Türkiye to host UNESCO World Heritage meeting in 2027

ANKARA

Türkiye will host the 49th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Istanbul in 2027, the Foreign Ministry announced on July 28, marking another milestone in the country’s cultural diplomacy efforts.

The decision was unanimously approved during the committee’s 48th session, held in Busan, South Korea. The next session is scheduled to take place in Istanbul from June 27 to July 7, 2027.

At the same meeting, Türkiye’s Permanent Delegate to UNESCO, Ambassador Mustafa Yurdakul, was elected president of the 49th session, a development the ministry said further underscores the country’s growing profile within the U.N. cultural agency.

The ministry said hosting the gathering would reinforce Türkiye’s active role in UNESCO while providing an important opportunity to showcase its rich cultural and natural heritage to the international community.

It also reaffirmed Ankara’s commitment to supporting international cooperation aimed at safeguarding cultural and natural sites recognized as the shared heritage of humanity.

Türkiye has strengthened its standing within UNESCO in recent years.

Established under the 1972 Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, the 21-member World Heritage Committee is UNESCO’s principal decision-making body on heritage conservation. It is responsible for inscribing new sites on the World Heritage List, assessing the conservation status of listed properties, overseeing the List of World Heritage in Danger and determining the use of the World Heritage Fund.