PENANG is set to host the Asia-Pacific Heritage 20/20 Forum on Oct 14 for a second time.
Organised by Unesco, the forum will take place at UAB Building in Gat Lebuh China at 9am.
State Tourism Development, Arts, Culture and Heritage Committee chairman Yeoh Soon Hin said the upcoming event would be a meaningful occasion as it commemorated the 20th anniversary of Unesco Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation.
He said the anniversary event was conceived in Penang at the Unesco’s ‘Economics of Heritage’ conference in 1999.
“In last two decades, Unesco Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation has contributed to greater understanding on cultural heritage and the sustainable well-being of cities, societies and environment.
“It recognises efforts of private individuals and organisations that have successfully conserved structures and buildings of heritage value in the region.
“Hence, the upcoming forum is an opportunity to chart the course for next two decades on role and contributions of cultural heritage to sustainable development, within broad framework defined by Sustainable Development Agenda 2030,” he said at a press conference at the UAB Building in Gat Lebuh China today.
More than 130 award winners, jury members, heritage practitioners, local government representatives and private sector participants will take part.
Yeoh added that the award winners would also be announced during the event.
There are 57 submissions from 14 countries in the Asia-Pacific region this year.
The announcement of the awards and the ceremony can be watched on Unesco Asia-Pacific’s Facebook page www.facebook.com/UNESCOAsiaPacific.
Also present during the media conference were Chief Minister Incorporated (CMI) deputy general manager S. Bharati, Unesco Cultural Heritage Jury and Conservation architect Ar Laurence and Think City programme director (urban solutions) Dr Matt Benson.
Story by Edmund Lee
Pix by Chan Kok Kuan