First UNESCO activities related to culture in Venice started in 1966, and developed as in the following brief chronology:
1966 – Launch of the international campaign for the safeguard of Florence and Venice, after severe flooding;
1973 – Establishment of a liaison UNESCO Office for the safeguard of Venice, according to a specific agreement between UNESCO and Italian Government;
1987 – Inscription of Venice and of the Venetian lagoon in the UNESCO World Heritage List;
1988 – UNESCO Bureau for Scientific Cooperation in Europe is transferred from Paris to Venice, and renamed UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science and Technology (ROSTE);
1993 – Private Committees for the safeguarding of Venice are grouped in a new Association. A new programme for their activities is launched, in close cooperation with the UNESCO Venice Office;
1995 – Agreement between Italian government and UNESCO concerning ROSTE, providing an annual contribution of about 1,5 US$ million to the Bureau;
2002 – Agreement between Italian government and UNESCO on strengthening the mandate of UNESCO Venice Office in the field of culture, with particular attention to the region of South-Eastern Europe;
2003 – Establishment of a specific Section for Culture within the UNESCO Office in Venice;
2006 – UNESCO Venice Office is officially renamed as Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe (BRESCE).
Main fields of action of BRESCE Culture Section in South-Eastern Europe:
UNESCO Office in Venice - Culture Section
