for Central Africa
On 9 July 2026, the UNESCO Regional Office for Central Africa organized an online preparatory meeting with the Secretaries General of the National Commissions for UNESCO in Central Africa, ahead of the Forum on Strengthening the Culture of Peace in Central Africa and the Great Lakes Region.
The meeting provided an opportunity to present the main orientations of the Bujumbura Forum, conceived as a regional platform for dialogue, analysis and the joint development of sustainable responses to the security, social, climate and humanitarian challenges affecting the subregion.
The discussions highlighted the urgency of adopting an integrated approach to multidimensional crises, particularly the persistent tensions in the Great Lakes Region, conflicts linked to resources and cross border insecurity in the Lake Chad Basin, as well as threats related to maritime piracy and illicit trafficking in the Gulf of Guinea. The presentation also underscored the humanitarian impact of these dynamics, with nearly 10.4 million people affected by forced displacement across the subregion.
In his opening remarks, Mr Hilaire Mputu, Acting Director and Representative of the UNESCO Regional Office for Central Africa in Cameroon, commended the essential role of the National Commissions for UNESCO, which he described as pillars of the Organization’s action on the ground, indispensable links with governments, and custodians of shared values across the subregion.
At the heart of the meeting was the presentation of a preparatory territorial diagnostic questionnaire. This technical tool will make it possible to collect factual, country specific data in order to develop country profiles, consolidate a baseline working document, and identify future pilot areas for peace and cross border cooperation.
read more: https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/preparatory-meeting-bujumbura-forum-national-commissions-mobilized-promote-culture-peace-central?hub=701
