Agata Wąsowska-Pawlik and Prof. Jacek Purchla join the UNESCO World Heritage Committee

The Director of the ICC, Agata Wąsowska-Pawlik, and the Director’s Plenipotentiary for Scientific Affairs, Prof. Jacek Purchla, have been appointed to the team responsible for Poland's membership in the Intergovernmental Committee for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (UNESCO World Heritage Committee) for the 2025-2029 term. On 24 February, they received their appointments in Warsaw from Bożena Żelazowska, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and General Conservator of Monuments. The first meeting of the newly appointed body was also held.

The team, to which Agata Wąsowska-Pawlik and Prof. Jacek Purchla were appointed, is responsible for tasks related to Poland's participation in the work of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee and the implementation of the provisions of the World Heritage Convention. This means, among other things, reviewing the positions prepared by our country for Committee meetings, including draft decisions, resolutions and other documents. The team also analyses key topics discussed during the meetings, such as the nomination of new sites for the UNESCO World Heritage List and the assessment of the state of conservation of already inscribed sites. It also aims to improve cooperation and information exchange between national institutions involved in the protection of world heritage.

For the third time in history, Poland has been appointed a member of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee. Our membership in the years 2025-2029 will be carried out under the slogan “Solidarity in heritage protection”. A group of experts has been appointed to provide the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage with substantive support in this area. Poland's activities under the mandate will focus on four key areas: heritage protection during armed conflicts, climate and heritage, international solidarity, and education and public awareness.

Professor Jacek Purchla was the chair of the Polish National Commission for UNESCO from 2015 to 2020 and of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee from 2016 to 2017. Agata Wąsowska-Pawlik is a member of the Board of Europa Nostra, an organisation that works closely with the European Union, the Council of Europe, UNESCO and other international bodies.

Photo: MKiDN