Kazakhstan elected to World Heritage Committee of UNESCO for the first time ever

12:44, 21 November 2013

ASTANA. November 21. KAZINFORM - UNESCO Headquarters in the framework of the General Assembly of the States Parties to the Convention on the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage has carried out election of members of the World Heritage Committee, "Baiterek" media center reports.

Based on voting Kazakhstan was for the first time ever elected as a member of the World Heritage Committee for the period 2013-2017. Turkey, Vietnam, Korea, Lebanon, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Philippines, Finland, Croatia and Jamaica have become the new members of the committee as well.

Our country has been a party to the Convention on the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage since 1994. At present the Convention includes 190 countries. Participating in the work of the Committee Kazakhstan will see the best international practices in the field of protection of cultural and natural heritage. In turn, having a significant cultural and natural heritage, our country will be able to contribute to the work of the Committee.

Three prominent monuments of cultural and natural heritage of Kazakhstan have been included to UNESCO World Heritage List: the Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yassaui (in 2003), Petroglyphs within the Archaeological Landscape of Tamgaly (in 2004) as well as Korgalzhyn and Nauryzumsky reserves under the category "Sary-Arka-Steppe and lakes of Northern Kazakhstan" (2008).

The World Heritage Committee consists of 21 state parties that signed and ratified the World Heritage Convention.

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