The capital of Bali, Denpasar city, has become a main platform for the discussion of climate change affecting the state of ancient cultural and architectural monuments. Local leaders, international experts and academia from 10 countries gathered at IX International Conference of Eurasia World Heritage Cities to discuss what measures need to be taken to preserve the heritage in a rapidly changing climate.
The conference was held from April 29 to May 2, 2019 in the city of Denpasar at the kind invitation of Mayor Ida Bagus Rai Dharmawijaya Mantra on the theme “Resilient Heritage and Tourism”. The organizers of the conference were the Denpasar Municipality, UCLG-Eurasia and the Euro-Asia Regional Secretariat of the Organization of World Heritage Cities. The participants included representatives of Russia, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, South Korea, Kazakhstan, South Africa, Canada, Ukraine and China.
The official opening ceremony of the conference took place on Tuesday, April 30, with the participation of Denis Ricard, Secretary General of the Organization of World Heritage Cities, Wayan Koster, Governor of Bali, Rasikh Sagitov, Secretary General of UCLG-Eurasia, etc.
According to Rasikh Sagitov, Secretary General of UCLG-Eurasia and Regional Coordinator of the Organization of World Heritage Cities for Euro-Asia, the conference should be the first step in the implementation of joint measures to preserve heritage, taking into account modern climatic realities. “Cultural heritage is a driver of urban development in the modern world. I sincerely believe that our joint discussions will be a significant contribution to the common goal of the heritage preservation”, - Rasikh Sagitov said in his speech.
Since the topic of the conference was directly related to climate change, the presentation of Saida Zagidullina, Director for Development of UCLG-Eurasia, on the theme “SDG #13: The Role of Local Governments” was particularly relevant. In her report, Ms.Zagidullina provided clear examples of how local authorities in Eurasia make a significant contribution to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goal #13 “Climate actions”.
An important step towards development of heritage tourism through practical exchange and cooperation among member regions was the signing of the Denpasar Commitment on IX International Conference of Eurasian World Heritage Cities. Among the main points of the Commitment are capacity building in heritage conservation and heritage tourism, the involvement of tourism professionals and academia and cooperation amongst member cities.
- Visit the official website of the regional section UCLG Euroasia.
