Annalisa Nicastro
Translated by Annalisa Nicastro
"Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must be constructed"; the words of the preamble of UNESCO's Constitution declare universal respect for justice, for the rule of law and for human rights and fundamental freedoms as stated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The organization, headquartered in Paris, is committed to promoting intercultural dialogue, respect for the environment and good practices for Sustainable Development. In Italy, UNESCO initiatives are numerous and address both tangible and intangible heritage to preserve cultural diversity.
We interviewed Enrico Vicenti, General Secretary of the Italian National Commission for UNESCO, to learn more about the organization and all its sustainability and responsibility programs. It emerges that the binomial culture / nature can become an important resource for small communities and in this context Literary Parks can play a fundamental role in disseminating UNESCO initiatives and priorities, as Vicenti's words confirm.
What are the roles and activities of UNESCO? What is its mission
UNESCO was founded in 1945, in the aftermath of the Second World War, to help regenerate the moral consciences of conflict-torn societies and contribute to the maintenance of peace through international cooperation in the fields of education, science and culture. Today its mandate is more relevant than ever and it largely contributes to face the challenges of the global world that the UN Agenda 2030 on sustainable development declines in the interconnected economic, social and environmental dimensions.
How many / what are the Heritages recognized by you in Italy?
There are many UNESCO initiatives in Italy: 55 World Heritage sites; 14 elements of the Intangible Cultural Heritage; 19 Biosphere Reserves; 9 Geoparks; 11 Creative Cities; 5 Learning Cities; 9 cities of the International Coalition of Inclusive and Sustainable Cities; 9 goods in the Memories of the World program; 32 UNESCO Chairs; 23 UNESCO Associated Schools; over 100 clubs for UNESCO, including the Youth Association for UNESCO.
The Italian heritage is not only material, but there is a vast intangible cultural heritage. How is the fundamental maintenance of cultural diversity preserved? For example, the Literary Park dedicated to Grazia Deledda is very linked to Canto a tenore ...
UNESCO recognizes the great value of cultural diversity as an inexhaustible source of human creativity and a prerequisite for intercultural dialogue. In 2005, the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions was approved.It also plays an important role in the protection of creative and cultural industries. The Intangible Cultural Heritage, in particular, is protected by a specific intergovernmental convention adopted in 2003 which recognizes it in its dynamism as it is constantly recreated by the communities and must therefore be safeguarded without being frozen. The encounter with literature is undoubtedly fundamental for the enhancement of the Intangible Heritage because it promotes its knowledge and allows you to grasp its historical value. But it can also give rise to extraordinary phenomena of contamination between high and low culture. The Sardinian tenor song is a wonderful example of this phenomenon: a form of polyphonic singing born in the context of pastoral culture, which is continually renewed thanks to the ability of the performers to draw on contemporary poetic or prose passages. It is not surprising that Grazia Deledda, with her particular sensitivity, occupies a special place in this type of repertoire. A repertoire that is fortunate today, which partly redeems the not always easy reception that the work of the Nobel Prize writer had, in the beginning, in some areas of Sardinia. A phenomenon that demonstrates the ability of the Intangible Cultural Heritage to be in continuous dialogue between present and future.
What role could the Literary Parks have in the work of disseminating UNESCO's messages?
Literary parks can play an important role in promoting UNESCO initiatives and priorities. They create strong and not obvious links between territories, their nature and the most varied cultural expressions that they have been able to inspire, support, motivate. Literary parks not only offer a visible point of reference for the curious or for those who have loved the works of a particular author, but they are opportunities to be seized to understand the motivations, sensitivity and creative process of an artist.
The Literary Parks would like to make their contribution to the Decade of Marine Sciences for Sustainable Development, what can we recommend to our readers?
The sea has always been one of the main literary subjects and for this reason literature can be a powerful tool for gaining awareness of the value of the natural environment in which we live and which today we are called to defend with a choral commitment. The literature promoted by literary parks must help us to understand the deep bond that binds nature and culture. This is the precondition to become aware of how much the survival of the human species on the planet depends on recognizing ourselves not as rulers but as part of a terrestrial community that lives within the biosphere. As goal 14 of the UN 2030 Agenda reminds us, the sea is essential for our life on the planet and for achieving the sustainable development goals. Oceanic literacy is needed and UNESCO has published a manual for "Ocean Education for All - Practical Kit", now translated into Italian and available for free on the CNIU website.
Where do you need to set out from to affirm the relationship between culture and nature according to the principles of sustainability and responsibility?
