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News丨47th Session of the World Heritage Committee Kicks Off
　 PublishDate：2025-07-11　 Hits：52



UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France

   The 47th session of the World Heritage Committee (6 July-16 July) commenced at UNESCO Headquartersin Paris on Sunday, 6 July 2025, at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France., with the Plenary starting on Monday 7 July with the examination of the firs items of the Agenda (see more info at https://whc.unesco.org/en/committee). 

   Under the leadership of Chairperson Prof. Nikolay Nenov (Bulgaria), supported by Rapporteur Ms. Joelle Bucyana (Rwanda) and Vice-Chairpersons from Belgium, Mexico, Qatar, Republic of Korea, and Zambia, during the following 10 days, the Committee will examine and discuss thematic initiatives, the reports of the activities of the World Heritage Centre, the Advisory Bodies (ICOMOS, ICCROM, IUCN) and of UNESCO Category 2 Centers such as WHITR-AP. It will discuss the conservation and management of the World Heritage inscribed on the List which is the key responsibility of State Parties to the Convention. 

   The Committee will examine also inscription proposals on the World Heritage List. The 21 Committee members are Argentina, Belgium,Bulgaria, Greece, India, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Lebanon, Mexico, Qatar,Republic of Korea, Rwanda, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,  Senegal, Türkiye, Ukraine VieNam, Zambia.


47th session of the World Heritage Committee

Opening address

   In the opening ceremony, the Director-General (DG) Audrey Azoulay kicked off the session by delivering a powerful opening address that framed heritage as “Our shared legacy and a beacon of hope”. Against the backdrop of 1,200+ World Heritage sites spanning 4.8 million square kilometers across 196 States Parties, Azoulay underscored urgent global challenges: one-third of natural sites and 20% of cultural sites now face severe climate impacts, with Mediterranean heritage cities particularly vulnerable. 


Director-General (DG) Audrey Azoulay delivering  opening address

   She highlighted UNESCO’s deployment of georeferencing tools for real-time risk monitoring and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia supported “Dive into Heritage” platform as critical innovations. Equally emphasized was UNESCO’s equity-driven agenda, including capacity-building programs across 27 unrepresented African nations and post-conflict recovery in Mosul (US$115 million reconstruction) and Gaza (satellite damage assessment). The Director-General closed by invoking philosopher Julia Kristeva’s vision of humanity’s essence in uniqueness, urging "tangible multilateralism" to combat climate change, war, and inequality.


Keynote address

   Bulgarian Minister of Culture Marian Bachev also delivered a keynote address, framing two urgent priorities for global heritage conservation.

   First, he championed youth empowerment as the cornerstone of intergenerational responsibility, asserting that young people must become active custodians of cultural memory to transmit "a sense of belonging and identity" to future generations. Highlighting Bulgaria’s struggle with youth outmigration, he proposed concrete measures: establishing transnational youth networks, skill-building programs, and internships to anchor young professionals in heritage work. He further emphasized that digital tools like 3D scanning and VR should serve as enablers for youth-led preservation—exemplified by Bulgaria’s "Digital Black Sea Archaeology" project, where students document underwater sites while experts retain interpretive authority. 

   Second, Bachev delineated a rigorous ethics-driven approach to artificial intelligence, declaring: "AI is a tool, not a solution. It cannot create the individuals who dedicate themselves to preserving our cultural heritage." While endorsing AI for risk monitoring (e.g., climate threats or conflict damage), he insisted human expertise must govern final decisions to safeguard ethical judgment and community values—a stance contrasting with Western Europe’s tech-centric models. This philosophy directly informed Bulgaria’s draft Guidelines for AI in Heritage, debated in a parallel ethics workshop.


Bulgarian Minister of Culture Marian Bachev  delivering a keynote address

 

   Complementing the diplomatic proceedings, Bulgaria curated a rich cultural programme showcasing its heritage legacy.


Opening Ceremony summary

Message from the World Heritage Young Professionals' Forum 2025

   As Director-General Azoulay quoted: "Each of us is unique, and in this uniqueness lies humanity’s essence." (philosopher Julia Kristeva) 

   From climate-threatened monuments to AI-based human autonomy, the 47th Session of the World Heritage Committee will embody heritage’s enduring power as both a shield against crises and a canvas for human uniqueness.


Delegation of the WHITR-AP


Contributed by Marie-Noël Tournoux  Zihao Xu（Intern） Zhuping Tang（Intern）
Designed by Zihao Xu（Intern）
Edited by Liu Zhen 
Reviewed by Shao Yong
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