PRAXIS have released their report ‘Heritage for Global Challenges’, a report that powerfully highlights the role of Heritage in addressing sustainable development challenges.  

The report examines 87 Arts and Humanities projects implemented in 49 countries funded by the UK’s Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) and the Newton Fund. It features a total of 32 case studies (21 short focus case studies and 11 in-depth case studies) showcasing how tangible and intangible heritage research in different contexts is addressing all 17 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) grouped into twelve thematic clusters. The report presents best practice, lessons learnt, and a series of recommendations and future research areas with the aim of maximising the potential of heritage research for international development and operationalising the SDGs on the ground.

It is hoped the publication will encourage the development of meaningful, people-centred, and long-term collaboration between universities, third-sector partners, and local communities to achieve the goal that we all share of making the world a safer, more equitable, and more liveable home for everyone. 

The report is the result of one year of intensive collaborative work, made of in-depth conversations, interviews, online surveys, and consultations with GRCF Challenge Leaders, Portfolio Managers, Principal Investigators, Co-investigators, and partners through an iterative process and including communication with AHRC. The report incorporates also the key findings from PRAXIS Learning Events on ‘Heritage and Policy’ and ‘Food and Heritage’, as well as from the Nexus Event on ‘Heritage for Global Challenges’.

The work of Prof Alison Phipps is included in the section Global Health and Wellbeing, with a focus section on the GCRF project Idioms of Distress, Resilience, and Well-Being: Enhancing Understanding about Mental Health in Multilingual Contexts.

The topics in this report are further explored in the online conference on ‘Heritage and Our Sustainable Future: Research, Practice, Policy, and Impacts’ (22nd February – 2nd March), jointly organised by PRAXIS and the UK National Commission for UNESCO. During thirteen sessions, a diverse range of cultural heritage and sustainable development contributors from across the globe gather to explore how best to utilise cultural heritage research on the ground to drive forward the SDGs, especially in Official Development Assistance (ODA)-eligible countries. More information is available on the conference website: Heritage and our sustainable future 

The programme also features the UNESCO RILA team on day 4 (25 Feb) leading sessions on Reducing Inequalities using People-Centred Approaches, and Decolonising Heritage Practices. Proceedings of the conference will be available in due course.  




First published: 25 February 2021