El Grupo de Ciudades Patrimonio promueve bienes reconocidos por la Unesco

The General Assembly of the Group of World Heritage Cities, of which La Laguna is a part, approved this Saturday in Santiago de Compostela the promotion of the UNESCO World Heritage sites of the 15 cities on an international level. The approved actions include a meeting of the Assembly with the UNESCO ambassador, exhibitions showcasing the universal values of the cities in Bolivia or Rome, as well as promotion events at universities and conferences.

Adolfo Cordobés, the Councilor of Heritage of La Laguna, participated in the Assembly where the 2025 Operational Plan was approved. The plan focuses on prioritizing actions aligned with the strategic objective of addressing new challenges related to the sustainability of the World Heritage Cities, especially in issues related to the conservation of historic centers and strengthening the Group’s position as a reference for best practices in all matters related to the preservation, maintenance, and dissemination of Heritage. In line with this, the Assembly will meet in Paris, presumably in the first half of this year, with the UNESCO ambassador, Miguel Iceta.

The Group also agreed to enhance synergies between heritage, culture, and tourism by promoting activities aimed at promoting the 15 cities and enhancing their cultural identity. One such activity is an exhibition in Sucre, Bolivia, in collaboration with the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID). As part of the IV International Congress of Cultural Heritage, the exhibition will take place from June 11 to 13 and will be part of the Congress program organized by the Network of Researchers of Ibero-American Cultural Heritage.

The Group is also working on an ambitious exhibition project that will be presented at the Spanish Academy in Rome later this year. This project involves a photographic exhibition that reflects, with a contemporary artistic language, the heritage value of the 15 cities, focusing on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) that each city’s Heritage Declaration encompasses. This project is the result of an agreement with the General Directorate of Fine Arts of the Ministry of Culture.

The Assembly also set the date for the main cultural event promoting the monumental historic centers of the 15 cities, The Night of Heritage, whose eighth edition will take place on Saturday, September 13, with the program set to be announced in July.

The efforts to protect heritage will also extend to the academic and educational fields with workshops, technical meetings, and seminars. In the Cultural Area, it was also agreed to renew the agreement with the Cervantes Institute for the cultural dissemination of the 15 cities’ heritage, with the second half of 2025 proposed for depositing a legacy in the Letter Box of the Cervantes Institute containing the Heritage Declarations of each city.

Other strategic lines of work approved by the Assembly include a promotional activity in Dublin, in collaboration with Turespaña and Paradores, scheduled for November, as well as the design of a project for analyzing tourist data and evaluating the promotion actions carried out by the Group. The Group is also launching a renewed edition of the Racing Circuit in the World Heritage Cities, as well as the 2nd World Heritage Cities 7s Rugby Tournament to be held in the city of Tarragona.

The busy day also included a reception for the mayors of the Group by the Rector of the University of Santiago de Compostela, Antonio López Díaz, at the Pazo de San Xerome, the Rectorate headquarters, aiming to deepen the collaboration between the Group and the academic and university fields. The program of the Group of World Heritage Cities in Santiago de Compostela this weekend also included the presentation of the Heritage Award to the Alcázar of Segovia.