In 1992, UNESCO launched the UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs Programme, a cornerstone instrument of multilateral scientific cooperation that connects universities and research centres worldwide around themes of critical importance for humanity's educational, scientific, and cultural development. Today the programme stands as one of the principal institutional channels through which the international academic community contributes to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, the climate transition, and the production of shared knowledge for global governance.

The UNITWIN network encompasses hundreds of chairs across more than one hundred countries. In Italy, UNESCO Chairs constitute a system of excellence recognised at European level, embedded in research networks funded by competitive EU programmes - including Horizon Europe, LIFE, Interreg, and the National Recovery and Resilience Plan - and in the negotiating processes of the leading UN agencies, from UNEP to UNFCCC.

The Università Iuav di Venezia, in the centenary year of its foundation (1926–2026), hosts two UNESCO Chairs, reflecting the university's international vocation and its commitment to applied research on the major transitions of our time. Through initiatives such as PIONEER – a European alliance for sustainable urban development – and the Polo del Mare, an integrated platform for maritime research and governance in the Adriatic area, Iuav brings the scientific contribution of its Chairs from the lecture halls of Venice to European and international policy tables, establishing itself as a strategic node at the intersection of heritage, climate, and urban innovation.