Tehran – The Islamic Republic of Iran is prepared to offer expertise for the conservation of historical monuments and relics in Asia.

On Thursday, Hadi Ahmadi-Roueeni, a senior official with the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts announced the country’s readiness to share experience for the preservation of historical monuments with Asian countries, Iran Press reported.

Establishing a fund to protect endangered cultural heritage in Asia and border-free associations of professionals in Asia as well as sharing experiences among the continental expert community would improve the conservation of the legacies, the official explained.

He also called on all countries to join hands in various realms of political, academic, and professional levels to help restore the endangered historical legacies in countries suffering such problems as war, unrest, and occupation.

Ahmadi-Roueeni made the remarks on Thursday on the second day of the first forum of “Asian Dialogue for Cultural Heritage Conservation” which was virtually held in China.

The biggest  Asian cultural heritage event is hosted by China on October 27 and 28 with the slogan of “Promoting Dialogue among Civilizations and Shaping the Future of the Asian”.

According to organizers, the dialogue aims to move forward with the Asian Initiative for Cultural Heritage Conservation and open a new chapter for exchanges and mutual learning among Asian civilizations.

Senior officials from 36 Asian countries and five international organizations including UNESCO, the International Council of Museums, and the International Council on Monuments and Sites participated in the conference in the form of an online meeting, Global Times reported.

At the conference, the Asian Alliance for Cultural Heritage Conservation was jointly initiated by 10 Asian countries – China, Iran, Armenia, Cambodia, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen – was officially established.

According to data from the UNESCO World Heritage Center, about 50 percent of the world’s endangered world cultural heritage sites are located in Asia.

“Preserving our heritage is not a luxury – it is a prerequisite for ensuring that future generations can inherit an identity, a history, a voice, and a sense of ownership of their past and future,” said Xing Qu, deputy director-general of UNESCO. Xing expressed thanks to China for organizing the event and for helping to address the challenges facing cultural heritage.

The ceremony also set up the Asian Fund for Cultural Heritage Conservation as a special fund to support programs and projects in conservation, research, and joint archaeology concerning cultural heritage conservation in Asia.

AFM