UNESCO Asia Pacific World Heritage Youth Forum

UNESCO Asia Pacific World Heritage Youth Forum

A select group of secondary school students from the Asia Pacific region have joined forces in Christchurch, New Zealand this week to prepare a united challenge to the World Heritage Committee.

"World Heritage is about our legacy from the past, what we live with today and what we pass on to future generations," says UNESCO NZ National Commission chairwoman, Dame Silvia Cartwright.

"Seeking inspiration from our future leaders is key to the success of UNESCO's World Heritage philosophy"

More than thirty teenagers were welcomed onto Rehua Marae on Monday 18 June 2007. For the rest of the week the students will visit and study heritage sites throughout Te Waipounamu. They will stay on ancestral marae where they will be hosted by local Ngai Tahu tribal descendents and guided by indigenous conservation experts from the Conservation Department.

"This is experiential learning at its best: taking education out of the classroom and into some of New Zealand's finest natural and cultural heritage sites: definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience," says Dame Silvia.

UNESCO has asked the students to use these experiences as the basis for a short documentary film that will be presented to delegates of the World Heritage Committee on the opening day.

"The voices of future generations of our Asia Pacific region will be the first ones heard at the World Heritage Committee meeting," says Dame Silvia Cartwright.

"Let us work as one to make sure the voices of future generations are always heard whenever we consider the heritage of our planet and our peoples."

ENDS

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