The relationship between culture and nature is a theme for reflection that has its roots in the classical era and which has always been at the center of literary, philosophical and artistic reflection, albeit with different outcomes depending on the sensitivity and historical periods. In our contemporaneity, development will only be sustainable by overcoming the nature / culture dichotomy. Governments and citizens must commit to achieving the 17 sustainability objectives by following the lines of action indicated by the UN. And here the role of culture and education, in its three learning objectives, cognitive, empathic and behavioral, remains fundamental to ensure a change in mentality and behavior at the individual and community level.
A month ago after the Cinque Terre National Park, the Casentinesi Forest National Park, the Val Grande National Park also established a Literary Park that is added to the many Regional Natural Parks, Oases and Reserves in the name of Montale, Virgilio, Dante, d'Annunzio, Perodi, San Francesco, Manzoni, Pasolini, Chiovini… and many others. Do you think this is a good path?
Certainly. These are important initiatives, which establish strong and not obvious links between culture and the territory. These paths often allow you to discover places and works little known by the general public, demonstrating how the synergy between UNESCO initiatives and the third sector can lead to the creation of virtuous reticular systems for the creation of value, for the promotion of our culture and for the development of a better awareness of our heritage. There is also an interesting contribution to the diversification of tourist routes and the promotion of tourism that is cultural and sustainable.
After the Norwegian Parks dedicated to Pietro Querini on the island of Røst, in Lofoten, and in the Unesco Geosite of Røros dedicated to Falkberget, the idea is to continue to expand the network to other locations and not only in Europe. We are convinced that the combination of culture and nature has a fundamental added value to support the development of small communities. Do you believe that the binomial culture / nature has an added value in supporting the development of small communities even in developing countries?
The combination of culture and nature undoubtedly contributes to creating added value and represents an important resource for small communities, regardless of the geographical context in which they are located. I therefore believe that the establishment of relations between our communities and those of developing countries can lead to virtuous results. However, we must always take into account the specificities of cultural contexts, valuing the differences and any distances between our way of conceiving and living culture and that of the human communities with which we relate.
The pandemic we are experiencing forces us to become aware of the interdependence that every living being has with the environment in which he lives. Do the data on biodiversity confirm the unsustainability of the paradigm in which we have lived so far? What solutions can we adopt to try to change course? What does UNESCO propose?
UNESCO has stressed that the deep roots of the Covid-19 pandemic are to be found in the continuing destruction of biodiversity that favors the leap of species and the spread of zoonoses. In short, the pandemic confirms that a change of pace is needed. With its numerous programs such as World Heritage, Biosphere Reserves, Geoparks and Intangible Cultural Heritage but also UNESCO Chairs, the network of associated schools, and Learning Cities, Learning Cities, UNESCO supports scientific research and environmental education of young people and adults with a view to formal and informal lifelong learning. There is a great deal of awareness that with over 50% of the world population living in urban agglomerations, the most elementary knowledge of the functioning of the natural world has been lost.
Due to the global epidemic, the system linked to culture which is an important economic sector has stopped; we think of theaters, cinemas, closed concert halls and all cultural events have been canceled. What solutions is UNESCO adopting to overcome this moment?
As a United Nations organization with expertise on Science, Education and Culture, during the pandemic emergency, UNESCO has focused its efforts on the education sector. Last May, at the height of the pandemic, there were 190 countries in which educational institutions were closed, affecting 1.57 billion children and young people, or 90% of the world's school population. As Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO Secretary General, recalled a third of these children have not yet returned to school. And 24 million young people will never go back to school. These numbers show how the health crisis has had a more serious impact on all those situations in which the conditions of access to education were already uneven, exacerbating inequalities and impacting in particular on communities living in poverty, on women. and on girls, as well as on people with disabilities. This does not mean, of course, that culture has taken a back seat. According to UNESCO data, currently 89% of World Heritage Sites are closed totally or partially, while museums and cultural institutions lose millions every day due to lost revenue. The crisis therefore puts a strain on the cultural sector in terms of business sustainability and employment.
As recalled by the Assistant Director-General for Culture, Ernesto Ottone, UNESCO in this phase intervened by mobilizing the international community and favoring the development of virtual access to places of culture, also supporting the creation of networks among artists through the Resiliart initiative. Faced with a global problem, the various countries are reacting differently. UNESCO's commitment is to invite governments to find common political solutions to overcome the crisis in the culture sector.
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