Welcome, High-Level Contributions on Equitable Access to Heritage, Context of UNESCO’s Mandate

How Can Equitable Access to Heritage Help Solve Global Challenges? And Exploratory Dialogue Welcome and High-Level Contributions on Equitable Access to Heritage in the Context of UNESCO’s Mandate (video 1 of 4 of the dialogue) How can equitable access to heritage help solve global challenges? That is the question we addressed during our Exploratory Dialogue, a major event Creative Commons hosted on 29 April, 2026, at UNESCO House in Paris, France, to celebrate the Open Heritage Statement and explore its synergies with UNESCO’s priorities in tackling the most urgent problems facing the world today. Learn more at https://openheritagestatement.org/ Welcome Anna Tumadottir, CEO, Creative Commons, set the Dialogue in the wider context of Creative Commons’ mission and vision and the celebration of our 25th anniversary, which she described as an important moment for reflection on achievements and critical partnerships, such as the official partnership between CC UNESCO. She stated that CC is proud to be part of a diverse and dynamic network of NGOs in official partnership with the Organization aiming to support the advancement of UNESCO’s mandate, and was grateful to UNESCO for being a thought leader on open as a driver for innovation and equity. Brigitte Vézina, Director of Policy and Open Culture, Creative Commons, offered welcome remarks that emphasized three key points: (1) equitable access to heritage is essential to build connected, resilient and sustainable societies; (2) access is under threat, blocked by undue barriers that compromise our ability to connect with heritage; and (3) UNESCO is the right forum to have discussions on the basis of the Open Heritage Statement, in line with existing UNESCO international law, norms and goals. Far from raising a new issue, the Statement is reflecting a dimension so far not well captured by UNESCO norms, illuminating connections not yet visible, and advancing UNESCO ideals while access to heritage undergoes a transformational digital shift. High-level Contributions Moderated by Jennryn Wetzler, Director of Learning and Training, Creative Commons Michael Lampe, Cultural Ambassador, Government of Aruba, opened the discussion by reminding us that language is where heritage lives and said that Papiamento, the language of Aruba, is a living archive and a language shaped by movement between continents, between cultures, just like the Caribbean region itself. He said that access alone does not guarantee inclusion, understanding, or benefit. He shared the experience of Collection Aruba, the national digital platform connecting archives, libraries, and cultural institutions on the island, where heritage is being brought together into one shared system. Through collaborations with Internet Archive, that heritage is not only stored, but becomes part of a global digital memory. Alessandra Luciano, Head of Coordination of Cultural Digital Strategy, Ministry of Culture, Luxembourg, expressed her thoughts around equitable access, which to her is essentially a justice issue, because equitable access is not about treating everyone the same. It is about directing attention, policy, and resources to correct structural barriers and historical imbalances. In the cultural field, that means recognizing that access to knowledge, heritage, and culture is a public good, not a privilege determined by geography, income, language, or national GDP. Equitable access means equity, not equality. It is about giving people what they need to truly participate in culture and heritage, she said. She also pointed out the fact that barriers to equitable access are often layered and systemic. According to her, increasing content alone is not enough if people cannot physically reach them, digitally reach them, linguistically not reach them, nor socially reach them. She said that open heritage fit really well with the Luxembourg National Digital Cultural Heritage Strategy, which is indeed a practical response to these access challenges. Lutz Möller, Deputy Secretary-General and Head of Policy Department, German Commission for UNESCO, reminded us that openness is already captured in the UNESCO Constitution of 1945, which recognized providing access to information as a public good to everyone around the world. He said that it was about collaboration, cooperation, creativity, innovation and freedom. He offered a captivating panorama of the state of openness in heritage in Germany, spotlighting the German National Archive as a signatory of the Open Heritage Statement. He ended his intervention with a clear invitation to representatives of Permanent Delegations of Member States to UNESCO to really consider whether this is an issue which could be a beneficial opportunity for all Member States, especially those in the Global South. He said that the worthwhile cause of open heritage fits perfectly with the values and the goals of UNESCO.