UNESCO's Support Is Getting Stronger, Indonesia's Cultural Heritage Is Ready To Go Worldwide

JAKARTA - The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) plays an important role in protecting and promoting world cultural heritage, both tangible, such as historical sites, as well as intangible such as cultural traditions and expressions.

Through the Intangible World Heritage and Cultural Heritage program, UNESCO seeks to ensure that human cultural wealth can continue to be passed on to future generations.

Indonesia, as one of the countries with the highest level of biodiversity and culture in the world, has a strong commitment to be actively involved in these various initiatives, including the nomination process for national cultural sites and traditions.

In this context, the Minister of Culture of Indonesia, Fadli Zon, expressed official support for Khaled El Anany's candidacy from the Arab Republic of Egypt as Director General of UNESCO for the 2025 '2029 period. Fadli expressed his belief that under the new leadership, UNESCO will increasingly pay attention to countries with high cultural wealth such as Indonesia in the process of recognizing world cultural heritage.

"The relationship between Indonesia and Egypt is very close historically, with Egypt becoming the first country to recognize Indonesia's independence. We believe Prof. El Anany has the capacity and vision to bring global progress in the field of culture," Fadli said in an official statement in Jakarta, Thursday, as quoted by ANTARA.

Fadli also emphasized that Indonesia is trying to strengthen its role in UNESCO, including through nominations in the Intergovernmental Committee for the Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage. He hopes that, if Khaled El Anany is elected, Indonesia's cultural heritage from Sabang to Merauke which includes various languages, traditions, and arts can be further recognized and facilitated to be included in the UNESCO list.

Khaled El Anany, on the other hand, expressed his commitment to direct UNESCO as a driving force for sustainable development based on culture, education, and science. He highlighted the importance of cultural conservation, capacity building of national institutions, as well as empowerment of artists and local communities. The use of technology, including artificial intelligence (AI), is also considered a potential tool in preserving culture as long as it is used ethically.

This meeting not only strengthens cultural cooperation between Indonesia and Egypt, but also strengthens the position of South Global countries in the leadership of world cultural institutions.