Mont Blanc to become candidate for famed UNESCO list

Switzerland, France and Italy Tuesday have inked a deal to initialize the candidacy procedure for the Mont Blanc to join UNESCO's World Heritage Site list, according to Swissinfo.ch, a ten-language news and information platform produced by the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation.

The three countries signed a declaration in Chamonix, France, at a cross-border meeting, which represents "preliminary steps" necessary to classify the Mont Blanc massif as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The move aims to "guarantee the preservation and active development" of the natural wonder, the deal said.

"All lights are green," affirmed Catherine Berthet, Chamonix's commissioner of cross-border policy. Catherine 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 10 years."

“A beautiful adventure awaits us, and I thank all who will mobilize 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,” Chamonix Mayor Eric Fournier noted.

Straddling France, Italy and the Swiss canton of Valais, the Mont Blanc massif is 4,808 meters high, making it the highest peak in Western Europe.

Currently there are 1,073 sites on UNESCO’s famed list. Switzerland currently boasts 12, including the Lavaux Vineyards Terraces, the Old City of Bern and the Jungfrau-Aletsch alpine region.

(CGTN)