UNESCO: 80th Anniversary

Lisa Smart Excerpts

Tuesday 18th November 2025 Westminster Hall

[Lisa Smart (Hazel Grove) (LD)]

It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Mr Dowd, and to be here celebrating the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation and the fantastic work it does.

We Liberal Democrats are proud internationalists; we believe that our country and our people thrive when we are open and outward looking, and building strong international partnerships with organisations such as UNESCO is a big part of that. We are proud of the UK’s central role in founding UNESCO, and remain steadfast in supporting its mission to contribute to peace and security by promoting collaboration among nations through education, science and culture. The hon. Member for Mid Derbyshire (Jonathan Davies) reminded us of that history.

The Liberal Democrats believe that education is the best investment we can make in our children’s potential and our planet’s future. Education opens the mind, fosters understanding and tolerance, and empowers our children and our communities to be the best they can be. In that vein, the Liberal Democrats also want to restore the UK’s reputation as an international development superpower by returning official development assistance spending to 0.7% of national income and re-establishing an independent Department for international development. We understand the need to step up defence spending, but feel that cutting ODA is short-sighted. We believe in the role of education as a force for good, and if we were in charge, we would commit to spending 15% of ODA on education in the world’s most vulnerable areas, especially focusing on girls and young women.

I have been lucky enough to see for myself the impact of such spending, both as a former trustee of a small charity focusing on education in Latin America and as the former chief executive of a charity set up in the areas where my firm at the time was actively investing. I remember fondly a visit to Senanga in Zambia with CAMFED—the Campaign for Female Education—to see a project we were supporting that was providing life skills and business skills to girls and young women. I remember clearly a session in which girls and young women told me of the transformative impact that their education was having.

The Liberal Democrats believe that the UK’s rich and vibrant cultural heritage is a national treasure. In this country at least, it is through UNESCO’s world heritage sites list that the organisation is best known, although the hon. Member for Mid Derbyshire rightly talked of biosphere reserves and global geoparks. Although there are many outstanding examples across our nation—to date, there are 35 UNESCO sites in the UK and overseas territories, from neolithic Orkney to the wonderful city of Bath, via Durham’s castle and cathedral, which I spent three years getting to know during my time there at university—I will shamelessly take this opportunity to plug a cause close to my heart by talking about a site in my Hazel Grove constituency that I believe should be added to the list.

I strongly believe that our canals and waterways are a large part of our fantastic cultural and industrial heritage. That is why I launched the campaign for Marple locks, at the junction of the Peak forest and Macclesfield canals, to be designated as a world heritage site. Marple’s canal heritage makes it one of a kind, unique in England, and one of the best examples of industrial waterways in the UK. It is our own local slice of Great British history, and I believe we should be doing everything we can to protect it and preserve it for future generations.

I am a proud and long-standing trustee of the Stockport Canal Boat Trust for disabled people and their carers; I refer all colleagues to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests. For me, and for the residents of my Hazel Grove constituency, the canals and waterways are assets to be cherished, not liabilities to be maintained. I believe that granting Marple locks world heritage status will go a long way in showing our appreciation and support for this beautiful site.

Beyond their cultural and historical significance, the waterways are also crucial for nature, wellbeing and combatting climate change. They provide a vital habitat for wildlife and serve as a natural green corridor, connecting diverse ecosystems that are bursting with biodiversity. Canals also play a hugely important role in water management, reducing flood risk and increasing climate resilience. Problems with reservoirs are problems for all of us.

It is the job of us all, across Government Departments and more widely, to protect our heritage and cultural landscapes. It cannot be right that we celebrate the Lake district on the one hand—it is described as a place of “exceptional beauty” on its page on the UNESCO website—and on the other hand allow water companies to pump sewage into those lakes. We should very much learn the right lessons from Liverpool’s experience, where the council allowed development that was described by UNESCO as

“detrimental to the site’s authenticity and integrity”,

leading to the

“irreversible loss of attributes conveying the outstanding universal value”,

and therefore the loss of its world heritage site status. We need to take the protection and celebration of our heritage seriously. I will close with a quote from the UNESCO world heritage convention:

“Heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live with today, and what we pass on to future generations. Our cultural and natural heritage are both irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration.”

I am sure we can all agree with that.