Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to chair the 46th session of the World Heritage Committee here on Sunday, a major UNESCO event hosted by India for the first time from July 21 to 31.
The Prime Minister's Office said Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, will also attend the inaugural event at the Bharat Mandapam.
Prime Minister Modi will deliver a speech at the meeting. More than 2,000 representatives from more than 150 countries will attend the conference.
The Planning Office stated that during the 11-day meeting, proposals for the nomination of new sites to the UNESCO World Heritage List, reports on the protection status of 124 existing World Heritage sites, international assistance and the use of World Heritage funds will be discussed. said in a statement.
According to the Ministry of Culture, the 46th World Heritage Committee will review 27 nominated projects from all over the world, including 19 cultural sites, 4 natural sites and 2 mixed sites.
Among them, India’s 2023-24 nomination “Moidams” will be reviewed under the cultural property category.
“ICOMOS has positively recommended Moidams for inclusion in the list, which means it meets all these parameters,” Janhwij Sharma, additional director-general of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), told reporters on Friday.
For the first time, India is hosting a meeting of the World Heritage Committee and the venue, Bharat Mandapam, and its surrounding areas have been carefully decorated for the occasion.
India and other countries also hosted side events.
There are also plans to offer a shopping experience for indigenous handicrafts, besides excursions and tours and programs to showcase India’s digital expertise.
Officials said the Ministry of Tourism organized the exhibition, while the Ministry of Railways, Mines and Electronics and Information also organized the exhibition.
In addition, various exhibitions on handlooms and handicrafts will be held at the Bharat Mandapam to showcase the culture and traditions of India.
“The Return of Treasures exhibition will display some of the cultural relics brought back to China. So far, more than 350 cultural relics have been brought back.
“In addition, through the use of the latest AR (Augmented Reality) and VR (Virtual Reality) technologies, immersive experiences will be provided for three World Heritage Sites in India: Ranikiwaf, Patan, Gujarat; Kailasa Temple, Ellora Caves, Maharashtra; and Hoysala Temple, Halebid, Karnataka,” the statement said.
The Planning Office said it will also set up an “Incredible India” exhibition to highlight India's rich cultural heritage, ancient civilizations, geographical diversity and tourist destinations, as well as modern developments in information technology and infrastructure.
The World Heritage Committee meets annually and is responsible for managing all matters concerning World Heritage and deciding which sites should be included on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
To date, 1,199 properties have been included in the World Heritage List by 168 States Parties. The Culture Ministry said on Friday that all matters related to the World Heritage Convention are considered during meetings of the World Heritage Committee.
The World Heritage Committee is composed of representatives of the 21 States Parties to the World Heritage Convention and is elected by the General Conference of UNESCO. Current WHC members include India, Argentina, Belgium, Italy, Ukraine and Vietnam.
India was elected as a member of the 21-member WHC at the 23rd General Assembly in 2021 for a four-year term (2021-2025). This is India's fourth term in the WHC. India has been a member of the WHC for three terms: 1985-1991, 2001-2007 and 2011-2015.
In addition to the plenary session of the Bharat Mandapam, the 46th session of the World Heritage Committee also arranged parallel meetings, including the World Heritage Young Professionals Forum and the World Heritage Managers Forum.
The World Heritage Young Professionals Forum will take place from 14 to 23 July, bringing together young people and heritage experts to promote cross-cultural learning and exchange. It provides young people with the opportunity to discover and discuss common conservation issues and explore new roles in heritage conservation.
The World Heritage Managers Forum will be held from 18 to 25 July.
The statement said that India has 42 heritage sites included in the World Heritage List, including 34 cultural sites, 7 natural sites and 1 mixed heritage.
Twelve sites have been added in the past 10 years, including inscriptions for Santiniketan (West Bengal) and Hoysalas Sacred Ensembles (Karnataka) during the 45th WHC Extended Session held in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) last year .
Based on the number of World Heritage sites, India is the sixth country on the list and the second in the Asia-Pacific region. In addition, India has 57 sites on the World Heritage Tentative List.
(This article has not been edited by News18 staff and is published by PTI)
