A significant meeting was held today between Nepal’s Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Badri Prasad Pandey, and UNESCO Head and Resident Representative to Nepal, Yakho du Toit, focusing on the preservation and promotion of Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Buddha.
Minister Pandey & UNESCO Representative
The discussion, conducted at the Ministry of Tourism, revolved around ensuring that Lumbini, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is not placed on the list of endangered heritage sites. Minister Pandey emphasized that the Government of Nepal is actively implementing a comprehensive action plan aligned with UNESCO’s standards to address concerns and enhance preservation efforts in Lumbini.
He further underscored the importance of technical and institutional support from UNESCO to develop long-term strategies that would ensure Lumbini’s sustainable protection and keep it off the danger list permanently. In response, UNESCO Representative du Toit assured full cooperation from the organization. He also expressed satisfaction over the positive deliberations regarding Lumbini and Kathmandu during the recently held International Scientific Committee meeting.
During the meeting, Minister Pandey also sought UNESCO’s assistance in listing Tilaurakot of Kapilvastu in the World Heritage List and including other potential heritage sites of Nepal in UNESCO’s tentative list. He also shared updates on the progress made by the 16-member committee under the United Nations for the long-term promotion of Lumbini.
