India to Host the 46th Session of UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee

Context: India to host the 46th session of UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee.

46th Session of the World Heritage Committee

This will be the First instance of India hosting the meeting of the World Heritage Committee.

The event positions India as the focal point for global discussions on preserving cultural and historical heritage, presenting a momentous opportunity to showcase India’s rich cultural legacy on the world stage.

Established: It was established under the Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (World Heritage Convention) adopted by the General Conference of UNESCO at its seventeenth session on 16 November 1972.
Members: 21 States Parties to the convention Elected by General Assembly comprising: Argentina, Belgium, Bulgaria, Greece, India, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Lebanon Mexico, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Rwanda, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, Türkiye, Ukraine, Viet Nam, and Zambia.
- According to the World Heritage Convention, a Committee member’s term of office is for six years.
Responsibilities of World Heritage Committee

- Implementation: It implements the provisions of the World Heritage Convention, defines the use of the World Heritage Fund and allocates financial assistance.
- Prepares World Heritage Sites list: It has the final say on whether a property is inscribed on the World Heritage List.
- Monitoring conservation efforts: It examines reports on the state of conservation of inscribed properties and asks States Parties to take action when properties are not being properly managed.
- It also decides on the inscription or deletion of properties on the List of World Heritage in Danger.

About: It is a United Nations Specialized Agency founded in 1945 as the successor to the League of Nations’ International Committee on Intellectual Cooperation
Aim: To contribute to peace and security by promoting international cooperation in education, sciences, culture, communication and information.
Members: 194 member states including India and 12 associate members as of 2023.
- Membership of the United Nations carries with it the right to membership of UNESCO: Israel, Liechtenstein, are not member states of UNESCO
Headquarters: Paris
Reports: UN World Water Development report and Global Education Monitoring Report
India and Unesco: India has 42 sites in the World heritage site list with the most recent additions being Shantiniketan and Sacred ensembles of Hoysalas in 2023.

Adopted : The Convention of Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage was adopted by the General Conference of UNESCO on 16 November 1972.
Treaty Aim: It is an International treaty that links the concept of nature preservation and protection of cultural properties and the fundamental need to preserve the balance between the two.
Objective: By signing the Convention, each country pledges to conserve not only the World Heritage sites situated on its territory, but also to protect its national heritage. The member nations have to identify potential sites in their country and need to protect and preserve them.

Also Refer: UNESCO’s World Heritage List

News source: livemint