Tag: UNESCO

26 new Biosphere Reserves: UNESCO’s continues unprecedented expansion of its global network

Stuart Mitchell

UNESCO designates 26 new biosphere reserves across 21 countries – the highest number in 20 years. The World Network of Biosphere Reserves now includes 785 sites in 142 countries, with an additional one million km² of natural areas brought under protection since 2018 – equivalent to the size of Bolivia. This year, six countries welcome their first biosphere reserve, while São Tomé and Príncipe becomes the first State to have its entire territory designated as a biosphere reserve. With nearly thirty new designations this year, our World Network of Biosphere…

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UNESCO welcomes major step forward for the ocean with the entry into force of the BBNJ agreement

Stuart Mitchell

Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, welcomed the recent entry into force of the BBNJ agreement, reinforcing effective ocean protection. Adopted in 2023 after almost two decades of negotiation, and now surpassing the crucial threshold of 60 ratifications, this treaty offers new hope for the high seas—vast ocean territories that cover nearly half the Earth and have long lacked enforceable safeguards. This agreement marks a historic moment in global ocean governance, paving the way for the protection and sustainable management of our planet’s largest ecosystem. UNESCO will continue to work alongside…

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UNESCO launches the World’s First Museum of Stolen Cultural Objects at a global scale at MONDIACULT 2025

Stuart Mitchell

Three years after its announcement at MONDIACULT 2022, UNESCO is launching an innovative initiative: the Museum of Stolen Cultural Objects. This global platform harnesses cutting-edge digital technology to raise awareness of the illicit trafficking of cultural property, one of the most pervasive challenges for cultural heritage globally. The event will take place at the World Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development – MONDIACULT 2025, on Tuesday 29 September in Barcelona, Spain. The launch event of the “UNESCO Museum of Stolen Cultural Objects” will celebrate the public release of the…

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Three sites on the African continent removed from the List of World Heritage in Danger

Stuart Mitchell

The UNESCO World Heritage Committee, meeting in Paris (France), decided to remove three properties located in Madagascar, Egypt and Libya from the List of World Heritage in Danger. These removals are the result of extensive efforts by States Parties, with UNESCO’s support, to significantly reduce threats to these sites. When sites are removed from the List of World Heritage in Danger, it is a great victory for all. For the countries and communities directly concerned, for UNESCO and, more broadly, for the shared heritage of humanity. We are pursuing a…

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Ocean protection: UNESCO expands its educational programmes

Stuart Mitchell

On the occasion of the United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) last month, UNESCO calls on its Member States to make education a central lever for ocean protection. In Nice, UNESCO unveiled new initiatives, ranging from classrooms to video games, to raise young people’s awareness of the need to safeguard marine ecosystems. The Organization also strengthened its partnerships to ensure funding of those initiatives.   To protect the ocean, we must change our relationship with it, and this change begins with education. UNESCO is supporting its Member States to integrate the…

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