Youth Programme on the occasion of the Closing Event
of the Celebration of the 40th Anniversary
of the World Heritage Convention

November 20, 2012

From November 2 to 5, young people from Japan and abroad participated in the Youth Programme, a pre-event to the Closing Event of the Celebration of the 40th Anniversary of the World Heritage Convention, which was held on November 6-8 at the Kyoto International Conference Center.

The pre-event was co-organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ritsumeikan University in cooperation with the Kyoto Lions Club and the UNESCO World Heritage Centre to provide a valuable opportunity for the rising generation to participate in the discussions on the future of the World Heritage Convention, as its future rests on that generation. A total of 27 young stakeholders in World Heritage gathered in Miyama, Kyoto, from 13 countries, including students, researchers, government officials, and practitioners. The participants learned hands-on how local communities were involved in the conservation of cultural properties in Miyama. Their passionate discussions that followed culminated in an outcome document.

This document was presented as the Youth Statement to the Closing Event on the afternoon of its opening day, November 6, by representatives of the Youth Programme participants. The quality of the statement and the passionate commitment shown by the young participants for the future drew praise from world-renowned experts in World Heritage and the UNESCO World Heritage Centre staff at the venue. The Youth Statement was valued highly as a major outcome of the Closing Event.