Depth report

　　

Brunei is accelerating the preparations for its future application to be recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. On February 3rd, experts from the heritage field at both regional and international levels gathered in Brunei to attend a capacity-building seminar, laying the foundation for Brunei to embark on the path of World Heritage Site application. This event was supported by the ASEAN-Korea Center.

The ASEAN-Korea Center stated in a statement that the seminar was themed "Laying the Foundation: Opening the Path for Brunei's UNESCO World Heritage Site Application" and was jointly organized with the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism of Brunei (MPRT). The aim was to enhance Brunei's overall preparedness in the World Heritage Site application process.

The statement noted that heritage experts from several important institutions participated in this discussion and exchange, including the UNESCO Jakarta Regional Office, the Korean Heritage Agency, the Korean UNESCO National Committee, and the Jeju World Natural Heritage Center. The experts shared experiences of successful listing of World Heritage Sites and their comprehensive impacts on heritage protection, governance systems, and socio-economic aspects, based on their respective national and regional case studies.

During the seminar, the participating experts also conducted a technical inspection at the Ulu Temburong National Park. This park has been identified by Brunei as a priority candidate for World Heritage Site application. The focus of the inspection was on the current status of natural heritage management, biodiversity protection measures, and the heritage value of the park's natural environment, and on-site exchanges were held on related issues.

According to the data, Brunei has rich natural and cultural heritage resources. Over 70% of its national territory is covered by forests, and it has outstanding ecosystem integrity and natural landscape value.

The ASEAN-Korea Center stated that the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism of Brunei has been continuously promoting World Heritage Site application-related work in recent years. By improving the framework for heritage protection and management, optimizing the application process, and combining sustainable heritage tourism concepts, it has enhanced the country's tourism competitiveness.

In the field of intangible cultural heritage, Brunei has recently achieved phased results. Its traditional clothing "Kebaya" and traditional oral literature "Pantun" have been successfully listed in the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The ASEAN-Korea Center introduced that approximately 80 participants, including government officials, tourism industry representatives, and academic experts, participated in this seminar. The discussion covered World Heritage Site application standards, preparatory strategies, and how to achieve a balance between heritage protection management and tourism development after successful listing.

The ASEAN-Korea Center's Secretary-General Kim Jae-seong stated that this seminar provided an important platform for sharing practical experiences in World Heritage Site application between all parties and played a positive role in supporting Brunei's progress in heritage listing and capacity building for tourism. He also pointed out that in the future, the ASEAN-Korea Center will continue to deepen tourism cooperation between Brunei and South Korea and expand multi-level exchanges and collaboration spaces.