Algeria

• © UNESCO/Bousquet
• Tassili, paintings on the rock

Algeria joined UNESCO on 15 October 1962. It is covered by the UNESCO Office Rabat, a Cluster Office that also includes the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia.

Algeria has collaborated closely with UNESCO since the 1980s. Several Algerian sites, such as Tassili n'Ajjer, located in the heart of the Sahara, are inscribed on the World Heritage List. Intangible heritage is another important area of cooperation, Algeria being the first country to ratify the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. (The sixth regional meeting for the promotion of this Convention was held in Algiers in 2005.) Algeria participates in the Sahara of Cultures and Peoples project, focusing on developing sustainable tourism.

In education, the country has implemented several educational reforms, specifically the Operational Plan for the Reform of the Algerian Educational System, a priority project.