On 18 November 2019 at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France, the 2019 edition of the UNESCO-Greece Melina Mercouri International Prize for the Safeguarding and Management of Cultural Landscapes will be announced and the award presented.
Named after the illustrious Greek actress and former Minister of Culture of Greece, Melina Mercouri, the Prize rewards outstanding efforts to protect and manage the world’s cultural landscapes—sites that embody an enduring, intimate relationship between people and their environment. The prize winner, who may be an individual, institution or non-governmental organization, will receive a monetary award of USD 30,000.
The Prize, generously supported by the Greek Government, was created in 1995 to highlight the importance of the integrated conservation of cultural landscapes, the combined works of nature and people. The Prize rewards outstanding action to safeguard and enhance the world’s cultural landscapes, which can contribute significantly to sustainable development and achieve a number of goals set out in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The Prize has been previously awarded 6 times between 1995 and 2011, and was revived at the 202nd session of the Executive Board in October 2017 to be awarded for the 7th time in 2019 after an 8 year pause. For the 2019 call, 50 completed nominations were received and came from all 5 regions. The nominations highlighted various efforts around the world to safeguard and enhance diverse cultural landscapes, form designed cityscapes to rural agricultural landscapes, to be passed down to future generations.
It is the only international prize in the UNESCO Culture sector. The Award Ceremony of the 2019 UNESCO-Greece Melina Mercouri International Prize is to be held on the evening of 18 November 2019 at UNESCO HQs (Room IV) as a side event of the 40th Session of the UNESCO General Conference.
For more information about the Prize:
Mr Roland LIN, r.lin@unesco.org
Ms Akane Nakamura, a.nakamura@unesco.org
