2388 news
Sunday, 16 July 2006
The 30th meeting of the World Heritage Committee in Vilnius, Lithuania has been discussing the state of conservation of natural and cultural World Heritage sites. On Monday evening, delegates had the opportunity to hear about a joint IUCN and UNESCO project which is not only helping improve conservation on the ground but providing a consistent information base for reporting on the management ...
1 min read
Thursday, 13 July 2006
The World Heritage Committee Thursday inscribed ten new sites on UNESCO's World Heritage List. A number of outstanding proposals for inscription are to be discussed in the afternoon. The new sites inscribed are:Sewell Mining Town (Chile). Situated 85 km south of the capital, Santiago in an environment marked by extreme climate more than 2,000 m up the Andes, Sewell Mining Town was built ...
10 min read
Thursday, 13 July 2006
The World Heritage Committee Thursday decided to extend the site inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List in 2004 as Dečani Monastery (Serbia) and place it on the List of World Heritage in Danger. The Committee also extended Andorra‘s site of Madriu-Perafita-Claror Valley (Andorra), adding a buffer zone to the property that was listed in 2004. These inscriptions end additions and changes ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 12 July 2006
The World Heritage Committee Wednesday added eight new sites and one extension to UNESCO's World Heritage List and removed the archaeological site of Tipasa (Algeria) from the List of World Heritage in Danger. The Committee will continue discussing new sites for inscription on the World Heritage List tomorrow. Below are the sites added to the World Heritage List Wednesday:Sichuan Giant ...
8 min read
Tuesday, 11 July 2006
The World Heritage Committee decided Tuesday to place the cultural landscape of Dresden Elbe Valley on the List of World Heritage in Dangerwith a view to avert plans by the municipality of Dresden to build a bridge over the Elbe on the site.
The Committee decided that plans to build a bridge across the Elbe would have such a serious impact on the integrity of property's landscape that it may ...
1 min read
Monday, 10 July 2006
The World Heritage Committee on Monday adopted the recommendations on ways to respond to the threat of climate change to many World Heritage sites such as Mount Everest (Sagarmatha National Park in Nepal), Australia's Great Barrier Reef and Venice (Italy)."This is the start of a long process, which is important in that it helps draw attention to a far reaching issue," explained ...
3 min read
Monday, 10 July 2006
The 30th session of the World Heritage Committee, chaired by Ina Marčiulionytė, the Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of Lithuania to UNESCO, started its work Sunday with an address by the Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, who highlighted the need for synergy between UNESCO's conventions on tangible heritage, intangible heritage, and diversity of cultural expressions. The ...
3 min read
Monday, 10 July 2006
Improved conservation allowed the World Heritage Committee to remove Cologne Cathedral (Germany), Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary (Senegal), the Group of Monuments at Hampi (India) and Ichkeul National Park (Tunisia), from the List of World Heritage in Danger on Monday. The debate on the List of World Heritage in Danger will continue tomorrow. The decision by the authorities of Cologne to ...
2 min read
Tuesday, 4 July 2006
Thirty-seven new sites will be proposed for inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List during the 30th session of the World Heritage Committee scheduled for July 8-16 in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius. The President of Lithuania, Valdas Adamkus; the Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura; and Ina Marčiulionytė, Chairperson of the World Heritage Committee and Permanent Delegate of ...
3 min read
Thursday, 8 June 2006
On April 13, 2006, Mr. Breton, French Minister of the Economy, Finance and Industry met with Mr. Doumba, Minister of Forest Economy, Water, Fisheries and National Parks, Mme Raonimarahy, UNESCO's representative in Gabon, and Mr. Séverino, Director General of the French Development Agency, at the presidential palace of Libreville to confirm France's commitment to the protection of ...
1 min read
Monday, 22 May 2006
Having been identified as a cross-cutting theme for global biodiversity conservation initiatives at the Fifth World Parks Congress in Durban, South Africa (2003) the World Heritage Convention, one of the five international conventions addressing biodiversity needs, serves as an instrumental action-orientated mechanism for the protection of the world's most valuable natural resources and ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 17 May 2006
Világörökség ifjú kezekben, the Hungarian version of the World Heritage in Young Hands educational resource kit for teachers, has just been published in the framework of the UNESCO Young People's World Heritage Education Project, coordinated by the World Heritage Centre and UNESCO Associated Schools. The Kit introduces the concept of World Heritage education and conservation. It was ...
