Azerbaijan unveils initiative to support small island states in preserving heritage PHOTO

Azerbaijan is to provide annual technical assistance to three small island developing states to help them prepare tentative lists of sites for possible nomination to the UNESCO World Heritage List.

According to Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry, Guinea-Bissau, Palau and the Dominican Republic will be the first countries to participate in the programme.

Azerbaijan presented the initiative at the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly during an event organised by the Foreign Ministry called “From Island Heritage to World Heritage”.

The event was attended by foreign ministers and UN representatives of small island states, members of the diplomatic corps and other senior officials.

Deputy Foreign Minister Yalchin Rafiyev said strengthening practical capacities and international co-operation was particularly important for preserving the cultural and natural heritage of island states facing climate change and other environmental threats.

He said Azerbaijan remained committed to international co-operation and solidarity in this area, while presenting a plan to provide assistance to three countries each year.

The foreign ministers of Guinea-Bissau and Palau, along with a senior representative of the Dominican Republic, thanked Azerbaijan for including their countries in the programme's first pilot phase.

The ministers of Grenada, the Maldives and the Bahamas described the initiative as timely and focused on the needs of small island states.

Representatives of Germany, Türkiye, Russia and other countries highlighted its potential contribution to international partnerships and the preservation of world heritage.

The participants also discussed practical aspects of implementing the programme.

More than 80 local specialists from 39 island states are expected to be trained under the initiative.

By Aghakazim Guliyev