Preserving cultural and natural heritage - promoting diversity and sustainability

They provide an understanding of our history and connect people across borders. Artists often build on the diversity of heritage when developing cultural expressions.  Heritage is a source of identity, dignity and diversity. It contributes to sustainability and peace.

Using heritage for shaping the future

UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Biosphere Reserves, Geoparks, forms of Intangible Cultural Heritage and documents in the UNESCO "Memory of the World" register are testimonies to history and the foundation for our future. UNESCO aims at preserving heritage, at using it for intercultural dialogue and global partnership and shaping the future. 

As the only organization worldwide, UNESCO combines the preservation of cultural and natural heritage with the global commons, sustainable development and contemporary artistic and cultural expressions. With its comprehensive understanding of heritage, innovative concepts for learning, protection and use, strong political advocacy and a unique network of partners in science, civil society, politics and practice, it strengthens cultural and biological diversity worldwide.

Our contribution

As one of 199 National Commissions for UNESCO, the German Commission for UNESCO is committed to the preservation and sustainable use of human heritage and the promotion of cultural diversity. It contributes to the implementation of the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, the Convention on Intangible Cultural Heritage, the UNESCO Convention on the Diversity of Cultural Expressions and the UNESCO programmes Memory of the World, "Man and the Biosphere" and Geoparks. Supporting the nomination and evaluation of sites, documents and cultural forms is among the Commissions tasks. The German Commission for UNESCO promotes expert dialogues, connects actors in Germany and beyond, supports negotiations in UNESCO bodies and promotes a comprehensive understanding of heritage.