UNESCO adopts Busan Declaration for global heritage preservation

BUSAN — As armed conflict and climate change threaten heritage sites around the globe, government officials and experts participating in the 48th UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Busan adopted a new declaration calling for international collaboration to shield vulnerable cultural and natural assets from damage.

The agreement — dubbed the Busan Declaration on World Heritage — also encouraged transparent and responsible use of digital technologies in identifying, recording and preserving heritage.

The participants passed the declaration by consensus during the opening business session of the committee’s 48th meeting, hosted by Korea in the southeastern port city of Busan.

It marks the first time Korea has hosted the meeting since joining the UNESCO World Heritage Convention in 1988.

The core of the declaration officially elevates "collaboration" as the new "sixth C" of the strategic objectives of its heritage framework.

The new pillar integrates global cooperation as a key guiding principle alongside the previous "Five Cs": conservation, credibility, capacity-building, communicat ...