SOMALIA / CULTURE EDUCATION AGREEMENT

STORY: SOMALIA / CULTURE EDUCATION AGREEMENT
TRT: 5:14
SOURCE: UNSOM
RESTRICTIONS: CREDIT REQUIRED: UNSOM STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH /SOMALI / NATS

DATELINE: 11 FEBRUARY 2020, MOGADISHU, SOMALIA

SHOTLIST:

1. Wide shot, plane carrying the Director-General of the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Audrey Azoulay arriving at Aden Abdulle International Airport, Mogadishu
2. Med shot, a flight marshal directing the plane carrying the UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay at Aden Abdulle International Airport, Mogadishu
3. Close up, a flight marshal directing the plane carrying the UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay at Aden Abdulle International Airport, Mogadishu
4. Med shot, the UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay disembarking from the plane on arrival at Aden Abdulle International Airport, Mogadishu
5. Med shot, the UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay is received by UN and Somali government officials at Aden Abdulle International Airport, Mogadishu
6. Med shot, the UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay is greeted by Somalia’s Federal Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Gamal Mohamed Hassan on arrival at Aden Abdulle International Airport, Mogadishu
7. Med shot, the UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay is greeted by Somalia’s Federal Minister of Education, Culture and Higher Education, Abdullahi Godah Barre on arrival at Aden Abdulle International Airport, Mogadishu
8. Med shot, the UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay is greeted by the UN Envoy to Somalia James Swan on her arrival at Aden Abdulle International Airport, Mogadishu
9. Med shot, the UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay is greeted UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia Adam Abdelmoula on arrival at Aden Abdulle International Airport, Mogadishu
10. Wide shot, the UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay walks to the VIP lounge at Aden Abdulle International Airport, Mogadishu
11. Wide shot, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay posing for a group photo with Somalia’s Federal Minister of Education, Culture and Higher Education Abdullahi Godah Barre; the Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Gamal Mohamed Hassan; UN envoy to Somalia James Swan and other Somali government officials at the VIP lounge at Aden Abdulle International Airport, Mogadishu
12. Med shot, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay interacting with Somalia’s Federal Minister of Education, Culture and Higher Education Abdullahi Godah Barre at the VIP lounge at Aden Abdulle International Airport, Mogadishu
13. Close up, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay listening during her meeting with Somalia’s Federal Minister of Education, Culture and Higher Education Abdullahi Godah Barre at the VIP lounge at Aden Abdulle International Airport, Mogadishu
14. Wide shot, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay interacting with Somalia’s Federal Minister of Education, Culture and Higher Education Abdullahi Godah Barre at the VIP lounge at Aden Abdulle International Airport, Mogadishu
15. Med shot, Somali government officials listening during the meeting
16. Wide shot, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay and Somalia’s Federal Minister of Education, Culture and Higher Education Abdullahi Godah Barre shaking hands after meeting at the VIP lounge at Aden Abdulle International Airport, Mogadishu
17. Wide shot, Somalia National Museum premises
18. Med shot, Somalia National Museum premises
19. Wide shot, Somalia National Museum premises
20. Wide shot, vehicle carrying UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay and UN envoy to Somalia James Swan arriving at the Somalia National Museum
21. Wide shot, the UN envoy to Somalia James Swan alighting from the vehicle at the Somalia National Museum
22. Med shot, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay received by Somalia’s Federal Minister of Education, Culture and Higher Education Abdullahi Godah Barre at the Somalia National Museum premises
23. Med shot, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay talking with the Somali Federal Minister of Education, Culture and Higher Education Abdullahi Godah Barre at the Somalia National Museum premises
24. Wide shot, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay talking with the Somali Federal Minister of Education, Culture and Higher Education Abdullahi Godah Barre at the Somalia National Museum premises
25. Wide shot, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay walking through the Somalia National Museum entrance
26. Med shot, Somali Federal Minister of Education, Culture and Higher Education, Abdullahi Godah Barre guides the UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay during a tour of the Somalia National Museum
27. Wide shot, the interior of Somalia National Museum
28. Med shot, a banner with images of the Somali National Museum that is currently under renovation
29. Med shot, an official taking part in the voluntary renovation of Somalia’s National Museum explains the progress of renovation works to the UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay
