Paris, 7 July 2025. In the framework of the 47th Session of the World Heritage Committee, the Cuban delegation held working meetings with officials and technical teams from the World Heritage Centre responsible for Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as with the unit in charge of nominations, with the aim of following up on cooperation matters and ongoing projects.
The meetings provided a valuable opportunity to discuss the nomination process of the Cuban Caribbean Reef System, a dossier that aspires to be considered as a new Natural World Heritage Site of Cuba. The discussions addressed technical aspects related to the cartographic requirements of the file and the components that will form part of the serial nomination in its initial phase.
The Cuban delegation, composed of Nilson Acosta Reyes, Vice President of the National Council of Cultural Heritage and Cultural Focal Point; Aylem Hernández Ávila, Deputy Director of the National Centre for Protected Areas and Natural Focal Point; and Laura Alvarez Delgado, Third Secretary of the Permanent Delegation of Cuba to UNESCO, was received by Mauro Rosi, Chief of the Latin America and the Caribbean Unit, and Alessandro Balsamo, Chief of the Nominations Unit of the World Heritage Centre.
During these exchanges, Cuba extended an invitation to the Director of the World Heritage Centre to attend the Second International Congress on Cultural Heritage, to be held in Havana from 20 to 22 May 2026, with the objective of further strengthening technical dialogue and international cooperation in the field of conservation.
The meetings reaffirmed the longstanding cooperation between Cuban authorities and the World Heritage Centre, as well as Cuba’s commitment to sustainable management and the safeguarding of its cultural and natural heritage. Both sides expressed their willingness to continue expanding opportunities for collaboration and capacity-building in support of Cuban and regional heritage.