A Pioneer in America
 
On March 29, 2007, the Association of Friends accepted a new challenge in its constant vocation for public service and cultural achievements: the launching of a UNESCO Chair of Cultural Tourism.  It is the first of its kind on the American continent, and is the result of joint cooperation with the Tres de Febrero National University (Untref).
Both institutions, with the sponsorship of UNESCO, took on the responsibility of organizing the necessary training, information, documentation and research in the field of cultural tourism in Argentina and Latin America .  
Ours is one of only three Cultural Tourism Chairs in the world: there is one at Paris 1- Panthéon Sorbonne University , and the other one at the International Tourism Academy of the Russian Federation . It is also part of the world network of UNESCO Chairs of Culture, Tourism and Development.  
The Director of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, recognized the pioneering role of the Association chaired by Mrs. Nelly Arrieta de Blaquier in the long process that was necessary to make this project possible, and thanked "the Association’s President for the commitment and enthusiasm she deployed from the very beginning, to achieve the launching of this Chair".
The Agreement, co-signed by the President of UNTREF, Lic. Aníbal Jozami, turned into reality a project of significant consequences for the country and the region, focused on two basic objectives: 1) recognizing that the heritage has a role to play in the life of society and including its protection in development policies; 2) train and raise the awareness of all stakeholder about a field that is increasingly becoming in one of the drivers of regional and world economy.
 
Website: www.turismoculturalun.org.ar