President of Republic, AU Chairman, Receives High-Level UNESCO Delegation

On 12 December, in Nouakchott, His Excellency Mr. Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, the President of the Republic and Chairman of the African Union (AU), received a high-level UNESCO delegation led by Ms. Audrey Azoulay, the Director General of UNESCO and included Mr. Eric Valte, the Director of the UNESCO Office in Rabat, and Ms. Batat, an Advisor to the Director General.

In a statement at the end of the meeting, the Director General of UNESCO expressed her delight and sincere thanks to the President of the Republic for the kind invitation on the occasion of his first official visit to Mauritania at the head of this organization; She added that she discussed with him the country’s vibrant cultural heritage.

UNESCO’s Director General took the opportunity to congratulate Mauritania once again on the inclusion, a few days ago, of the Samba Galadio epic on UNESCO’s list of intangible heritage, in addition to that of the Mahadra last year, saluting, in the same context, its role in the preservation and transmission of knowledge.

Ms. Azoulay also stressed that she had taken the opportunity to meet His Excellency, in his capacity as AU Chairman, to discuss the importance of funding higher education and supporting cultural policies at the continental level.

During the meeting, Mr. Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani awarded Audrey Azoulay the Medal Chevalier in the National Order of Merit for promoting and preserving cultural heritage.

For her part, the UNESCO Director General presented to the President of the Republic the document for the inscription of the national epic Samba Galadio on the list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity.