site.btaLIK Editor-In-Chief Lozanov: UNESCO Gives National Cultures Chance to Become Part of World Culture

UNESCO gives national cultures a chance to become part of world culture, LIK magazine Editor-in-chief Georgi Lozanov said here on Monday during a launch of the July issue of the monthly magazine. The event was held at the headquarters of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, as well as at Bulgarian News Agency's (BTA) MaxiM Multimedia Centre in Sofia and at the agency's national press clubs in Bulgaria.

He added: "This is the culture in which you enter with your greatest national achievements and when they become part of the world culture, they begin to belong to everyone. It is no longer just Bulgarian heritage when it goes through the mechanism and evaluation at UNESCO, it is the heritage of everyone who lives on the planet. And not only who lives on the planet now, but it is a heritage that is passed on from generation to generation. It is a special feeling - a cultural identity based on world culture, which can happen thanks to organizations such as UNESCO or such as the Nobel Prize, and other forms that manage to give global value to national achievements and are undoubtedly a very important cue against aggression, simplicity and boredom, which are, unfortunately, inexorable."

"Beyond the undoubted symbolic role of this issue, which comes out at this time when Bulgaria holds the presidency of the UNESCO session, there is a pragmatic side - it can represent the rich activities of UNESCO. Because UNESCO is one of those phenomenal institutions whose role we feel we know very well, but it is so rich and diverse that we cannot give a strong enough impression that we have penetrated their complex institutionality", said Lozanov. In his words, this issue will show the media narrative about UNESCO, how the organization's activities have gone through the news, what were the reactions in Bulgaria to the events in which the organization has been involved.

"There is something specific - there is no break or change of attitude before 1989 and after. Because UNESCO is an organization that, to the greatest extent, overcomes political prejudices. In the same way, both under socialism and afterwards, in the transition to democracy, it continues to be the focus of public attention and, in a sense, public enthusiasm."

The 47th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee runs until July 16 at UNESCO’s headquarters in Paris under the presidency of Bulgaria. As part of the session, Bulgaria will present elements of its cultural and natural heritage. Later Monday, the July issue of LIK magazine – dedicated to Bulgaria and UNESCO – will also be officially presented at UNESCO.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) was founded on November 16, 1945. Bulgaria became a member on May 17, 1956, the same year its National Commission for UNESCO was established. The Commission coordinates activities between Bulgarian institutions and UNESCO.

UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee is one of the two governing bodies responsible for implementing the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. It is composed of representatives from 21 countries elected from among the 196 States Parties to the Convention.