By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Sept 21: More than 1,500 heritage experts and policymakers from 110 countries are expected to gather in Kuching next month for the 22nd International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) General Assembly and Scientific Symposium, giving Sarawak a major platform to showcase its cultural heritage internationally.
According to a TVS report, Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry, and Performing Arts Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said the international gathering, scheduled from Oct 17 to 24, would provide an important opportunity to promote Sarawak’s history, culture, and heritage to the global community.
“The participation of the Sarawak Museum Department in the 22nd International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) General Assembly and Scientific Symposium this October will be an important platform to promote the cultural heritage of Sarawak and Malaysia internationally,” he said in his speech at the Sarawak Museum Department Appreciation Night 2026 at a hotel here last night (Sept 20).
Abdul Karim added that the event was significant to Sarawak’s aspiration to become not only a leading ecotourism destination but also a world-class cultural heritage hub.
He said the tourism, heritage, and creative industries remained among the key pillars of the State’s socioeconomic development, with the Sarawak Museum Department playing an important role in preserving history, arts and heritage while introducing the State’s cultural wealth to the international community.
The ICOMOS General Assembly and Scientific Symposium 2026 will be held at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK), with Kuching becoming the first city in Southeast Asia to host the event.
The gathering, described as the ‘Olympics of Cultural Heritage’, will be held under the theme ‘Living Heritage: Respect, Enhance, Accept, Partnership’.
Abdul Karim said Sarawak’s achievements on the global stage, including recognition of prestigious heritage sites and the hosting of international exhibitions, demonstrated the expertise and competence of the State’s museum professionals.
To complement the ICOMOS gathering, the Sarawak Museum Department will also organise four special programmes, namely ‘Night at the Museum: Sarawak Authentic Gastronomy’, ‘Sarawak Museum Talk’, ‘Sarawak Museum Heritage Walk’, and tour guide services at heritage sites.
He said the programmes would highlight Sarawak’s local cuisine, history and cultural arts to international visitors attending the event. — DayakDaily
