Lumbini avoids being listed as heritage site at risk

KATHMANDU: The proposal to designate Lumbini, the birthplace of Gautam Buddha, as a heritage site at risk has been rejected.

This decision was made during the 46th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, held in New Delhi, India.

A delegation including Dr. Lhyarkal Lama, Vice Chair of the Lumbini Development Trust, and Dr. Ganesh Prasad Pandey, Secretary at the Ministry of Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation, along with other officials, attended the session.

Representatives from 19 of the 21 participating countries argued that Lumbini is a unique site of significant importance and that Nepal should be given time to implement necessary reforms, rather than listing it as a threatened site.

India proposed an amendment to the draft proposal, which was supported by the 19 countries, according to Sanuraj Shakya, Member Secretary of the Lumbini Development Trust.

UNESCO had previously warned Nepal in 2002 about potential anti-conservation activities, such as random infrastructure development in Lumbini, and had considered listing it as a heritage site at risk.