A retrospective inventory conducted by the UNESCO World Heritage Centre revealed that of the 76 sites in the Africa region, only 6 have a Statement of Outstanding Universal Value, 27 a Statement of Value, and 43 do not have either one. Therefore 19 State Parties are concerned by the preparation of Statements of OUV to be approved by the Centre.

In this context, thanks to a generous contribution from the Swiss Government, the World Heritage Centre is organizing a workshop on the preparation of Statements of Outstanding Universal Value. The event is also receiving support from the Tanzanian Department of Antiquities, the African World Heritage Fund (AWHF) and the UNESCO Office in Sar es Salaam.

 The goal of the workshop is to train participants to prepare Statements of Outstanding Universal Value. More than 50 African professionals will attend the three-day workshop which will be led by the World Heritage Centre with the assistance of the advisory bodies IUCN, ICOMOS and ICCROM, who will provide the information and methodology required.