The 40th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee will take place in Istanbul, Turkey, in July 2016. In this context, and in the framework of the UNESCO World Heritage Education Programme, the Turkish National Commission for UNESCO and the Istanbul Site Management Directorate are organizing the World Heritage Youth Forum 2016. Entitled “At the Crossroads of Multi-Layered Heritage”, the event will be held in Istanbul from 29 June to 12 July 2016. Young representatives, aged from 22 to 28, from 35 countries, will have the opportunity to exchange ideas, contribute to the discussions and immerse themselves in topics within the scope of multi-layered heritage. The World Heritage Youth Forum seeks to deepen youth knowledge and understanding of the importance of:

• the implementation of the World Heritage Convention,
• the working methods of the World Heritage Committee,
• the challenges and opportunities of the protection of multi-layered World Heritage sites.

Scheduled activities include: visits to World Heritage sites, including Bursa and Cumalıkızık, with international heritage experts; workshops on different aspects emerging from the multi-layered sites; practical hands-on activities with timber and stone work for the protection and maintenance of the World Heritage site in Istanbul; experts and young representatives’ presentations; participation in discussions on the state of conservation of properties and practicing the Youth Model simulation. The young representatives will prepare the final document of the Forum to be presented during the Opening Ceremony of the 40th World Heritage Committee Session. They will also participate in the first plenary day of the World Heritage Committee to observe how the Committee works. Participation is restricted to nationals of the 21 Member States of the current World Heritage Committee, including, among others, Croatia, Finland, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea and Viet Nam; as well as a set of other countries, including Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Norway and Pakistan among others. Candidates should be fluent in English and involved in heritage-related fields. The deadline for the submission of applications is 25 March. For additional information about the World Heritage Youth Forum 2016, please visit http://whc.unesco.org/en/news/1440/