1 min read
Thursday, 11 May 2006
On 28 January 2006, the Government of Guinea-Bissau officially deposited with the Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, its instrument of ratification, becoming the 182nd State Party to adopt the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage.The World Heritage Convention entered into force for this State Party on 28 April 2006.
Wednesday, 3 May 2006
A fund to help the States of sub-Saharan Africa improve the preservation of their cultural and natural heritage will be launched in South Africa on 5 May. The African World Heritage Fund will also be used to help boost the number of African sites on UNESCO's World Heritage List. Sub-Saharan Africa is severely under-represented on the List. Despite great cultural and natural diversity, ...
2 min read
Friday, 28 April 2006
The Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, and the Chairperson of the World Heritage Committee, Ina Marčiulionytė, today welcomed the decision by Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation, to change the course of an oil pipeline being built across Siberia to eliminate potential risk to the World Heritage site of Lake Baikal. "I wish to congratulate President Putin for ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 18 April 2006
The proceedings of the International Donors' Conference "Promoting and Preserving Congolese Heritage: Linking Biological and Cultural Diversity", held at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France from 13-17 September 2004, are now available as World Heritage Paper Series N° 17. The publication has been made possible thanks to the financial support of the Japanese Government. The ...
1 min read
Friday, 14 April 2006
On 30 November 2005, the Government of Swaziland officially deposited with the Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, its instrument of ratification, becoming the 181st State Party to adopt the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage.The World Heritage Convention entered into force for this State Party on 28 February 2006.
Wednesday, 12 April 2006
The selection panel for the 2010 European Capital of Culture have recommended that the German town Essen and the Hungarian city of Pécs should share this title together with a third one, Turkey's Istanbul.Asked to explain the purpose and added value of the concept of European Capital of Culture in general, Sir Jeremy Isaacs explained that the role of the European capital of culture is ...
1 min read
Monday, 10 April 2006
Since January 2006, the Malian authorities have been developing a management and conservation plan for Timbuktu, a World Heritage site since 1988. In March 2006, a management committee made up of the imams of the three mosques, representatives of all local areas, tour guides, and municipal and administrative authorities was officially created by municipal decree.
The development of a ...
1 min read
Sunday, 9 April 2006
The World Heritage Centre highlights the importance of World Heritage sites for mirgratory birds on the occasion of the first World Migratory Bird Day launched by the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) and other partner organizations. UNESCO has a Memorandum of Understanding with CMS, and the World Heritage Centre is also working with CMS in the framework of the coordination of ...
3 min read
Wednesday, 5 April 2006
Representatives from 15 States Parties of the Caribbean region participated in a regional training workshop on marine World Heritage held in Soufriere, St Lucia, in the vicinity of the Pitons Management Area World Heritage site from 27 February to 3 March. The purpose of the workshop was to raise awareness on nominating marine areas from the Caribbean as World Heritage and to provide the ...
2 min read
Tuesday, 4 April 2006
Following the January 2006 meeting on the Convention on Biological Diversity's (CBD) Programme of Work on Protected Areas (PoWPA), six of the largest nature conservation NGOs and other partners have produced a joint statement charting how they are best positioned to support the implementation of the PoWPA in World Heritage sites. The statement includes a list of indicative activities that ...
2 min read
Friday, 24 March 2006
The College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (CALA) at University of Minnesota, USA, has established a Center for World Heritage Studies to undertake research and service projects in partnership with UNESCO World Heritage Centre (WHC). The objectives of this partnership are embodied in an agreement (MoU) between CALA and WHC signed on December 6, 2004. The CALA Center for World ...
2 min read
Friday, 24 March 2006
The Chairperson of the World Heritage Committee, Ina Marčiulionytė, has sent a letter to the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, concerning the state of conservation of the World Heritage site of Lake Baikal.The World Heritage Committee, the intergovernmental body established by the World Heritage Convention, regularly examines the state of conservation of properties ...
2 min read
Tuesday, 21 March 2006
A two-day expert meeting on World Heritage and Climate Change successfully concluded at UNESCO Headquarters on Friday, bringing together over 50 representatives from the States Parties to the World Heritage Convention, various international organizations, non-governmental organizations, the advisory bodies to the World Heritage Committee, and academic and scientific experts to discuss current ...
1 min read
Monday, 20 March 2006
As part of its commitment to World Heritage in Portuguese-speaking countries, the Portuguese National Commission for UNESCO has generously supported the translation of the Basic Texts. These texts are made available on the UNESCO World Heritage Centre's web-page so that the broad community of lusophone countries can access and draw on this information for heritage safeguarding efforts in ...
