UKNC Non-Executive Director (Culture) Dr Charlotte Joy joins high-level panel at Second Edition of the Naples Conference on Cultural Heritage in the 21st Century
June 10th 2025
UKNC Non-Executive Director (Culture) Dr Charlotte Joy recently represented the UK and Northern Ireland at Second Edition of the Naples Conference on Cultural Heritage in the 21st Century.
The primary objective of this major event was to take stock of the implementation of the Call for Action ‘Spirit of Naples’, which promotes a holistic, human-centred approach to cultural heritage and the valorisation of cultural heritage as a vector for sustainable social and economic development.
At the conference, Dr Joy participated in, and was rapporteur, for the panel session "Beyond inscriptions: Enhancing community engagement in tangible and intangible heritage safeguarding and valorization." She was joined on the panel by Ms Cristina Amescua Chávez (Mexico), UNESCO Chair on Community-Based Safeguarding, Ms Phương Gia Ngọc Trần (Viet Nam), Deputy General Director, IBH Joint Stock Company and Ms Sibongile Masuku (South Africa), Senior Lecturer in Heritage and Culture at Mpumalanga University.
The panel discussion covered several themes including the role of governements and policy, the definition of 'community' and community engagement, co-operation across sectors, and awareness and education.
Key recommendations made during the session included the need to embed continuous community participation and consent, forge intersectoral alliances for equitable safeguarding, and the call to strengthen heritage and literacy for youth and professionals.
Spirit of Naples
Held at Castel Capuano in Naples from 4-6 June, UNESCO’s Second Conference on Cultural Heritage in the 21st Century, was co-organised by the Government of Italy and UNESCO.
This pivotal gathering built upon the “Spirit of Naples” agenda launched in 2023; a visionary call encouraging culturally integrated, people‑centred heritage policies. The three-day event convened delegates from UNESCO Member States and heritage experts alongside Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani, the Minister of Culture Alessandro Giuli, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Culture Ernesto Ottone Ramirez, and UNESCO Director‑General Audrey Azoulay.
Following the First Edition, the conference delved deeper into the practical actions that can enhance the effectiveness of heritage safeguarding at the intersection of tangible and intangible cultural heritage. A key highlight of the conference was the adoption of a renewed action framework emphasising human‑centred conservation approaches and the synergy between tangible and intangible cultural heritage. The outcomes will feed into the upcoming MONDIACULT 2025 World Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development.
The Naples Conference is now firmly established as a regular platform of reflection, with a view to becoming a point of reference in the debate around cultural heritage for years to come.
