Krakow, July 4 (RHC)-- Cuba reiterated its commitment to protecting heritage during the general policy debate of the 41st Session of the World Heritage Committee, which is taking place from July 2nd to the 12th in Krakow, Poland. 

Speaking during an initial session, Nilson Acosta Reyes, President of the National Heritage Council and head of the Cuban delegation, recognized the leadership of UNESCO and its World Heritage Center in the implementation of the Convention for the Protection of Cultural and Natural Heritage and the awareness of the international community. 

The Cuban delegation condemned the deliberate destruction of heritage and stressed the importance of the implementation of UNESCO's standard-setting instruments for the protection of heritage in all its forms, particularly in the case of armed conflicts and natural disasters. 

The implementation of the UNESCO Culture Work Plan for Latin America and the Caribbean was also discussed, emphasizing UNESCO's support for the Plan of Ministers of Culture of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), adopted in Havana in 2014, in which heritage protection is a fundamental component. 

The delegation stressed the importance of continuing to strengthen work-focused actions on sustainable heritage and tourism issues; heritage and climate change, and capacity building for small island developing States. He referred to important projects being developed in Cuba in these areas, within the framework of the implementation of the convention, the CELAC action plan and the UNESCO work plan for Latin America and the Caribbean.