Paris, July 04 (QNA) - South Korea's Busan will host the 48th session of the World Heritage Committee of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) from July 19 to 29, in which representatives from States Parties to the World Heritage Convention, along with experts and international organizations specializing in the protection of cultural and natural heritage, will participate.
The nomination of new sites to the World Heritage List tops the agenda of this session. The Committee will examine, among other things, nominations for the inscription of 30 new sites on the World Heritage List, as well as proposals concerning three sites already on the List.
It will also examine the state of conservation of 147 sites already inscribed on the List, assessing their conservation condition and reviewing the challenges they face, including the effects of climate change, armed conflict, urbanization, and tourism and environmental pressures.
The issue of sites inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger receives special attention, with the Committee reviewing the conservation status reports for these sites and making appropriate decisions regarding their continued inscription, removal from the List, or the adoption of additional measures for their protection.
The meeting will also discuss reports and recommendations from the three advisory bodies to the World Heritage Convention: the International Council on Monuments and Sites, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property. In addition, it will explore ways to enhance the participation of indigenous peoples, capacity-building programs, regional strategies, and updating the Convention's operational guidelines.
The World Heritage Committee is one of the two governing bodies ofآ the Conventionآ Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. It is composed of representatives from 21 States elected from among the 196 States Parties to the Convention.
The Committee is responsible for implementing the Convention, including examining new nominations for inclusion on the World Heritage List and assessing the state of conservation of already inscribed sites, based on analyses provided by the Advisory Bodies and the UNESCO Secretariat. (QNA)