In Benin, UNFPA-supported youth center murals, created with artist Larenson Djihouessi, showcase creativity while promoting safe spaces and essential support.
Sixteen-year-old Arleidis, a Wayúu girl from the Pushaina clan, walked hours to study software programming, determined to overcome barriers and inspire her family and community. She now uses digital tools to promote and sell their work, strengthening her community livelihood.
In Cox’s Bazar, Sabekun Nahar revives the traditional Rohingya dish musa, using food, memory and culture to reconnect displaced communities with identity and belonging.
UN Human Rights launches the 5th International Minority Artists Contest: War and Reconciliation. Share creativity, challenge injustice, inspire change, apply today!
UNESCO’s program in Oaxaca seeks to integrate living heritage into urban planning and responsible tourism to protect artisans’ livelihoods, community spaces, and the transmission of cultural knowledge.
Fashion paid tribute to African cotton and designs on World Cotton Day by bringing together Nigerien fashion designer and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, Alphadi and students at Rome’s Accademia di Costume e Moda. Young designers worked with colourful African cotton to create fashion pieces, guided by Alphadi’s expertise, blending African and Italian design traditions in a two-day masterclass organized by FAO. The event highlighted cotton’s sustainability, its role from field to fashion, and celebrated Africa’s textile heritage and global potential.
Clara’s journey from Patagonia, Argentina, to Ireland shows how music can shape migration and create belonging. Drawn to Irish traditional music during her youth, she followed her passion across continents, finding community and purpose in Ireland’s vibrant trad scene. While integrating into Irish culture, Clara maintains her Argentinian roots, blending Latin American styles into her performances and teaching guitar to local children. Her story illustrates how migration allows culture to travel, evolve, and connect people. By sharing her heritage and embracing new traditions, Clara exemplifies how music can bridge worlds, build community, and make a new place feel like home.
Once a symbol of resilience in precolonial and wartime Paraguay, the Poncho Para’í de 60 Listas now relies on UNESCO-backed support to overcome dwindling materials and aging craftsmanship as communities work to keep its ancestral weaving traditions alive.
Audiovisual archives are cultural mirrors that transcend time, capturing the voices, visions, and traditions of communities across the globe. They safeguard our shared memory, rich in diversity and meaning. To protect this treasure, UNESCO launched “Digitizing our shared UNESCO history”. Yet, 95% of UNESCO's archives remain untapped and inaccessible for researchers, scholars, and the public. The World Day for Audiovisual Heritage (27 October) calls us to preserve these moving images. Want to witness history in the making? Explore audiovisual records from before the founding of the UN until today.
The 2025 UNESCO International Conference on Cultural Heritage in Africa called for African-led, community-driven heritage initiatives to ensure that World Heritage truly benefits the continent and its people.
Music teacher Ahmed Abu Amsha founded “GPS (Gaza’s Peaceful Sounds),” a group of displaced children in Gaza who find hope and resilience through playing instruments amid harsh living conditions.
Deborah Papannah, a 27-year-old visual arts student, is pursuing a career in restoration to preserve her country's colonial buildings and artifacts, empowered by training from UNESCO’s Transcultura programme.
"Vesak", the Day of the Full Moon in the month of May, is the most sacred day to millions of Buddhists around the world, marking the birth, enlightenment and passing of the Buddha. In his message for this year’s Vesak (12 May), UN Secretary-General António Guterres highlights that the Buddha's teachings of compassion, tolerance, and selfless service align with UN values. He urges these principles to guide us through global challenges. May the spirit of Vesak inspire us to bridge divides, foster solidarity, and work together towards a more peaceful, sustainable and harmonious world.
Fleeing war-torn Ukraine, Olga and Eva found safety and healing in Moldova, where a local library became their sanctuary, nurturing friendship, learning, and a fresh start.
The "Stories of Us" sculpture exhibition at the United Nations features five "talking drums" celebrating resistance, unity, and Afro-descendant communities' journey from roots to emancipation.