Thursday, 16 March 2006
UNESCO's World Heritage Centre has signed a partnership agreement with the French not-for-profit organization, ‘Vocations Patrimoine, l'Héritage du futur', aimed at enhancing the management capacities of professionals currently working, or intending to work in the future, at World Heritage sites. The Association, whose President is the renowned paleo-anthropologist Professor ...
2 min read
Tuesday, 7 March 2006
Patrimonio Mundial en Manos de Jovenes, the second Spanish edition of the World Heritage in Young Hands educational resource kit for teachers has just come off the press.
The 2,000 copies are currently being distributed to ASPnet schools, ASP national coordinators, National Commissions, and UNESCO Field offices in all Spanish-speaking countries in the world.
The WHYH resource kit was ...
1 min read
Monday, 6 March 2006
Within the framework of the World Heritage Convention, the clarity and precision of the information made available to the States Parties are two essential requirements for an appropriate implementation of the principles relating to its functioning and its application at the level of each country. Experience has shown that many of these principles are generally not well assimilated by the ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 1 March 2006
On February 13-16, 2006, the World Heritage Centre organized the Steering Committee of the Central Africa World Heritage Forest Initiative (CAWHFI) in Libreville, Gabon. During this event, conservators and wildlife directors of the Congo, Cameroon, Gabon and the Central African Republic met with representatives of the United Nations Foundation, World Wildlife Fund for Nature, Wildlife ...
1 min read
Thursday, 23 February 2006
The World Heritage Centre, the United Nations Foundation, and Fauna and Flora International have launched a Rapid Response Facility (RRF) for natural sites inscribed on the World Heritage List for biodiversity values.
Up to US$30,000 can be quickly accessed to help overcome sudden and significant threats to these sites. The RRF is designed to make funds available within 3 weeks of having ...
Thursday, 23 February 2006
From January 30 to February 1st, 2006, a meeting was held in Paris to consider actions in support of the implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity's Programme of work on Protected Areas (CBD PoWPA) in natural World Heritage sites. To this end, the World Heritage Centre invited the Convention on Biological Diversity secretariat, representatives of six of the largest ...
2 min read
Tuesday, 21 February 2006
A poster competition for high school students was part of the "Heritage in Young Hands" awareness-raising campaign to promote understanding and appreciation among young Samoans about the meaning of "heritage", the World Heritage Convention, and the value of conserving and protecting cultural and natural heritage sites in Samoa. It was coordinated by the MNREM (Ministry of Natural Resources, ...
1 min read
Thursday, 16 February 2006
The project for the reinstallation of Aksum Obelisk (Stela 2) is completed UNESCO has completed the engineering design for the reinstallation of the Aksum Obelisk (Stela 2). The design was developed by the Italian engineer Prof Giorgio Croci (Director of Studio Croci & Associati) who was also in charge of the dismantling of Stela 2 in Rome and of its air transportation to Aksum in April ...
1 min read
Friday, 20 January 2006
The UNESCO World Heritage Centre is pleased to announce the publication of the 2006 World Heritage map, the first to be produced in collaboration with National Geographic and Hewlett Packard.
The partnership, signed in 2005 for an initial period of three years, combines National Geographic's famous cartography with Hewlett Packard's quality print technology to beautifully illustrate the ...
1 min read
Thursday, 19 January 2006
The Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, awarded UNESCO's 60th Anniversary Medal to Jane Goodall, the British-born primatologist, on Tuesday 17 January, at the Organization's Headquarters in Paris. The medal was presented in recognition of Ms Goodall's lifelong dedication to the preservation of Africa's endangered apes. "Ms Goodall's untiring work to preserve the great apes of ...
1 min read
Friday, 13 January 2006
On Friday November 25, 2005, the French Global Environmental Fund (FGEF) approved the financing of an ambitious project of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre. This project aims to improve the conservation and sustainable management of wildlife in the forest landscapes surrounding some of the major tropical forest national parks of the Congo Basin. With a € 2.5 million budget, this project will ...
1 min read
Thursday, 22 December 2005
On the occasion of the celebration of the 10th anniversary of Luang Prabang's inscription on the World heritage list, this brochure presents the spirit, the concept, the process, the practice, the partnerships, the implementation and the achievements of this complex multi partner cooperation fostered by the World Heritage Centre and based on a city-to-city partnership between the city of ...
