How does it work?

Last update:16 February 2024

The Heritage Emergency Fund, a multi-donor and non-earmarked fund, was established by UNESCO in 2015 to respond effectively to crises as a result of armed conflicts and disasters.

The Heritage Emergency Fund aims to strengthen the ability of Member States to prevent, mitigate, and recover the loss of cultural heritage and diversity in emergencies and to advocate for the integration of the protection of culture into humanitarian action, security strategies, and peace-building processes, including by harnessing the potential of culture to strengthen resilience and support recovery.

An emergency is defined as follows: “A situation of imminent threat, caused by natural or human-made disasters, including armed conflict, civil unrest, and biological hazards such as pandemics, in which a Member State finds itself unable to overcome the severe consequences for the protection, promotion and transmission of heritage or to foster creativity and protect the diversity of cultural expressions and where immediate action is required.” 

The Heritage Emergency Fund finances activities in the area of emergency preparedness within the domains of the UNESCO Culture Conventions, and in particular cultural and natural immovable and movable heritage, cultural repositories, underwater cultural heritage, intangible cultural heritage, and the diversity of cultural goods, services, and activities.

Activities that can receive funding in the area of emergency preparedness may include, but are not limited to:

  • Development of national heritage inventories, as well as risk assessment and emergency plans for cultural institutions and heritage properties, including sites, museums and archives
     
  • Development of capacity-building materials and resources in emergency preparedness for cultural and natural heritage, and their integration in national and international capacity-building programmes
     
  • Establishment and updating of an international roster of experts in culture-related disciplines
     
  • Development of communication and advocacy campaigns and materials to raise awareness on the risks for culture deriving from disasters and conflicts, and on culture’s strategic role for recovery
     
  • Implementation of training activities targeting staff from governmental institutions and partner organizations
     
  • Research aimed at defining critical gaps and developing innovative approaches/policies
     
  • Organization of international technical meetings with key partners to identify needs and possible joint actions

The Heritage Emergency Fund finances activities in the area of emergency response within the domains of the UNESCO Culture Conventions, and in particular cultural and natural immovable and movable heritage, cultural repositories, underwater cultural heritage, intangible cultural heritage, and the diversity of cultural goods, services, and activities.

Activities that can receive funding in the area of emergency response may include, but are not limited to:

  • Deployment of rapid assessment and advisory missions
     
  • Planning and implementation of urgent safeguarding measures on the ground
     
  • Monitoring of conservation sites through satellite images
     
  • Implementation of short-training activities targeting staff from governmental institutions and partner organizations, within the affected areas
     
  • Undertaking Post-Disaster Needs Assessments (PDNA), Rapid Damage and Needs Assessments (RDNA), Recovery and Peace-Building Assessments (RPBA), and COVID-19 Recovery Needs Assessments (CRNA)
     
  • Organization of meetings for the coordination of response initiatives with concerned partners, including Member States, UN Agencies, international scientific institutions, customs agencies, auction houses and so forth
     
  • Planning of medium to long-term rehabilitation interventions for the culture sector

Support under the Heritage Emergency Fund may be requested by the Secretariat of a UNESCO Culture Convention or a UNESCO Field Office, in consultation with national authorities. UNESCO Member States wishing to request the assistance of the Fund can contact the Secretariat of the Fund or the relevant Field Office to launch the process.

The Heritage Emergency Fund is supported by voluntary contributions received from UNESCO Member States, International Agencies and Organizations, as well as other entities, and private donors. 

To support the Fund, please click .

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