On January 19th, the Secretary of the Ninh Binh Provincial Party Committee, Doan Minh Huan, met and worked with Mr. Jonathan Baker, Head of UNESCO's representative office in Vietnam, and his delegation.
Welcoming and commending Mr. Jonathan Baker's visit and working trip to Ninh Binh, Provincial Party Secretary Doan Minh Huan congratulated him on officially assuming the position of Head of UNESCO's Representative Office in Vietnam, wishing him and his colleagues a successful term of office, contributing to further strengthening and promoting cooperation between UNESCO and Vietnam, including Ninh Binh.
During the meeting, Provincial Party Secretary Doan Minh Huan provided a general overview of the history, geographical location, and socio-economic development of Ninh Binh province.
Scene from the working session. Photo: NB Newspaper
After 30 years since its re-establishment as a province, Ninh Binh has persistently pursued a transformation in its development model from "brown" to "green," based on the fundamental values of a land with a rich historical tradition and leveraging the value of its world cultural and natural heritage. To date, Ninh Binh has achieved significant accomplishments, one of the most important milestones being the recognition of Trang An by UNESCO in 2014 as the first and only World Cultural and Natural Heritage site in Southeast Asia to date.
Ten years after the Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex was recognized by UNESCO as a World Cultural and Natural Heritage Site, especially with the measures Ninh Binh has taken to restore and promote the heritage values, Mr. Doan Minh Huan affirmed that the UNESCO organization played a particularly important role in achieving these accomplishments.
The Provincial Party Secretary also provided information on some of the province's major orientations, emphasizing that the province is focusing on building Ninh Binh into a Millennium Heritage City and a creative city. In the coming time, Ninh Binh hopes that the UNESCO Office in Vietnam will continue to provide assistance and closely cooperate with Ninh Binh province to consult on the development of a Charter or Declaration for Trang An.
The Secretary of the Ninh Binh Provincial Party Committee stated that this proposal can be considered an initiative, stemming from the significance of preserving and promoting the unique and extremely rare values of a heritage city facing enormous challenges, especially challenges in restoring, preserving, and promoting heritage values; challenges of dense urbanization and concrete urbanization; challenges of climate change; and challenges in resolving the relationship between restoration, preservation, and promotion of heritage values, particularly the carrying capacity of heritage to meet the demands of tourism development.
Leaders of Ninh Binh province pose for a commemorative photo with Mr. Jonathan Baker, Head of UNESCO's representative office in Vietnam, and the delegation. Photo: Ninh Binh Newspaper.
Thanking Secretary of the Youth Union Minh Huan and the provincial leaders for their warm welcome, Mr. Jonathan Baker also stated that this was his first working visit to Vietnam in his capacity as Head of UNESCO's Representative Office in Vietnam.
Expressing his admiration for Ninh Binh's achievements throughout its history and the results achieved 10 years after UNESCO recognized the Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex as a World Cultural and Natural Heritage Site, Mr. Jonathan Baker highly appreciated the strategy of building Ninh Binh into a Millennium Heritage City, especially in the context of countries around the world facing major challenges from climate change, which has a significant impact on the preservation and promotion of heritage values.
Supporting Ninh Binh's initiatives in preserving and promoting heritage values, including the proposal to build a Trang An Charter, Jonathan Baker affirmed that he will continue to support and work alongside Ninh Binh to realize its strategies and aspirations to build Ninh Binh into a Millennium Heritage City.
This will include supporting the organization of international cooperation forums to share experiences from localities with similar characteristics. The UNESCO Office in Vietnam is also ready to support and connect Ninh Binh to successfully participate in the World Heritage Cities Network; mobilize resources to strengthen conservation projects, biodiversity research, and promote heritage values…
Acknowledging and appreciating the excellent cooperative relationship with the UNESCO Office in Vietnam, especially the support and professional advice from UNESCO in improving policy planning skills and management and conservation planning for the Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex World Heritage Site in the past, the Secretary of the Ninh Binh Provincial Party Committee expressed his hope that the UNESCO Office in Vietnam and Mr. Jonathan Baker - in their central and connecting role - will continue to support, promote, and assist Ninh Binh in building a model of close integration between conservation and promotion of heritage values.
In the immediate future, Ninh Binh will be supported in organizing and participating in international events and conferences, and in integrating deeply into the network of heritage cities worldwide. Ninh Binh is ready to be a pioneer in this integration. Annually, it is possible to alternately host conferences to share experiences from various countries in preserving and promoting the values of heritage cities; especially in seeking and mobilizing international resources in archaeological research and biodiversity.
The Provincial Party Secretary expressed confidence that in the future, the relationship between the two sides will continue to develop further, enhancing the effectiveness of cooperation and contributing to solving problems related to development and the protection of cultural values that Vietnam, as well as many other countries, are facing.
During the meeting, both sides also agreed on several program details for the celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex being recognized by UNESCO as a World Cultural and Natural Heritage Site.
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