Botanic Gardens’ UNESCO joy: S’pore delegates cheer success as hard work pays off
The Tembusu tree that is featured on the $5 note, at the Singapore Botanic Gardens. Photo: Jaslin Goh.
BONN — Even before the chair of today’s 39th session of the World Heritage Committee hit the gavel and delivered its decision to list the Singapore Botanic Gardens as a World Heritage Site, Singapore’s ambassador and permanent delegate to UNESCO Andrew Toh was already overcome with emotions.
“It was very touching, it reached a point where I said to myself, if this carries on, I’m going to cry,” he told the Singapore media after the result was announced. Mr Toh said he did not expect the overwhelmingly positive response from all 21 members of the committee, who took turns to congratulate and praise Singapore’s nomination bid.
With the Botanic Gardens being listed as Singapore’s first UNESCO World Heritage site, Mr Toh likened the inscription to a passport for the Republic’s entry into the world cultural stage.
“I think we have made an indelible mark on the world cultural scene through the Botanic Gardens,” he said, adding that some delegates and the advisory bodies would want other countries to look up to Singapore as a model.
Asked why Singapore’s nomination bid received such a positive reaction from the committee, Mr Toh said it was down to the nomination dossier which the country submitted.
“But thereafter, it all depends on the interpretation of the dossier and … I think we managed that, we had regular meetings with committee members, we had regular meetings with the advisory bodies just to make sure our intentions are clearly interpreted and put in the right context,” he added.
Singapore Botanic Gardens director Nigel Taylor said the Republic’s team also gave as many committee members and their ambassadors as possible, a chance to visit the gardens.
“You can describe a site in words and pictures as carefully as possible, but there is nothing as powerful as going to the sites and having it explained on a one-to-one basis as we did on many occasions about its values,” said Dr Taylor.
Echoing Dr Taylor’s views, Ms Jean Wee, the director of the preservation of sites and monuments division in the National Heritage Board, said that part of their efforts since day one was to engage as many people as possible.
“It’s not just about getting a site inscribed, but also understanding sites being nominated by others and being party to a large organisation that has a common interest as we do,” she said.
When the decision was delivered, members of the Singapore delegation broke into cheers while holding up the national flag. They were also surrounded by international delegates who rushed forward with congratulations.
Noting that it was an “amazing moment” for him and the Singapore delegation to witness the overwhelming support for their bid, Minster for Culture, Community and Youth Lawrence Wong said it also gave them a “tremendous sense of pride” that the gardens is worthy of being a World Heritage Site.
With a month to go before Singapore celebrates its golden jubilee, Mr Wong said there will be a whole range of celebratory activities and events at the gardens. On the golden jubilee weekend, the gardens will host a party to unveil the Unesco World Heritage Site inscription at the gardens, he said.
