Paris — October 5, 2026
On October 5, 2026, Dr. Sadok Besrour, founder of the Dr. Sadok Besrour Foundation, visited UNESCO Headquarters in Paris to review the progress of cooperation between the Foundation and the Organization and to discuss the next steps of their joint efforts in Tunisia. He notably met with Assistant Director-General Åsa Regnér.
The visit provides a concrete illustration of the Dr. Sadok Besrour Foundation’s commitment to the preservation of Tunisia’s tangible and intangible heritage, as well as its long-standing partnership with UNESCO in support of the communities and knowledge that underpin this heritage.
“Tunisian heritage: a wealth to be valued.” This phrase captures the spirit of a four-year partnership (2025–2029), to which the Foundation is contributing US$1.5 million, placing the transmission of knowledge and community participation at the heart of efforts to safeguard Tunisia’s heritage.
Discussions focused on the protection and transmission of Tunisia’s cultural heritage, strengthening local capacities, and the role of culture as a driver of sustainable development — with particular attention given to the UNESCO World Heritage property “Djerba: Testimony to a Settlement Pattern in an Island Territory,” inscribed on the World Heritage List since September 2023, as well as the nine Tunisian properties currently included on the List.
The program supported by the Foundation has already delivered its first results: seven master craftspeople have been awarded the title of “Maalem Sanaa Tounsiya” and have signed contracts with UNESCO to pass on their expertise to younger generations; Tunisian municipalities have been brought together to discuss the role of culture in local development; and an interinstitutional committee is preparing a field mission to the Gabès oasis to identify preservation priorities together with local stakeholders.
In Djerba, the Foundation fully funded a community mobilization project in support of the World Heritage property. The initiative included a video competition for young people, capacity-building workshops for architects and public authorities, an urban regulatory framework, a Heritage Citizen Award, and a trilingual interpretation center inaugurated in June 2026 at the Sidi Zitouni complex.
The Paris meeting is part of the continued work of the Dr. Sadok Besrour Foundation, whose mission is built around three interconnected pillars: health, education, and heritage. It will help assess achievements to date and align priorities for the next phase — including greater youth participation, training for local stakeholders, the rehabilitation of traditional menzels, and the transformation of the Ouelhi Mosque into an interpretation center dedicated to Djerba’s Ibadi heritage.
By connecting the protection of Tunisia’s heritage with the transmission of knowledge and community participation, this visit demonstrates, through an international partnership, a conviction that the Foundation seeks to promote throughout Tunisia: Tunisian heritage is a wealth to be valued, today and for generations to come.
The 2014 Conference : This Conference was framed around innovation and action. Its goal was no longer simply to reflect or organise, but to concretely advance family medicine worldwide through tools, strategies, and new partnerships. It began by presenting the results of the working groups established in 2013: accounts of the emergence of family medicine training in several countries, a faculty development workshop, and initial publication work. The groups were refocused and expanded, notably with the addition of community engagement and the creation of a new group on continuing medical education for general practitioners, including those not specifically trained as family physicians. The Conference also proposed the creation of research teams to more rigorously demonstrate the effects of family medicine across different contexts. Finally, it led to a major institutional milestone: approval of the creation of the Besrour Centre, conceived as a lasting platform for collaboration, research, dissemination, and support for the development of family medicine worldwide.
The 2013 Conference : The second Conference marked the shift from reflection to more concrete implementation. Its theme, "Strengthening the Foundations," reflected the intent to consolidate the discipline and turn discussions into structured action. Four working groups were created. The first focused on narratives of family medicine training, documenting the rollout of programs in different countries. The second addressed advocacy, community engagement, and the ethics of international partnerships, with the goal of producing frameworks and tools useful to those working on the ground. The third group was tasked with producing discussion and dissemination documents. Finally, the fourth group examined faculty development, particularly in medical schools that did not yet have a family medicine program. This Conference thus helped structure collaborative work and confirmed the key role of university departments in the discipline's global development.
The 2012 Conference : The first Conference mainly laid the groundwork for the project. It aimed to define a shared vision, mission, and strategic priorities for strengthening family medicine worldwide, with a focus on low- and middle-income countries. Five major priorities emerged: making family medicine a central, viable, and effective component of national health systems; strengthening continuing education and knowledge among family physicians; encouraging accreditation and certification; supporting the development of medical faculties; and fostering knowledge production to measure the impact of family medicine on health. This first Conference played a founding role by establishing the intellectual and strategic framework of the initiative.
La conférence 2014 : Cette conférence s’est inscrite dans une logique d’innovation et de passage à l’action. Son objectif n’était plus seulement de réfléchir ou d’organiser, mais de faire avancer concrètement la médecine familiale à l’échelle mondiale grâce à des outils, des stratégies et de nouveaux partenariats. Elle a d’abord permis de présenter les résultats des groupes de travail mis en place en 2013 : récits sur l’émergence de la formation en médecine familiale dans plusieurs pays, atelier de perfectionnement professoral et premiers travaux de publication. Ensuite, les groupes ont été recentrés et élargis, notamment avec l’ajout de l’engagement communautaire et la création d’un nouveau groupe sur la formation médicale continue des médecins généralistes, y compris ceux qui n’avaient pas été formés spécifiquement comme médecins de famille. La conférence a aussi proposé la création d’équipes de recherche pour mieux démontrer, de manière rigoureuse, les effets de la médecine familiale dans différents contextes.
Enfin, elle a mené à une avancée institutionnelle majeure : l’approbation de la création du Centre Besrour, conçu comme une plateforme durable de collaboration, de recherche, de diffusion et de soutien au développement de la médecine familiale dans le monde.
La conférence 2013 : La deuxième conférence a marqué le passage de la réflexion à une mise en œuvre plus concrète. Son thème, "Renforcer les fondations", traduisait la volonté de consolider la discipline et de transformer les échanges en actions structurées. Quatre groupes de travail ont alors été créés. Le premier portait sur les récits de formation en médecine familiale afin de documenter l’implantation de programmes dans différents pays. Le deuxième s’intéressait au plaidoyer, à l’engagement communautaire et à l’éthique des partenariats internationaux, avec pour objectif de produire des cadres et des outils utiles aux acteurs du terrain. Un troisième groupe avait pour mission de produire des documents de réflexion et de diffusion.
Enfin, un quatrième groupe s’est penché sur le développement professoral, notamment dans les facultés de médecine qui ne disposaient pas encore de programme de médecine familiale. Cette conférence a donc permis de structurer le travail collaboratif et de confirmer le rôle clé des départements universitaires dans le développement mondial de la discipline.
La première conférence a surtout servi à poser les bases du projet. Elle visait à définir une vision commune, une mission et des priorités stratégiques pour renforcer la médecine familiale dans le monde, en priorité les pays à faible ou moyen revenu.
Cinq grandes priorités en sont ressorties : faire de la médecine familiale un élément central, viable et efficace des systèmes nationaux de santé ; renforcer la formation continue et les connaissances des médecins de famille ; encourager l’agrément et la certification ; soutenir le développement des facultés de médecine ; et favoriser la production de connaissances permettant de mesurer l’impact de la médecine familiale sur la santé. Cette première conférence a donc joué un rôle fondateur en fixant le cadre intellectuel et stratégique de l’initiative.
