Azerbaijan elected UNESCO committee member

By Azernews

By Laman Ismayilova

Azerbaijan has been elected as a member of the UNESCO Committee for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict for the next four years, the Foreign Ministry reported on December 2.

The election was held within the ninth meeting of the States Parties to the Second Protocol to the Hague Convention of 1954 for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict.

The meeting of the States Parties is convened every two years at the same time as the General Conference of UNESCO, and in coordination with the Meeting of the High Contracting Parties, if such a meeting has been called by the Director-General.

In addition to the representatives of the States Parties to the 1999 Second Protocol, the representatives of Member States of UNESCO not parties to this Protocol and permanent observer missions to UNESCO may participate in the work of the meeting as observers, without the right to vote.

Previously, Azerbaijan was elected a member of the organization's Executive Board for 2021-2025.

During the election, Azerbaijan was nominated for one of three vacancies allocated for the East European Group.

Azerbaijan gained 143 votes during the election held in conditions of intense competition.

Notably, Azerbaijan was also a member of the UNESCO Executive Board in 2005-2009.

Azerbaijan and UNESCO have been enjoying successful cooperation since 1992.

In 2003, the parties signed the framework agreement on cooperation in the areas of culture, science, education, and communication, which allowed Azerbaijan to become one of the donors of UNESCO.

Many Azerbaijani cultural sites have been included in UNESCO's World Heritage List.

Icherisheher (Old City), Maiden Tower, and Shirvanshah's palace were included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2000, while since 2007 the Gobustan National Historical-Artistic reserve was also listed among these heritages.

Shaki, an important city at the crossroads of the historic Silk Roads was inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List during the 43rd session of the World Heritage Committee held in Baku.

In 2017, UNESCO recognized Azerbaijan's dolma as the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Art of crafting and playing with kamancha, presented jointly by Azerbaijan and Iran, was also inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Moreover, the Pomegranate Festival, Art of miniature were inscribed in UNESCO Representative List in December 2020.

UNESCO also successfully celebrated the 600th anniversary of the death of the great Azerbaijani poet and thinker Imadaddin Nasimi and the 200th anniversary of the first settlement of Germans in Azerbaijan.

In 2021, Lankaran region was included in the UNESCO list "Network of Creative Cities".