Ethiopia

• © UNESCO/Maureen Dunne
• Axum : Obelisk, hewn from one entire granite stone to mark the reign of the Kings, Queens, and Emperors of Ethiopia

Ethiopia joined UNESCO on 1 July 1955 and hosts the UNESCO Addis Ababa Office.

The country maintains close cooperation with UNESCO, especially in education and culture. Ethiopia participates in the Literacy Initiative for Empowerment (LIFE) and the Teacher Training Initiative in Sub-Saharan Africa (TTISSA). Three UNESCO Chairs are established at the University of Addis Ababa.

UNESCO’s International Institute for Capacity-Building in Africa (IICBA), focused on quality education, is based in Addis Ababa.

UNESCO Community Multimedia Centres (CMCs) in Ethiopia offer ICT and ICT-based training to support social development.

Ethiopia has eight sites inscribed on the World Heritage List. Following the Aksum obelisk’s return from Italy and reinstallation, enhancement of its original site began in 2007.

Ethiopia is currently a member of UNESCO’s Executive Board (2005-2009), the Intergovernmental Council for the Information for All Programme, and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission.