site.btaRepublic of Korea to Host 2026 UNESCO World Heritage Committee Session

The Republic of Korea will host the 48th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee. The selection was announced during the Committee's 47th session in Paris on Tuesday. The session will take place in the city of Busan.

Since the host country did not appoint a chairperson, Prof. Nikolay Nenov, who chaired the 47th session, will temporarily act as chairperson of the 48th session.

Expert decisions regarding the work of the World Heritage Committee were discussed, one of which was a new strategy for capacity building within the framework of World Heritage. This concerns the way in which all experts involved in the preservation and management of World Heritage sites are trained. A new method and a schedule for preparing periodic reports were also adopted.

A decision was adopted, approving some of the recommendations of the Ad Hoc Working Group for updating the Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention.

The 47th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, held under the presidency of Bulgaria, runs until July 16 at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. As part of the session, Bulgaria presents elements of its cultural and natural heritage. 

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.