The 44th session of the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO has adopted the Fuzhou Declaration, UNESCO announced at a video press conference on Sunday.

The Fuzhou Declaration reiterates the significance of world heritage protection and international cooperation, as well as the need to work and act together to address climate change, said Tian Xuejun, chairperson of the World Heritage Committee's 44th session.

The declaration calls for closer international cooperation within the framework of multilateralism and increasing support for developing countries, especially those in Africa and small island developing countries, said Tian, who is also China's vice education minister and director of the Chinese National Commission for UNESCO.

The declaration also calls for strengthening world heritage education, knowledge sharing, and the application of new technologies.

The declaration states that global heritage has made a positive contribution to the promotion of exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations, as well as to world peace and sustainable development.

The 44th session of the World Heritage Committee kicked off Friday in Fuzhou, the capital of eastern China's Fujian province. This was the first time the committee session for reviewing world heritage items was held online, and the second time a Chinese city hosted the meeting since China joined the convention in 1985. 

The session was postponed from its original date in 2020 due to COVID-19. As such, the event was extended to last until July 31, so that the committee could go over the agendas of both 2020 and 2021.

The session will review new candidates for the UNESCO World Heritage list, which include Quanzhou, a coastal city in Fujian province and a global maritime trade center in ancient China.

The committee will also examine the state of conservation of sites already inscribed on the list.

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