Hong Kong hosts Asia-Pacific Maritime Culture Forum with 3,000+ attendees

The first ever Forum for Asia-Pacific Maritime Culture (Sep 23) concluded successfully in Hong Kong, highlighting the city's unique position as a maritime hub where Eastern and Western cultures converge. With the theme "Blue Legacy - Green Future", the Forum attracted over 3,000 online and 120 on-site participants, including more than 30 speakers from 18 countries and regions. The Forum focused on key issues in maritime heritage preservation and sustainable marine environment development. Photo: Hong Kong Maritime Museum #hongkong #brandhongkong #asiasworldcity #megaevents #megaHK #forum #2025ForumforAsiaPacificMaritimeCulture

This year, Europa Nostra particularly welcomes nominations in the following areas: - Heritage in crisis-affected areas (armed conflict, post-conflict reconstruction, natural hazards); - Heritage at risk due to violations of European values, such as lack of citizen consultation for harmful development projects, destruction or neglect of minority heritage, loss of heritage due to forced migration, marginalization, or poverty. The programme is evolving under the guidance of Vanessa Fraga Pol, and for the first time, nominations of movable or intangible heritage will also be considered, not only sites. This means that nominations concerning the endangered heritage of Artsakh will receive special attention, especially as Europa Nostra and SIREH will soon sign a Memorandum of Understanding for the establishment of a Heritage Hub focused on heritage at risk. Of course, nominations of all other categories of endangered heritage remain welcome, including those threatened by neglect or underfunding. Given that Armenia has already successfully submitted a basilica (Ererouyk) and a monastery (Arakelots) in past editions, I would recommend considering other types of sites (for instance modernist or vernacular heritage). Please note that the deadline (October 1st) is quite short but SIREH is ready to assist you in preparing applications.

🏛️ Mediterranean cultural heritage is both a legacy of the past and a resource for building peace and cooperation, increasingly recognised as a key dimension for sustainable cooperation in the reflections on the New Pact for the Mediterranean." At #MONDIACULT2025, we contributed to the debate on heritage with two seminars: On 30th September, heritage experts, civil society leaders, cultural practitioners, and institutional representatives took part today in the policy seminar “Culture, Heritage, and Crisis in the Mediterranean: Collective Action for Peace and Sustainability”, a side event of MONDIACULT 2025 co-organised by the European Institute of the Mediterranean and the Anna Lindh Foundation. It explored heritage as a driver of intercultural dialogue, inclusive development, and sustainable cooperation. The first session, “Mediterranean Heritage at Risk,” addressed perspectives on how institutions and communities can respond to crises and safeguard heritage for the future. Speakers included Mounir Bouchenaki, Special Advisor to the Director-General of UNESCO and ICCROM, among others. The second session, “Cultural Heritage as a Bridge,” highlighted how cooperation between local authorities and civil society fosters dialogue, social cohesion, and international cultural relations. Gaida Danese of the European External Action Service stressed the role of diplomacy and collaborative frameworks in protecting heritage. The event took place at the Institut d’Estudis Catalans in Barcelona, where IEMed’s exhibition “A Sea of Heritages: Fragility, Diversity and Dialogue” is currently on display. On the 1st October, the seminar “From Crisis to Commitment: Rethinking Policies and Partnerships for Heritage Protection in Conflict and Peacebuilding”, organised by Heritage for Peace, with the collaboration of CSIC and International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) gathered leading voices to reflect on policies and partnerships that can protect heritage in contexts of conflict and make culture a genuine tool for peace and sustainable development. ✨ Key takeaways from these two activities include: 👥 Civil society at the centre: not merely as a recipient, but as a driver in co-creating policies and actions. 💎 Values matter: heritage is meaningful only if it preserves and projects the human and cultural values it embodies. 🕊️ Shared governance in conflict: cooperation between institutions and communities is essential to turn culture into a tool for peace. #Heritage #Mediterranean #Peacebuilding #CulturalDiplomacy #Sustainability #MONDIACULT2025 #NewMediterraneanPact

🌏 Our UNESCO #Mondiacult Paper is now available in the Mondiacult Digital Library: "International cooperation for research-action and sustainable development strategy in Trang An UNESCO World Heritage Site" This study examines how the values generated by heritage, tourism, environmental services and cultural identity interact, and how they can serve as the foundation for sustainable territorial development policies, strengthened by UNESCO recognition. It furthermore highlights the impact of international cooperation in making heritage a driver of inclusive regional growth. The paper presents the outcomes of our work with UNESCO Vietnam and VNU-SIS to assess the values of the Trang An UNESCO Landscape Complex and to promote local development. 📄 Read the full paper here: https://lnkd.in/dwbBFhH8 #Mondiacult2025 #UNESCO #WorldHeritage #SustainableDevelopment #CulturalHeritage #TrangAn #VietNam

Here some of the results of our work with the Vietnam National University, Hanoi and the UNESCO Hanoi Office on #TrangAn Landscape Complex #worldheritage site and its economic values published in the #Mondiacult collection of best practices.. Take a read! ✌ Fondazione Santagata per l'Economia della Cultura UNESCO #culturecounts

93% of reporting countries now include culture in their national development plans — a milestone that shows the growing recognition of culture’s role in building sustainable societies. Yet the new UNESCO Global Report on Cultural Policy warns that plans alone are not enough. It calls for concrete action to translate commitments into policies that protect cultural rights, reduce inequalities and strengthen communities. Read the full report: https://lnkd.in/gwYQiNkC

UNESCO just reported that 93% of countries now include culture in their national development plans. Having worked in the creative industries and now in international and intercultural education, I feel "the power of culture" everywhere: it inspires connection across borders and learning, sparks creativity, and helps people build the skills they need for the future. It’s great to see this recognition at policy level — the real challenge now is making sure it turns into action and lasting investment. #cultureisking

Whats missing is sometimes more important than whats there. The single most important part of this report is that creativity isn't the focus, culture is: There isn't a single, globally agreed-upon percentage of countries using creativity in national development plans, however UNESCO and the World Bank promote the integration of "cultural" and creative industries. let that sink in and if you don't know ask yourself "Why does the word culture have a primacy when we analyse development?

Great report! It will serve as a foundation for advancing cultural knowledge. Keeping institutions focused on building spaces/ systems, & generating incentives while minimizing bureaucracy to allow room for imagination and innovation will help address this challenge. #Culture #Innovation #KnowledgeProduction

✨#HeritageProject in Focus✨today is CUMET. It deals with the diverse cultural heritage of the peripheries of three European metropolises, Paris, Madrid, Edinburgh, and its potential to contribute positively to contemporary metropolization. 👉 https://lnkd.in/e56_TB8Q