UNESCO Director-General's first visit to Thailand: From ancient wisdom to Artificial Intelligence

A preview of what that ocean work looks like on the ground came as Prof. El-Enany visited UNESCO's Regional Office in Bangkok and toured an exhibition developed under its Sustaining Our Oceans initiative. The exhibition uses virtual reality tools - including a virtual 'diving library' - to deepen children's connections to UNESCO biosphere reserves in Indonesia, Thailand, and Viet Nam.

This initiative is one example of the cross-sectoral collaboration the Director-General sought to advance during his visit. On 16 May, he convened a high tea with private sector leaders in sustainable tourism - airlines, hospitality, and cultural institutions - to activate the COMPASS Strategic Innovation Board, wherby UNESCO and the private sector will co-design innovative financing models in support of culture- and creativity-driven sustainable tourism in Asia and the Pacific.

Building on a memorandum of understanding with UN Tourism signed in March 2026, COMPASS is designed to channel a share of tourism revenue into heritage conservation and promotion, community livelihoods, and skills development. Home to nine UNESCO Creative Cities, eight World Heritage sites, and a tourism strategy pivoting toward quality, Thailand is the programme's first regional partner.