Muscat – The Sultanate of Oman will participate in the 45th World Heritage Committee meetings in Riyadh, starting from 10 to 25 September.

The delegation from Oman, led by H E Dr Hamad bin Saif al Hamami, the Permanent Representative of the sultanate to UNESCO, comprises experts in tangible cultural heritage from various institutions, including the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism, Sultan Qaboos University, the Environment Agency, and the Omani National Commission for Education, Culture, and Science.

It’s worth mentioning that Oman has been a member of the World Heritage Committee since the 44th session, which was held via video conference in China in 2021 after it was paused in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Oman’s membership in the aforementioned committee continues for a period of four consecutive years, during which it plays important roles in discussing the files submitted by a number of member states for inclusion on the World Heritage list, and also provides its opinion in evaluating those files before their final approval. The results of examining files are limited to three situations: approval and inclusion, returning the file to the state to make the required amendments according to the technical opinion of the committee’s experts, or final rejection.

The global list comprises three main categories based on the components of the site: cultural heritage sites, natural heritage sites, and mixed sites that encompass both the natural features of the location and human interventions, representing a cultural aspect.