Tuesday 24th October 2017, at the cross-border meeting of the CTMB in Chamonix, the French, Swiss and Italian officials have signed a joint declaration of intention as a "first step" toward launching the Mont Blanc massif’s candidacy for a coveted spot on UNESCO’s World Heritage Site List.
Indeed, the three Vice-Presidents of the Espace Mont-Blanc:
- Eric Fournier (France), Mayor of Chamonix, President of the Community of Communes of the Chamonix Mont Blanc Valley;
- Jean-Pierre Guichardaz (Italy), Assessor for productive activities, energy, labor and environmental policies of the Autonomous Region of the Aosta Valley;
- Eric Bianco (Switzerland), Chief of the Economic Development Service of the Canton of Valais;
as well as:
- Christophe Darbellay, Municipal councillor of Martigny;
- Annick Cressens, President of the Community of Communes of Beaufortain, Mayor of Beaufort-sur-Doron;
- Georges Morand, President of the Community of Communes Pays du Mont Blanc Mayor of Sallanches;
have signed the declaration in Chamonix, on Tuesday 24th October 2017.
According to SWI Swissinfo.ch, the press release from the Espace Mont Blanc includes the declaration which represents the “preliminary steps necessary for the joint launch of a procedure to classify the Mont Blanc massif as a UNESCO World Heritage Site", in a move to “guarantee the preservation and active development” of the natural wonder.
The overall classification process could take “between five and ten years”
The Chamonix’s commissioner of cross-border policy Catherine Berthet said that “All lights are green”. Also, she added that the development of specifications for the candidacy is expected in the first half of 2018, and that the overall classification process by UNESCO could take “between five and ten years”.
The Mayor of Chamonix Eric Fournier said that “A beautiful adventure awaits us, and I thank all who will mobilise to construct, across borders, a new model of development that corresponds to our aspirations and gives to the world an innovative vision of the relationship between man and nature”.
Read the full article on SWI Swissinfo.ch: https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/world-heritage-sites_mont-blanc-to-become-candidate-for-famed-unesco-list/43622632
