State seeks UNESCO Heritage tag for living root bridges

SHILLONG, Sep 13: A delegation from Meghalaya, headed by Art and Culture Minister Paul Lyngdoh, is currently on a visit to Paris to plead for recognition of the living root bridges (LRBs) as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The state delegation on Friday gave a presentation on the LRBs to UNESCO Assistant Director General, Ernesto Ottone during their visit to the UNESCO Archives in Paris.
During his address, Lyngdoh emphasised the state’s commitment to cultural and educational cooperation on a global scale.
The delegation also met Simona-Mirela Miculescu, President of the 42nd session of the General Conference of UNESCO & Ambassador of Romania to UNESCO.
“Our encounter was a delightful exchange of ideas, engaging in meaningful discussions regarding the UNESCO archives,” Lyngdoh said.
He said it was an honour to visit the UNESCO Archives in Paris, alongside Vishal V Sharma, Ambassador & Permanent Delegate of India to UNESCO.
He said the Meghalaya delegation was warmly received by Nicholas Jeffreys, Assistant Director General for Administration and Management, UNESCO, and Omar Baig, Chief Information and Technology Officer, UNESCO, along with the Archives Team.
“Our discussions underscored Meghalaya’s commitment to cultural and educational cooperation on a global scale, aligning with UNESCO’s mission to promote international understanding and peace. We also delved into UNESCO’s rich history, including its precursor, the International Institute for Intellectual Cooperation (IIIC), which played a key role in fostering global intellectual exchange under the League of Nations,” the minister said.
Following the meeting, the delegation was taken on a guided tour of the Archives, home to an impressive 30,000 hours of audio and documents dating back to 1924, since the time of the League of Nations.
Besides Lyngdoh, the delegation consisted of FR Kharkongor, Principal Secretary, Department of Arts & Culture; FM Dopth, Secretary, Department of Arts & Culture; DD Shira, Director, Department of Arts & Culture, and MY Tham, Convener, INTACH Meghalaya Chapter, amongst others.