The letter of UNESCO Director-General to Serbian Patriarch

Your Beatitude, I wish to refer to your letter of 15 September 2011, concerning the World Heritage site of the Medieval Monuments in Kosovo. As you know, UNESCO's mission is to contribute to sustainable development, mutual understanding and peace through education, the sciences, culture and communication and information. Moreover, the Organization is convinced of the tremendous potentiai of cuiturai neritage as a motor for development, and as a tool for enhancing mutual understanding and social cohesion. I would like to assure you that UNESCO continues to spare no effort to safeguard the VVorld Heritage site of the Medieval Monuments in Kosovo, in close cooperation with the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), the appropriate authorities and all the people committed to preserving the precious shared heritage of humankind.

Allow me to take this opportunity to thank the Serbian Orthodox Church for its constant cooperation in safeguarding this VVorld Heritage property, especially in the framework of past and current projects monitored by the Sarajevo Antenna of the UNESCO Office in Venice, made possible by the generous contributions of various donors.

Please accept, Your Beatitude, the assurances of my highest consideration and profound respect.

Paris, 20. October 2011

Irina Bokova
The Director-General