#NonExecutiveDirector
Helen Maclagan
Board Member and Vice Chair, UK National Commission for UNESCO Board of Directors.
Helen Maclagan is an independent heritage and cultural specialist, based in the West Midlands. Her interests include the engagement of local communities with the historic and natural environment and links between culture and health.
Having originally studied and trained as an archaeologist, Helen has a diverse career portfolio after having worked for some 20 years as Warwickshire County Council’s County Archaeologist, and latterly their Head of Heritage and Culture. During this time, she also played multiple key roles in national archaeological and heritage organisations. She then spent a year volunteering in Burkina Faso, West Africa, using culture in health education, particularly HIV-AIDS, Malaria, Tuberculosis and malnutrition.
Helen has been a member of numerous national committees in a voluntary capacity and is currently a member of the National Trust Specialist Advice Network. She joined the UK National Commission for UNESCO in December 2013, taking responsibility for the Culture Portfolio on the Board of Directors. Since then she has been involved with World Heritage Sites (particularly the UK Tentative List) and with issues around Underwater Cultural Heritage (each of these the subject of a UK National Commission Policy Brief).
Other areas of activity have related to the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, the Cultural Protection Fund, to Culture and Conflict (with UKNC partners the Blue Shield Committee), and most recently – and currently – the role of Cultural Heritage in International Development. Whilst the work Helen has done with the Commission so far has been outstanding, there are still many culture-related challenges ahead, including how we might engage with intangible cultural heritage, the diversity of cultural expressions across the globe, and with broader issues around culture and development.
She was appointed OBE for services to culture and heritage in the 2019 New Year’s honours list.
#Institution
Culture and Heritage Consultant
Independent Culture and Heritage Consultancy.
From 2011
#Alma-Matter
University of Cambridge, BA.
#Role at UNESCO
Vice-Chair and Culture Portfolio Director, UK National Commission for UNESCO Board of Directors
SINCE 2013
QUOTE
“Originally – and so always – an archaeologist, I am interested in all aspects of heritage (cultural and natural, tangible and intangible), the arts, and culture in its widest sense. I particularly enjoy exploring the intersections between different elements of the heritage and cultural sectors and their links to health, wellbeing and community engagement with the environment.”
Helen Maclagan
Liaising with the UK’s Permanent Delegation to UNESCO and approved by HM government, our Non-Executive Directors help steer the direction of the UK National Commission for UNESCO, and are each responsible for overseeing a particular field of UNESCO’s work in the UK.
ROLE AT UNESCO
Helen Maclagan is Vice-Chair of the UK National Commission for UNESCO’s Board of Directors and oversees the Culture Portfolio. She is a specialist in heritage and culture consultancy.
Institutions
UK National Commission for UNESCO
Board Member, Vice-Chair and Culture Director.
FROM 2013
Independent Culture and Heritage Consultancy
Culture and Heritage Consultant
FROM 2011
Warwickshire County Council
Head of Heritage and Culture
FROM 2006 – 2010
Role at UNESCO
Vice-Chair of the UK National Commission for UNESCO’s Board of Directors, Culture and Heritage Specialist
SINCE 2018
COMMISSION
The UK National Commission for UNESCO
ESTABLISHED 1946 – LONDON, ENGLAND
UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) is the United Nations body responsible for coordinating international cooperation in education, science, culture and communication. The UKNC is a hub for all UNESCO-related matters in the UK, and the Board of Directors take part in formulating and regularly reviewing the strategic aims of the commission.
Publications
SELECTED PUBLISHED WORK
Read about some of the projects and initiatives that Helen has been a part of.
Cultural Heritage Innovation
2019
#InternationalDevelopment
Alongside the UKNC, Helen oversaw this extensive report on the innovative capacity of the cultural heritage sector within the UK and how it can aid international development.
LATEST
QUOTE
“I’m involved at the moment in exploring ways to improve the profile and participation of heritage in international development generally, and ODA (Official Development Assistance) specifically. This work builds on the UKNC publication Cultural Heritage Innovation – Opportunities for International Development. Culture in general (and heritage in particular) has a huge amount to contribute both in its own right and in supporting other development objectives.”
Helen Maclagan, Explaining the role of cultural heritage internationally.
#MoreExperts
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#Heritage #UK
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ACCREDITED EXPERT
#RuralBritain
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RELATED CHAIRS
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#Archaeology
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Chair in Cultural Property Protection and Peace
PROFESSOR PETER STONE
#HeritageProtection
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FULL LIST
A global network of universities that carry out research to address pressing challenges and contribute.
*by alphabetical order
Our advisors are experts in their field who provide advice to the UK National Commission for UNESCO by reviewing applications for UNESCO designations, prizes and patronage, and contribute to other aspects of our work.
#Man&Biosphere #Science
#GlobalGeoparks #Science
#GlobalGeoparks #Science
#CreativeCity #Communication
#CreativeCity #Communication
#MemoryoftheWorld #Culture
#WorldHeritage #Culture
#WorldHeritage #Culture
#BlueShield #CulturalProtection
All our accredited experts are selected to advise the UK National Commission for UNESCO on policy matters related to UNESCO. They are approved by HM government to represent the UK in UNESCO committees, commissions and programmes.
#IHP #Science
#IPDC #Communication
#IHP #Science
#IOC #Science
#IOC #Science
#Bioethics #Social&HumanScience
#UnderwaterCulteralHeritage #Culture
#SESAME #Science
#AI #TuringCenter #Science
UNESCO Chairs are based within Institutes for Higher Education and specialise in specific research fields. They provide policy advice to the UK National Commission for UNESCO and HM government, as well as reviewing UNESCO applications.
Liaising with the UK’s Permanent Delegation to UNESCO and approved by HM government, our Non-Executive Directors help steer the direction of the UK National Commission for UNESCO, and are each responsible for overseeing a particular field of UNESCO’s work in the UK.
#Chair #HumanSciences
#Vice-Chair #Culture
#Communication&Information
#NaturalSciences
#HigherEducation
#Education
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