30. Med shot, an official taking part in the renovation of the National Museum explains the progress of renovation works to the UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay
31. Med shot, official taking part in the renovation of the Somali National Museum explains the progress of renovation works to the UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay
32. Wide shot, officials taking part in the renovation of the Somali National Museum, and the Somali Federal Minister of Education, Culture and Higher Education Abdullahi Godah Barre explain the progress of renovation works to the UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay
33. Wide shot, the Somali Federal Minister of Education, Culture and Higher Education Abdullahi Godah Barre talking with the UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay as they walk through the National Museum premises
34. Wide shot, the UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay flanked by the Somali Federal Minister of Education, Culture and Higher Education Abdullahi Godah Barre walking out of the Somali National Museum
35. Wide shot, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay flanked by the Somali Federal Minister of Education, Culture and Higher Education Abdullahi Godah Barre, the UN envoy to Somalia James Swan and other Somali government officials arrive at Villa Somalia, Mogadishu
36. Med shot, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay flanked by the Somali Federal Minister of Education, Culture and Higher Education Abdullahi Godah Barre walking at Villa Somali, Mogadishu
37. Med shot, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay is received by Somalia’s Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire in his office at Villa Somalia, Mogadishu
38. Med shot, the UN envoy to Somalia James Swan is received by the Somali Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire in his office at Villa Somalia, Mogadishu
39. Wide shot, Somalia’s Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire meets with the visiting UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay at his office in Villa Somalia
40. Med shot, Somalia’s Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire meets with the visiting UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay at his office in Villa Somalia
41. Close up shot, Somalia’s Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire talking during the meeting with UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay at his office
42. Med shot, Somalia’s Federal Minister of Education, Culture and Higher Education, Abdullahi Godah Barre listening during the meeting
43. Med shot, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay and Somalia’s Federal Minister of Education, Culture and Higher Education Abdullahi Godah Barre signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in the presence of Somalia’s Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire and the UN envoy to Somalia James Swan at Villa Somalia, Mogadishu
44. Close up shot, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in the presence of Somalia’s Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire and the UN envoy to Somalia James Swan at Villa Somalia, Mogadishu
45. Med shot, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay and Somalia’s Federal Minister of Education, Culture and Higher Education Abdullahi Godah Barre flanked by Somalia’s Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire and the UN envoy to Somalia James Swan applauding after the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding
46. SOUNDBITE (English) Audrey Azoulay, Director-General, UNESCO:
“Culture and education are vital for the country’s future. After years of
conflict, they are vital to the human dimension of recovery, of peacebuilding, of sustainability. And I am very happy that we have been discussing and opening this new chapter of cooperation.”
47. Med shot, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay and Somalia’s Minister of Education, Culture and Higher Education Abdullahi Godah Barre exchanging documents
48. SOUNDBITE (English) Audrey Azoulay, Director-General, UNESCO:
“I know that the challenges are huge and how difficult the situation can sometimes seem. But I have great hopes because of this renewed investment in culture and education. And in terms of education, we have identified how we could support the growing investment that the government puts in education, to reach out to all those children that are not at school and should be at school, to use also the potential of digital technology so that we can progress on our common objectives on education.”
49. SOUNDBITE (Somali) Abdullahi Godah Barre, Somalia’s Federal Minister of Education, Culture And Higher Education:
“UNESCO has not been present in Somalia, but historically, Somalia and UNESCO have a long history, and since our independence, we have collaborated on many fronts. Today, time has allowed us to reignite our relationship with UNESCO. That relationship will directly contribute to our lower and higher education as well as culture, science, and technology.”
50. Wide shot, podium

STORYLINE:

Somalia and the United Nations culture and education agency (UNESCO) today (11 Feb) signed an agreement aimed at strengthening efforts to preserve the country’s cultural heritage and improve its educational sector.

