Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation Anniversary of the Inscription of First Russian Sites on the World Heritage List Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation Russian World Heritage Sites – 16 cultural, 10 natural properties 1990 – 2014 1988 1990 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2001 2003 2004 2005 2010 2012 2014 Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation 2000 Historic and Architectural Complex of the Kazan Kremlin 2014 Bolgar Historic and Archeological Complex Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation Saint Peters burg Leningradskaya oblast Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation Kremlin and Red Square, Moscow Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation Kizhi Pogost, Karelia Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation State Protection: zoning, restrictions, control and supervision Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation Preservation Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation Legislation The President of the Russian Federation The Federal Assembly Management of the Russian Plan, Heritage Federation Impact Assessment, Buffer Zone Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation Coordination Russian versions on http://mkrf. ru/ Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation 14-16 December 2015 Anniversary exhibition: Year of Literature in Russia learn more UNESCO 70 about the First Russian Sites on the World Heritage List Welcome to Saint-Petersburg International Cultural Forum 14-16 December 2015! Saint Petersburg Administration 39th Session of the World Heritage Committee, Bonn, 3 July 2015 Photo by A.Pashkevich 3 July 2015 Address by H.E. Ms Eleonora Mitrofanova, on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of first Russian cultural monuments’ inscriptions in UNESCO World Heritage List Photo©Russian Delegation to UNESCO: Konstantin VOLKOV Dear members of the World Heritage Committee, Dear representatives of States Parties and advisory bodies, Ladies and Gentlemen. I am pleased to welcome you on behalf of the official delegation of the Russian Federation at the presentation organized by Russian Ministry of Culture on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of first national cultural monuments’ inscriptions on UNESCO World Heritage List. Today we celebrate with you major events of the year of 1990 that is already far away from us. Let us recall that this was the year of a radical restructuring of the internal system of administration and management and the subsequent disintegration of the USSR. That year was a harbinger of a severe socio-economic and political crisis, and the people of our country had to pass through its ordeal. In these most difficult circumstances Soviet specialists in cooperation with UNESCO carried out a profound research and preparatory work that resulted into the inscription of the first three Russian cultural monuments on UNESCO World Heritage List. It is no coincidence that the most symbolic and globally recognizable Russian sites were selected – the Moscow Kremlin, the Historical Centre of St. Petersburg and the architectural ensemble of Kizhi. For our multinational country and for other peoples, these monuments are inextricably linked to its historical grandeur, unique cultural code and spiritual heritage. These three major cultural and spiritual sources – the Kremlin, St. Petersburg and Kizhi – possess profound unifying and humanistic capacities, both within the country and beyond it, in the Eurasian and global spaces. All of them are indisputable examples of monuments with an outstanding universal value for mankind. I am pleased to note that the 25th anniversary of the inscription of our sites by the World Heritage Committee coincides with other anniversaries of major world historic events. Key among them are the 70th anniversary of UNESCO and the 70th anniversary of the Great Victory over Nazism. This year also marks the 25th anniversary of the beginning of the process of the final reunification of Germany, the friendly and welcoming host country of Committee's current session. In this crossroad of historic dates and events we can clearly see certain symbolism that is very important today, as well as the evidence of UNESCO unique mission and global role. This year also marks the 15th anniversary of the inscription of the Kazan Kremlin on the World Heritage List. This being so, allow me to welcome the members of our delegation from Tatarstan. Moreover, their jubilees are celebrated today by several other Russian sites – the Virgin Komi Forests (20 years), the Ferapontov Monastery and the Curonian Spit (15 years), Yaroslavl and the Struve Arc (10 years) and, finally, the Putorana Plateau (5 years). Speaking of anniversaries, I cannot but mention the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention, which was brilliantly organized in St. Petersburg in the framework of the 36th session of the World Heritage Committee in 2012. Russian and international partners who organized this celebration received the highest ratings for actually carrying out the