Led by the president of the Consell Insular de Menorca, Adolfo Vilafranca, the Menorcan delegation will begin its journey to participate in the 45th World Heritage Committee on September 15 via Barcelona and Doha, arriving in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) on the night of the September 16. Once the possible inscription of Menorca on the UNESCO World Heritage List has materialised, they will begin their return journey on the September 20, arriving on the island on the 21st.
Vilafranca will be accompanied by the second vice-president and conseller for the Environment, Simón Gornés; the conseller for Cultural Affairs, Joan Pons Torres, as well as Cipriano Marín, who since 2017 has coordinated the team in charge of reformulating the Talayotic Menorca candidacy. The president of the Government of the Balearic Islands, Margalida Prohens, will also be present at the Committee.
With the work to achieve the inscription already completed, the fundamental role of the delegations of the Consell Insular de Menorca and the Balearic Government will be that of institutional representation and participation in the 45th World Heritage Committee.
At the same time, the Menorcan delegation will establish contacts with other delegations to raise awareness of Talayotic Menorca in other countries and with a view to the future exchange of knowledge and experiences with places that have world heritage sites with similar characteristics and problems to those of Menorca.
"We are going to Riyadh with the conviction of a job well done by the Consell Insular and with the feeling that decisive days are approaching for a project, which has been developed over more than a decade based on consensus and enthusiasm", explains Vilafranca.
Inscription on the World Heritage List
The Committee has been underway since the September 10 and will continue until the 25th of this month. From the 16th, it will begin to examine the nominations for inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List, starting with the nominations that could not be examined last year, such as that of Menorca. The full list can be consulted
here.
The discussion of nominations for inscription on the World Heritage List begins on September 16 at 4:30 pm and runs until September 20. It is not possible to know exactly when Menorca will be nominated; the official nomination may take place between September 17 and 19. Sessions begin at 10 am and end at 6 pm, with a 2-hour lunch break (1 1 pm - 3 pm).
The order starts with the 2022 nominations and then continues with the 2023 nominations. They are in alphabetical order (in English) of the nominating States Parties. In any case, the sessions can be
followed live on the UNESCO World Heritage website in English, French and Arabic.
Functioning of the Committee
The World Heritage Committee is composed of 21 members representing States Parties, which rotate every 2-4 years. The States that make up the current Committee are: Argentina, Belgium, Bulgaria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Greece, India, Italy, Japan, Mali, Mexico, Nigeria, Oman, Qatar, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Thailand and Zambia.
All of these States are entitled to vote on decisions. The decision to inscribe on the World Heritage List is put to a vote, or the Chairperson of the session may call for a favourable decision by general assent without a vote.
Only State delegations may be present at the Plenary Session of the World Heritage Committee. The rest of the guests, including the Balearic delegation, will be in the audience, except for the time when the inscription is being discussed.