Thursday, 22 December 2005
The World Heritage Centre and the Vanuatu Cultural Centre (with funding from the World Heritage Fund, and the technical contribution of the Department of Conservation of New Zealand) organized a workshop at Port Vila, Vanuatu, from 5-8 September. It was attended by 32 participants representing 12 States Parties from the Pacific Islands, as well as by experts and representatives from ICOMOS, ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 20 December 2005
The Fourth Expert Working Group on the Preservation of the Bamiyan Site was successfully held in Kabul/ Aghanistan from 7 to 10 December 2005. Afghan and international experts working on the safeguarding of Bamiyan issued a list of concrete recommendations for further activities to preserve the site. The Expert Working Group was formed in 2002 within the framework of the coordination mandate ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 20 December 2005
Following in the footsteps of Shell International and the International Council on Mining & Metals (an industry association of the largest mining companies in the world), yet in a bold show of leadership within the international financing community, Goldman Sachs, a global investment banking firm, has formally committed itself to "not knowingly finance extractive projects or commercial ...
1 min read
Friday, 9 December 2005
Ongoing efforts by the Office of the Mayor of Bamberg (Germany) to preserve the Town of Bamberg, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1993 have succeeded: A construction project in the buffer zone (“City Arcade Project”), which might have had a negative impact on the World Heritage value and the integrity of the site, was stopped by the city authorities. The Mayor informed the ...
Friday, 9 December 2005
Within the framework for the project on the Development for Cultural and Ecotourism in the Mountainous Regions of Central and South Asia, there is very positive news concerning activities carried out by UNESCO project partners in Ladakh, India - the Snow Leopard Conservancy (SLC), in Murghab, Tajikistan (ACTED), and in the mountainous region surrounding Lake Issy Kul, Kyrgyzstan (NoviNomad). ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 7 December 2005
Bamiyan remains one of the most important examples of Gandharan art in the world, despite the Taleban’s destruction of its two monumental Buddhas in 2001. The Expert Working Group was formed in 2002 within the framework of the coordination mandate for all cultural projects in the country entrusted to UNESCO by the Afghan government, and will meet for the fourth time from 7 to 10 December 2005 ...
1 min read
Friday, 2 December 2005
[in French only] Le Centre du Patrimoine mondial de l’UNESCO, l’Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature, l’Union mondiale pour la nature, African Parks Foundation et Fauna and Flora International déterminés à sauver les derniers rhinocéros blancs du Nord du site du patrimoine mondial de la Garamba (République démocratique du Congo) Début septembre 2005, les autorités congolaises ...
Monday, 28 November 2005
The perfect planner for all those with a passion for World Heritage! The UNESCO World Heritage Desk Diary 2006 features a helpful week-at-a-glance design. It is illustrated with 67 colour photos of World Heritage sites, each accompanied with a short caption. It also introduces the Convention Concerning the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage; its objectives, the selection ...
Friday, 18 November 2005
United Nations Foundation and Expedia announced the launch of the World Heritage Alliance, an innovative joint initiative to promote sustainable tourism and awareness of World Heritage sites and communities around the world. This partnership believes conscientious travelers can contribute directly to nature conservation, historic preservation, and poverty reduction through sustainable ...
4 min read
Tuesday, 25 October 2005
After a successful first workshop held on 29 September, the second of a series of training workshops for Jet tours guides is to be held at UNESCO Headquarters on 27 October 2005.
Organized in the context of the recently signed agreement between Laurence Berman-Clément, Director-General of Jet tours and Francesco Bandarin, Director of the World Heritage Centre, the workshops aim to train, ...
1 min read
Monday, 17 October 2005
The 15th ICOMOS General Assembly and the International Scientific Symposium with the theme Monuments and Sites in their Setting: Conserving Cultural Heritage in Changing Townscapes and Landscapes were officially opened on 17 October in Xi’an, China. A special celebration marking ICOMOS’s 40th anniversary and an exhibition on its achievements during its existence are planned during the meeting ...
2 min read
Tuesday, 11 October 2005
The 15th session of the General Assembly of States Parties to the World Heritage Convention elected Kenya and Peru to the World Heritage Committee at the 3rd open ballot. The World Heritage Committee is composed of the following States Parties:BeninCanadaChileCubaIndiaIsraelJapanKenyaKuwaitLithuaniaMadagascarMauritiusMoroccoNetherlandsNew ZealandNorwayPeruRepublic of KoreaSpainTunisiaUnited ...
Tuesday, 11 October 2005
The 15th session of the General Assembly of States Parties to the World Heritage Convention elected Cuba to the World Heritage Committee at the 2nd open ballot.
