Malta has formally submitted its candidacy for the UNESCO World Heritage Committee for the 2027-2031 term, the government said Saturday. This candidacy also coincides with the marking of the sixtieth anniversary of Malta's membership in UNESCO.

This Committee, which was created by UNESCO as a tool to promote peace and unity among people in 1972, is elected by the 196 member states that are signatories of the Convention on the Protection of Cultural Heritage and Natural Heritage. With this candidacy, a process has now begun that will lead to the relative elections to be held in November 2027, during which negotiations and discussions will take place between the various countries.

The Minister for Culture, Lands and Local Government Owen Bonnici said that over the coming months and years, work will be done so that our country will be in the best position to be elected to serve on the World Heritage Committee. In the event that Malta is elected to the World Heritage Committee, the national representation will be balanced between officials from the diplomatic field and Maltese technical experts in the area of cultural heritage.

Minister Bonnici said that Malta's candidacy for the World Heritage Committee signifies a concrete commitment on the part of Malta towards multilateralism, as well as towards the conservation and safeguarding of cultural heritage.

This Convention is directed by a committee made up of 21 countries that, among other things, meets to administer the fund for the protection of World Heritage, and takes care of the prestigious World Heritage List.

On the World Heritage List, Malta currently has three sites, which are the Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum, the Megalithic Temples of Malta (considered as one property with five components), and the city of Valletta.