Particular attention was given to Fiji’s priorities for strengthening the cultural sector and expanding cooperation across UNESCO’s culture programme. Discussions highlighted the ongoing recovery and long-term conservation of Levuka Historical Port Town, including opportunities to build on renewed Government commitment, the implementation of the Fiji Heritage Act, ongoing international support for heritage rehabilitation, and future collaboration through UNESCO initiatives on heritage resilience, sustainable tourism and climate action.
The consultations also provided an opportunity to exchange on the Fiji Culture Sector Strategic Development Plan 2026–2034, which seeks to strengthen coordination across cultural institutions and align national priorities with UNESCO’s cultural conventions and programmes. Discussions focused on advancing culture and arts education, strengthening cultural and creative industries, improving cultural statistics and indicators, safeguarding underwater cultural heritage, and promoting community-led approaches that recognize Indigenous knowledge systems and living heritage. Participants also explored opportunities to strengthen links between culture and broader areas of UNESCO’s mandate, including Indigenous languages, traditional knowledge systems, climate resilience, AI ethics, Memory of the World, Biosphere Reserves and UNESCO Global Geoparks, identifying a range of opportunities for continued technical cooperation and regional collaboration.
A key component of the mission was a technical visit to Levuka Historical Port Town, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2013. Located on the island of Ovalau, Levuka is recognized as an outstanding example of a nineteenth-century Pacific port settlement, illustrating the interaction between European maritime expansion and Indigenous Fijian communities within a unique island setting.
The UNESCO Culture Team met with representatives of the Ministry of Multi-Ethnic Affairs, Culture, Heritage and Arts, the National Trust of Fiji, Levuka Town Council, traditional leaders, site managers and community representatives to assess the current conservation status of the property and identify priorities for its long-term protection and sustainable management.
The mission highlighted both the challenges and opportunities facing the site. Stakeholders noted that Levuka continues to recover from the impacts of Tropical Cyclone Winston, which caused extensive damage to historic buildings and infrastructure in 2016 and compounded existing conservation challenges. At the same time, strengthened national commitment, increased investment in the cultural sector, the implementation of the Fiji Heritage Act and growing community engagement provide a strong foundation for renewed action.
Climate change emerged as a cross-cutting priority throughout the consultations. Increasing rainfall intensity, flooding, coastal erosion, drainage failures and other climate-related hazards are placing growing pressure on the historic urban landscape. Stakeholders also identified fire risk, ageing infrastructure, heritage-sensitive rehabilitation, sustainable tourism management and enhanced community participation as priorities for future action.
Building on these discussions, UNESCO and its partners are exploring a roadmap for future cooperation focused on strengthening the resilience and sustainable management of the property. Priority actions include updating the Levuka Sustainable Management Plan, strengthening disaster and climate risk preparedness, enhancing community participation, integrating living heritage and traditional knowledge into site management, and promoting sustainable tourism approaches that generate benefits for local communities while safeguarding the site’s Outstanding Universal Value.
The mission also explored opportunities under the ongoing Republic of Korea Funds-in-Trust project on heritage-based resilience and sustainable development in Small Island Developing States with the aim of supporting stakeholder consultations, situational assessments, documentation of traditional knowledge and participatory planning that places local communities at the centre of decision-making.
READ MORE: https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/unesco-and-fiji-strengthen-collaboration-protection-and-sustainable-management-levuka-historical?hub=701
