UNESCO UNITWIN Conference “Climate Change, Tourism, and World Heritage Sites”
The UNESCO UNITWIN Network “Culture, Tourism, Development” celebrates the 25th anniversary of its founding by organising a conference on “Climate Change, Tourism, and World Heritage Sites: Environmental Changes, Social Adaptation and Community Resilience” in Paris, France, on 1–3 July 2027. The call for papers went public.
2027 will mark the 25th anniversary of the founding of the UNESCO UNITWIN Network “Culture, Tourism, Development” in 2002. To celebrate this milestone, the network that gathers 35 international universities from across four continents — including Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University which hosts the UNESCO Chair — organises a conference on “Climate Change, Tourism, and World Heritage Sites: Environmental Changes, Social Adaptation and Community Resilience”. The conference will take place at the National Institute for History of Art (Institut National d’Histoire de l’Art, INHA), Paris, France, from 1 to 3 July 2027.
The conference is organised by the UNESCO UNITWIN Network “Culture, Tourism, Development”, as part of the SPHINX project (Sustaining and Preserving cultural Heritage: Innovation, Networking and eXpertise), in collaboration with the European Partnership for Resilient Cultural Heritage.
This international symposium is dedicated to the exploration of the role of the complex relationship between heritage and tourism in the context of climate change. The issue of heritage is approached broadly, encompassing not only heritage sites but also their environmental, anthropogenic and natural ecosystems. The role of local communities is central to the symposium’s discussions, which shift the focus from World Heritage to the communities living in and around it.
The call for papers went public and is available on the UNESCO Chair “Culture, Tourism, Development” website.
Proposals may be submitted in French, English or Spanish via the dedicated online submission form available online, until 30 November 2026. Author will be notified of the scientific committee’s decision on 20 December 2026 and the final submission of papers is due on 1 April 2027.
Registration fees will apply, ranging from 100 € (for PhD and Master students) to 300 € for non-UNESCO UNITWIN members.
For more information, visit the event’s webpage on the UNESCO Chair website, or download the full Call for Papers (PDF EN, 601 Ko).