A very Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening to Honorable Principal Sir/Madam, respected teachers, seniors, and my dear friends, Warm Greetings to Everyone!
Thank you all for taking out time and being present at this seminar session. Today, we are here to discuss/celebrate a most important day, ‘World Heritage Day’.
World Heritage is described as mankind’s commonwealth. This day is a brilliant reminder of our rich cultural history, and it is our duty not just to ourselves, but to the next generations to preserve our heritage. “World Heritage Day” is an international observance held on 18th April and it first began in the year 1982; there are many forms of events each year around the world, including visits to monuments and historic sites, seminars, round tables, and newspaper articles. ICOMOS, i.e. “International Council for Monuments and Sites” had started a symposium in Tunisia, the African country. UNESCO accepted the date at its 22nd General Conference in 1983.
The day is observed with a strong goal of informing people about the need to conserve and protect the sites of world heritage and of spreading the tremendous importance that these monuments bring with them to the world. This day is no longer simply about the listed sites however all cultural heritage landscapes of global, state, and nearby significance. The goal is to promote consciousness about the diversity of the cultural heritage of humanity, their vulnerability, and the efforts required for their safety and conservation. The concept behind “World Heritage Day” is to make people meet and exchange knowledge about their culture, heritage, and traditions with each other from different geographical regions.
On this day there are a number of activities that help people travel back to the ancient past. In order to promote the cultural and ideological exchange of ideas, activities such as heritage walks are organized; discussions and debates are also carried out among the expert panelists. This helps individuals from different cultures know more about each other and eventually facilitates co-habitation. There are class celebrations by using ICOMOS in partnership with UNESCO around the world, the place journey, and history lovers participate in such events.
A theme has been determined each year and the day is celebrated around that same theme. It is true that heritage sites are vulnerable to multiple risk factors, but we should do all we can to ensure that these valuable assets are preserved to the best of our ability. There really are some beautiful heritage sites and landmarks across the world. This consists of the Machu Picchu, which is located in the lush and mountainous terrain excessive above the Urubamba River in Peru. There are a lot of exquisite sights in Egypt, and the Pyramids of Giza are one of them. Other locations of observation include Bagan in Myanmar, Angkor Wat in Cambodia, and the Great Wall of China.
There is ICOMOS, the International Council for Monuments and Places, which provides a range of suggestions about how to celebrate this day of great worldwide significance:
- Encourage a visit to the sites and monuments and allow free access for restoration works.
- Publish articles in magazines and newspapers and submit radio and television messages.
- Hang banners around the chief traffic artery or city squares that attract people’s attention to this day and encourage the preservation of our cultural heritage.
- Inviting national and foreign figures, including interviews and conference experts.
- Organize city halls, cultural centers, and numerous other public places for discussions.
- Encourage publication of post-cards, posters, stamps, and most importantly books.
- Exhibitions through paintings, photos, etc.
- Giving prizes to individuals and organizations that have made an excellent contribution to the promotion and conservation of our cultural heritage and have created an outstanding publication on this subject.
- Encourage such events that raise awareness for both children and young people who go to school.
- Reintroduce a recently refurbished monument.
As per one report, in the few previous decades, over 100 natural heritage sites have been tampered with due to human activities, and now it is seriously a high time for us to hold back ourselves and also stop others from causing these sites to decay. It is also a good idea to spread knowledge among the people you meet about this day. This is something you can do with ease by means of social media. You can submit a message that informs your friends, followers, and family participants of this day and inspires them to publish something too.
Hope you all have a great time.
Thank you all.
