UNESCO: 80th Anniversary

Peter Dowd Excerpts

Tuesday 18th November 2025 Westminster Hall

[Several hon. Members rose—]

[Peter Dowd (in the Chair)]

Order. If colleagues can keep their speeches to five minutes, I will not need to impose a formal time limit at this stage.

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[Shaun Davies (Telford) (Lab)]

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Dowd. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Mid Derbyshire (Jonathan Davies) for securing this debate on such an important topic. He is an excellent chair of the APPG, to which he brings passion and knowledge, and I am a proud member of it. I also thank my hon. Friend the Member for Shrewsbury (Julia Buckley) for mentioning Ironbridge Gorge in my constituency, ensuring that that special place has a double hit in this debate.

The founding of UNESCO out of the ruins of the second world war brought together the nations of the world to develop a shared understanding of our collective history and culture. Through the designation of world heritage sites, many areas of cultural and natural heritage have been conserved and protected. As the Member of Parliament for Telford, I am proud to represent one of the first six UK sites to be inscribed as a world heritage site: the Ironbridge Gorge, which is the birthplace of the industrial revolution. It is a fantastic example of the importance of world heritage site status, with hundreds of thousands of visitors every year learning about the ingenuity and hard work of ordinary men, women and, in some cases, children who went before us.

Ironbridge Gorge is key to Telford’s identity and is a major contributor to the local economy. The Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust alone attracts 400,000 visitors, employs more than 200 staff and brings in £6 million every year to our local economy. That is even before we get into the other amazing businesses throughout the Ironbridge Gorge, such as the world-famous Eley’s pork pie shop, Merrythought teddy bear shop and some very fine cafés and restaurants, not to mention a few pubs I may have frequented over the years. The local council, Telford and Wrekin council, works with a range of partners to manage the world heritage site and preserve the many monuments of the industrial revolution, including Europe’s first coke-fired blast furnace and the world’s first single-span iron bridge—part of a landscape that has inspired artists from Turner to John Nash.

There is much to celebrate about UNESCO’s 80th year. Next year will be 40 years since Ironbridge Gorge’s designation—a significant birthday it shares with me. However, I also want to look to the future and at how we can make our world heritage sites more sustainable. The Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust recently set out plans to merge with the National Trust, thanks in part to a £9 million grant from the Government. I can say with certainty that the world heritage site was incredibly valuable in securing that support from the Government. As well as the legal protections the world heritage site provides, there is the more informal protection afforded to world heritage sites by the sheer value of that status.

The UNESCO world heritage site has played a big role in making the Ironbridge visitor economy sustainable for years, and it will continue to do so. However, many of the world’s natural and cultural treasures face significant challenges, and the Ironbridge Gorge is no exception. It suffers from ground instability, and more frequent and severe flooding linked to climate change. The council and the Government have made significant investments in stabilisation works over many years, and are working together against the risks of flooding. That includes a recent £700,000 grant from the Government to support the walls of the river, and a £1.2 million grant to protect individual properties.

To conclude, it is ever more important, in a turbulent global environment, to ensure that these crucial sites are protected for years to come, so that those who come after us never forget the stories of the ordinary men and women who contributed to our great country. I put on record my formal thanks to the Ironbridge Gorge world heritage site steering group, chaired by Professor Ken Sloan, to Ironbridge councillor Carolyn Healy, and to both Telford and Wrekin council and the Gorge parish council for their work. Most importantly, I pay tribute to the businesses, residents and organisations who make this such a special, wonderful place to live, work, visit and enjoy.

[Peter Dowd (in the Chair)]

Alas, I am going to have to drop the time limit for speeches to four minutes.

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[Joe Morris]

We need significantly more than 80 years to unearth all the secrets that Hadrian’s wall yet has. I have been deeply concerned to read about some of the damage that climate change is doing to potential unfound objects at Vindolanda, where certain changes in the soil acidity may be wreaking havoc on things that we do not yet understand. Although its largest structure might be in my hon. Friend’s constituency, I think that mine contains the largest contiguous body of Hadrian’s wall—just to do a little bit of neighbourly point scoring.

As we celebrate the 80th anniversary of UNESCO, I note that Hadrian’s wall is not just an incredibly large structure that binds together the west coast and east coast of England; it is a really powerful message about the importance of our shared history and culture. Borders really can define large elements of where we see ourselves—there are large parts of my constituency that are built with stones from Hadrian’s wall. As history evolves, we must look at how we can preserve and celebrate it for the future. I commend my hon. Friend the Member for Mid Derbyshire for securing this debate, and for the manner in which he spoke about the achievements of UNESCO and the importance of marking and remembering our shared history.

[Peter Dowd (in the Chair)]

I remind Members that I did exhort them to stick to four minutes.

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[Several hon. Members rose—]

[Peter Dowd (in the Chair)]

Order. I exhort Members to stick to time. Some Members have left before the end of the debate, having spoken. With the greatest respect, I am afraid that gets reported to the Speaker’s Office. Will Members please respect the protocols and the time limit? Otherwise, it impacts colleagues right across the piece.

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[Joe Robertson (Isle of Wight East) (Con)]

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Dowd. I congratulate the hon. Member for Mid Derbyshire (Jonathan Davies) on securing this debate.

