The “2022 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation” (Heritage Awards) were awarded to 13 award-winning projects from 6 different countries across the Asia-Pacific region.
- The 6 nations are Afghanistan, China, India, Iran, Nepal and Thailand.
Winners have been chosen in each of the recognition categories, including the Special Recognition for Sustainable Development, the Award of Excellence, the Award of Distinction, the Award of Merit, and the Award for New Design in Heritage Contexts.
- The awards were announced by UNESCO Bangkok, which serves as the Asia and Pacific Regional Bureau for Education as well as a Cluster Office in the Asia-Pacific region of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
2022 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation – Awarded Projects Â
Award of Excellence | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya Museum, Mumbai (Maharashtra), India  |
Award of Distinction | |
| 2 | Stepwells of Golconda, Hyderabad (Telangana), India |
| 3 | Zarch Qanat, Yazd, Iran |
| 4 | Neilson Hays Library, Bangkok, Thailand |
Award of Merit | |
| 5 | Topdara Stupa, Charikar, Afghanistan |
| 6 | Nantian Buddhist Temple, Fujian, China |
| 7 | Domakonda Fort, Telangana, India |
| 8 | Byculla Station, Mumbai, India |
| 9 | Sadoughi House, Yazd, Iran |
| 10 | 25 Chivas in Kathmandu, Nepal |
Special Recognition for Sustainable Development | |
| 11 | West Guizhou Lilong Neighborhood, Shanghai, China |
Award for New Design in Heritage Contexts | |
| 12 | M30 Integrated Infrastructure for Power Supply and Waste Collection, Macao SAR, China |
| 13 | Xiaoxihu Block, Nanjing, China |
Click Here to See the Winners Profile Â
UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation
i.The UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation is supported by UNESCO and the Ng Teng Fong Charitable Foundation (NTFCF) since 2021.
- In 2021, UNESCO and NTFCF launched a 5-year (2021-2025) strategic partnership to promote transformative heritage conservation practices in the Asia-Pacific region.
ii.In accordance with this partnership, the 2022 Award winners are publicized through the international symposium “The Next Fifty Years: Challenges and Opportunities for World Heritage,” which marks the 50th anniversary of the 1972 Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage.
iii.In 2020, UNESCO introduced a new category called “Special Recognition for Sustainable Development.”
iv.The UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation programme has honoured private individuals and organisations for their efforts to restore, conserve, and transform structures and buildings with historical value in the region since 2000.
Century Old Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya in Mumbai Wins UNESCO Asia-Pacific Award
The “Award of Excellence” in the “2022 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation” has been awarded to the heroic restoration of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS) Museum in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
- It was established in 1922 as the Prince of Wales Museum of Western India.
The CSMVS Museum is a component of the Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensembles of Mumbai world heritage property in India.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS) Museum
i.The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS), originally known as the Prince of Wales Museum of Western India, is one of India’s most prestigious art and history museums.
ii.It is a non-profit organisation founded by the then-Bombay Presidency under Act III of the Bombay Legislation in 1909, known as the Prince of Wales Museum Act (now known as the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya Act).
- The museum is an autonomous institution, unaided by the government but supported by public-private partnerships.
iii.The Prince of Wales laid the foundation stone for the museum on November 11, 1905.
- The building was completed in 1914 and officially opened to the public on January 10, 1922.
Global Recognitions
i.The CSMVS museum is recognized as a Grade I Heritage Building and was awarded the 2010 UNESCO Asia Pacific Heritage Award for Cultural Heritage Conservation.
ii.The museum was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2018.
iii.In 2019, the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) awarded the Museum the highest (Platinum) rating for global leadership in environmental management.
iv.Conservation architect Abha Narain Lambah restored it in 2009.
Recent Related News:
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has launched, Handmade for the 21st Century: Safeguarding Traditional Indian Textiles, a list of 50 iconic heritage textile crafts of India.
About the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO):
Director-General – Audrey Azoulay
Established – 1945 (came into force in 1946)
Members – 193 Members and 10 Associate Members
Headquarters – Paris, France