“Culture and education are vital for the country’s future. After years of conflict, they are vital to the human dimension of recovery, of peacebuilding, of sustainability,” said the Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Audrey Azoulay.

“And I am very happy that we have been discussing and opening this new chapter of cooperation,” she added, on the first-ever visit of a UNESCO head to the Horn of Africa country.

The UN official was speaking at a press encounter the capital, Mogadishu, in the wake of the signing of a memorandum of understanding on UNESCO-Somalia cooperation.

The memorandum will enable them to work together on reviving the culture sector in Somalia and enhancing the country’s education policies – the latter includes enrolling schoolchildren, with a specific focus on young girls, ensuring free and quality primary and secondary education, as well as making available open digital resources, including textbooks.

Somalia’s Federal Minister of Education, Culture and Higher Education, Abdullahi Godah Barre, signed the memorandum of understanding on behalf of the Federal Government of Somalia. At the press encounter, he noted Somalia’s long history of collaboration with UNESCO and added that the renewal of cooperation would profoundly impact education and culture in the country.

“UNESCO has not been present in Somalia, but historically, Somalia and UNESCO have a long history, and since our independence, we have collaborated on many fronts. Today, time has allowed us to reignite our relationship with UNESCO. That relationship will directly contribute to our lower and higher education as well as culture, science, and technology,” he said.

The Prime Minister of Somalia, Hassan Ali Khaire, and UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Somalia, James Swan, witnessed the signing of the memorandum.

In addition to meeting with the Prime Minister during her visit, the UNESCO chief also met with the Minister of Planning, Investment and Economic Development, Gamal Hassan, and the Minister of Women and Human Rights Development, Deqa Yasin.

After decades of conflict, Somalia has been rebuilding its educational sector. However, despite encouraging developments, there are still considerable gaps in access to quality education and learning for children and adolescents. These gaps are rooted in the country’s protracted conflict, which has reinforced vulnerabilities, including poverty and economic disadvantages, which are impacting on children's access to early learning, basic education and skills training opportunities. Of the approximately five million school-aged children in Somalia, more than three million children are out of school. The national education retention rate of primary education stands at 64 per cent.

“I know that the challenges are huge and how difficult the situation can sometimes seem. But I have great hopes because of this renewed investment in culture and education,”Azoulay said.

“And in terms of education,” she continued, “we have identified how we could support the growing investment that the government puts in education, to reach out to all those children that are not at school and should be at school, to use also the potential of digital technology so that we can progress on our common objectives on education.”

Somalia’s ninth National Development Plan, covering the 2020-24 period, lists education as a key sector that is vital for the country’s prosperity and progress, and its authorities aim to “phase in free and compulsory access to primary education a grade/year at a time until is it universally achieved by 2030.”

This objective is also in line with the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, through Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4, which aims to achieve universal primary education by 2030. The SDGs were adopted by all UN Member States in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030.

The United Nations in Somalia has been supporting the Federal Government in the education sector for a number of years. This includes the completion of an Education Sector Strategic Plan, the launch of a new education curriculum for primary schools across the country, the conduct of national examinations across Somalia, and the successful completion of the Joint Review of the Education Sector in Mogadishu.

In addition, the UN in Somalia strongly advocates for increased funding of the education sector in Somalia to ensure education is accessible to all communities.

While in Mogadishu, the UNESCO chief also visited the country’s National Museum, a landmark location established in 1933 but destroyed during the country’s civil war which began in 1991. The venue has been undergoing reconstruction and is expected to re-open in the near future.

Azoulay recognized Somalia’s renewed commitment to multilateralism, as evidenced by its promulgation of UNESCO’s cultural conventions today. The conventions ratified are the 1972 World Heritage Convention and the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.

In the area of culture, the memorandum of understanding foresees professional capacity-building and training, especially for museum administrators and archivists. UNESCO will also accompany the country in the rehabilitation of three important cultural sites: the National Theatre, Museum and Library.