China ready to work with UNESCO on safeguarding world heritage

China stands ready to work with UNESCO and all partners to harness the power of science and innovation to build a more resilient and sustainable future for world heritage, according to a Chinese envoy.

"As digital technologies continue to evolve, they should serve not only as tools for conservation but also as a bridge for cooperation and shared development," Yang Xinyu, ambassador and permanent delegate of China to UNESCO, said.

Yang was speaking at a Digital and Intelligent Technologies for Sustainable Development of World Heritage Sites event in Busan, South Korea.

Noting that China prioritizes cultural and natural heritage protection by integrating digital technology and promoting science-based, innovative conservation methods, Yang said China actively supports UNESCO-facilitated international cooperation, including knowledge sharing, capacity building, and technology transfer.

The event was held on the sidelines of the 48th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, which is being held in the port city until July 29.

It was co-hosted by the International Centre on Space Technologies for Natural and Cultural Heritage under the auspices of UNESCO, the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, and Hangzhou City University.

Also speaking at the side event, Himalchuli Gurung, head of the Asia-Pacific Unit at the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, said world heritage properties are facing increasingly complex and interconnected challenges, including climate change, rapid urbanization and conflict, making it important to strengthen the ability to understand changes and risks.

"The digital and intelligent technologies offer valuable opportunities in this regard," she said, adding that it is also important to address the uneven access to innovative technologies and expertise around the world.

Teresa Patricio, president of the International Council on Monuments and Sites, echoed Gurung's view.

Patricio said innovation must be guided by principles. She called for stronger partnerships between scientists, heritage professionals, governments, heritage managers, and local communities to move together towards digital transformation.

Taking the organization's partnership with China's tech giant Huawei as an example, World Heritage Program Director at the International Union for the Conservation of Nature Tim Badman said the program, launched in 2020, focuses on deploying technologies in nature conservation.

"We will be producing a new draft guidance publication from that work in the later part of this year, and we expect to develop it, through a consultative process, as a full IUCN guidance in 2027," Badman said.

Jose Luiz Pederzoli Jr, unit manager of programs at the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property, said heritage can also benefit technology, citing its significance to humanity.

He offered the example of using heritage to train effective artificial intelligence models to be more human-centered and more ethical.

This year marks the 15th anniversary of HIST, the first UNESCO center to apply space technologies to the monitoring and conservation of world natural and cultural heritage sites.

Noting that anniversary, Guo Huadong, HIST director and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said the Beijing-based center will continue working with international partners to encourage technology sharing and enhance capacity building in heritage conservation.