ICHHTO Chief: Iran Ready to Boost Cooperation with UNESCO


TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Head of Iran's Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization (ICHHTO) Masoud Soltanifar underlined that the Islamic Republic is ready for any cooperation with international bodies to protect cultural heritage in the Middle East region.

“Iran announces its readiness for any kind of cooperation to protect cultural heritage of the rich region,” Soltanifar said at a ceremony in Tehran on Wednesday to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

He also said that regional countries have a good record of collaboration to protect their common tangible and intangible cultural heritage.

Drafting and presenting the registration case of Nowruz is only one of the examples of the collaboration, the Iranian official noted.

The International Day of Nowruz was registered on the UNESCO List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity on February 23, 2010, and the festivities are now celebrated in many countries as far as the US and Canada.

Soltanifar also emphasized that the international body’s measures and plans are in line with “the institutionalization of peace, collaboration and sustainable development”.