KOTA KINABALU, Sept 7 ― Kundasang, a flourishing town at the foothills of Mount Kinabalu will play host to the seventh Malaysia Unesco Day celebration this weekend.
The Dusun-populated farming region will be the focal point of a celebration of cooperation between the Malaysian National Commission for Unesco (SKUM) with government agencies, non-governmental organisations and the public.
“Bringing Malaysia Unesco Day to Sabah, particularly Kundasang is timely and essential to ensure the public and local communities are well informed of the government’s serious effort to ensure the wellbeing of our public and local native communities through conservation of the environment and its associated socio-cultural elements,” Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun said today.
The event will see an exhibition on Malaysia’s involvement with Unesco, a weather forecast announcer competition plus performances by musicians and local artists.
Jakarta Unesco office director Shahbaz Khan and SKUM president and Education Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid are expected to attend the event on the second day of the event, on September 10.
It has been more than 50 years since Malaysia became a member of Unesco and 17 years since the Kinabalu Park was awarded the first World Heritage Site in Malaysia. There are currently five World Heritage Sites in the country.
Over the last decade, the federal and state government has channeled some RM52 million to conservation efforts in Sabah.
