UNESCO committee adopts Busan Declaration to boost global heritage cooperation

BUSAN, July 20 (Yonhap) -- UNESCO's World Heritage Committee on Monday adopted a "Busan Declaration," calling for stronger international cooperation to tackle mounting threats to cultural and natural heritage worldwide.

The declaration was approved by a unanimous decision of all 21 member states and key advisory bodies of the committee. It comes on the first day of the committee's 48th plenary session set to be held until next Wednesday here in Busan, located some 330 kilometers southeast of Seoul.

It urges enhanced global coordination to address increasingly complex risks to World Heritage sites, including armed conflict, climate change and development pressures, according to the Korea Heritage Service (KHS).

Global delegates attend the 48th session of the World Heritage Committee at the Busan Exhibition and Convention Center in Busan, some 330 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on July 20, 2026. (Yonhap)

A central element of the declaration is the proposal to add "collaboration" as a sixth strategic objective to the World Heritage Convention's existing "five Cs" -- credibility, conservation, capacity-building, communication and communities.

Officials said the addition reflects the growing need for joint responses among countries and institutions to challenges that no single nation can resolve alone.

The declaration also highlights the need for responsible use of digital technologies, such as generative artificial intelligence (AI), for the first time in the World Heritage framework.

The KHS said in a press release that it would immediately roll out 12 follow-up programs to translate the declaration into concrete action.

This year's World Heritage Committee meeting kicked off with an opening ceremony Sunday, becoming the first session South Korea has hosted since joining the UNESCO World Heritage Convention in 1988. The committee will continue to review nominations for inscription, assess the conservation status of listed sites and discuss broader policy issues related to the convention during the session, which is set to last till July 29.

Huh Min (R), chief of the Korea Heritage Service, speaks during a press conference for the 48th session of the World Heritage Committee at the Busan Exhibition and Convention Center in Busan, some 330 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on July 20, 2026. (Yonhap)