site.btaNew Issue of LIK Magazine Not Only Valuable for UNESCO Session, Also Valuable for Young People, Says UNESCO Regional Centre Director

The new issue of BTA's LIK magazine is not only valuable for the UNESCO session, but also for all young people, Irena Todorova, Executive Director of the Regional Centre for safeguarding the intangible cultural heritage in South East Europe, said 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.

This event is taking place on the day of the official opening of the 47th Session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, as part of the session’s accompanying programme, which this year is held in the French capital under Bulgarian presidency, from July 6 to July 16.

“The regional centre, which is located in Sofia, represents 17 countries and goes far beyond South East Europe. In all our hard work on the protection and promotion of intangible cultural heritage, we strive to constantly preserve memory, to preserve living legacies and all the while to seek dialogue, conversation and cooperation not only in the Balkans, but also beyond,” Todorova stressed.

“Undoubtedly, this centre has a huge contribution to the preservation of intangible cultural heritage in Bulgaria, but it would not have been possible without the efforts of a number of institutions that are directly involved, such as the Culture Ministry, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Commission for UNESCO and the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. I can also add the Bulgarian News Agency, which is largely engaged in archiving heritage, digitizing it and transmitting it as culture and knowledge to future generations,” she added.

“The new issue of BTA's LIK magazine is not only valuable for the UNESCO session, but it is also valuable for all those young people who will unfold the pages of this magazine and, I believe, will be proud of the achievements of the Bulgarian state and all the elements inscribed in the world treasury of culture, which is UNESCO,” Todorova concluded.

The 47th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, chaired by Bulgaria, runs until July 16 at UNESCO’s headquarters in Paris. 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 – was also 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.