Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the 46th Session of the World Heritage Committee on Sunday at 7 PM at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. Mr Modi will also address the gathering on the occasion. India is hosting the World Heritage Committee Meeting for the first time which will continue till 31st of July. The World Heritage Committee meets once a year and is responsible for managing all matters pertaining to World Heritage and deciding on sites to be inscribed on the World Heritage list. During this meeting, proposals for nominating new sites on the World Heritage list, State of Conservation reports of 124 existing World Heritage properties, International Assistance and Utilisation of World Heritage Funds among others will be discussed.
Over 2,000 international and national delegates from more than 150 countries will attend the meeting. Various exhibitions will also be set up at Bharat Mandapam to showcase India’s culture. The Return of Treasures Exhibition will showcase some of the retrieved artefacts brought back to the country. So far, more than 350 artefacts have been brought back. While the ‘Incredible India’ exhibition will display India’s rich cultural heritage, age-old civilization, geographical diversity, tourism destinations along with modern developments in the field of Information Technology and infrastructure. Along with the World Heritage Committee Meeting, World Heritage Young Professionals’ Forum and World Heritage Site Managers’ Forum will also be held on the sidelines.
