TEHRAN – The 44th session of the World Heritage Committee has been postponed indefinitely in an attempt to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), UNESCO official website has announced. 

The session was scheduled to be held in the Chinese city of Fuzhou from June 29 to July 9. 

The exact date of the session and further information will be announced in the near future. 

The overall aim of the forum is to highlight key opportunities and challenges of heritage management in the twenty-first century. The participants will gain insights into the processes and working practices of the 1972 World Heritage Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. 

Iran’s vast Hyrcanian Forest was selected as a World Heritage site in the previous session of the committee, which was held in the Azerbaijani capital Baku last July. It was the second such Iranian natural site after Lut Desert, which was granted the tag in 2016.

Iran has also 22 cultural properties being registered on the prestigious list, including Cultural Landscape of Maymand, Sassanid Archaeological Landscape of Fars Region, and Historic City of Yazd.

ABU/MG