Malta submits candidacy for UNESCO World Heritage Committee

Malta has submitted its formal candidacy for a seat on the UNESCO World Heritage Committee for the 2027–2031 term. 

“Over the coming months and years, work will be carried out to ensure that our country is in the best position to be elected to serve on the World Heritage Committee,” Minister for Culture, the Arts and Local Government Owen Bonnici said. 

The move coincides with the sixtieth anniversary of Malta’s membership in UNESCO.

He highlighted that being elected would balance the national representation between diplomatic officials and Maltese technical experts in the field of cultural heritage.

The World Heritage Committee was established by UNESCO in 1972 as a tool to promote peace and unity among peoples. It is elected by the 196 member states that have signed the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. 

Malta’s candidacy now begins a process leading to elections in November 2027, during which negotiations and discussions between different countries will take place.

Bonnici added that Malta’s candidacy demonstrates a concrete commitment to multilateralism, as well as to the conservation and protection of cultural heritage. 

At a Paris event marking Malta’s National Day and 60 years with UNESCO, Ambassador Vella Gauci, Malta’s Permanent Delegate to UNESCO, said, “For six decades, Malta has promoted UNESCO’s values, guided by the belief that culture is not just heritage; it is life itself.”

He added that extending Valletta’s nomination to include the Maltese Fortifications of the Order of St John “reflects a renewed commitment to credibility, communication, and communities, three of the five Cs of the World Heritage Convention.”

The Committee, composed of 21 countries, manages the World Heritage Fund and oversees the prestigious World Heritage List. 

Currently, Malta has three World Heritage sites: the Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum, the Megalithic Temples of Malta (considered one property with five components), and the city of Valletta.