World Heritage City Celebration 2020, an Overview

Last month, Global Philadelphia successfully managed and conducted a virtual event to celebrate our fifth year of Philadelphia being a World Heritage City. During the event, GPA recognized the incredible work and partnerships that have helped showcased Philadelphia's global impact:

• Educating hundreds of kids through free and low-cost resources
• Launched a first-of-its-kind Philadelphia National Historic Landmark map
• Hosting the biennial GlobalPhillyTM Expo to showcase the international activity of our residents
• Appointment of Mayor Kenney to the Board of the Organization of World Heritage Cities

Vai Sikahema, morning news anchor for NBC10 News Today was the emcee for the night’s festivities. The event was followed by speeches from Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney, William R. Sasso, La-Toya Hackney, Marilyn Rusell, Bill Sasso, Harold Yaffe, and many others. 

The event ended with a poem dedicated to the city of Philadelphia and recited by Youth Poet Laureate, Amanda Gorman. 

We were honored to recognize world-class music director Yannick Nézet-Séguin from the Philadelphia Orchestra, for his outstanding contributions to our global community.

Nézet-Séguin is recognized for his musicianship, dedication, and charisma. He has established himself as a musical leader of the highest caliber and one of the most thrilling talents of his generation. 

Nézet-Séguin has taken The Philadelphia Orchestra to new musical heights in performances at home; in Philadelphia neighborhoods; and around the world. His concerts of diverse repertoire attract sold-out houses, and he continues to make connections within Philadelphia's arts community, showing his commitment to engaging music lovers of all ages across the region.

This year’s World Heritage City Celebration commemorated five years of the World Heritage City Project and ten years as a non-profit for the Global Philadelphia Association. The Celebration was an occasion to invest in the implementation of the World Heritage City Strategic Plan and is the driving funding source to keep the project moving forward.

Article written by Tasnim Hasan on behalf of Global Philadelphia Association.