KUALA LUMPUR: For a village to be listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site, it needs to have outstanding universal value and fulfil at least one criteria set by a professional council, says the Local Government Development Ministry.

       Its minister Nga Kor Ming said the council, known as the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) Malaysia, established New Village Working Group (NVWG) in March 2021 consisting of 14 members.

       The members are seven people from the council and the remaining are experts from respective fields, he added.

       Among the six criteria set by NVWG include the location, which needs to express human creative ingenuity, has humanity value, unique or extraordinary, among others.

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       “To nominate a particular village as a Unesco world heritage site, the location must have at least outstanding universal value and fulfil one of the criteria listed.

       “The proposal to nominate Chinese new villages as the world heritage site was also an initiative by ICOMOS,” Nga said in a written reply to Afnan Hamimi Taib Azamudden (PN-Alor Setar).

       Afnan had earlier asked the ministry to state the basis and criteria for a traditional village to be listed under the Unesco world heritage site.

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       Nga said traditional villages are under the purview of the Rural and Regional Development Ministry which also supervises the nomination.

       “Both ministries are always open to any parties which include non-governmental organisations to nominate any location as heritage site for the benefit of the country.

       “With that, if there was any request from ICOMOS Malaysia, KPKT together with the National Heritage Department of the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry will make the considerations and study the proposal first as the Chinese new villages are under KPKT’s purview,” he added.

       In February, Nga reportedly said plans were being drawn up to nominate Chinese new villages in Selangor as a Unesco World Heritage Site to recognise their cultural and historical significance.