Tourism Ministry: Malaysia submits FRIM Selangor Forest Park nomination as Unesco World Heritage Site

PUTRAJAYA, Jan 30 — The FRIM Selangor Forest Park (FRIM-SFP) has been nominated to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) for consideration as a World Heritage Site for the 2024/2025 evaluation session.

The Ministry of Tourism, Arts, and Culture (Motac) submitted the nomination document to the Unesco secretariat yesterday through the Permanent Delegation of Malaysia to Unesco in Paris.

Motac said efforts to nominate the site began in 2017, with the tentative list sent to Unesco on January 31, 2017.

“The decision on the nomination is expected to be known in June or July 2025, with the evaluation process taking around 18 months from the date of submission,” the ministry said in a statement here today.

Motac said the listing under the Unesco World Heritage List is highly sought after by many countries, as it represents the highest global recognition for heritage sites.

It said the recognition would not only provide promotion and international exposure but also showcase Malaysia’s commitment to preserving heritage sites.

“Increasing Malaysia’s visibility globally, the recognition indirectly enhances the country’s reputation as a tourism product capable of contributing to the economy through related industries,” Motac said.

To date, a total of 1,199 sites worldwide have been recognised as World Heritage Sites under the 1972 Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage.

Motac said preparations for the nomination dossier involved various agencies, with the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia (FRIM), Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability (NRES) and coordinated by the National Heritage Department (JWN) to ensure that the document meets Unesco’s criteria.

Currently, Malaysia has four Unesco World Heritage Sites: Gunung Mulu National Park (2000), Kinabalu Park (2000), Historic Cities of the Straits of Melaka, namely Melaka and George Town (2008) and the Archaeological Heritage of the Lenggong Valley (2012).

Meanwhile, Motac said the decision on the nomination for the Archaeological Heritage of the Niah National Park’s Cave Complex in Sarawak, will be known in June or July, and if successful, will be Malaysia’s fifth Unesco World Heritage Site.

Motac also said that there are ongoing efforts to nominate several other sites as Unesco World Heritage Sites in the future, including the Royal Belum State Park and the National Leprosy Control Centre. — Bernama