Henry J. Reynaud, founder of the IAC, coveted a partnership with UNESCO since the Academy’s early days. After 5 years of dedicated work, in 1958, Reynaud achieved his goal and the IAC became affiliated with UNESCO, first on a consultative basis and then, since 2001, as an official partner in the cultural sector.

The IAC of today continues to respect its predecessors and the ideals they inspired, working daily for peace and freedom of expression, supporting free creation throughout the world, promoting gender equality, fighting for recognition of the status of artists, defending tangible and intangible heritage, protecting the environment. One of the most effective means of upholding and defend these values is through inter-culturality and cultural diplomacy.

The IAC’s role at UNESCO is kept under regular review. It is important for the IAC to maintain strong ties with the organisation, otherwise it risks losing its status. The Academy’s main strength is its universality, both in terms of a single medium – common to so many cultures – and in terms of its membership. Such an international dimension should enable the IAC to develop pragmatic and consensus-based projects to propose to its members as well as to the other NGO members of UNESCO.

The IAC representative to UNESCO keeps the IAC Council and members informed of the organisation’s activities, as well as maintains and advances our international networks. Through this representation, the IAC is able to implement and develop projects that meet the requirements of the IAC partnership.

The IAC strongly encourages its members to acknowledge the IAC’s partnership with UNESCO, where appropriate, in the following manner:

• “IAC, NGO in official partnership with UNESCO”

Please also note that no use or reproduction of the UNESCO logo is permitted. The IAC disclaims all responsibility for any violation of these rules by its members. It is the individual’s responsibility.

Anja Seiler, Council representative for Switzerland and member of the Steering Committee for the 2022 Geneva Congress, giving an opening address at the Palais des Nations for the exhibition “Around the World on a Plate”. ©Léandre Burkhard

UNESCO stands for United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. UNESCO’s headquarters located in Paris is neutral territory. The preamble to UNESCO’s constitution states:

“Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defenses of peace must be constructed”. [Source]

• ESTABLISHED IAC ACTIVITIES RELATED TO UNESCO

Partnership with the Fondation Culture & Diversité
The IAC continues its long-standing collaboration with the French Fondation Culture & Diversité, which provides scholarships covering the full cost of international residencies and internships in ceramics for French students from priority education backgrounds. Each year, one or two students are selected to receive comprehensive financial support, including travel, accommodation, food and materials. To date, residencies have primarily taken place in China, thanks to the support of Jingdezhen Ceramic University. There are plans, however, to expand opportunities to Latin America, Africa, and South-East Asia. The IAC supports the programme by identifying host ceramic studios and professionals willing to provide artistic guidance, mentoring and a safe working environment. If you have any suggestions, please reach out to Patty Wouters: patty@pattywouters.be

International Ceramic Heritage Stamps Collection
The IAC has submitted a proposal to UNESCO’s Memory of the World Programme for the recognition of a unique international collection of ceramic-themed postage stamps. Developed over many years by IAC member Guangzhen ‘Po’ Zhou, with contributions from IAC members worldwide, the collection comprises around 3,000 stamps from over 160 countries and regions. It forms a virtual encyclopaedia of ceramic history and cultures and continues to grow through ongoing contributions from IAC members and collaborators. Read more here.

IAC/UNESCO Evening – 2026 Jingdezhen Congress
On 29 June 2026, an IAC/UNESCO Evening is being organised as part of the 2026 Jingdezhen Congress, continuing the Academy’s tradition of holding events that highlight shared values with UNESCO. A detailed programme will be announced in due course.

• UPCOMING PROJECTS:

Humanitarian efforts by IAC members
Creation of a virtual platform highlighting IAC members’ activities and efforts that specifically align with UNESCO’s 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Ceramics & Science: Geology missions in Lebanon and Benin
The IAC is working with local partners with the goal of improving the situation for pottery in Lebanon and Benin. Read more about the mission in Lebanon here. 2025 Update: The geology mission in Lebanon is on hold due to the current political climate. The geology mission in Benin is on hold pending funding opportunities.

UNESCO headquarters in Paris

• PAST IAC ACTIVITIES RELATED TO UNESCO

Participation in UNESCO online initiatives during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020)
In the absence of a physical presence at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris between March and December 2020, the IAC actively followed and contributed to several online platforms organized by UNESCO sectors, including:

• The RESILIART programme (Culture Sector), “Artists and Creativity beyond the Crisis”. In this context, the IAC conducted an online interview with individual member Samar Mogharbel following the tragic events in Lebanon; the interview was shared with UNESCO’s Culture Sector.
• A series of Regional Expert Consultations against Racism and Discrimination (Social and Human Sciences Sector).

