General Assembly of the Alliance for Cultural Heritage in Asia to take place in Xi'an

The General Assembly of the Alliance for Cultural Heritage in Asia (ACHA) will take place in Xi'an, Shaanxi, from April 24 to 26, according to the National Cultural Heritage Administration.

President Xi Jinping said "China is ready to work with other countries to protect Asian cultural heritage and better preserve and sustain our civilizations" at the Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations held on May 15, 2019, providing important guidance for deepening China's cooperation with other Asian countries in cultural heritage and promoting exchanges and mutual learning among Asian civilizations.

During the Asian Dialogue for Cultural Heritage Conservation co-hosted by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the National Cultural Heritage Administration in October 2021, 10 Asian countries including China jointly initiated the Alliance for Cultural Heritage in Asia.

The general assembly Asia will be jointly hosted by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the National Cultural Heritage Administration and Shaanxi provincial government.

According to Xie Bing, deputy director of the National Cultural Heritage Administration, this will be the first large-scale, high-level international conference organized in person since the creation of ACHA.

The general assembly will bring together representatives of more than 21 Asian countries as well as three key international organizations for cultural heritage including UNESCO, International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property and International Alliance for the Protection of Heritage in Conflict Areas.

Fifteen ministerial officials responsible for cultural and heritage affairs and 2 heads of international organizations will attend and address the general assembly.

"We are confident that by working together we will be able to preserve for future generations all the wealth of the world's historical and cultural heritage," Maksutov Altynbek Askarovich, Minister of Culture, Information, Sports and Youth of Kyrgyzstan, told China Daily ahead of the conference.

The expected outcomes of the general assembly will include official establishment of ACHA, official launch of the Asian Fund for Cultural Heritage Conservation, inauguration of the Silk Road Collaborative Research Center for Archaeology, and publication of the Xi'an Declaration of the Alliance for Cultural Heritage in Asia.

"These initiatives provide a platform for different countries and stakeholders to share knowledge, resources and practice, which can help to improve the effectiveness of cultural heritage conservation efforts," Fareena Mazhar, secretary of National Heritage and Culture Division of Pakistan, told China Daily.