Qatar seeks World Heritage Committee seat

Qatar has announced its candidature for the Unesco World Heritage Committee (WHC) elections, local media reported. "I am honoured to present Qatar's candidature for the Unesco World Heritage Committee," Ali Zainal, Qatar's ambassador to Unesco, said. "The Unesco World Heritage Committee membership is an ideal opportunity to further enhance Qatar's cultural involvement on an international level. We believe that promoting world heritage sites are of the highest importance to us and we aim to gain a seat on Unesco's World Heritage Committee to play an active role in sustaining historical sites treasured by all humankind." The elections will be held at the 18th session of the General Assembly of the State Parties in October. Qatar Museums Authority (QMA) has been involved in leading the nation's effort in bidding for a seat on Unesco's WHC, Qatar Tribune reported on Thursday. Qatar has never been a member and has no property inscribed on the world heritage list. The WHC, an inter-governmental panel, establishes the sites to be listed as Unesco World Heritage Sites and is responsible for the implementation of the World Heritage Convention. Its' 21 member states are Australia, Bahrain, Barbados, Brazil, Cambodia, China, Egypt, Estonia, Ethiopia, France, Iraq, Jordan, Mali, Mexico, Nigeria, Russian Federation, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates. From / Gulf News