Türkiye will host the 49th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Istanbul in 2027 after its bid was unanimously approved during the committee's 48th session in Busan, South Korea, the Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.

In a statement, the ministry said the 49th session is scheduled to take place in Istanbul from June 27 to July 7, 2027.

The ministry said Türkiye will continue contributing to international cooperation aimed at protecting cultural and natural heritage recognized as the common heritage of humanity.

At the same session, Türkiye's permanent delegate to UNESCO, Ambassador Mustafa Yurdakul, assumed the chairmanship of the 49th session.

Meanwhile, sources said hosting the session and taking on the committee's presidency will further strengthen Türkiye's active role within UNESCO and enhance its visibility in the field of cultural diplomacy, while also providing an important opportunity to promote the country's rich cultural and natural heritage internationally.

Türkiye was elected to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee for the 2023-2027 term with a record number of votes. The country currently has 22 cultural and mixed heritage sites inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The UNESCO World Heritage Committee was established under the 1972 Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage and serves as the convention's decision-making body.

Comprising 21 member states elected for four-year terms, the committee decides on new inscriptions to the World Heritage List, reviews the conservation status of listed sites, adopts decisions on the List of World Heritage in Danger, and determines the use of the World Heritage Fund.

It also coordinates international cooperation to protect, promote and pass on to future generations cultural and natural sites recognised as having Outstanding Universal Value.