UNESCO selects South Korea to host 2026 World Heritage Committee meeting

On July 15, at the 47th session of the World Heritage Committee of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Paris (France), Korea was officially selected as the host country of the 48th session of the committee, scheduled to take place in July next year.

In South Korea, the global event to recognize and preserve the world 's common heritage will take place in 2026 in the southeastern city of Busan. This will be the first time the East Asian country has hosted the session since the committee was established in 1977. Previous Asian host cities include Phuket, Thailand in 1994, Kyoto, Japan in 1998, Suzhou, China in 2004 and Phnom Penh, Cambodia in 2013.

The 47th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee at UNESCO headquarters in Paris.

As the host country, South Korea will take the lead in coordinating the committee's work during the 2026 session, overseeing the meeting schedule and managing the procedures that shape the meeting's progress.

Established by the 1972 World Heritage Convention, the World Heritage Committee is one of UNESCO's most important executive bodies, with the power to decide on key issues relating to the inscription of cultural and natural world heritage sites. The Committee also reviews reports on the state of conservation of inscribed sites and calls on member states to take action when these sites are in danger.

The annual session brings together some 3,000 delegates, including representatives from 196 member states and the Director-General of UNESCO, for a week of dialogue and discussion. Only 21 elected committee member states are eligible to host the session. South Korea, currently in its fourth term as a member (2023–2027), is eligible to host under the rules.

The beauty of Busan city (Korea).

“This year is particularly meaningful because it marks the 30th anniversary of Korea’s first World Heritage site,” said Choi Eung Chon, former director of the Korea Heritage Administration. The three sites he mentioned—Haeinsa Temple, which houses the 13th-century “Tripitaka Koreana” woodblock prints; Jongmyo Shrine, which houses ancestral tablets from the Joseon Dynasty (1392–1910); and Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple in Gyeongju, the capital of the ancient Silla Kingdom (57 BC–AD 935)—were all listed in 1995.

According to VNA

Source: https://baobacninhtv.vn/unesco-lua-chon-han-quoc-dang-cai-ky-hop-uy-ban-di-san-the-gioi-nam-2026-postid421992.bbg