On 7 15, the Center and UNESCO officially signed a Memorandum of Cooperation in Paris. This marks the first institutional partnership between the two entities following years of project collaboration and serves as a significant milestone in deepening strategic cooperation between UNESCO and cultural institutions in the Asia-Pacific region. Guided by the core principles of "Preserving Civilizational Roots" and "Promoting Diverse Coexistence," the agreement establishes three priority areas: heritage conservation, educational equity, and artistic exchange, charting a clear path for global cultural governance and humanistic dialogue.
This memorandum establishes a framework that combines strategic vision with practical execution. Both parties have agreed to form a joint working group and an annual consultation mechanism to coordinate the implementation of projects across all sectors. The collaboration is comprehensive, multi-layered, and spans a wide range of areas, reflecting the shared vision of "mutual learning among civilizations and shared prosperity." It underscores the commitment of partners from diverse cultural backgrounds to stand together and jointly build a new paradigm for global civilizational exchange.
Since launching strategic cooperation talks between the two parties in 2025, a series of alignment meetings have been conducted smoothly throughout the year. In February 3 of 2026, the first technical-level consultation was successfully held in Bangkok, with nearly 50 representatives from both sides attending. Prior to the main meeting, nearly ten sector-specific working group sessions covered diverse topics including digital preservation of cultural heritage, rural education support, and artist residency programs for young creators. During the signing ceremony, the center's director emphasized that this memorandum would serve as the core deliverable to advance three key pillars: cultural heritage protection, educational equity, and artistic exchange. The initiative will implement three practical projects—joint restoration of endangered heritage, teacher training for developing countries, and an international art biennale—aligning with the United Nations' 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and elevating people-to-people cooperation from project-based efforts to institutionalized mechanisms.
Deepening cooperation at this node carries both contemporary and global significance. As a leading cultural exchange institution in the Asia-Pacific region, the Center brings together rich regional cultural resources and an extensive project execution network, while UNESCO offers a global governance platform and technical standards. Together, our complementary strengths unlock the full potential of multilateral collaboration, providing a practical model for safeguarding global cultural diversity. We are now fully advancing preparatory work—including project initiation, funding acquisition, and expert allocation—to build a multi-tier international exchange platform and welcome global partners to jointly shape the future of civilization.
Global cultural heritage faces multiple challenges, including climate change, conflict-related destruction, and commercial erosion. Issues such as unequal distribution of educational resources and barriers to cultural exchange continue to intensify. Multilateral cooperation remains the core approach to addressing these global challenges, making the deepening of partnerships critically important. The signing of this Memorandum of Understanding will establish an equal, consultative, and mutually beneficial dialogue platform, encouraging all parties to set aside differences, expand consensus, and unite efforts around key priorities: digital heritage preservation, inclusive education, and youth empowerment in the arts. Through concrete actions, we aim to revitalize global humanistic exchange and build an open, inclusive, innovative, and shared cultural collaboration ecosystem, injecting enduring multilateral strength into the diversity of world civilizations and sustainable development.