2026 Asia-Pacific Regional Dialogue on Heritage and Authenticity closes

The 2026 Asia-Pacific Regional Dialogue on Heritage and Authenticity closed in Hanoi on September 30 after three days of serious, open and productive discussions.

The dialogue runs from September 27 to October 1 in Hanoi and Ninh Binh province. It was co-hosted by the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Hanoi and Ninh Binh People's Committees, the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and the UNESCO Office in Hanoi. The high-level policy forum brought together heritage experts and managers from the region and beyond to discuss how to conserve and uphold heritage values.

At the closing session, participants adopted the Hanoi Document on Heritage and Authenticity, presented as the Asia-Pacific region's practical contribution to the global dialogue. It builds on the 1964 Venice Charter, the 1994 Nara Document and the 2025 Nairobi Outcome Document.

The Hanoi Document draws on the experience of leading regional experts and managers and is intended to make the World Heritage List more representative, balanced and credible.

It argues that Asia-Pacific heritage is diverse and dynamic, and change and adaptation do not necessarily erode authenticity. Instead, they can help preserve its authenticity, allowing heritage to survive and pass across generations.

The document also affirms that local people, artisans and communities hold key knowledge and should be directly involved in identifying, assessing and safeguarding authenticity. It makes specific recommendations on coordination under the 1972 World Heritage Convention, aimed at states parties, the World Heritage Committee, advisory bodies and the UNESCO World Heritage Centre.

Hoang Dao Cuong, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Vice Chairman of the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO, thanked UNESCO, the World Heritage Centre, advisory bodies and participants for expert input which was central to the event's success.

Cuong outlined three priorities for Vietnam's work with UNESCO and states parties. Accordingly, Vietnam will keep the dialogue on authenticity going as new challenges emerge; expand experience sharing and comparative research, along with training for managers, experts and communities; and gradually turn research and dialogue outcomes into policies and tools for heritage protection in line with the 1972 Convention and its Operational Guidelines.

UNESCO Representative to Vietnam Jonathan Baker highlighted the roundtable with artisans, cultural practitioners from local communities and young people, saying they are an important component of the Hanoi Document because they brought community voices into the process.

Baker also praised Vietnam's strategic vision of putting cultural development at the centre of its national agenda, citing the Politburo's Resolution 80-NQ/TW, dated January 7, 2026. He credited the country with a leading role in proposing and advocating a United Nations resolution on the International Decade of Culture for Sustainable Development.

Hosting the dialogue further shows Vietnam's pioneering role, sense of responsibility and ability to practically contribute to global cultural and heritage policy, he said.

Lazare Eloundou Assomo, Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, said the Hanoi Document offers a clear perspective and a strong argument with a distinct Asia-Pacific imprint. He pledged that the centre will work with advisory bodies to carry the outcomes into international discussions.

Assomo called Vietnam a "particularly meaningful destination" for the dialogue, given that culture is a core part of its socio-economic development strategy.

The outcomes are expected to be taken up further at the 49th session of the World Heritage Committee in Istanbul in 2027.

After the closing session, participants headed to Ninh Binh for field trips at Tam Chuc Pagoda and the Trang An Landscape Complex on September 30 and October 1. They plan to discuss the links between natural and cultural values, the role of communities, and requirements for heritage management and tourism development./.