Invited by the President of the Republic of Tunisia, the UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay visited Tunisia between 7 and 9 June 2021, as part of the partnership between Tunisia and UNESCO in the fields of education, culture and more specifically on heritage.
On this occasion, the Director-General wished to pay tribute to migrants. During a ceremony in Zarzis, she offered a "Tree of Peace" to the Algerian artist Rachid Koraïchi for his Garden of Africa, a place created to give a final resting place to migrants who have tragically lost their lives while trying to cross the Mediterranean.
The Tree of Peace is a sculpture by Hedva Ser, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Cultural Diplomacy. This artwork brings together, in a web of knotted branches, soaring doves and the values of peace promoted by the United Nations.
Since 2012, Hedva Ser's Tree of Peace is the official UNESCO trophy, awarded by the Director-General to each peacemaker in the world.