The UNESCO World Heritage Committee, which decides on world heritage registrations, will be held in Busan in July next year. This is the first time the World Heritage Committee is being held in Korea, 38 years after joining the World Heritage Convention in 1988.
The UNESCO World Heritage Committee selected Korea as the host country for the 48th World Heritage Committee in a meeting held on the 15th (local time) at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France.
Administrator Choi Eung-cheon said in the acceptance speech, "I am very honored that the 48th UNESCO World Heritage Committee will be held in Busan, Korea."
Choi noted, "Korea has consistently contributed to the UNESCO World Heritage Fund and strengthened practical support from the international community for heritage protection," adding, "We will make all preparations to ensure that the World Heritage Committee held in Busan reaffirms our responsibility for heritage shared by all mankind and proceeds successfully."
The World Heritage Committee is an international meeting that discusses world heritage. In this meeting, new world heritage sites with Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) that must be protected for all humanity are registered, and preservation and protection are discussed. The selection of endangered heritages or key policies related to heritage may also be determined.
The meeting next year is expected to be held in mid-July. The Korea Heritage Service and the Busan city government are reviewing plans to hold the meeting from July 19 to 29. BEXCO is likely to be the venue for the committee. However, since there are several variables, including summer rainfalls, the final schedule will be decided through discussions.
The World Heritage Committee typically holds meetings between June and July, with 21 member countries elected by the general assembly as the core. The 47th committee will begin on the 6th and is scheduled to conclude on the 16th.
Since the committee first convened in Paris, France, in 1977, it has been held in Asia in places such as Phuket, Thailand (1994), Kyoto, Japan (1998), Suzhou (2004) and Fuzhou (2021, conducted virtually) in China, Phnom Penh and Siem Reap in Cambodia (2013), and New Delhi, India (2024). Korea will host the meeting for the first time in 38 years since joining the convention in 1988.
About 3,000 people will attend the meeting, including delegations from the 196 countries of the World Heritage Convention, the UNESCO Secretary-General, academic experts, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Not only will there be a general assembly, but various side events will also take place to share and discuss recent trends in world heritage and preservation and management status, making it a venue for experts related to world heritage to exchange ideas.