query_builder 02-11-2023
- Madame le Conseiller Technique, représentant Monsieur le Ministre de l'Enseignement Supérieur et de la Recherche Scientifique ;
- Monsieur le Conseiller Technique, représentant Madame la Ministre de l'Education Nationale et de l'Alphabétisation, Présidente de la Commission Nationale Ivoirienne pour l'UNESCO;
- Your Excellencies the Ambassadors;
- Mr. Secretary General of CAMES ;
- Mr. Representative of the UNESCO Office in Côte d'Ivoire :
- Monsieur le Représentant du Secrétaire Général de la Commission Nationale Ivoirienne pour l'UNESCO ;
- Honorary Presidents of Nangui Abrogoua University: Prof. AÏDARA Daouda, Rector of LOKO Tertiary and Technological University and Prof. EHILE Ehouan Etienne, former Secretary General of the Association of African Universities;
- Mr. President of Nangui Abrogoua University, Prof. TANO Yao ;
- Mr President of the Polytechnic University of Man, Prof. COULIBALY Lacina ;
- The Director of the Ecole Normale Supérieure, Prof. KAMAGATE Bamory;
- Holders of UNESCO Chairs in Côte d'Ivoire;
- Technical and Financial Partners (FONSTI, IRD, CIRAD);
- Ladies and Gentlemen, Representatives of Industries ;
- Mayors and representatives of local authorities;
- Ladies and Gentlemen representatives of the Presidents of Public Universities and Directors General of Public Grandes Ecoles;
- Fellow professors and researchers ;
- Ladies and Gentlemen of the press;
- Ladies and Gentlemen
- Distinguished guests;
It gives me great pleasure to take the floor, on behalf of the Côte d'Ivoire Delegation to UNESCO, on the occasion of the launch of the activities of the "Education, Research and Action for Sustainable Cities, abbreviated to ERA-Sustainable Cities" Chair at Nangui Abrogoua University.
Allow me to begin by thanking the Minister of Education and Literacy, Professor KONE Mariatou, President of the Côte d'Ivoire National Commission for UNESCO, and the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Professor Adama DIAWARA, for their support for UNESCO Chairs at Côte d'Ivoire universities. This reflects their determination to implement the vision of His Excellency Alassane OUATTARA, President of the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, to make the Ivorian University an essential link in the promotion of science in the service of development.
I would also like to thank the Head of the UNESCO Office in Côte d'Ivoire, Mr DIOP Omar, and the Secretary General of the Côte d'Ivoire National Commission for UNESCO, Mr SORO N'Golo, for the vital role they play in the process of creating Chairs in Côte d'Ivoire universities.
I would also like to pay tribute to two great Masters, Professor AÏDARA Daouda and Professor EHILE Ehouan Etienne, both Honorary Presidents of the Université Nangui Abrogoua, who continue to give academic institutions the benefit of their great experience and wise counsel.
Thank you, dear Masters, for honouring this ceremony with your presence.
I would also like to express my gratitude to the Secretary General of CAMES, Professor KONATE Souleymane, not only for his presence, but also for all his efforts to promote Côte d'Ivoire's UNESCO Chairs within CAMES.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Distinguished participants,
Today is a date that will go down in the annals of Ivorian universities in general, and Nangui Abrogoua University in particular.
Indeed, after the "UNESCO Chair for the Culture of Peace" and the UNESCO Chair in "Water, Women and Decision-Making Power" at the Université Félix HOUPHOUËT-BOIGNY, followed by the "UNESCO Chair in Bioethics" and the UNESCO Chair in "Anticipation, Prospects and Sustainable Territories" at the Université Alassane OUATTARA, Côte d'Ivoire is very proud to welcome its fifth Chair, whose agreement was co-signed on December 22, 2022 by the President of Nangui Abrogoua University, Professor TANO Yao, and the Director-General of UNESCO, Ms Audrey AZOULAY.
