UNESCO representatives visit Aberdeen Town House
31 October 2016
Representatives from Scotland’s network of UNESCO designations and affiliated projects will meet at the Aberdeen Town House this week (1 November) to share their experiences and identify opportunities for increased collaboration.
The meeting is being hosted by Aberdeen City Council and has been convened by the UK National Commission for UNESCO (UKNC), the UK’s central coordinating body for UNESCO-related matters in the UK.
The central aim of the meeting is to help Scotland’s remarkable network of UNESCO sites boost their profile and impact in Scotland and beyond.
The meeting will present research insights from the UKNC’s new study on the Wider Value of UNESCO to the UK and share new findings on the Wider Value of UNESCO to Scotland. Participants will take part in a packed programme of collaborative, action-focused workshops to explore what value UNESCO designation brings to Scotland and how more value might be derived. Specific themes that will be explored during the workshops include: educational initiatives; tourism and economic development and general profile raising.
Councillor Marie Boulton said “Aberdeen City Council is delighted to welcome the UK National Commission for UNESCO to the city.
“The council and UKNC hopes that the workshops will identify new opportunities for collaboration and develop a prioritised programme of support for UNESCO to help unlock the potential value of UNESCO to Scotland. It also provides an exciting opportunity to find out about other UNESCO sites across the UK.
“The ancient collection of Aberdeen burgh records, held by Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Archives, is included on UNESCO’s UK Memory of the World Register.
“Recognition by UNESCO was a key factor enabling Aberdeen City Archives and the University of Aberdeen to jointly secure £310,000 in funding from the Leverhulme Trust at the end of 2015 for a three year project to help make these unique records more accessible to the public. Our continued relationship with UNSECO is of great importance to the city.”