Monday, 10 October 2005
The 15th session of the General Assembly of States Parties to the World Heritage Convention elected Mauritius to the World Heritage Committee (reserved seat) . Elections will continue in Room VIII.
Monday, 10 October 2005
[in French only] UNESCO Flash Info : A l’heure où la protection du patrimoine mondial occupe une place sans cesse croissante dans les préoccupations de la communauté internationale, se tient à l’UNESCO, la quinzième Assemblée générale des Etats parties à la Convention de 1972 pour la protection du patrimoine mondial, culturel et naturel. L’Assemblée générale, qui se réunit, tous les deux ans, ...
Monday, 10 October 2005
States Parties elected at the 1st Open Ballot:
Canada
Israel
Korea, Republic of
Madagascar
Morocco
Spain
Tunisia
United States of America
State Party elected at the Ballot for the Reserved Seat:
Mauritius
Detailled Results of the 1st Open Ballot
Number of States Parties present and voting:
160
Invalid votes:
2
Number of valid ...
1 min read
Saturday, 8 October 2005
The 15th General Assembly of States Parties to the World Heritage Convention will be held in Room IV on 10-11 October. During the meeting, the General Assembly will elect twelve (12) new members to the World Heritage Committee. Delegates attending only the General Assembly can enter the building through the Place de Fontenoy entrance, where they will be given their security badges. The World ...
2 min read
Thursday, 29 September 2005
The Decisions adopted at the 29th session of the World Heritage Committee, held in Durban, South Africa from 10 to 17 July 2005, are now available online at the following address:htpp://whc.unesco.org/archive/2005/whc05-29com-22e.pdf
Friday, 23 September 2005
In mid-August 2005 the Government of the Province of Nova Scotia, Canada, finalized the purchase of seventeen properties, including 22 buildings and eight wharfs for $5.5 million Canadian (over $4,678,000 USD) in the waterfront district of Old Town Lunenburg, a World Heritage site since 1995.
The buildings had been for sale since the previous winter by Clearwater Seafoods, a major employer ...
1 min read
Friday, 16 September 2005
Pingyao city of north China's Shanxi Province signed an accord of friendship ties with Provins of France, as part of the on-going concluding ceremony of the French Culture Year, at the Great Hall of the People Thursday.This is the first time the two cities, both listed as cultural heritages by the United Nations Education, Science and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), signed an agreement to ...
1 min read
Monday, 12 September 2005
BiodiversityLife Insurance for our Changing WorldThis week, in New York, leaders of the world will review progress made towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). These goals embody the international community's aspirations for a better world, where hunger and poverty are eradicated, all people enjoy basic rights, and equity and health prevail in all countries. We call upon ...
3 min read
Wednesday, 7 September 2005
Everglades National Park in Florida, USA, has almost entirely reopened to the public following damage from Hurricane Katrina, which passed directly over the Park bringing heavy wind and rain.Most of the park remained closed in the days following the hurricane due to damage to the visitor complex at Flamingo, 40 miles (64 km) southwest of Park Headquarters. Employee housing, the sewer system, ...
1 min read
Monday, 5 September 2005
The historical village of Maymand in southern Iran will be awarded the Melina Mercouri International Prize for the Safeguarding and Management of Cultural Landscapes (UNESCO Greece) in a ceremony at UNESCO Headquarters on September 7.
Friday, 15 July 2005
Durban (South Africa) – The World Heritage Committee, chaired by Themba Wakashe, South Africa’s Deputy Director-General for Heritage and National Archives, today inscribed 17 cultural sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. The World Heritage List now numbers 812 sites in total, which includes: 628 cultural; 160 natural and 24 mixed sites in 137 States Parties. With ...
15 min read
Thursday, 14 July 2005
Durban (South Africa), The World Heritage Committee chaired by Themba Wakashe, South Africa’s Deputy Director-General for Heritage and National Archives, today inscribed seven natural sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. The Committee also made decisions concerning two natural sites already on the List. The one is extended in size while the inscription of the other under cultural criteria ...
7 min read
Wednesday, 13 July 2005
Improvements in the preservation of three threatened World Heritage sites have led to their withdrawal from the List of World Heritage in Danger. The World Heritage Committee decided to remove the sites of Sangay (Ecuador), Timbuktu (Mali) and Butrint (Albania) during its 29th session currently taking place in Durban, South Africa (July 10 to 17). The Committee is chaired by Themba Wakashe, ...
2 min read
Thursday, 30 June 2005
Forty-two new sites will be proposed for inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List during the 29th session of the World Heritage Committee scheduled for July 10-17 at the International Convention Centre (ICC) in Durban, South Africa. Extensions will be proposed for nine already inscribed sites. UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura will address the opening session, which is open ...
