Our History and Partcipants

  Organization of World Heritage Cities (OWHC) is the international non-state autonomic non-commercial organization. It was created in 8th of September 1993 (this day is celebrated as the Day of Solidarity of World Heritage Cities by the initiative of OWHC and Council of Europe since 1995). The headquarters of Organization is situated in city of Quebec (Canada), where the First International Symposium of World Heritage Cities was held in July 1991.

    Main aim of Organization - supporting the execution of the Convention about protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage and Charter about preservation of historical cities and regions; favoring the cooperation and information exchange between the cities - members of Organization; install and strengthen closer cooperation with other international and regional institutes and organizations which pursuit same aims.

    OWHC includes more than 200 cities which have on their territories objects included in UNESCO's World Heritage List.

    Mayors of those World Heritage cities who paid annual membership fee form the General Assembly - the highest body of management of Organization. The Assembly gathers once every 2 year. The Board of Directors consists of 8 mayors and President of OWHC, elected by the Assembly. The Board of Directors gathers not less than once a year. General Secretariat is managed by General Secretary, assigned by General Assembly. He controls the execution of decisions, accepted by its members, solves questions about staff and leads daily management of activity of Organization. Actual General Secretary is Denis Ricard (Quebec, Canada).   
   
    Today OWHC has 6 regional sections and their secretariats support the work of General Secretariat:

• North-West European Region with center in city of Bergen (Norway);
• Central and Eastern European Region with center in city of Budapest (Hungary);
• South European and Mediterranean Region with center in city of Cordoba (Spain);
• Latin American Region with center in city of Guanakhuato (Mexico);
• North African and Arabian Region with center in city of Tunis (Tunisia);
• Euro-Asian region with center in city of Kazan (Russian Federation).

    Decision of creation of Euro-Asia regional section of OWHC was accepted on the session of Administrative Council of OWHC in city of Toledo (Spain) in 7th of April 2003 by the reason of claims of cities of Euroasia. In 2004 it became also a member of Eurasian regional section of Worldwide Organization "United Cities and Local Governments".
   
    At present moment Eurasian Regional Section of OWHC includes cities of:

1. Baku (Azerbaijan)
2. Chengde (China)
3. Lijiang (China)
4. Ping Yao (China)
5. Macau (China)
6. Bam (Iran)
7. Nara (Japan)
8. Shirakawa-Go ? Nakoyama (Japan)
9. Luang Prabang (Laos)
10. Kathmandu (Nepal)
11. Patan (Lalitpur) (Nepal)
12. Bhaktapur (Nepal)
13. Vigan (Philippines)
14. Saint-Petersburg (Russian Federation)
15. Moscow (Russian Federation)
16. Novgorod (Russian Federation)
17. Suzdal (Russian Federation)
18. Kazan (Russian Federation)
19. Derbent (Russian Federation)
20. Yaroslavl (Russian Federation)
21. Kandy (Sri-Lanka)
22. Galle (Sri-Lanka)
23. Istanbul (Turkey)
24. Safranbolu (Turkey)
25. Khiva (Uzbekistan)
26. Bukhara (Uzbekistan)
27. Shakhrisabz (Uzbekistan)
28. Samarkand (Uzbekistan)
29. Hue (Vietnam)
30. Hoi An (Vietnam)
31. Solo (Indonesia)
    

    Detail information about these cities and objects of World Heritage situated on its' territory can be found on the page of Euro-Asian regional section on the site of Organization of World Heritage Cities and on the page of UNESCO's World Heritage (on English, French, Spanish) and Moscow Bureau of UNESCO (on Russian).

    Delegation of Eurasian regional section actively participated in work of General Assembly in September 2003 in city of Rhodes (Greece), in the framework of which the First meeting of Euro-Asian World Heritage cities passed.
And in June 2004 Kazan - the center of Eurasian Regional Section OWHC - received  First International Conference of World Heritage cities of Eurasia named "Through the preservation of cultural diversity to the safety and peace in Euroasia". Conference was held under aegis of UNESCO in the framework of actions dedicated to 1000 year anniversary of Kazan. It was organized by OWHC and its Eurasian section, Platform "Dialogue. Euroasia", Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russian Federation and Administration of Kazan. More than 600 people from 36 countries took part in the work of the conference. They represented international organizations, different associations of cities, agencies and tangible and intangible cultural, historical and architectural heritage preserving funds, governors of the regions, mayors and deputy mayors, regional coordinators and Secretary General of OWHC, scientists, museum directors, representatives of sphere of culture, architecture and education. In the framework of the conference ceremonial unveiling of the headquarters of Eurasian Regional Section of OWHC passed. During the work of the conference agreement of cooperation of Eurasian regional section with Center of Protection of Islamic Heritage and Platform "Dialogue. Euroasia" was signed. 
   
    In may of 2004 the Regional Secretariat of ERS of OWHC organized the "round table" in Kazan with theme of "Preserving of cultural diversity of Turkish folks" where the representatives of international organization "TURKSOY" and leaders of Turkish diasporas' in Tatarstan participated. After the finishing of meeting the Agreement about cooperation between ERS of OWHC and "TURKSOY" was signed.
       
    In November of 2004 the representative of ERS of OWHC performed his report dedicated to preservation of intangible heritage on the session of the Platform "Dialogue. Euro-Asia" in Istanbul. Regional coordinator of ERS of OWHC Rassikh Sagitov was admitted to the Platform on this meeting.

    In December of 2004 the regional seminar dedicated to promotion of the International convention about preservation of intangible cultural heritage for the countries of Europe and North America was held in Kazan by the support of ERS of OWHC.
 
    In April 2005 in Kazan took place a special session of experts about Convention of World Heritage with participation of president and experts of world Heritage Committee of UNESCO, dedicated to the treatment of Conception of outstanding universal value and organized also by ERS of OWHC. An expert of UNESCO and ERS of OWHC of intangible heritage Chulpan Khabibullina made a report, sustaining words of vice-president of OWHC Kamil Iskhakov about necessity of partnership cooperation between UNESCO and OWHC in forming of regional lists of objects which have outstanding universal value and lists of objects which are endangered. Also on the behalf of ERS of OWHC the proposal to permit one representative of OWHC participate the meetings of World Heritage Committee of UNESCO with the right of deliberative vote was moved. 

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