United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural OrganizationEight natural sites and six cultural sites from Canada appear on the World Heritage List.
Regarding cultural diversity, Canada contributes significantly to UNESCO activities and general thinking on the subject, by convening international encounters, funding experts and creating networks. The country was an invaluable partner of UNESCO in the preliminary work for the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions and was the first State to ratify that instrument.
Strengthening cultural industries is another area of cooperation between Canada and UNESCO. In 2006, Montreal joined the Creative Cities Network as a City of Design. The purpose of this network is to support cultural pluralism and to bring creativity to the forefront as a mainspring for social and economic development.