I am pleased to salute the 80th anniversary of UNESCO, an organisation born from a world in ruins after the second world war, yet built on the very best intentions of peace, co-operation and shared progress. The founding of UNESCO was a cross-party British achievement in London in 1945, led by Conservative Minister Rab Butler. The second world war had left its impact. As well as the horrific human sacrifices and loss of life, there had been the destruction of books, cultural heritage and education systems. This led to endeavours to foster a hopeful and forward-looking spirit of international co-operation. Eighty years later, that founding spirit still runs through UNESCO’s mission. It owes its durability to its ambition—196 nations united around a common purpose.

As a country, the UK is rooted in cultural and artistic traditions. For centuries, we have led the world in creativity, scholarship and heritage protection. Today, the UK’s 60 UNESCO designations form a national network that covers more than 15% of our landmass, spans over 170 parliamentary constituencies and is home to roughly 9 million people. They are invaluable cultural, economic and diplomatic assets. Across that network, we have 35 world heritage sites, from Stonehenge to the Tower of London, 10 global geoparks, seven biospheres, from the Isle of Wight to the Isle of Man, 14 creative cities, and 10 learning cities. These designations are not ornaments; they are engines of local pride, international co-operation and economic activity. They showcase British leadership, soft power and the value of working together. It is important, therefore, that the Government play an active role in supporting state parties and encouraging international collaboration to safeguard our shared heritage.

Economically, heritage has an enormous value. The annual visitor attraction survey showed that in 2023, seven of the 10 most visited paid attractions in England were heritage sites. A study by the UK National Commission for UNESCO found that UNESCO designations generate more than £151 million in additional revenue each year across 76 sites. They attract investment, boost tourism, support apprenticeships, strengthen volunteering and foster global partnerships. Yet the tourism sector remains fragile. Rural and independent operators in particular are already managing tight margins and cannot simply absorb additional costs.

I am proud that the previous Government secured the UK’s ratification of the 2003 convention for the safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage. On the Isle of Wight, we have pottery craft traditions, and across the UK we have stonemasonry, blacksmithing and thatching—skills that are cultural treasures, but that are also essential for repairing historic buildings. The Government must do more to support them and to leverage philanthropy effectively for cultural institutions.

On the Isle of Wight, where my constituency is, we are home to one of the oldest carnivals, the Ryde carnival, and to a UNESCO biosphere reserve that extends across the Solent into Hampshire. Our biosphere is a model of how to address ecological decline, productivity stagnation and demographic inversions. Two opportunities sit within our biosphere: strong creative and cultural production through the Arts Council, and expertise in environmental science and emerging strengths in green finance. This combination offers opportunities for new economic activity, regeneration on our island and deeper collaboration with other biospheres across the world.

However, there is currently a lack of meaningful Government engagement with UNESCO policy. Despite a UNESCO presence in more than 170 constituencies, these sites are not integrated into levelling-up missions or used as anchors for regional development. They are not part of any cross-departmental co-ordination and the Government have no strategy for utilising UNESCO designations as innovation infrastructure. These assets remain underused. Will the Government commit to taking a cross-departmental approach to UNESCO sites and recognise these designations as core national assets for innovation, regeneration and economic growth?

The UK is also a signatory to UNESCO conventions on behalf of our overseas territories, yet it is unclear how the Government are supporting those territories in applying for intangible cultural heritage recognition, or navigating the process of achieving world heritage status. Several territories have no designations at all. In the spirit of co-operation, how are the Government sharing their expertise to assist countries and territories with no UNESCO sites? We have five UK assets on the tentative list for future UNESCO designation. What steps are the Government taking to ensure those applications remain active and properly supported?

On the topic of UK expertise, three of Iraq’s four UNESCO world heritage sites are currently on the list of world heritage in danger. I would welcome an update from the Minister on how the Government are supporting the stewardship of endangered world heritage sites worldwide and how British expertise is being deployed, again in the spirit of co-operation. On a broader point, I would appreciate clarification on whether reductions in the development budget will affect UNESCO programmes. With public finances under pressure, how are Government ensuring that UK contributions to UNESCO deliver maximum value for taxpayers?

Of course, UNESCO is not entirely without controversy. The UK and the United States have both withdrawn from it in the past and concerns have been raised about political manoeuvring within the organisation, including disproportionate attention on certain countries while overlooking others with significant human rights or cultural heritage issues. Between 2009 and 2017, UNESCO adopted 60 resolutions concerning Israel, but none concerning several states with far more severe cultural violations. In this respect, UNESCO occasionally mirrors the trajectory of the European Court of Human Rights, another institution in the creation of which a Conservative Government played a central role, but the remit of which has sometimes stretched beyond what its founders intended.

As UNESCO enters its ninth decade, we must monitor its focus, ensure UK funding is used effectively and guard against the organisation unduly creeping into politics. If we do so, the UK can continue to lead by example, honouring our heritage, strengthening global co-operation and investing in the next generation’s cultural, ecological and educational future.

[Peter Dowd (in the Chair)]

I think we will have time for the mover of the motion to wind up the debate, but first to the Minister.