Dying cultures: Preservation is the Goal

With native cultures slowly being forgotten, UNESCO debates over how to preserve the dying cultures of the world. Culture varies from oral traditions, song, dance, and even to recipes. Looking back to the past, a time of conquest and war, native cultures were shunned and forcefully forgotten. As time went on, these unique cultures were forced out, stripping native tribes of their stories, languages, and foods. 

Similar to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples of Australia, natives around the world lost parts of their beautiful cultures. It is a necessity that further loss of native culture be prevented and overall preserved. UNESCO addresses the issue through multiple resolutions.

Each resolution varies, but all with the goal of preserving native culture. One resolution, led by Croatia, plans to preserve culture and stories through history programs in schools, which are specific to each location. Through the broadening of the education system, culture can be passed down to the next generation, based on historical and immersive programs. Another resolution, led by the United Kingdom, plans to use media sources and the internet to create a platform and database to store and show all cultures. 

The positive work UNESCO pushes to do creates the opportunity to showcase, preserve, and expand cultures worldwide. More programs through non-governmental organizations and online data platforms should be created to further preserve culture, expanding the audience of each culture’s beauty. UNESCO has put forth a great start to preservation, but more can be done.

Sources:

Delegation of the United Kingdom, committee of UNESCO

Delegation of Croatia, committee of UNESCO

By Alessandra Roberts

March 22 2025