Green Legacy Hiroshima Registered as a Future Heritage Project (Mirai-Isan) by the National Federation of UNESCO Associations in Japan

In December 2014, Green Legacy Hiroshima was registered as a Future Heritage Project (Mirai-Isan) by the National Federation of UNESCO Associations in Japan. The award is given each year to selected projects, that meet the Future Heritage requirements. The 2015 UNITAR Public Session for Green Legacy Hiroshima was therefore dedicated to a special ceremony marking this nomination. The Secretary-General of the Japan UNESCO Association, Mr. Noboru Noguchi, alongside members of the UNESCO Japan secretariat came from Tokyo for the ceremony. It was a full-house event, with the Ran conference room at the Peace Memorial International Center full to capacity.

Green Legacy Hiroshima registered as a Future Heritage Project

After the welcome message by the head of the Hiroshima Office Mihoko Kumamoto and a statement by the Mayor of Hiroshima Kazumi Matsui, an introductory video on GLH was presented. Master gardener Chikara Horiguchi and GLH working group member, the architect Akio Nishikiori, made short presentations on the history of Hiroshima's revival. The official UNESCO award was handed by the Secretary-General to GLH co-founders, Nassrine Azimi and Tomoko Watanabe. Professor Kosaku Maeda, a prominent scholar of the Silk Road and cultural heritage, gave the superb keynote speech (link to the presentation below), making a passionate plea for the preservation of humanity's cultural heritage and emphasizing the relevance of Hiroshima's A-bomb survivor trees in this context.

Mayor of Hiroshima, Kazumi Matsui