Contributions to UNESCO consultations and surveys
Through its representative, the IAC responded to multiple UNESCO surveys, notably those related to:

• The Draft Medium-Term Strategy (2022–2029)
• Cooperation modalities between UNESCO and partner NGOs

IAC/UNESCO Evenings in the context of the biennial IAC Congress
The events aimed to highlight the shared values of the IAC and UNESCO and received the official support from the Liaison Committee of UNESCO’s NGO Partners.

• 2016 Barcelona: See programme
• 2021 Rovaniemi/Posio: Due to the pandemic-related postponement of the Congress, the event did not take place, although participation had been confirmed by Ms. Marie-Claude Machon-Honoré (President of the Liaison Committee), King Houndekpinkou, Janet de Boos, and Suku Park (individual members).
• 2022 Geneva: See programme
• 2024 Alcobaça & Caldas da Rainha: See programme

Advocacy
Over the past years, the IAC took public positions in defense of cultural heritage and social equity:

• Support for maintaining the Escuela de Cerámica de Bulnes, in Argentina, at its historic site (2019)
• Request to reconsider the transfer of the Ecole Duperré, France’s ceramics department to another institution (2020)
• Protest in August 2020 against the destruction of a ceramic artwork by Enrique Mestre (Manises, Spain).
• Statement from the IAC against the war in Ukraine and initiative to support displaced Ukrainian artists (2022)
• Statement from the IAC against the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine (2025)
• Support for the International Ceramics Studio in Kecskemét, Hungary to maintain its autonomy and its role as a cultural ambassador (2025)

Collaboration with the Culture & Diversity Foundation (since 2010)
As part of the UNESCO-partnered programme “Traveling to Learn Crafts”, the IAC has supported access to craft training for young people from priority education backgrounds:

• Through local coordination by Loul Combres (IAC member and former representative to UNESCO), the pottery site of Saint-Jean-de-Fos (Hérault, France) hosted students to develop ceramic skills in volunteer workshops. Beneficiaries include Tejal Mehendale (India, 2018) and Maria Elena Papuico Navarro (Peru, 2019).
• Residency opportunities in China: the IAC has proposed two host residency opportunities in China (Jingdezhen and Longquan) to the Culture & Diversity Foundation for French students from priority education.

Engagement in water access and sanitation initiatives
The IAC joined a group of six NGOs involved in follow-up actions to the Forum on “Access to Water for All” (Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast, 2014). In cooperation with UNESCO’s Intersectoral Committee for the Participation Programme, this work focuses on training hydrological technicians in drinking water access, wastewater management, and sanitation infrastructure. Thanks to the Participation Programme, the IAC supported three successful hydrology trainings (2019, 2022/23, 2024/25), partnering with local NGOs first in Niger and then in Benin. The courses were held at the 2IE Training Centre in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

Clay for Peace / Clay without Borders project
Conceived and initiated by Jacques Kaufmann, former IAC president, this flagship IAC project highlights clay—raw or fired, traditional or contemporary—as a vector for dialogue, reconciliation, and peace, particularly in the Middle East. The first organisational stage took place in Türkiye, in July 2019.

Participation in UNESCO NGO Forums and International Days
Over the years, the IAC has actively contributed to UNESCO NGO Forums and thematic Days, including:

• Forum “Rapprochement of cultures”, Beijing, China (27-28 July 2015) – collaborative project with the Guozhong Ceramic Art Center, “The Documentary Exhibition of International Ceramics : Art Exchanges”
• Forum “Youth and their Social Impact”, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (3-4 May 2017) – represented by Jacques Kaufmann and Charlyne Kolly.
• Forum “Another Perspective on Migration”, Tunis, Tunisia (26-27 September 2018) – participation in preparatory meetings.
• Forum “Science as a Common Good of Humankind”, Moscow, Russian Federation (26-27 November 2018) – presentation by IAC representatives on the scientific virtues of clay and the Clay for Peace / Clay without Borders project, within the session “Art & Sciences in the Service of Peace”.
• Participation in debates and preparation for the Drones and Robots for Peace Day, linked to the International Day of Peace (21 September 2020), initially planned in Tolosa (Basque Country, Spain) and postponed due to the pandemic.