Globally rooted, locally led culture and heritage approaches

As part of the UN Sustainable Development Goals week, the British Council, the UK National Commission for UNESCO and the 2030hub invite you to a policy discussion on how culture and heritage shape how we connect with others, how we see the challenges around us, and how we choose to respond to them.

Multilateral dialogues, from UN Summit of the Future to Mondiacult 2025, are seeking innovative new ways to work together for a better future. What role can culture and heritage play in this global effort?

This panel will explore the crucial role of local actors and actions for supporting sustainable development by showcasing how local cultural and heritage projects help address global challenges, with a focus on climate change.

A panel of diverse voices across generations and sectors will examine the future potential of how culture and heritage could support the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the actions we can all take to build more sustainable, thriving communities.

Zamzam Ibrahim: a British-Somali activist, who has spent the past decade representing students and young people advocating on various causes related to social justice, education, and the environment. As a young climate activist, she co-founded Students Organising for Sustainability UK (SOS-UK) and the Muslim Leadership Foundation. In 2019, she launched the Climate Education Bill, which calls for mandatory climate education in schools throughout the UK. She is a Project Manager at Julie’s Bicycle.

Dr. Omniya Abdel Barr: based between London and Cairo, she is the lead on the restoration of a site in Egypt that is part of a big multi-country Cultural Protection Fund (CPF) project. That site in the Historic Cairo, B’ayt al Razzaz, has been twinned with Blickling Estate in England as part of the CPF project, where they are learning from each other how to protect their heritage sites from climate change induced intense rainfall and flash floods.

Kevin McManus, Chair of Liverpool UNESCO City of Music, a network of cities that champion the potential of music to support urban development. He is based in Culture Liverpool at Liverpool City Council, and began his career in the music industry by writing about Liverpool's music and culture for major publications.

Panel Chair: Christine Wilson, Director Research & Insight, British Council.

Rapporteur: James Bridge, Secretary-General, UK National Commission for UNESCO

Host or Publisher British Council