S. Korea to host UNESCO World Heritage meeting for 1st time in 2026
SEOUL, July 16 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will host the 48th annual session of UNESCO's World Heritage Committee next year in the southeastern port city of Busan, the committee has said.
The decision was made during the committee's ongoing meeting at UNESCO headquarters in Paris on Tuesday, marking the first time that South Korea will serve as host of the annual gathering, which determines new additions to the World Heritage list.
The 2026 session is scheduled to take place in Busan, located about 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul, next July.
"It is a great honor for us to host the 48th session of the World Heritage Committee in Busan, Republic of Korea," Choi Eung-chun, head of the Korea Heritage Service (KHS), said in his acceptance speech, referring to South Korea by its official name.
Choi pledged to spare no effort to make next year's meeting a success and a chance to reaffirm "our shared responsibility for heritage common to all humanity."
The World Heritage Committee is responsible for the implementation of the World Heritage Convention and the protection of cultural and natural sites of outstanding universal value.
The committee has previously convened in several Asian cities, including Phuket, Thailand (1994); Kyoto, Japan (1998); Suzhou (2004) and Fuzhou (2021, held virtually) of China; Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, Cambodia (2013); and New Delhi, India (2024).
The upcoming session in Busan will mark the first time South Korea hosts the meeting 38 years after it joined the World Heritage Convention.
About 3,000 participants are expected to attend, including representatives from 196 member states, UNESCO Director General Audrey Azoulay, academic experts and delegates from nongovernmental organizations.
In addition to the general meeting, various side events for sharing and discussing recent developments in World Heritage preservation and management will also take place, providing opportunities for experts in the field to exchange ideas and network.
The KHS and the Busan metropolitan government are discussing ways to hold the meeting from July 19-29 with the BEXCO convention center expected to serve as the main venue.
The chairperson who will preside over next year's committee session has not yet been appointed.
Under the Rules of Procedure of the World Heritage Committee, the chair manages the overall proceedings of the committee's meetings, overseeing agenda discussions and granting speaking rights. The position is typically filled by an expert in the cultural field.
The KHS said it plans to nominate a chair in the near future.
sshim@yna.co.kr
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