Natural and cultural heritage have universal value for us as individuals, communities, societies and wider organizations. They need to be preserved for future generations, said EU Ambassador David Geer sharing the concerns of UNESCO that the Ohrid region could be inscribed on the list of world heritage in danger.
We support increased community participation in addressing this issue, Geer said Wednesday after meeting with Ohrid Mayor Konstantin Georgievski during his visit to Ohrid.
“Preserving the natural and cultural heritage of the Ohrid region requires strong government commitment to implementing all the recommendations. It requires good coordination between responsible ministries and institutions and the engagement of national and local authorities, backed up by appropriate budgetary allocation,” he told reporters.
According to the EU diplomat, the mission to preserve the region should be supported by all political stakeholders.
“It should be national endeavor, bringing together all actors at the national and local level, including partnership between the local authorities, the civil society, local communities and local businesses,” Ambassador Geer said expressing the Union’s support for the process.
Talks focused on current developments in the Municipality of Ohrid with an accent on the lakeside town’s UNESCO status as regards the implementation of the recommendations, said Mayor Georgieski.
Speaking to reporters, he said UNESCO has been making its criteria more strict and the list of sites in danger has been growing year by year.
“Inscribing Ohrid on the list of sites in danger is not all that tragic as it is portrayed to the public. If it came true, we should double our efforts both at local and state level to make a plan and implement all the recommendations as soon as possible,” said Georgievski.
The Mayor said he hoped UNESCO would take note of the positive changes and the region would not lose the status.
“We’re about to see what UNESCO’s response will be after we send them the comments. What matters is that we are in contact with UNESCO and the advisory bodies, which wasn’t the case in the past,” he stated.
