Two new UK culture directors appointed to the UK National Commission for UNESCO
Office: UK National Commission for UNESCO – February 17, 2021
Two new UK culture directors appointed to the UK National Commission for UNESCO
Dr Charlotte Joy and Kate Pugh OBE will join the UK National Commission for UNESCO for a term of three years from March 2021.
The appointment was confirmed by the Minister of State for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, in February 2021.
Dr Charlotte Joy
Dr Joy is a social anthropologist who has worked in cultural heritage protection for over fifteen years and has undertaken long-term fieldwork in Mali and at UNESCO in Paris.
She is currently doing research at the International Criminal Court (Al Mahdi and Al Hassan trials) and has been an advisor to the Trust Fund for Victims. She works with colleagues at the University Cheikh Anta Diop in Dakar, Senegal, on a Global Challenge Research Fund project with the Musée de la Femme Henriette Bathily. She is the author of ‘The Politics of Heritage Management in Mali: from UNESCO to Djenne’ (Routledge, 2012) and Heritage Justice (Cambridge University Press, 2020).
Dr Joy is part of both the academic and professional community dealing with international issues of cultural protection (including in liaison with the Cultural Protection Unit). She is a member of the Association of Critical Heritage Studies and is active in the UK meetings of Blue Shield International. In 2018, Dr Joy worked as Deputy Keeper of Anthropology at the Horniman Museum and Gardens. She developed and co-teaches a Masters programme in Anthropology and Museum Practice between the museum and Goldsmiths, University of London.
Kate Pugh OBE
Mrs Pugh is chairman of the Advisory Group of the UK’s pioneering Cultural Protection Fund, managed by British Council in partnership with DCMS. The Cultural Protection Fund was set up in 2016 to support efforts to protect cultural heritage at risk in the Middle East and North Africa.
From 2003 to 2016 Mrs Pugh served as the Chief Executive of The Heritage Alliance and later wrote its first International Report championing the role of heritage ngos in international relations. She was on the Steering Group for Europa Nostra’s major work Cultural Heritage Counts for Europe and also co-authored UKNC’s 2019 publication Cultural Heritage Innovation: opportunities for Sustainable Development. She is a trustee and the honorary secretary of Europa Nostra UK, and of The Afghanistan Society.
Mrs Pugh was awarded an OBE for services to heritage in the 2015 New Year Honours. She was elected as a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London in 2019.
Professor Colin McInnes
Chair of the UK National Commission for UNESCO
“We are delighted to welcome Dr Charlotte Joy and Kate Pugh as Non-Executive Directors to the Board of the UK National Commission for UNESCO. They bring invaluable knowledge of the UK and international cultural heritage sector, and will be strong representatives for the UK at UNESCO. Kate’s long-standing experience of working in the independent heritage sector, and her track-record of building sector-wide consensus for policy development will prove invaluable in shaping UNESCO’s heritage and culture mandate. Charlotte’s background in heritage management in the UK, her fieldwork in Djenné, Mali and at UNESCO in Paris, alongside her background in cultural property protection will bring strong and relevant expertise to the Board.”
Dr Charlotte Joy
Non-Executive Director for Culture
“I am very honoured to be joining the UK Commission at such an important time in the history of the organisation. The foundational principles of UNESCO are more resonant than ever at this time of recovery and rebuilding. I look forward to working with my fellow Directors to bring UNESCO’s expertise and networks to the service of the UK’s museum and heritage sectors and to support the UK’s international heritage protection projects and ambitious participation in the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.”
Kate Pugh OBE
Non-Executive Director for Culture
“I am looking forward to teaming up with my fellow Directors at the National Commission to strengthen the UK’s commitment to UNESCO and to support the mutual benefits each brings to the other, particularly through the World Heritage dimension. Working with the UK’s wonderfully wide range of UNESCO designations, celebrating their uniqueness and showing how arts and culture can contribute through the Sustainable Development Goals to a more sustainable, peaceful and equitable future at local, national and international levels is for me both a privilege and an exciting challenge.”
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