3 min read
Tuesday, 21 June 2005
The results of the latest geological and geophysical surveys conducted at the site of the Peking Man in Zhoukoudian (China) will be presented at the Espace EDF Electra, 6 rue Récamier, 75007 Paris, on Tuesday July 5 (11 a.m.) during a joint UNESCO/EDF scientific conference. The symposium will bring together Yves Coppens, Professor at the Collège de France, Yves Bamberger, Research and ...
2 min read
Tuesday, 14 June 2005
Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura awarded diplomas and medals to colleagues who had completed 25 and 30 years of service to UNESCO at a June 14 ceremony at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France. 29 individuals joined UNESCO or the UN in 1975, including Mrs Marielle Richon and Mrs Silvia Simmonds of the World Heritage Centre.62 individuals joined UNESCO or the UN in 1980, including Mrs ...
Monday, 30 May 2005
The Symposium, an activity of the World EXPO 2005 in Aïchi, Japan has opened today at the United Nations University, Tokyo, and will continue until 2 June. It aims to highlight the interrelationship between the natural and cultural diversity of our planet. Bringing culture and nature closer together in a comprehensive approach, the symposium will present case studies on sacred natural sites ...
1 min read
Monday, 9 May 2005
Growing understanding that the outstanding universal value of urban heritage goes well beyond the value of the individual buildings it contains, has created a pressing need for internationally accepted guidelines and criteria for the preservation of historic city centres.
Conservationists, municipalities, architects and developers will address the issue at the Conference on World Heritage ...
3 min read
Monday, 25 April 2005
The government of Montenegro, Serbia and Montenegro, has cancelled a project to build a dam that would flood part of the Tara River Canyon in the buffering UNESCO Biosphere Reserve next to Durmitor National Park, a World Heritage site inscribed in 1980. The decision comes as the result of meetings that UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura had with the Presidents of Serbia and Montenegro ...
2 min read
Monday, 25 April 2005
Major archaeological vestiges have been discovered at the World Heritage site of Aksum (Ethiopia) by the experts UNESCO sent to Aksum (Ethiopia) to survey the World Heritage Site last week. They were sent to prepare for the elevation of the Aksum Obelisk at its original location. The last segment of the 160-tonne 24.6-metre high stele arrived at the airport of Aksum this morning. It had been ...
3 min read
Wednesday, 20 April 2005
The first of three parts of the Aksum obelisk arrived in Ethiopia by airplane on April 19. The two other pieces of the obelisk, which has been in Rome since 1937, will be sent to Aksum (a World Heritage site) in the following days.
Following a mission of UNESCO experts who conducted a field evaluation, UNESCO is to draw up the project for the installation of the obelisk and the enhancement ...
1 min read
Friday, 15 April 2005
China has signed an agreement to join UNESCO in the Open Initiative on the Use of Space Technology in Support of the World Heritage Convention. The signing - by Guo Huadong, Deputy Secretary-General of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Director of its Joint Laboratory for Remote Sensing Archaeology, and Marcio Barbosa, Deputy Director-General of UNESCO – took place at Organization ...
1 min read
Thursday, 7 April 2005
The President of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya, the Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura and the World Bank's Vice President for Europe, Jean-François Rischard, will open a conference and an exhibition at UNESCO Headquarters celebrating the cultural heritage of Mauritania and its ancient cities of Ouadane, Chinguetti, Tichitt and Oualata, on April 11 ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 6 April 2005
Accurate and detailed maps of inaccessible zones in Central Africa that will allow authorities to monitor the habitat of the region's threatened mountain gorillas, have been produced for the first time by the European Space Agency (ESA) and UNESCO. The results of this joint project, known as BEGo (Build Environment for Gorillas), will be presented at a meeting on April 7 at ESA headquarters ...
1 min read
Monday, 4 April 2005
The State of World Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region (2003) is now available as publication number 12 in the World Heritage Paper Series. This publication is composed of: a paper version, providing an overview of the results of this first cycle of Periodic Reporting for the Asia-Pacific Region; and a CD-Rom which includes a synthesis of country and site-specific Periodic Reports of the ...
2 min read
Monday, 4 April 2005
On 16 February 2005, the Government of Trinidad and Tobago officially deposited with the Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, its instrument of ratification, becoming the 180th State Party to adopt the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage.
The World Heritage Convention will enter into force for this State Party on 16 May ...
