UNESCO expresses its deep regret at the passing of Ms. Corinne Forest, who passed away in France on Wednesday, August 24, 2022. Ms. Forest was the Head of the Technical Unit at the Aapravasi Ghat, Mauritius (World Heritage property, inscribed in 2006), a museologist by training and an ardent defender of World Heritage.

"Corinne Forest was a remarkable professional, with a sharp mind and unfailing commitment to World Heritage. She devoted her entire life to the benefit of cultural heritage in Africa. Her passion for a better representation of World Heritage on the continent was boundless," said Lazare Eloundou Assomo, Director of UNESCO World Heritage. 

UNESCO would like to salute her internationally recognized expertise, especially her commitment to the defense of African World Heritage, and in particular to the Aapravasi Ghat World Heritage site in Mauritius where she lived with her husband and their two young children. Her name is inextricably linked to the inscription of this historic site located in the capital of Mauritius, on the World Heritage List in 2006.

Until this year, her tireless commitment has been invaluable and enriching for UNESCO, whether it be to improve the situation of African World Heritage sites, or to transmit her knowledge and passion to young emerging professionals on the continent by participating in the Mentoring Programme for Cultural Heritage in Africa .

Corinne Forest will remain in particular, a model expert of heritage for the African continent through her support for the l’Ecole du Patrimoine Africain (EPA) in Benin, the African World Heritage Fund (AWHF) and within institutions such as the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS).

UNESCO extends its most sincere condolences to the family and friends of Corinne Forest, and will remember with gratitude the commitment and humanism that animated her throughout her life.