HRH Prince Carl Philip's speech at Nordic World Heritage Conference

It is a great pleasure to welcome you to Sweden, and foremost to Karlskrona for this Nordic World Heritage Conference. It is a pleasure to have you all here.

World Heritage is about protecting monuments, landscapes and historic sites. But it is also about people.About understanding where we come from. About recognising what we share with others. And about thinking together of the future.

The World Heritage sites are very different from each another. Some are ancient sites. Some are historic cities.Others are cultural landscapes or dramatic natural environments. Yet they all have something in common. They tell stories that reach beyond national borders.

This year also marks ten years since the Nordic World Heritage Association was established. For ten years it has connected World Heritage sites across our Nordic Countries. It has created opportunities to share knowledge, experiences and ideas.

Today is a moment to celebrate that achievement and to look ahead and ask what we can accomplish together in the next ten years.

Ladies and gentlemen,

During these two days, you will visit two of Sweden’s 15 World Heritage sites: The Naval port of Karlskrona and the agricultural landscape of Southern Öland.

They are very different places. Yet they both tell stories that extend far beyond Sweden. And they are both very special to me. I was studying in the Naval base back in the early 2000’s and my family have our summer place near the unique Alvaret agricultural site.

I hope this conference will inspire new ideas, new partnerships and even stronger cooperation.

Finally, I would like to quote from UNESCO’s Constitution, which starts with the following words: “Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must be constructed.”