Oaxaca, Mexico, November 21, 2013 – Congratulations to the city of Cuenca, Ecuador, for its Integral rehabilitation project of the Tres de Noviembre Walkway, the de la Madre Park, the stairway, and the footbridge facing the University of Cuenca, recipient of the Jean-Paul-L’Allier Prize for Heritage, 2013 edition.

The mayor of Cuenca, Dr. Victor Paúl Granda López, was awarded a certificate of honour by the president of the Organization of World Heritage Cities (OWHC), Mr. Harry N. G. Brinkman, during a ceremony organized as part of the 12^th World Congress of the OWHC that is presently taking place in Oaxaca, Mexico.

To mark the awarding of the prize, Dr. Victor Paúl Granda López gave an interview to the OWHC, which you can watch by clicking HERE or read it by clicking HERE.

As for the two preceding editions, an international jury examined the candidacies. The members of the jury were:

• Ms. Sofia Avgerinou-Kolonía, president of ICOMOS International Committee on Historic Towns and Villages (CIVVIH);
• Ms. Kerstin Manz, programs specialist at the UNESCO World Heritage Centre;  
• Ms. Régina Wiala-Zimm, executive officer of International Relations of the city of Vienna, a city that is a member of the Board of Directors of the OWHC;
• Mr. Bruno Delas, heritage specialist and project director for the city of Lyon; and
• Mr. Denis Ricard, present as the secretary general of the OWHC.  

During its deliberations, the jury underlined the relevance of the intervention in the district of El Barranco located between the old city and the new city. This project, which is part of a cultural and landscaped path along the Tomebamba river, made it possible to improve the natural environment within the public space. The city of Cuenca has successfully conjugated the safeguard of heritage values and the creation of a recreational, cultural and sports area connected to the Historic Centre.

The nine candidacies were evaluated based on technical criteria, their content and their relevance. The eight other candidate cities were: Aranjuez (Spain), Cordoba (Spain), Kutná Hora (Czech Republic), Melaka (Malaysia), Puebla (Mexico), Safranbolu (Turkey), Valparaiso (Chile), and Vilnius (Lithuania).

The Jean-Paul L’Allier Prize was created in honour of the founding president of the OWHC, Mr. Jean-Paul L’Allier, mayor of Québec from 1989 to 2005. We wish thank Mr. Serge Martin who contributed financially to the realization of the Jean-Paul L’Allier Prize for Heritage.  

Congratulations to the city of Cuenca and its mayor, Dr. Victor Paúl Granda López!

For any further information, please contact:
Manon Auffray de l’Étang
Programs Administrator
[email protected]
Tel: +1 418-692-0000 / Fax: +1 418-692-5558 / www.ovpm.org