The first meeting of the working group on the organization of the 2022 session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Kazan was held on September 15 in the Kazan Kremlin. It was chaired by Mintimer Shaimiev, the State Counselor of the Republic of Tatarstan and UNESCO Special Envoy for Intercultural Dialogue.
In early 2020, Rustam Minnikhanov, President of Tatarstan, submitted a proposal to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation to hold the 2022 session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Kazan. Sergey Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, supported this initiative.
Shaimiev opened the meeting, stating, “What’s very important is that Russian President Vladimir Putin supports Tatarstan’s proposal. That shows great trust. We need to be well prepared. We have something to show the world community, the representatives of the Committee’s 190 Member States and guests of the session. Our Republic is steadily and successfully advancing, with a maintained commitment to the preservation of cultural heritage. In recent years, three historical sites in Tatarstan have been recognized for their Outstanding Universal Value. Despite the difficulties of the pandemic, we need to be 100-percent prepared. We have the experience, time, and capabilities.”
Nikolai Ovsiyenko, Deputy Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation, noted that the guests were deeply impressed by the value and respect for history and culture in Tatarstan.
“I just saw the stands about the Republican Renaissance Foundation’s work in Sviyazhsk and Bolgar. This careful, deeply scientific and measured respect for heritage is precisely what inspired our country to plan the 2022 session of the Committee here. We see Tatarstan’s work. Three sites were recently included in the World Heritage List,” said Nikolai Ovsiyenko.
According to Grigory Ordzhonikidze, Secretary-General of the Commission of the Russian Federation for UNESCO, Ambassador at Large of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, this 2022 jubilee session will mark the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the Convention concerning the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage. An official letter has been sent to the UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay to nominate Kazan for the event.
Grigory Ordzhonikidze recalled his experience working with the Republic of Tatarstan in 2012, when the 36th session of the World Heritage Committee was held in St. Petersburg for the first time. That year, the first Youth Model of the Committee was created in Kazan and a teleconference was held between the adult and youth sessions. A similar plan has been proposed for 2022. A Federal Organizing Committee will be formed to prepare and conduct the session.
Source: realnoevremya.ru