UIL receives the President of the UNESCO General Conference

The UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) is pleased to host the President of the 38th Session of the UNESCO General Conference and Deputy Minister of Information and Communication Technology of the Republic of Namibia, Mr Stanley Mutumba Simataa on his first visit to the Institute today, Friday 15 April 2016.

Mr Simataa’s visit to UIL is part of his responsibilities as chair of the Working Group on Governance as mandated by the 38^th session of the UNESCO General Conference, which aims to improve UNESCO’s governance structure. He emphasized the importance of good governance in internal structures and in general so as to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Another of Mr Simataa’s aims in visiting UIL was to better understand the work and projects currently undertaken by UIL. In a general meeting with staff, the President, whose term of office is 2 years, was introduced to the different projects currently undertaken by the Institute. Mr Simataa addressed the importance of UIL’s work within the UNESCO framework, and highlighted the importance of creating synergies and developing an open space for sharing and learning together. In response to the President’s comments, Mr Arne Carlsen, the Director of UIL emphasized UIL’s role in advocating lifelong learning internationally. He voiced appreciation for the President’s efforts to support the integration of information and communications technology (ICT) in education and learning.

Following his presentation at UIL, Mr Simataa visited the City Hall, where he was received by the First Mayor of Hamburg, Mr Olaf Scholz. The mayor stated that the city is proud to host the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning, as it provides the bedrock on which lifelong learning will be enabled for all citizens. Mr Scholz praised the activities of the Institute in Education and Lifelong Learning, which will allow cities such as Hamburg to find solutions to many challenges, including concerns over the situation of refugees and their wellbeing.