President of UNESCO’s General Conference, Mr. Ping HAO, visits UNESCO Tehran Cluster Office

Mr. Ping HAO, President of UNESCO’s General Conference, visited Iran from 22-26 October. The President was accompanied by Mr Yue DU, Secretary-General of the National Commission of China for UNESCO; Mr Yubiao SHEN, Personal Assistant of Mr Ping HAO as Vice-Minister of Education of China; and Ms Catherine THIOUNN, Assistant to the President of the General Conference, AVA Diplomatic reports.

The main purpose of the visit was to inaugurate the 17th UNESCO World Heritage Site in Iran: Shahr-e Sokhteh. Shahr-e Sokhteh, meaning ‘Burnt City’, is located near Zabol in the East of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The remains of the mudbrick city represent the emergence of the first complex societies in eastern Iran at the junction of Bronze Age trade routes crossing the Iranian plateau.

After having unveiled the UNESCO plaque at Shahr-e Sokhteh, Mr. HAO traveled to Kashan where he visited the main cultural heritage sites, including Fin garden, which was inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 2012.

In Tehran, Mr. HAO paid a visit to the UNESCO Tehran Cluster Office, located in Sa’adabad Cultural and Historical Complex. He met with all of the staff and was briefed on the activities of the office.

After that, Mr. HAO met with Dr. Mohammad Ali Najafi, Minister of Science, Research and Technology; Dr.Hossein  Salar-Amoli, Vice Minister of Science for International Affairs; Dr. Ali Asghar Fani, Minister of Education. In addition to government officials, Mr. HAO met with the Deans of Universities that have cooperation with China.

During his short time in Tehran, the President of UNESCO’s General Conference was also able to pay a brief visit to the Golestan Palace. This lavish palace is a masterpiece of the Qajar era and became a centre of Qajari arts and architecture of which it is an outstanding example. It has remained a source of inspiration for Iranian artists and architects to this day and became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2013.

The UNESCO Tehran Cluster Office thanks Mr. HAO for his visit to the office and trusts that his mission to the country will further strengthen the close relationship between UNESCO and the Islamic Republic of Iran.