Poland became a party to the UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage in 1976. Since then, it has been involved in the work of the World Heritage Committee aimed at the preservation and conservation of cultural properties.
In recent years, Poland’s international heritage policy increasingly focused not only on the protection of monuments and World Heritage sites, but also on issues related to the protection of cultural heritage during armed conflicts, climate-related risks and digital documentation of heritage resources. After 2022, particular importance was attached to international cooperation concerning the protection of Ukrainian cultural heritage endangered by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
In the framework of co-operation with the Council of Europe, the Polish activity is aimed at the enhancement of the protection of monuments on the international level. This means comprehensive Polish involvement in some important Council of Europe projects: European Heritage Days (since 1999) and HEREIN (since 2000).
Poland also participates in broader European discussions concerning cultural democracy, media literacy, digital culture and sustainable heritage management within the frameworks of the Council of Europe and the European Union. Poland actively participates in the European Union’s Creative Europe programme and other EU cultural initiatives supporting international mobility, cultural cooperation, audiovisual sectors and cultural innovation. In recent years, particular attention has been devoted to strengthening the international competitiveness of Polish cultural and creative sectors, including design, audiovisual production, gaming and digital culture.
Poland is a member of Visegrad Group (V4), which reflects the efforts of the countries of the Central European region to work together in a number of fields of common interest relating to European integration. The Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia have historically been part of one civilisation. They share cultural and intellectual values and common roots of religious traditions which they wish to preserve and further strengthen.
Poland is also a member of Ars Baltica, which was created in 1989 as a forum for multilateral cultural cooperation with an emphasis on common projects within the Baltic Sea Region. It gives priority to art, culture and cultural history. The intention of Ars Baltica is to enhance cultural identity in the Baltic Sea Region and also to realise projects of European significance. Its goal is to implement common projects, with the intention that they will become regular networks of individuals and organisations. Co-operation between the members is carried out by meetings, exchanges of information and joint projects. There are ten member countries: Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Russia and Sweden.
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