The award of this Chair strengthens the network of UNESCO Chairs in Côte d'Ivoire, and will undoubtedly enable its integration into the important international UNITWIN/UNESCO Chair program.
I would like to extend my sincere congratulations to the Presidents of the Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Alassane Ouattara and Nangui Abrogoua Universities for their invaluable support and backing for the Chairs at their respective universities.
Ladies and Gentlemen
Distinguished participants,
This morning's ceremony to officially launch the activities of the UNESCO "ERA-Sustainable City" Chair is an event of major importance. Through the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, all countries have committed to making urban settlements more inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. By 2050, it is estimated that two out of every three people will live in cities. We have thus resolutely entered the urban era. Cities will be more populated, more diverse and more multicultural. The current conditions of many cities, with their challenges linked to poverty, social inequality, environmental degradation, food security, discrimination and the impact of disasters and natural hazards, could be exacerbated.
One of the major challenges facing human societies, and African countries in particular, is to strike a balance between the development needs of a growing population, social cohesion and environmental preservation, in order to help cities become more inclusive and sustainable.
Hence the creation of the "ERA-Sustainable City" Chair at Nangui Abrogoua University, whose mission is to advance knowledge and practices to make cities more inclusive and sustainable.
To this end, it must, as stipulated in article 2 of the agreement, promote an integrated system of research, training, information and documentation activities in education and action for "the sustainable city".
The sustainable city calls for a new representation of urban space, which must respect the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals N°11 on sustainable cities and communities, and aim for quality of life and well-being for every citizen.
Nangui Abrogoua University therefore has the immense responsibility of promoting a coherent system of research and cooperation to help cities, in collaboration with political decision-makers and local authorities, to become more sustainable and inclusive, and to combat discrimination and all forms of exclusion.
I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the President of Nangui Abrogoua University, holder of the ERA-Sustainable City Chair, and his team, on UNESCO's choice of his institution to host the ERA-Sustainable City Chair.
I remain convinced that, given the participatory approach adopted by the management of the Université Nangui Abrogoua, and the existence of a body of teacher-researchers competent in environmental issues and the challenges of the sustainable city, the "ERA-Sustainable City" Chair will achieve the objectives it has set itself, and through it, those set for it by UNESCO.
The beginnings of this success are already perceptible in the quality of the personalities and structures invited to this ceremony. I am delighted by the presence of representatives of embassies, development partners, industries and, in particular, representatives of town halls, regional councils and districts. As the city's key players, their involvement in the Chair's activities will help to ensure its continuity and give greater visibility to the Nangui Abrogoua University, and hence to our country.
The presence of the heads of other universities or their representatives proves, if proof were needed, the determination of the "ERA-Sustainable City" Chair to work in perfect collaboration with other UNESCO Chairs with similar and even complementary missions.
For my part, aware of the importance of the Chairs as strategic instruments for strengthening the link between research and development policies, I have included their support in the Permanent Delegation's strategic plan. Hence our contribution to obtaining the "ERA-Sustainable City" Chair, which was already in the evaluation circuit at UNESCO in Paris. You will therefore understand my pleasure at taking part in this ceremony to launch the activities of the said Chair.
I therefore urge the Chair's managers to cooperate closely with other Chairs at international level, and to take part in activities (seminars, workshops, conferences) organized by UNESCO in their field of expertise.
It is therefore imperative that the Chair aligns its action plan with UNESCO's programs, objectives and strategic priorities, and that it proposes clearly measurable indicators for a sustainable and inclusive city.
The successful implementation of the action plan is an essential condition for the renewal of the Chair and its continuity.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Distinguished participants,
Before concluding my speech, allow me to emphasize that UNESCO expects a great deal from this Chair. I would also like to reassure the team in charge of the Chair and its various partners of the Permanent Delegation's readiness to support them in achieving their objectives.
I wish every success to the latest UNESCO Chair in Côte d'Ivoire, the "ERA-Sustainable City" Chair at Nangui Abrogoua University.
Thank you for your support.
