UNESCO Cymru: the power of partnership

One of the best things about being a Biosphere is the UNESCO network which pools knowledge across sites. We have helped organise a series of events this year and it's broadened our vision. [Darllen yn Gymraeg]

Last week, the Dyfi Biosphere had the pleasure of hosting a meeting of UNESCO sites in Wales, at the Dyfi Wildlife Centre. Organized by the National Commission for UNESCO as part of its Local to Global project, the aim was for staff to meet and inspire each other.

It was also an opportunity for us to hear about a survey that the National Commission has been doing on partnership working in UNESCO. Biospheres and other designations - Geoparks, World Heritage Sites, Creative Cities - bring together local partners to create value for an area. These can be local authorities, business, charities, schools and universities, and together they build the trust and knowledge that are the basis for economic and cultural flourishing.

Present at the meeting were GeoMôn and Fforest Fawr Geoparks, with whom the Dyfi Biosphere partnered in the spring for a series of workshops. One at Aberystwyth was about peace-building with nature, while GeoMôn concentrated on the mental health benefits of nature including a coastal walk, and Fforest Fawr led walks and a drop-in workshop to explore the historic treasures of the post-industrial towns and villages on its southern fringe.

The closing event, held online in June, was an opportunity to share the results of those workshops and also to hear from the Aberystwyth/Ceredigion City of Literature, the Slate Landscapes and the Cardiff UNESCO Chair. There was a lot of enthusiasm for developing the 'rights of nature' approach, and Mererid Hopwood from Dinas Llen spoke inspiringly about positive peace and the role the UNESCO network could play in Wales.

The four workshops, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund through the UK National Commission for UNESCO, had allowed the Biosphere and the GeoParks to build up their own local partnerships and develop their unique potential. Taken as a whole, they produced a new sense of what is possible when cultural and natural heritage are connected with human well-being and peace-building, and showed the power of the UNESCO affiliation.

Other organisations represented at the event last week were the new Aberystwyth/Ceredigion City of Literature, Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, Cadw and the UNESCO MOST-Bridges Hub at UWTSD, which is not a site but part of an international sustainability science network.

In the afternoon, guest speaker Diana Reynolds, who is Sustainable Development Change Manager at Welsh Government, led a discussion of their new culture change manual, which sets out new ways of working based on listening and partnership.

Taken together, these five events suggest a strong role for UNESCO in Wales, and we look forward to seeing what comes next.