The Regional Consultation on Cultural Policies for the African region will be held on January 31 and February 1, 2022. For two days, 47 Ministers of Culture are invited to meet online, with international and non-governmental organizations, with all the key actors of the Arts and Culture sector to discuss and present the voice of the continent on the issues of culture and development. 

Organized by UNESCO and under the presidency of Senegal, the regional consultation for Africa is part of a series of consultations being held in different regions of the world as a prelude to the MONDIACULT 2022 world conference that will take place from 28 to 30 September 2022 in Mexico. This important African meeting is also part of the celebration of the achievements of the 2021 Year of the African Union on "Arts, Culture and Heritage: Levers for Building the Africa We Want" as well as the entry into force of the Charter for the Cultural Renaissance of Africa, which establishes culture as a driving force and vector for sustainable development on the continent.

This high-level meeting aims, through an inclusive and participatory process, to identify in a consensual manner the immediate and future priorities to support the cultural sector and the creative industries at the continental level. The observations that will emerge from the discussions will ultimately serve to make specific recommendations on cultural policies for the countries of the region. Promising both the quality of the debates and the richness of the reflections, this exchange platform marks a high point in the dialogue on the contribution of culture to the achievement of the sustainable development goals and represents a unique opportunity for all stakeholders concerned to express themselves on the current challenges and opportunities of the sector.

The meeting will be hosted on the innovative online platform of the Ecole du Patrimoine Africain (EPA), and will also be accessible online to the general public via Youtube, where the exchanges will be broadcast live with interpretation available in French and English. Finally, the results of the two days of consultation will be reflected in a report synthesizing all the regional consultations that will be discussed by UNESCO Member States at the 214th session of the Executive Board in April 2022.