UNESCO 40th World Heritage Committee Meeting will be hosted by our country and held in Istanbul between 10t and 20th July.
For each World Heritage Committee meeting, host country undertakes organization of a youth forum and results of this event are represented during Committee opening meeting.
Youth forums are organized with the recommendation of UNESCO, in order to encourage young people to be an actor for not only being listener or observer, but also stating their ideas. Participants discover their own role for preserving the heritage by having the opportunity to meet young people from different countries and discuss common problems.
Young experts from various occupational groups of 18 World Heritage Committee members and 13 convention member country have been participating in Youth Forums since 1995. This forum is being held with 28 students from various countries including Turkey, between 29th July and 12th June.
Visits to Bursa and Cumalıkızık World Heritage Site, and Iznik, which is on Tentative List were made on 5-6 June 2016 within the scope of Youth Forum.
Young experts from Albania, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burkina Faso, Cuba, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Indonesia, Italy, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Macedonia, Mexico, Norway, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Tanzania, Tunisia, Vietnam, Zimbabwe and Turkey visited Bursa and participated in Youth Forum.
They were also accompanied by UNESCO World Heritage Education Program experts from France and experts from Turkey’s organization committee and Turkish academics.
On 5th June, Karagöz Museum was visited and detailed information about Karagöz Shadow Play inscribed on UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List was given, then Karagöz Shadow Play was performed. After that Old Spa was visited.
On 6th July, II Murad, Cem Sultan Tombs and open air museum in Muradiye Kulliye; Orhan Mosque, Ulu Mosque, Koza Khan in Khans Area were visited. After that, visitors walked among the historical bazaar and got information about this bazaar. Then, they walked around the streets of Cumalıkızık Village and visited a historical house. On 6th June, in İznik, they visited Lefke Gate, Abdulvahap Hill, Nilüfer Hatun Kitchen and Yeşil Cami, I. Murad Hamam, Rome Road, Orhan Mosque (Ayasofya), Rome Theater. And information about historical development of İznik was given by Bursa Metropolitan Municipality officers in I. Murad Hammam. And with the help of İznik Foundation, visitors were able to see production stages of famous İznik tiles.
Within the scope of the forum, on 7thJune, Simulation of World Heritage Committee Meeting which is assumed to be organized in 2020 was held in Library of Archeological Museum in Istanbul. Topic of the simulation was the evaluation of Iznik nomination file. During this committee meeting simulation where all committee member countries were represented by a young expert, it was agreed that İznik has an outstanding universal value, and it was also discussed how to improve current management plan.
As a result of Youth Forum hosted by Bursa Metropolitan Municipality, our World Heritage Sites Sultan Kulliyes, Khans Area and Cumalıkızık, and our World Heritage Candidate Area İznik were presented to an audience coming from all over the world.
Youth Forum was organized by Istanbul Site Management Unit and UNESCO Turkey National Commission in coordination with Assoc. Prof. Dr. Cenk HAMAMCIOĞLU from Yıldız Technical University and also supported by many Turkish academics and ICOMOS Turkey member experts.
Photos: Can Altun ÇIBLAK
For detailed information, click on the following link:
http://40whc2016.istanbul/youth-forum/news/impressions/
BURSA METROPOLITAN MUNICIPALITY BURSA SITE MANAGEMENT UNIT