Macao Becomes a Member of the Organisation of World Heritage Cities

Date of publication: 07/08/2020
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Organised by the Macao SAR Government and the Organisation of World Heritage Cities (OWHC), the “Ceremony of the Affiliation of Macao Special Administrative Region in the OWHC”was held via video-conferencing in Macao on 7 August. During the ceremony, the OWHC presented the certificate of membership to the Macao SAR, which was represented by the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao SAR Government, Ao Ieong U. Following Suzhou and Dujiangyan City, Macao has now become the third city in China to join the OWHC. Macao’s membership in the OWHC will facilitate access to international information on World Heritage preservation and participation in relevant events learning from one another’s experience with respect to the preservation of world heritage properties, thereby further raising Macao’s international profile as a World Heritage city.

The “Ceremony of the Affiliation of Macao Special Administrative Region in the OWHC” was presided over by the Vice President of the OWHC, Huang Yong. During the ceremony, the President of the OWHC and Mayor of Krakow, Poland, Jacek Majchrowski, delivered a speech through video-conference, in which he said Macao is a rare example of a place where the aesthetic, cultural, architectural and technical influences of East and West have met for several centuries, and that he is very happy to welcome Macao to the OWHC, as a symbol of unity, an example of assimilation and coexistence of Eastern and Western culture. The Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Ao Ieong U, expressed her heartfelt positive feelings for having the opportunity to witness the official inclusion of Macao as a member city of the OWHC, adding that the “Historic Centre of Macao” is not only a testimony to the city’s historical development, but also a crucial cultural resource that lays the cultural ground for and nurtures the city’s future advancement, setting the foundations for further strengthening reciprocal exchange and cooperation in the future and to continue to aspire to higher standards for the preservation works of the cultural heritage in Macao. The committee member of the Cultural Heritage Committee, Leong Chong In, spoke at the ceremony that the “Historic Centre of Macao” is the epitome of cultural integration, adding that community awareness of heritage preservation in Macao has grown increasingly stronger over the past years, and, in particular, the younger generation have been proactively engaging in the preservation process, thus enabling heritage preservation to pass on to future generations as a major undertaking. In the ceremony, the Secretary General of the OWHC, Lee Minaidis, announced Macao’s official membership and presented the certificate to the Macao SAR Government.

The Organisation of World Heritage Cities (OWHC) is an international non-profit and non-governmental entity founded on 8 September 1993 in Fez, Morocco, which aims to facilitate the implementation of the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (hereinafter designated as “World Heritage Convention”), to encourage the exchange of expertise between member cities on matters of cultural heritage preservation and management, and to further motivate cooperation regarding the protection of World Heritage. Since the inscription of the Historic Centre of Macao on the World Heritage List in 2005, the Macao SAR Government has been proactively fulfilling the responsibilities set forth in the World Heritage Convention and strengthening exchange with other cities in regards to World Heritage preservation. This year marks the 15th anniversary of the inscription of the Historic Centre of Macao, and the Cultural Affairs Bureau is hosting a series of celebratory events to promote the concept of “Protecting and Appreciating Our World Heritage Together” among the public.

The video-conference Ceremony was attended by the representative of the President of the OWHC, Vice Mayor of Krakow, Poland, Robert Piaskowski; the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao SAR, Ao Ieong U; the President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao SAR, Mok Ian Ian; the Secretary General of the OWHC and Former Mayor of Rhodes, Greece, Lee Minaidis; the Vice President of the OWHC and Representative of the OWHC Asia-Pacific Regional Secretariat, Dr. Huang Yong; the Deputy Secretary General of the OWHC, Andréanne Charest; and representatives of other heritage-related institutions worldwide. The Ceremony also counted with the participation of the Chief of Office of the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Ho Ioc San; the advisors of the Office of the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Lam Wan Nei and Lo Hou Chi; the representative of the President of the Administrative Committee of the Municipal Affairs Bureau, Iek Weng Ka; the Vice President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, Leong Wai Man; and the members of the Cultural Heritage Committee, Leong Chong In, Li Jiazeng, Lee Hay Ip, Ip Tat, Choi Tin Tin, Jiang Chun, Manuel Ferreira Iok Pui, Mok Chi Wai and Tam Chi Kuong.