The 2025 General Assembly of the World Heritage Sites Cooperation Alliance of RCEP Member States (RCEP-WHCA) was held on October 17–18 in Huangshan, China. The event brought together nearly 180 participants, including site managers, researchers, and representatives of international organizations from the 15 member countries.
The main objective was to implement the “Huangshan Initiative of RCEP-WHCA” and to strengthen cooperation for the sustainable protection and enhancement of the 178 World Heritage Sites across member states. Key topics included discussion of the alliance’s regulations, presentations on high-quality sustainable development of heritage sites, the release of the 2025 Monitoring and Forecast Report, and the signing of cooperation agreements.
Several bilateral cooperation agreements were signed, including between Mount Huangshan and Ha Long Bay in Vietnam, and with the Huanglong World Heritage Site in Sichuan, among others. A memorandum of collaboration was also signed between RCEP-WHCA, the Asia-Pacific Tourism Association, and the Global Sustainable Tourism Council.
This meeting thus reinforced the members’ commitment to the sustainable management of their shared heritage.