New Delhi: India will host and chair the 46th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee from 21st to 31st July 2024, marking the first time that the country will preside over the prestigious event. Vishal V Sharma, India’s permanent representative to UNESCO, announced the news on Tuesday.
The World Heritage Committee is a body of 21 countries that are elected by the General Conference of UNESCO for a term of six years. The committee is responsible for implementing the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, which was adopted in 1972. The committee meets annually to examine the state of conservation of the sites inscribed on the World Heritage List and to inscribe new sites that demonstrate outstanding universal value.
The current members of the World Heritage Committee are Argentina, Belgium, Bulgaria, Greece, India, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Lebanon, Mexico, Qatar, the Republic of Korea, Rwanda, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, Turkey, Ukraine, Vietnam and Zambia.
The 46th session of the World Heritage Committee will also celebrate the inclusion of Santiniketan, the cultural and educational hub founded by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore, in the World Heritage List. The decision was made by the committee during its 45th session held in Saudi Arabia in September 2023. Santiniketan is the ninth site from India to be inscribed on the list, joining monuments such as the Taj Mahal, the Red Fort, and the Khajuraho temples.
