PR: Andalusia to Cooperate on Heritage and Development of Varanasi (UNESCO)

Press Release no. 36/07
Andalusia to Cooperate on Heritage and Development of Varanasi


11 October 2007 - His Excellency Mr. Gaspar Zarrías, Vice-President of 
the regional government of Andalusia in southern Spain, will discuss a 
new initiative for cooperation in the area of heritage based 
development, during the official visit of a delegation of the government 
of Andalusia to India on October 11 and 12 2007, coinciding with Spain’s 
National Day on October 12.

Mr. Zarrías will meet with representatives of the New Delhi office of 
UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural 
Organization, and the Varanasi Chapter of INTACH, the Indian National 
Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage. They will discuss Andalusian 
government funding for culture and development in Varanasi, with the 
technical support of UNESCO through the Network of Indian Cities of 
Living Heritage. The Network, established by UNESCO New Delhi in 2006 
with the support from the Central Ministry of Urban Development and the 
Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, aims to promote 
sustainable, heritage based development of India’s historic cities.

“The Network of Indian Cities enables its members to share ideas and 
expertise so that India’s most historic regions and cities can develop 
in ways that value their heritage and use it as an engine for 
socio-economic growth,” said Minja Yang, Director of the UNESCO New 
Delhi office. “The Network has several international partners, and we 
are delighted to now include the participation of Andalusia, a region of 
Spain that is world famous for its Islamic heritage in cities like 
Seville and Granada.”  The Ambassador of Spain, Mr. Ion de la Riva has 
welcomed the initiative and stressed that “This project in Varanasi will 
enhance the cooperation and partnership between the two countries that 
have a long history”.

The UNESCO New Delhi office promotes international cooperation to 
propagate best practices in local government and decentralisation, 
particularly in relation to the goals of urban development set out by 
the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission. “From a cultural 
point of view, Varanasi is one of India’s most important cities,” said 
Ms. Yang. “It expresses much about the spirituality of the country, and 
it does so through its geography and architecture. Developing the city 
in such a way as to preserve its living cultural heritage is 
tremendously important, and we welcome the Andalusian government’s 
technical cooperation.” A Memorandum of Understanding to underpin the 
cooperation will be signed soon between Andalusia and the headquarters 
of UNESCO in Paris.