PRESS RELEASE
African Educationalists Pay Tribute to the Victims of the Hiroshima Atomic BombUniversity Instructors of Teacher Education from 12 African Countries on an 11-day
Study Tour of Japan Attend the Peace Memorial Ceremony in Hiroshima
Hiroshima, 6 August 2019 – African university instructors of teacher education from 12 Africancountries joined the Peace Memorial Ceremony at Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima,
Japan today. The ceremony, held annual on 6th August, commemorates the victims of the atomic
bombing of Hiroshima.
The university instructors are here in Japan on an 11-day study tour of the country to learn about
peacebuilding and the prevention of violent extremism. They are joined by representatives from theUNESCO International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa (IICBA), UNESCO Regional Office for
Eastern Africa, UNESCO Dakar, UN Environment in Ethiopia, the Organization Internationale de laFrancophonie, the UNICEF Liaison Office to the African Union (AU) and United Nations Economic
Commission for Africa (UNECA), and Timbuktu Institute in Senegal.
Japan made incredible social and economic progress after World War II and serves as a great
example of the importance of maintaining peace. The country’s education policy and curriculum
highly emphasize peacebuilding. Through the Study Tour, participants have the opportunity to learn
about Japan’s historical advancements, policies, and strategies in education and peacebuilding. They
will meet with Members of Parliament and visit the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where they will share
their experiences from their home country, achievements of the project, and what they’ve learned
while in Japan.
The tour is co-organized by UNESCO IICBA and the Center for the Study of International Cooperationin Education at Hiroshima University, with support from the Government of Japan, and is a part ofthe "Youth Empowerment for Peace and Resilience Building and Prevention of Violent Extremism inAfrican Countries through Teacher Development" project.
The project targets teachers in 16 countries in Africa, namely Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, theCentral African Republic, Chad, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal,Somalia, South Sudan, Uganda and their cross-border areas. UNECA, African Union Commission's
Human Resources and Science and Technology Department and Peace and Security Department
along with the UNICEF Liaison Office to the AU and UNECA are strategic partners in the project.
This is the third year that the Government of Japan has provided support for peace and resiliencebuilding and the prevention of violent extremism through teacher development in African countries.
The first project was implemented in the Horn of Africa in 2017 and in the Sahel and surrounding
region in 2018. More than 6,500 African teacher educators and teachers have been trainedon transformative pedagogy for peacebuilding. This year’s project will focus on sharing and scaling
up good practices in the target countries.
This is but one example of Japan and Africa relations. In a few short weeks, on 28 to 30 August 2019,the seventh Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), Japan’s largest
international conference, will be held in Yokohama under the theme “Africa and Yokohama, Sharing
Passion for the Future.”About UNESCO IICBA
The International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa (IICBA), established in 1999, is the only
UNESCO Category One Institute in Africa and is mandated to strengthen teacher policy anddevelopment throughout the continent. The Institute is also the Teacher Cluster Coordinator under
the framework of the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the Continental Education Strategy for Africa
2016 – 2025.
Contact
For additional information about the project:
Ms. Eyerusalem Azmeraw, Project Officer, UNESCO IICBA, a.eyerusalem@unesco.org
For media relations:
Ms. Beth Roseman, Consultant, UNESCO IICBA, b.roseman@unesco.org