Professor Amareswar Galla, Pro-Chancellor of KISS, celebrated his 25-year association with UNESCO and Korea last week by addressing a series of prestigious forums alongside distinguished leaders, including the Mayor of Jeonju City, the Director General of the Korean Heritage Service (ICH Division), the Director General of UNESCO’s Asia-Pacific Centre for ICH, and several renowned professors and ambassadors. His contributions align with the vision of KISS and KIIT, under the leadership of the Founder, Dr. Achyuta Samanta, in empowering indigenous communities and fostering sustainable development through education and community cultural development.
Prof. Galla, who holds the UNESCO Chair on Inclusive Museums and Sustainable Heritage Development and is a founding member of the UNESCO UNITWIN Network on Culture, Tourism, and Development, Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University has been instrumental in positioning Korea as a global leader in the safeguarding ICH. His contributions over the past two decades have significantly shaped global heritage policy, particularly through his engagement with UNESCO and Korea’s efforts in advancing cultural preservation and development.
During his addresses, Prof. Galla emphasized Korea’s pivotal role in the development and implementation of the UNESCO 2003 Convention on Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage. He highlighted Korea’s leadership in fostering global discourse on ICH, building capacity among State Parties from both the Global North and South, and establishing vital infrastructure that benefits Korea and its international partners. Prof. Galla also recognized Korea’s use of cultural programming as soft power, promoting culture as a key pillar of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He underscored Korea’s leadership in the MONDIACULT 2022 Declaration, where 150 countries unanimously affirmed culture as a “global public good.”