Young experts across the world discuss about world heritage topics during the 2021 World Heritage Young Professionals Forum. [Photo by You Qinghui/44whcfuzhou2021.cn]

The 2021 World Heritage Young Professionals Forum was held in Fuzhou, Fujian province from July 5 to 9.

The forum, which was focused on heritages that are important to society and people's livelihoods, has been held annually since 1995. This year’s forum was held both online and offline because of the COVID-19 epidemic.

A total of 32 young experts from 30 countries explored the potential of using world heritage to realize social, economic, and environmental goals.

They discussed topics such as "human and governance", "tourism and community development", and "empowering communities through innovation".

Following the outbreak of the epidemic, 78 percent of the world's heritage sites have closed and this has affected people’s livelihoods. In light of this, participants discussed and submitted suggestions to create a positive interaction between the protection of world heritage and the development of local communities.

According to Zhang Chaozhi, a professor from the School of Tourism Management at Sun Yat-sen University, this is the first time the forum has focused on people's livelihoods.