New York, April 14 -- Faced with alarming and extended closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the world's museums are of "fundamental importance" to reviving cultural life and preserving our shared heritage "in all its diversity", said the UN cultural agency chief on Tuesday.

According to the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the entire cultural sector has been severely affected by the pandemic, with museums hit particularly hard.

Based on data from 104,000 museums provided by 87 Member States, UNESCO has published a new update on its report from last year, Museums around the world in the face of COVID-19.

The newly published report estimates that in 2020, nearly 90 per cent of museums had been closed for a...