“World Heritage for All” – day 1’s speakers are:
Anna Nsubuga, UK Ambassador to UNESCO: Anna Nsubuga is the UK’s Ambassador and Permanent Delegate Designate to UNESCO. An experienced public and social policy professional, Anna worked at community, national, regional and international levels across a range of policy areas.
She has three decades of experience working in the non-profit, public and private sectors. Her areas of expertise include further education and adult learning, girls and women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights, European affairs, and stakeholder engagement. Anna’s posting is her second diplomatic role at the British Embassy in Paris, where she was previously First Secretary, Labour and Social Affairs.
Christina McKelvie, Minister for Culture, Europe and International Development, Scottish Government: An active member of the SNP for many years before being elected, Christina McKelvie MSP has a wide range of political interests including children and young people, employment, community empowerment and regeneration, human rights and international development. She was appointed as Minister for Culture, Europe and International Development in the Scottish Government in March 2023, having previously been Minister for Equalities and Older People.
Elly McCrone, Historic Environment Scotland: Elly is responsible for the Heritage Directorate which leads our role in protecting, understanding and sharing information about Scotland’s historic environment. Since joining Historic Environment Scotland in 2002, Elly has 20 years of experience working in the heritage sector. She has worked in a variety of roles mostly within our designations and consents and advice functions. She has an MA Honours degree in History of Art from the University of St Andrews as well as a postgraduate diploma in the same subject. She is a member of the Institute of Historic Building Conservation and an associate member of the Royal Town Planning Institute.
Anila Mirza, Historic Environment Scotland: Anila works as the Equality Manager at Historic Environment Scotland. Her work involves developing an inclusive approach to embed EDI into the workplace culture change process by taking an intersectional approach includes accent, age, caring responsibilities, colour, culture, visible and invisible disability, gender identity and expression, mental health, neurodiversity, physical appearance, religion and faith, pregnancy and maternity/paternity and family status and socio-economic circumstances and other personal characteristics and experiences. She has previously worked at Shakti Women`s Aid where she worked closely with women who have no recourse to public funds and campaigns to promote women’s rights, justice, and equality for all women. Anila has an in-depth knowledge of issues related to the migrant communities in Scotland. She is a member of the Edinburgh Slavery and Colonialism Review Implementation Group.
Hyab Yohannes, University of Glasgow: Hyab is an academic with a PhD in The Realities of Eritrean Refugees in a Carceral Age from the University of Glasgow. Currently, Hyab works as an academic coordinator for CUSP N+, where he conducts research, synthesises findings, and provides insights on theoretical, methodological, and policy-oriented questions. He is co-editing a Special Issue on decolonising knowledge production for the Journal of Language and Intercultural Communication and a Handbook of Cultures of Sustainable Peace for Multilingual Matters. Additionally, Hyab has recently signed a book contract with Routledge for his upcoming book titled “The Coloniality of the Refugee.” He is also a member of the RSE Young Academy of Scotland.
Tawona Sithole, University of Glasgow: Better known as ganyamatope dzapasi, my ancestral family name inspires me to connect with other people through creativity and the anticipation to learn. a poet, mbira player, storyteller and playwright. I am co-founder of Seeds of Thought, non-profit arts group; Research Associate for MIDEQ Global Migration Hub and UNESCO artist-in-residence at the University of Glasgow. As I continue to write, teach and perform, mostly I appreciate my work for the many inspiring people it allows me to meet.
Kim Klug, Community Partnerships Manager, Historic Royal Palaces: Kim has worked at Historic Royal Palaces for over 10 years. She is passionate about creating ways for people of all ages and abilities to engage with museums, galleries and heritage sites in ways that are meaningful and relevant for them. In 2012, Kim launched the Community Access Scheme, a sustainable model for community engagement. This scheme involves identifying, establishing and nurturing partnerships with organisations who are gatekeepers to local communities with real or perceived barriers to access. In 2016, she initiated the Dementia Friendly Heritage Network to share best practice for engaging people with dementia with heritage. She chaired a group of over 40 organisations, which included heritage organisations from across the UK, Alzheimer’s Society, National Lottery Heritage Fund and academics. This resulted in the publication of ‘Rethinking Heritage: A guide to help make sites more dementia-friendly’. In 2022 Kim was appointed as Disability and Access Ambassador for Heritage by the Cabinet Office Disability Unit based on her expertise in supporting people living with dementia to explore and enjoy heritage. She is experienced working with children, families, young people, non-English speakers and adults living with disabilities, mental health issues and those experiencing social isolation. She believes that making it easier to access and understand art, heritage, museums and galleries helps the communities around them to thrive and become stronger and more cohesive.
Esther Fox, Head of Accentuate and Kyle Jordan, Curating for Change Fellow: Esther Fox is a Programme Director, Artist and Researcher, interested in exploring the synapses between medicine, art, museums and ethics. Esther is the Head of the Accentuate programme, creating opportunities for D/deaf, disabled and neurodivergent people to participate and lead in the cultural sector. She is currently taking the strategic lead on Curating for Change, working with over 20 Museums across England to deliver a programme for disabled people wanting to pursue a career in Museums. Esther is also a trustee for Hastings Contemporary. Kyle Lewis Jordan is the Curating for Change Fellow working with both the Ashmolean Museum and Pitts River’s Museum in Oxford. An early career archaeologist specialising in Egyptian archaeology, Kyle is passionate about improving our knowledge and understanding of disability in ancient Egypt and wider antiquity, and has given multiple talks and papers on the subject. Through doing so he not only hopes to shift public and professional perceptions about disabled people, but to share with disabled people themselves that the human story has always been theirs, and that none of it would have been possible without them.
Lucy Culkin, CEO, Jurassic Coast Trust: Lucy is the CEO of the Jurassic Coast Trust, who manage the Dorset and East Devon Coast World Heritage Site, on behalf of Dorset and Devon Councils. Lucy has worked for the Trust for 6 years, as CEO for 4 years, during which time, under her leadership, the team have initiated transformational projects which are changing the way people engage with the Site; from pilot work with DEFRA and Natural England to create a Protected Site Strategy, to the creation of the Jurassic Coast Collection and its subsequent feasibility study into the creation of a landmark museum to showcase the fossils of the Site and celebrate its stories and geodiversity; to partnering up with Birmingham, Bristol and Exeter Universities to launching a commercial Destination Marketing Company (to name just a few!) Lucy describes her small team as ‘an explosion of ambition and ideas’.
Lucy will talk about JCT’s ambition to share the Site and their work with as wide an audience as possible, this has come with its challenges but through their ‘My Jurassic Coast’ Instagram campaign, they have been able to reach out to people who have gone on to celebrate how diversity can bring communities together.
This year’s conference is kindly supported by:
