UNESCO and the Relais & Châteaux Association announce having signed a partnership agreement to develop and implement joint projects supporting the sustainable conservation and use of biological diversity through the world's hospitality and culinary traditions and savoir-faire.
From left to right: Mauro Colagreco, Vice President Chefs of Relais & Châteaux, Lidia Arthur Brito, Assistant Director-General for Natural Sciences at UNESCO, Laurent Gardinier, President of Relais & Châteaux
"The partnership with UNESCO is a natural step for our Association to take: Our objective is to support and encourage change, to continue to rethink our properties' operational models so as to dovetail travel – a source of personal enrichment – with environmental, social, and economic objectives," explains Laurent Gardinier, President of Relais & Châteaux.
"Never in history has nature experienced such dramatic decline. One million species – of the eight million identified to date – are facing the threat of extinction. With one voice, UNESCO and the Relais & Châteaux Association are calling for us all to change our perspectives and practices with regard to food and reestablish a balance between humankind and the environment," states Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO.
The partnership has two core components:
First, UNESCO supports the Association's new commitments, In Harmony with All Life on Earth: Our 12 Commitments to Sustainability, designed to pursue three major missions:
- preserve the world's hospitality and culinary traditions,
- contribute to the protection and development of biodiversity,
- take daily action for a more humane world.
In their day-to-day devotion to cuisine and hospitality, the 580 member properties of the Relais & Châteaux network, spread across 65 countries, are in constant contact with persons of every origin, from all kinds of communities, as well as with nature in its infinite richness and variety. This is the context in which the partnership was established between UNESCO and the Relais & Châteaux Association, whose commitments clearly illustrate the vital interconnectedness of food, health, and the environment.
Second, pilot projects will be conducted by Relais & Châteaux members and UNESCO Sites. In keeping with UNESCO principles, implementation guidelines will be established for future pilot projects, including with the biosphere reserves of the Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme and World Heritage Sites. The projects, to be led by Relais & Châteaux members, aim to promote UNESCO Sites and traditional savoir-faire by encouraging sustainable biodiversity conservation and use while respecting local cultures and preserving natural and cultural heritage.
The first pilot projects will be implemented in 2025 by Relais & Châteaux members located near UNESCO Sites.
The driving force behind the Relais & Châteaux-UNESCO collaboration is Mauro Colagreco, Vice President of Chefs for Relais & Châteaux and Chef-Owner of the three-Michelin-star Mirazur restaurant in Menton, France. Designated a Goodwill Ambassador for Biodiversity by UNESCO in November 2022 in light of his commitment and involvement in sharing savoir-faire, Chef Colagreco has since been working to support the Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme and to generate broad public interest and active public involvement in environmental issues. The partnership that he promotes between these two institutions makes it possible for him to expand the initiative to reach the Association's 580 members.
"Over the past two years, I have worked with UNESCO to champion biodiversity and inform and involve as many people as possible regarding the need to protect our ecosystems. I see gastronomy as a powerful vector for change and we must fundamentally rethink the way we approach food systems. I quickly realized that we need to greatly increase the number of biodiversity guardians across the world if we want to protect our planet and the species living upon it. The Relais & Châteaux network has 580 properties with a total of 800 restaurants, so it seemed clear to me that getting them involved in this initiative was the logical next step," declares Mauro Colagreco, Vice President of Chefs, Relais & Châteaux.
The MAB Programme is an intergovernmental scientific program that aims to establish a scientific basis for improving relations between human beings and the environment. It combines conservation, local development, cultural heritage preservation and protection of the savoir-faire and traditions of local and indigenous populations. With 759 biosphere reserves spread across 136 countries, UNESCO protects nearly eight million square kilometers of natural spaces — the equivalent of the surface area of Australia — and supports the communities that benefit from them. Nearly half of Relais & Châteaux members are located within two hours of a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
