Investing in Peace and the Future: The National Lottery Heritage Fund marks £1 billion of support for UNESCO Sites and Programmes

As UNESCO marks its 80th anniversary, new analysis reveals that since 1994, The National Lottery Heritage Fund has invested over £1 billion in cultural and natural heritage projects within UNESCO sites across the United Kingdom, strengthening communities, protecting landscapes, and helping to build the conditions for long-term peace.

Heritage, Culture, and Peacebuilding

When UNESCO was founded in 1945, it was built on a belief that peace is constructed not only through diplomacy or defence, but through education, culture, science, and community solidarity. Over more than three decades, Heritage Fund investment has helped give this founding mission modern, local meaning, connecting people and communities, supporting projects in UNESCO sites across the four nations of the UK that:

Conserve and protect the UK’s internationally recognised cultural and natural heritage
Restore landscapes and enhance environmental resilience
Strengthen place identity and belonging
Support intergenerational skills
Celebrate diverse cultural traditions
Improve well-being and local pride
Connect communities in the UK to a global network of sites dedicated to sustainability, knowledge exchange, and international collaboration.

Anna Nsubuga, Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to UNESCO, Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, said:

“As UNESCO marks its 80th anniversary, this extraordinary level of investment demonstrates the UK’s enduring commitment to our shared cultural and natural heritage. UNESCO sites across the four nations not only safeguard places of global importance, but also strengthen local identity, community pride and international partnerships.

We thank The National Lottery Heritage Fund and National Lottery players for their vital contribution to this work. Their support helps ensure that the UK’s heritage continues to inspire, connect and bring people together, here at home and across the world.”

Here in the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site a total of £22.8 million has supported the regeneration of this globally significant industrial landscape, including £9.4 million towards the award-winning Museum of Making. The museum was co-designed with local people to reconnect communities with the world’s first factory and the origins of the modern industrial age. It has since become a major hub for skills, creativity and local pride.

Find out more from UNESCO about how this investment in cultural and natural heritage is helping the UK’s UNESCO sites.