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UNESCO’s core belief is that lasting peace and sustainable development are rooted in people’s capacities, skills, dignity, and rights. Culture provides the necessary transformative, crosscutting dimension that ensures the sustainability of development processes, and fosters a paradigm shift to renew policymaking towards an inclusive, people-centred and context-relevant approach. The integration of culture in development processes, strategies and policies at the national level are critical in reducing poverty, providing solutions to environmental sustainability and fostering peace and social cohesion. 

Heritage and Culture are gifts from past generations and a legacy for our future. From historic monuments and museums to living heritage and contemporary art forms, culture enriches our lives in so many ways, and builds inclusive, innovative, tolerant and resilient communities. Protecting, safeguarding and promoting the world’s cultural and natural heritage, intangible cultural heritage and supporting the dynamic creative economy are fundamental to addressing the challenges of our time. 

UNESCO follows guidelines based on international normative instruments – conventions, recommendations, and declarations – ratified by the United Republic of Tanzania. In common, these documents deal with protecting, promoting, and appreciating people's cultural identity. Thus, identifying, protecting and valuing cultural heritage, tangible or intangible, are at the centre of UNESCO's attention in the field of culture.

In line with the regional strategy and priority programmes, the Culture Programme focuses primarily on supporting the United Republic of Tanzania with the implementation of five international conventions in the field of culture, which Tanzania has ratified, as well as the 1980 Recommendation on the Status of The Artist, 2015 Museum Recommendation and 2011 Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) Recommendation. Tanzania is yet to ratify the 2001 Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage. The following are the five Conventions that Tanzania has ratified:

•       Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (Ratified on 18 October 2011)

•       Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (Ratified on 18 October 2011)

•       Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (Ratified on 02 August 1977)

•       Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property (Ratified on 02 August 1977)

•       Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict + First Protocol (1954) and Second Protocol (1999) (Ratified on 23 September 1971)

The Culture Sector at UNESCO aims to safeguard, preserve, protect and promote culture and heritage, and to leverage the use of the culture and creative industries for sustainable development. 

UNESCO encourages the United Republic of Tanzania in identification, protection and preservation of cultural and natural heritage that are considered to be of outstanding value to humanity.  Since 1977, Tanzania has been a signatory to the 1972 Convention for the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage. By signing the Convention, the country pledge to conserve not only the World Heritage sites situated on its territory, but also to protect its national heritage. World Heritage is of fundamental importance for peoples' memory, identity and creativity and the richness of cultures. UNESCO supports the Government in promoting the management and protection of cultural and natural heritage including World Heritage Sites. 

The United Republic of Tanzania has seven sites inscribed on the World Heritage List as either natural, cultural or mixed site as follows:

Cultural (3)

• Kondoa Rock Art site
• Ruins of Kilwa Kisiwani and Ruins of Songo Mnara
• Stone Town Zanzibar

Natural (3)

• Kilimanjaro National Park
• Selous Game Reserves 
• Serengeti National Park

Mixed (1)

• Ngorongoro Conservation Area

Cultural heritage includes traditions or living expressions inherited from our ancestors and passed on to our descendants, such as , , ,  or the . An understanding of the intangible cultural heritage of different communities helps with intercultural dialogue and encourages mutual respect for other ways of life. The importance of intangible cultural heritage is not the cultural manifestation itself but rather the wealth of knowledge and skills that is transmitted through it from one generation to the next. UNESCO supports the government of Tanzania in safeguarding, preservation, protection and promotion of culture and heritage. 

The objective is to increase resilience and sustainability and harness the power of creativity through the development and implementation of sound policy frameworks and mechanisms that are essential in positively stimulating the creative economy and building an enabling environment for sustainable development. UNESCO Tanzania encourages public policies, partnerships and projects that value cultural diversity, fully ensure respect for cultural rights, and promote access to culture for all.

UNESCO supports the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expression and fosters the contribution of culture to the implementation of the 2030 agenda for sustainable development, and the attainment of the Africa Union’s Agenda 2063, in particular, Aspiration 5 “Africa with a strong Cultural Identity Common Heritage, Values and Ethics” at the local and national level.

UNESCO aims to foster and promote sustainable usage, protection, conservation, and management of the rich cultural and heritage assets and resources present in the country. Facilitation of cultural tourism development its social-economic potential through the development of cultural and creative industries. Within the framework of UNESCO’s Mandate on Culture in all its forms: natural and cultural; tangible and intangible; movable and immovable heritage as well as cultural and creative industries, the objective is to support the Country developing sustainable cultural tourism.

The programme focuses on the virtual World Heritage, by preserving and digitizing World Heritage sites archives in East Africa, supporting the development of e-platforms, apps and game and providing digital access to the sites and their archives.