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On 29 October 2021, site managers from East Africa joined the 2021 UNESCO for the Africa region in celebration of and the 10th Anniversary of the 2011 UNESCO (HUL). The online regional conference brought together site managers from World Heritage Cities to focus on "Adapting Cities for Climate Resilience." Site Managers and World Heritage focal points presented and elaborated ideas and strategies for Climate Action and implementing the HUL approach when facing these issues in the Africa region.

Ms. Jyoti Hosagrahar, Deputy Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, opened the Dialogues by giving a presentation of the results and main regional takeaways of the 10th Anniversary event of the HUL Recommendation, which took place in June 2021. She then led participants through an open group discussion, which focused on possibilities and challenges for implementation of the HUL Recommendation in cities in the Africa region, with a special focus on adaptation and resilience.

The World Heritage site manager of , Eng. Mr. Medhanie T. Maryam, provided a testimonial on how the capital of Eritrea has been impacted by Climate Change and how the city’s Conservation Master Plan is taking into account environmental impacts. He cited changes in the rainy season weather patterns, water shortages and drought as well as the need to improve the city infrastructure to better manage water in the city and ensure safe access to drinking water. "The UNESCO Historic Urban Landscape is guiding our actions for conservation and management of Asmara World Heritage site, and helping us to take a more holistic view of the city and its inhabitants in our response to climate change, which we are addressing together with other government departments."

Mr. Gaétan Siew, an architect from Mauritius and an expert in urban regeneration, spoke about the challenges cities in Mauritius are facing as a Small Island Development State, notably threats from sea level rise linked with climate change. “The Government of Mauritius and community leaders have made a lot of efforts for climate change mitigation and adaptation as well as efforts to reduce carbon emissions. However, both World Heritage properties in Mauritius are located on the seafront so they are vulnerable to climate change and natural disasters. A strategy for climate change should be elaborated to protect the future of our World Heritage sites.”

Testimonials from other World Heritage cities, especially in West Africa, explained challenges they are facing ranging from floods and erosion to pollution and sewage problems. They also shared emergency response measures they have been able to put in place. Some of these African case studies are featured on the  web site.

Ms. Karalyn Monteil, Programme Specialist for Culture in UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa shared the experience of a recent pilot project carried-out in the region to document traditional knowledge systems linked to biodiversity conservation, climate change adaptation/mitigation or disaster risk reduction, which included a case study on ‘Research and documentation of Traditional Knowledge Systems on biodiversity conservation and climate change: experience from Lamza Village, Eritrea’. "Although our pilot project was more focused on traditional knowledge systems as part of intangible cultural heritage practices, it recalled the importance of focusing on not only traditional knowledge of local communities but also on traditional management practices as we seek to find ways to fight climate change, conserve biodiversity and reduce disasters and risks in our World Heritage cities and other urban environments."

The World Heritage Centre developed the World Heritage City Dialogues in 2019 within the context of the . The Dialogues have allowed the World Heritage Centre, Focal Points and site managers to inform each other about their planned and ongoing activities, to discuss current challenges as well as accomplishments, to address transversal topics and to explore specific areas for cooperation. The Dialogues have proved to also be valuable to highlight good practices in the field and to encourage an inter-city cooperation.

This latest round of World Heritage City Dialogues also provided an opportunity to promote the UNESCO HUL Call for Action, and also served as a platform to share lessons learned from COVID-19 as well as strategies to address the impacts of climate change on the future of urban management.

Ms. Hosagrahar provided a summary of the five main conclusions raised during the World Heritage City Dialogues in the Africa Region:

1. Small Island Development States (SIDS) and coastal cities are especially vulnerable to the impacts of climate change;
2. There are challenges to integrating the protection and management of World Heritage Cities into larger regional area efforts for Climate Change;
3. Many cities are facing infrastructure problems aggravated by climate change (flooding roads, poor drainage, limited water supply);
4. Cities are facing housing challenges linked to climate change as homes are impacted by excessive rainfall, flooding, etc;
5. Cities should look to both traditional knowledge systems and traditional management systems among local communities for some of the solutions to fighting climate change.

In closing, Ms. Hosagrahar encouraged participants to work together to promote the HUL Recommendation and raise awareness and understanding of urban heritage. She called on site managers to sign the HUL in order to bring together planning and policy at the city level and integrate it more with the heritage conservation. Lastly, she suggested site managers pledge to take action at the local level whether it be a workshop or heritage walk, storytelling or a photo/video competition to engage youth, or other community awareness activities.