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04 July 2018 Next Session Will be held in Azerbaijan, The World heritage Committee meeting 42nd has Ended
Next Session Will be held in Azerbaijan, The World heritage Committee meeting 42nd has Ended

 

After 10 days of continuous deliberations, the 42nd World Heritage Committee meeting closed on Wednesday, 4 July 2018, at UNESCO Village where the meeting of the World Heritage Committee is being held.

The final statement made during the last session of the Committee on 4 July, 2018, confirmed the added sites, removal or change of status of other archaeological sites around the world. The statement also announced that the next session of the World Heritage Committee will be held in Baku, capital of Azerbaijan. Worth to mention HE Shaikha Haya bint Rashed Al Khalifa, Chaired the 42nd Session of the World Heritage Committee, and received sincere appreciation and gratitude from members Word heritage Committee, made up of 21 member states, who lauded the good organization and professional management of deliberations. The participants also lauded the warm welcome and friendly environment work-ethic atmosphere they enjoyed during their stay in the Kingdom of Bahrain during WHC session , which the second most important event of UNESCO after the General Assembly of 1972 World Heritage Convention.

Bahrain Authority for Culture & Antiquities, keen to make the accommodation of Bahrain’s world guests as much perfect and enjoyable as possible, held a final music concert on 3 July 2018. The event was attended by more than 500 participants at WHC meeting, HE Shaikha Haya bint Rashed Al Khalifa, Mrs Mechtild Rössler , Director of the Division for Heritage and the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, representatives of consultative bodies of World Heritage Convention, many experts and journalists. During the event, HE Shaikha Haya bint Rashed Al Khalifa thanked H.E Shaikha Mai bint Mohammed Al Khalifa for the trust and faith manifested in her ability to chair and manage the sessions of the WHC, expressing her satisfaction with the wonderful work H.E has done in cooperation with all experts from around the world during the 10 days- meeting. H.E also thanked members of the WHC, consultative bodies of World Heritage Convention for their constant efforts to safeguard and protect world heritage, stating that the Kingdom of Bahrain supports and encourages world efforts to enhance cultural and historical exchange plans between peoples to achieve sustainable development globally.

H.E Shaikha Mai bint Mohammed Al Khalifa, for her part, expressed her sincere gratitude and appreciation to HE Shaikha Haya bint Rashed Al Khalifa for her relentless professional efforts in managing and chairing the deliberations of the 42nd World Heritage Committee meeting sessions. H.E also thanked all those who have contributed in the protection and safeguard of world heritage, starting with UNESCO team, World Heritage Center, BACA’s work team and all who made this event a bright success. H.E said “ Congratulations to all countries who succeeded to register their heritage sites on World Heritage List”, arguing that this success is certainly shared and celebrated through the world, given that it belongs to humanity and worth preserving and safeguarding for the future generations.
Mrs Mechtild Rössler, on behalf of all participants at the 42nd World Heritage Committee meeting session, expressed sincere gratitude to the Kingdom of Bahrain for the generous hospitability and world-standards perfect organization of this important event, which is considered as an ideal opportunity to celebrate culture as the langua franca of the whole world.

The closing ceremony ended with an amazing two music performances performed by Mohammad Bin Faris Music Band, presenting a selection of different rhythms and songs that reflect richness of oral and music traditional Bahraini, such as Al-Sawt art, al Bastah, al Khammari and others. The second concert phase, portrayed as “Bahrain’s Rising Stars”, featured three well-known Bahraini Jazz bands, including the Gypsy Jazz-influenced Mohammed Rashid Trio, AQ’s smooth blend of jazz, swing, and blues-era.
Indeed, the 42nd World Heritage Committee meeting closed on 4 July 2018 in Bahrain’s capital Manama, with 19 new sites inscribed to the World Heritage List. The meeting, which opened on June 24, added 13 cultural sites, three natural sites and three mixed ones to the World Heritage List, including Germany’s Naumburg Cathedral, Kenya’s Thimlich Ohinga Archaeological Site, Oman’s Ancient City of Qalhat, China’s Mount Fanjingshan and France’s Chaine des Puys. The World Heritage List now contains 1,092 sites in 167 countries. The committee also decided to inscribe Lake Turkana National Parks in Kenya to the List of World Heritage in Danger, while removing the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System from the list.
Worth to mention that UNESCO’s 42ndWorld Heritage Committee session, held under the High Patronage of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa , May God Protect Him, at Bahrain Ritz Carlton Hotel that has contributed and facilitated the setting of a specially set tent designed for the 42nd session of UNESCO World Heritage Committee meeting. Ammar Basheir Designs & Creative art bureau has elaborated the idea of setting a UNESCO village, and that the same bureau had previously promoted Bahrain in UNESCO meetings abroad as a representative of Bahrain Authority for Culture & Antiquities.

Worth to mention also that the Kingdom of Bahrain won the vast majority of votes during the World Heritage Committee (WHC) Presidency session, held during the 21st session of the General Assembly of State Parties to the 1972 World Heritage Convention held on November 14-15, 2017 at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. Thus, the 42nd was chaired by H.E Shaikha Haya bint Rashid Al-Khalifa. Presidency of the World Heritage Committee was also granted to Bahrain in 2011 when H.E Shaikha Mai bint Mohammed Al Khalifa, Minister of Culture at that time, was nominated as its president.

The 42nd World Heritage Committee meeting came amid a very diversified celebrating programme prepared by BACA and festivities honouring Muharraq as the Capital of Islamic Culture 2018, featuring many world shows and events, innovative culture seasons, art exhibitions from all over the world and many more. The 42nd WHC meeting will coincide also with two other important meetings; “World Heritage Young Professionals Forum 2018” to be held from 17-26 June 2018, and “World Heritage Site Managers Forum 2018”, to be from 21-June 28-Jun-2018. The event will be an opportunity to exchange expertise and know-how between all specialists and experts around the world.

Worth to mention that The World Heritage Convention was adopted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) General Conference at its 17th session in Paris on 16 November 1972. The Convention came into force in 1976 by listing famous sites on the World Heritage List, after a very long process, when it obtained the approval of states around the world. In early 2018, 193 countries had ratified the World Heritage Convention, which means practically most of world countries. The World Heritage Committee is composed of representatives from 21 States Parties to the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage elected by the General Assembly of States Parties to the Convention. After meetings and deliberations of the World Heritage Committee, more than 1000 sites from 164 countries were registered. The Convention is governed by the World Heritage Committee supported by the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, the secretariat for the Convention, and three technical advisory bodies to the Committee: IUCN, ICOMOS, ICCROM. IUCN is the Advisory Body on natural heritage. It monitors listed sites and evaluates sites nominated to the World Heritage List, in accordance with the relevant natural criteria for selection. ICOMOS, the International Council on Monuments and Sites, is a global non-governmental organization associated with UNESCO. Its mission is to promote the conservation, protection, use and enhancement of monuments, building complexes and sites. ICOMOS is an Advisory Body of the World Heritage Committee for the implementation of the World Heritage Convention of UNESCO. As such, it reviews the nominations of cultural world heritage and ensures the conservation status of properties. ICCROM is an intergovernmental organization dedicated to the conservation of cultural heritage. Its members are individual states, which have declared their adhesion to it. It is the only institution of its kind with a worldwide mandate to promote the conservation of all types of cultural heritage, both movable and immovable.