Paris, 12 October 2026 — Mirta Granda Averhoff, President of the Cuban National Commission for UNESCO and Cuba’s representative to the Organization’s Executive Board, addressed the 225th session of UNESCO’s Executive Board during the consideration of agenda item 4.I.K, concerning the strengthening of links between culture and nature in the Organization’s work.
In her statement, the Cuban representative emphasized that culture and nature are inseparable dimensions of peoples’ identities, historical memory, and ways of life. She also underscored the need to adopt an integrated approach to heritage that recognizes the interrelationships between its cultural, tangible, intangible, and natural dimensions.
Regarding priorities for advancing this approach, Cuba highlighted the importance of strengthening interdisciplinary cooperation between UNESCO’s Culture and Natural Sciences sectors, as well as synergies among the Organization’s relevant conventions, programmes, and normative instruments.
The statement also stressed the need to ensure the active participation of local communities, young people, researchers, tradition bearers, and civil society in identifying, protecting, and transmitting cultural and natural values. In this regard, it was emphasized that the sustainability of conservation efforts depends to a large extent on recognizing communities as key actors and custodians of their heritage.
Likewise, the Cuban representative called for enhanced international cooperation, technical assistance, and capacity-building, with particular attention to small island developing States and developing countries, which face specific vulnerabilities in the face of climate change, natural disasters, and environmental degradation.
In this context, she reiterated Cuba’s opposition to unilateral coercive measures, which are contrary to the Charter of the United Nations and international law, and highlighted their implications for development efforts and the protection of cultural and natural heritage.
In closing, Mirta Granda Averhoff reaffirmed Cuba’s willingness to contribute to UNESCO’s efforts to strengthen synergies between culture and nature, on the basis of international cooperation, respect for cultural diversity, and shared responsibility for protecting heritage for present and future generations.