best of the international fora in the history of the Convention. Of course, this would not be possible without the participation of Moscow and other colleagues. The recognition of the above-mentioned Russian sites by UNESCO paved the way for Russia’s active participation in the protection of the World Heritage and highlighted the global value of its monuments. It also ensured, in collaboration with international experts, a rigorous conservation of our sites that, together with the whole of the country, were passing through a crucial period in its development. In this context, I would like once again to express my deepest appreciation to UNESCO experts and Russian representatives embodied by those present here today for their invaluable contribution to the protection of these and many other Russian monuments. Presentation by Mr Vladimir TSVETNOV, Director of the Department of Control, Supervision and Licensing in the Field of Cultural Heritage Russian Ministry of Culture (Bonn, 3 July 2015) Ladies and Gentlemen, Being a representative of the Russian Ministry of Culture, I am happy to welcome you at the presentation devoted to the 25th anniversary of the first Russian sites on the World Heritage List. Beginning, I would like to briefly cover the history of the issue. In 1988, Russia completed the procedures necessary to join the World Heritage Convention, and two years later, it was able to submit three nominations to the World Heritage Committee: The historic center of St. Petersburg, the Kizhi Pogost, and the Moscow Kremlin. When received the unconditional support of the Committee, these sites were included in the World Heritage List in 1990 and put forward the highest standard for the rest of the Russian nominations – 13 cultural and 10 natural ones, listed in the following years, for example, the Kazan Kremlin and Ancient Bolgar included in the List in 2000 and 2014. The historic centre of Saint Petersburg and related groups of the monuments is a nomination, unprecedented in complexity and the number of components. The site area is twice larger than Luxembourg is, it consists of 37 components and over 130 elements, includes the palaces and parks, memorial objects connected with the blockade of Leningrad, natural landscapes, forts, historical roads and a lot of monuments from different ages. The Kizhi Pogost and the Moscow Kremlin are the ensembles, which are smaller, but not less important in terms of history and culture. St. Petersburg is the imperial capital; it is Moscow with its heart, the Moscow Kremlin - the capital of Russian tsars and soviet leaders, the Kizhi Pogost is a kind of the peasant capital, the center of the local government for the peasant communities of the Onega region. My colleagues will tell more details about these unique objects, reflecting the different stages of our country’s life, in their speeches, and I would like to say a few words about the problems related to the World Heritage sites the Russian Ministry of Culture have got. Firstly, it is a state protection. The majority of the Russian world cultural heritage has the highest protection status under the Russian legislation. Any work on their territory shall be carried out only with the permission and under the supervision of the Russian Ministry of Culture. Secondly, it is the conservation. The Russian Ministry of Culture regularly allocates the significant funds to restore the World Heritage sites. In 2014-2015, over 10 million Euros were allocated to restore a number of the World Heritage sites. The restoration work is carried out in accordance with the internationally accepted principles, including enshrined in the Charter of Venice. Thirdly, it is a legislative provision. The presence of the legislation provisions, enshrining the Convention and the Operational Guidelines, is very important for the efficient operation. In 2014-2015, the Russian Ministry of Culture prepared a new version of the Russian law on the facilities of cultural heritage, where such things as "Management Plan", "Heritage Impact Assessment", Buffer Zone are enshrined. Fourthly, it is coordination. The Russian Ministry of Culture is the National Focal Point for the World Cultural Heritage and provides the information and interaction of all stakeholders in solving the issues related to the implementation of the UNESCO recommendations and requirements. The Russian Ministry of Culture also coordinates the preparation of new nominations and translates UNESCO documents into Russian. The Russian guidelines and the other materials are available on the web site of the Ministry of Culture. 25 years later, since the moment of including the first Russian sites in the World Heritage List, we can say that Russia continues to pay great attention to the work of the World Heritage Convention and seeks to raise awareness and provide the availability of their monuments for a wide range of the people interested in our history and culture. So, at the St. Petersburg International Cultural Forum on 14-16 December 2015 the exhibition dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the first Russian facilities in the World Heritage List will be held.