India to host UNESCO meet at Red Fort in Delhi

New Delhi: In a first, India is set to host a UNESCO meeting on safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage from December 8-13 at the historic Red Fort in Delhi, and preparations are underway for the key event.

A senior official of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) on Friday said the 17th century fort complex will be closed from December 5-14 in view of the event.

Built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan as the palace fort of his capital Shahjahanabad, the Red Fort complex is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and a centrally protected monument.

The twentieth session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage will take place from December 8-13 in New Delhi, UNESCO has said.

Security is expected to be tightened at and around the fort area, as the meeting will take place nearly a month after a high-intensity blast in a car near the Red Fort killed 15 people and injured more than two dozen on November 10.

The session will be chaired by Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of India to UNESCO, Vishal V Sharma.

“This is the first time India will host this UNESCO session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, and so it is a matter of great pride,” Sharma told news agency. The upcoming December session comes a year-and-a-half after New Delhi hosted the 46th session of the World Heritage Committee (WHC) from July 21-31, 2024 at the Bharat Mandapam.

Sharma had served as chairperson of the WHC during the 2024 event. In an exclusive interview to a news agency on the sidelines of the WHC meet, he said that it had taken “four years of hard work” to bring the WHC session to India.