The 2nd Council Meeting of the Alliance for Cultural Heritage in Asia Held in Qingdao, Shandong Province
June 21 2024 - 7:37AM
The 2nd Council Meeting of the Alliance for Cultural Heritage
in Asia was held in Qingdao, Shandong Province on June 19. During
the meeting, the proposed amendments to the Charter of the Alliance
for Cultural Heritage in Asia were approved, officially
transitioning the alliance from an international cooperation
mechanism for cultural heritage to an intergovernmental
international organization. It is the first regional
intergovernmental organization in the field of cultural heritage
initiated and led by China. The meeting welcomed Uzbekistan and
Maldives as new member countries and Honduras as the first partner
country, bringing the total number of member countries, observer
countries, and partner countries to 20.
A Media Snippet accompanying this announcement is
available by clicking on this link.
Mr. Li Qun, Chairman of the Alliance for Cultural Heritage
in Asia, Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism of the
People's Republic of China, and Director of the National Cultural
Heritage Administration, expressed China's active
participation in promoting global civilization initiatives,
expanding the alliance's network, advocating for the alliance,
advancing integration with relevant international organizations and
cooperation mechanisms, enlarging the alliance's partners,
proceeding pragmatic cooperation projects in the cultural heritage
field with Asian countries, developing talent pool, and launching
training programs together with international organizations such as
the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and
Restoration of Cultural Property.
The meeting reviewed the implementation of the alliance's work
plan for 2023-2024 and discussed the work plan for 2024-2025,
announcing funding for 15 Asian cultural heritage conservation
projects in 2023 across countries such as Iran, Syria,
Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, and the
United Arab Emirates.
During the meeting, Mr. Li Qun and Gloria Annarella Velez
Osejo, Minister of Culture, Arts, and Heritage of Honduras,
signed an agreement to boost cultural heritage exchanges and
cooperation. It marks the first cultural heritage cooperation
agreement between China and Honduras since the establishment of
diplomatic relations, aiming to collaborate on heritage protection,
archaeology research, museum exchanges, personnel training, and
deepen cooperation on the archaeological research and display of
the Maya Site of Copan for closer cultural exchanges and
people-to-people bond between the two countries.
The meeting was co-hosted by the National Cultural Heritage
Administration and the People's Government of Shandong Province,
with 150 representatives from 23 countries and 2 international
organizations present. The meeting also featured an exhibition
showcasing cultural heritage conservation achievements in Qingdao,
as well as activities demonstrating intangible cultural heritage
skills and creative cultural products to highlight Qingdao's
cultural heritage achievements and promote traditional culture.
Qingdao, as the host city of the meeting, boasts a rich
cultural heritage passed down through generations. It is an
important coastal center city, a seaside resort destination, an
international port city, and a national historical and cultural
city in China, with a history of human activities spanning
over 50,000 years and nearly 7,000 years of agricultural culture
history. Currently, the city has 13 historical and cultural
districts, 550 cultural heritage protection units, and nearly
200,000 movable cultural relics. There are 207 intangible cultural
heritage projects at municipal level and above, including
16 national intangible cultural heritage projects and 72
provincial intangible cultural heritage projects.
Source: The People's Government of Shandong Province
Contact person:
Ms. Zhang
Tel: 86-10-63074558