Leading specialist in cultural heritage and sustainable tourism at NTU appointed to the Board of the United Kingdom National Commission for UNESCO (UKNC)
Professor Mike Robinson has been appointed to the Board of the United Kingdom National Commission for UNESCO as a new joint Non-Executive Director for Culture.
By Chris Birkle | Published on 28 June 2024
Categories: Press office; Research; School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment;
Professor Mike Robinson has been appointed to the Board of the United Kingdom National Commission for UNESCO as a new joint Non-Executive Director for Culture.
Professor Robinson is a specialist in cultural heritage and sustainable tourism, with over 30 years’ experience working with heritage and related tourism projects in more than 40 countries. He is currently Professor of Cultural Heritage at Nottingham Trent University (NTU) and is Professor Emeritus at the University of Birmingham.
Professor Robinson is also a founding member of the UNESCO UNITWIN network on Tourism, Culture and Development and has worked with UNESCO on a national and international level for more than 25 years. In 2006 he authored the major UNESCO Report on Tourism, Culture and Sustainable Development and contributed to the 2nd UNESCO World Report on Cultural Diversity.
He is founder and co-editor of the international Journal of Tourism and Cultural and Cultural Change. He is also founder and co-editor of the Tourism and Cultural and Cultural Change book series, with over 60 international volumes published.
Along with the other UKNC Non-Executive Directors, Professor Robinson's role will include advising UK government, Devolved Government and those of the UK’s Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies on UNESCO matters and representing the UK at UNESCO under the authority of the UK Ambassador to UNESCO.
On his appointment, Professor Robinson said: "‘Heritage, in all of its forms and at all scales, is a vital resource for communities, offering a pathway to achieving sustainable development. More than ever, we need to find ways to creatively and effectively, mobilise the valued legacies of the past so that they assist us in creating a better future. I'm delighted to be working with the UK National Commission for UNESCO to ensure that we maximise the value of UNESCO designations and the full spectrum of UNESCO's global programmes."
Anne Anderson, Chair, UK National Commission for UNESCO, said: "‘We are delighted to welcome Professor Mike Robinson to the Board of the United Kingdom National Commission for UNESCO as the joint Non-Executive for Culture.
"Professor Robinson brings with him a wealth of knowledge and experience in the field of culture, heritage and tourism and is a world-leading expert on the subject, having authored numerous publications, advised governments and NGOs, and spoken at international conferences and forums.
"Professor Robinson also has extensive knowledge of UNESCO and its Culture Programme both here in the UK and globally, and currently leads the UNITWIN Network in Culture, Tourism and Development at Nottingham Trent University. The UK's involvement in UNESCO will greatly benefit from the appointment of Professor Robinson to the Board of the National Commission."
Professor Edward Peck, Vice-Chancellor and President of NTU, said: "This appointment is further recognition that Mike is one of the world’s leading experts in cultural heritage of his generation. We are delighted to see him become a non-executive director for culture on the board of the United Kingdom National Commission for UNESCO and we are proud that his research is conducted here at NTU."
Notes for Editors
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Nottingham Trent University (NTU) received the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education in 2021 for cultural heritage science research. It is the second time that NTU has been bestowed the honour of receiving a Queen’s Anniversary Prize for its research, the first being in 2015 for leading-edge research on the safety and security of global citizens.
The Research Excellence Framework (2021) classed 83% of NTU’s research activity as either world-leading or internationally excellent. 86% of NTU’s research impact was assessed to be either world-leading or internationally excellent.
NTU was awarded The Times and The Sunday Times Modern University of the Year 2023 and ranked University of the Year in the Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2023.
It was awarded Outstanding Support for Students 2020 (Times Higher Education Awards), University of the Year 2019 (Guardian University Awards, UK Social Mobility Awards), Modern University of the Year 2018 (Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide) and University of the Year 2017 (Times Higher Education Awards).
NTU is the 5th largest UK institution by student numbers, with approximately 40,000 students and more than 4,400 staff located across five campuses. It has an international student population of 7,000 and an NTU community representing over 160 countries.
Since 2000, NTU has invested £570 million in tools, technology, buildings and facilities.
NTU is in the UK’s top 10 for number of applications and ranked first for accepted offers (2021 UCAS UG acceptance data). It is also among the UK’s top five recruiters of students from disadvantaged backgrounds and was the first UK university to sign the Social Mobility Pledge.
NTU is ranked the second most sustainable university in the world in the 2022 UI Green Metric University World Rankings (out of more than 900 participating universities).