A side event themed “Capacity Building for World Heritage Conservation and Management—Towards Future Cooperation Between Africa and China” of the 44th session of the World Heritage Committee took place in Fuzhou, Fujian Province on 19 July, attended by more than 150 people in person or virtually, including officials from the UNESCO, representatives of international organizations, and Chinese and African experts and scholars.

Tian Xuejun, Vice Minister of Education and Chairperson of the World Heritage Committee's 44th session, Mechtild R?ssler, Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and Souayibou Varissou, executive director of the African World Heritage Fund participated in the event and gave speeches.

Tian pointed out that China upheld the idea of the China-Africa community with a shared future, attached great importance to cooperation with Africa in protecting world heritage, had held the UNESCO-Africa-China Forum on World Heritage Capacity Building and Cooperation, and supported efforts to carry out training in risk management and protection of world heritage for custodians of world heritage sites in African countries including Uganda, Benin, and Tanzania.

Greater efforts needed to be made and more strength pooled to put into practice UNESCO’s Global Priority Africa resolution, which demonstrated the status and role of African countries in the cause of world heritage protection, Tian stressed, adding that China would continue to support African countries in protecting world heritage, assist with training of professionals in developing countries, and carry out training programs for world heritage protection.

R?ssler thanked China for its tremendous efforts to help protect world heritage in Africa through platforms of UNESCO, and said he looked forward to more outcomes of the cooperation between China and Africa in world heritage protection.