Thursday, 17 March 2005
At the request of the Ethiopian and Italian governments, UNESCO will send an evaluation team to Aksum, in northern Ethiopia, to prepare the return of its celebrated obelisk. The obelisk has been in Rome since 1937.
UNESCO will draw up the re-installation project for the obelisk and the development of the site, which will be funded by Italy. The obelisk has been cut into three sections to ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 2 March 2005
On 7 January 2005, the Government of Sierra Leone officially deposited with the Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, its instrument of ratification, becoming the 179th State Party to adopt the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and natural Heritage.
This Convention, first adopted in November 1972, seeks to encourage the identification, protection and ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 1 March 2005
Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO, and Frederick D. Gregory, Deputy Administrator of the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), today signed a cooperation agreement at NASA Headquarters in Washington D.C.
According to the agreement, UNESCO will benefit from NASA’s expertise in the earth sciences and space technology to strengthen its work ...
2 min read
Friday, 18 February 2005
The Director-General, Mr Koïchiro Matsuura, paid his first official visit to St Lucia from 13 to 15 February 2005. It was the first official visit of a UNESCO Director-General to the country. He was accompanied by Mr Gilbert Chagoury, Permanent Delegate of St Lucia to UNESCO.
During his visit, the Director-General met with the highest authorities in the country. In particular, he held ...
2 min read
Monday, 7 February 2005
The World Heritage Centre participated in the United Nations World Conference on Disaster Reduction, held in Kobe, Japan, from the 18th to the 22nd of January, 2005. This meeting was especially timely in light of the recent earthquake and tsunami in the Indian Ocean region, and also coincided with the 10th anniversary of Kobe’s devastating 1995 earthquake. As part of the broader Kobe ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 2 February 2005
The World Heritage Centre is pleased to inform you that the Revised Operational Guidelines for the implementation of the World Heritage Convention are now available on the following Web address: https://whc.unesco.org/en/guidelines.
As decided by the Committee at its 7th Extraordinary session, the revised Operational Guidelines have entered into force on 2 February 2005, on the understanding ...
Tuesday, 1 February 2005
On 31 January 2005, the Trial Chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia sentenced retired General Pavle Strugar of the Yugoslav Peoples’ Army to eight years in prison for war crimes perpetrated in 1991. He has been found guilty of war crimes against the civilian population and, under Article 3(d) of the Tribunal’s Statute, of the destruction of and wilful ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 1 February 2005
The Curonian Spit, an elongated sand-dune peninsula straddling the border of Lithuania and the Russian Federation, will not be inscribed on UNESCO’s List of World Heritage in Danger. The decision follows an agreement between the two countries to undertake an environmental assessment of the impact of oil exploration and production in the Baltic Sea, 22 kilometres from the World Heritage site. ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 26 January 2005
UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura today opened the first meeting of a Committee of Experts on the Cultural Heritage of the Old City of Jerusalem, a site inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1981 by virtue of its outstanding cultural value. The opening session was held in the presence of the Permanent Delegates of UNESCO’s Member States and Norway’s Minister of Culture and ...
2 min read
Sunday, 23 January 2005
The decisions taken by the World Heritage Committee during its 7th Extraordinary Session, held in Paris from 6 to 11 December 2004, can now be consulted online ( whc04-7extcom-17e.pdf). During this important meeting, the Committee examined, among other things, the relations between the World Heritage Convention and other UNESCO conventions relating to heritage and considered proposals for the ...
Tuesday, 11 January 2005
The conservation community mourns the loss of several staff members of the Gunung Leuser National Park, one of the three national parks within the Tropical Rainforest of Sumatra World Heritage site.
According to most recent information, the Tropical Rainforest of Sumatra and the Ujung Kulon National Park have not sustained important damage during the recent tsunami disaster.
The ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 5 January 2005
The Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, has offered UNESCO’s support to the countries devastated by the earthquake off the coast of Sumatra and the ensuing tsunami. Mr Matsuura said that "UNESCO stands ready" to assist the national authorities within its fields of competence and "give whatever support it can to the United Nations Emergency Relief ...
2 min read
Tuesday, 4 January 2005
The Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, will name the internationally renowned painter, Countess Setsuko Klossowska de Rola, UNESCO Artist for Peace, in a ceremony at Organization Headquarters on January 7 (12.30 p.m.).
Countess Klossowska de Rola is being named Artist for Peace for her role in promoting the World Heritage Education Project", which was launched by UNESCO in ...
