On November 7, 2025, Equatorial Guinea took an important step forward in protecting its cultural and natural heritage during the symbolic handover ceremony for the national strategy document on climate change risk management for natural and cultural heritage. The event was part of a technical assistance project for Equatorial Guinea, funded by UNESCO's Heritage Emergency Fund, aimed at strengthening the country's capacity to protect its precious cultural and natural heritage in the face of growing threats from crises and disasters, exacerbated by climate change.
The ceremony, held at the Equatorial Guinea Cultural Centre in Malabo, was presided over by Mr Aniceto ESONO MILAM AFANG, Director General of Culture, representing Mr Jeronimo OSA OSA ECORO, Minister of State for Information, Press and Culture. Institutional representatives, cultural and natural heritage actors, and members of civil society took part, illustrating the multisectoral mobilization around climate issues and the safeguarding of heritage.
Resulting from a consultative and participatory process led by experts Dr Franck OGOU and Mr Arlindo CARVALHO DE CEITA, the document proposes a matrix for identifying climate risks, appropriate mitigation measures, and capacity-building and emergency management actions, including the establishment of specialised teams.
The success of this strategy depends on synergy between public actors, cultural and natural heritage stakeholders, researchers, civil society and local communities, as well as ongoing public awareness-raising through the media and education. In August 2025, a workshop had already brought together about 30 participants from various national institutions, including the Ministries of Culture, Environment and the Interior, as well as museum curators, national park managers, firefighters and civil protection actors. The main topics discussed during the workshop were risk assessment, the development of plans for rapid and effective disaster response, and the integration of heritage into national crisis and disaster management strategies.
Through this initiative, Equatorial Guinea reaffirms its commitment to building a resilient society, where the preservation of cultural and natural heritage is central to sustainable development policies, for the benefit of present and future generations
This activity was supported by the UNESCO Heritage Emergency Fund. We wish to thank its donors: the Principality of Andorra, Canada, the Republic of Estonia, the French Republic, the Republic of Lithuania, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, the Principality of Monaco, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Kingdom of Norway, the Republic of Poland, the Qatar Fund for Development, the Republic of Serbia, the Slovak Republic, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and ANA Holdings INC.
