150 States unanimously adopted the historic MONDIACULT Declaration on Cultural Policies on 30 September 2022 at #MONDIACULT2022 convened by UNESCO. This is a great achievement of advocating for culture as a global public good.

The lack of heritage interpretive services is a significant obstacle to the full appreciation of sites for both visitors and local communities. In partnership with Interpret Europe, UNESCO has developed a pilot regional training course on interpretive planning at World Heritage properties – WH-Interp. The pilot training course ran from May to November 2021 and aimed to merge general qualities of heritage interpretation with the criteria of UNESCO’s education programmes. Klodjana Gjata, an Albanian cultural heritage professional and Rayna Pashova, a tourism expert, took part in this pilot course and gained specialized knowledge and practical tools for designing compelling heritage interpretations for their sites by brainstorming ideas with other team members.

The ocean, our biggest ally against climate change, is in serious trouble. Last August, the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Ocean, Peter Thomson, undertook an official visit to Venice to understand how a city at the forefront of the climate crisis is coping under increasing pressure. During his mission, his face-to-face interview with SkyTG24 investigated the importance of ocean protection for our futures. Thomson also dedicated some time to meeting the youth of our UNESCO Regional Bureau - potential crucial players of the Ocean Decade -, inspiring them to promote without reserve and passionately Ocean Literacy.

Today, UNESCO and the abrdn Charitable Foundation (aCF) announced the launch of the project titled “Promoting sustainable development through UNESCO’s programmes and sites”. The event was hosted by UNESCO at its Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe based in Venice, Italy.