1 min read
Thursday, 30 December 2004
The Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, has offered UNESCO’s support to the countries devastated by the earthquake off the coast of Sumatra and the ensuing tsunami, and expressed his sorrow at the tragic loss of life in the region. Writing to the King of Thailand, and to the presidents of India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Maldives, and Sri Lanka, the Director-General voiced his ...
3 min read
Thursday, 23 December 2004
Six case studies, looking at manager experience of how World Heritage may help to build support for protected areas are now available here
Thursday, 23 December 2004
The inscription of Bam and its Cultural Landscape, the ancient Silk Road landmark, on UNESCO’s World Heritage List and on the World Heritage List in Danger will be celebrated in a ceremony on December 27, marking the first anniversary of the earthquake that destroyed much of the site and killed more than 26,000 people.
The Vice President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Hossein Marashi, ...
4 min read
Tuesday, 14 December 2004
The 2005 UNESCO World Heritage Desk Diary is now available. Discover 54 natural and cultural sites with beautiful colour photographs and informative descriptions in English, Spanish and French. Order it at https://en.dl-servi.com/ or at UNESCO Publishing - 7 place de Fontenoy, 75352 Paris 07 SP, France.
Monday, 13 December 2004
On Friday, 27 August 2004, UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura and Nippon Hoso Kyokai (NHK) President Katsuji Ebisawa held a public signing ceremony at NHK Headquarters in Tokyo, Japan to seal their new partnership agreement. Through the Heritage Images Archives Initiative, NHK is offering to contribute to the documenting and safeguarding of tangible and intangible cultural heritage, ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 7 December 2004
The opening and closure speeches as well as the PowerPoint presentations are now available on:
https://whc.unesco.org/en/events/95
Monday, 6 December 2004
The 7th Extraordinary Session of the World Heritage Committee opened on 6 December 2004 at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, under the chairmanship of Mr Themba P. Wakashe from South Africa. The session will last until 11 December 2004.
This important meeting will examine, among other items, the relations between the Convention for the protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage ...
1 min read
Thursday, 18 November 2004
You can now access a film featuring Professor Chamaeleo, Ambassador at Large for Diversity, in which he urges everyone to unite and act for the conservation of biodiversity. The film was used to open the IUCN World Conservation Congress (WCC). Prof. Chamaeleo’s compelling appeal to humanity is at http://www.diversity.info.
The production of the film was made possible with support from: ...
Friday, 22 October 2004
Within the framework of the World Heritage Central Pacific Project, a workshop was held over the previous seven days on Kiritimati (Christmas) Island, Republic of Kiribati to plan for the nomination of reef islands and atolls of Kiribati to the World Heritage List.
The World Heritage List was established by the World Heritage Convention, adopted by UNESCO in 1972 to profile and protect the ...
2 min read
Friday, 22 October 2004
There are three new publications in the World Heritage Papers Series:
No.9: Partnerships for World Heritage Cities - Culture as a Vector for Sustainable Urban Development (in English and French) provides a summary of the papers presented and the debates held at the Urbino workshop to mark the 30th anniversary of the WH Convention.
No.10: Monitoring World Heritage (in English) ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 20 October 2004
The Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, participated today in Nara (Japan) at the opening ceremony of the international symposium “ Safeguarding of Tangible and Intangible Cultural Heritage: Toward an Integrated Approach” organised by Bunkacho (the Japanese Cultural Agency) and UNESCO, in the presence of Mr Toshio Kojima, Senior Vice-Minister of Ministry of Education, Culture, ...
2 min read
Friday, 15 October 2004
A new partnership between UNESCO and the Japanese Television channel NHK will see the co-production and broadcast of some 200 short television programmes that will form of the core of a new Heritages Image Archives Initiative. The Initiative aims to produce quality threedimensional moving images and reconstruction images, using state-of-the-art digital visual and sound processing ...
1 min read
Thursday, 14 October 2004
A new book Les 200 plus beaux sites du monde (The 200 most beautiful sites in
the World), published by Hachette-Tourism to commemorate 10 years of the Voir collection,
was launched in Paris at UNESCO Headquarters on 11 October 2004.
Among the 200 sites selected by the editors, 125 are inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage
List. Published in large format, two full pages of the book ...
1 min read
Thursday, 14 October 2004
The World Heritage Centre deeply regrets to announce the passing away, in Paris on Monday 27 September, of Michel Batisse (1923-2004), UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Science from 1972 to1984 and one of the founding fathers of the 1972 World Heritage Convention.
He played a critical role in the preparation and negotiation of this Convention, by guaranteeing the rightful place of ...
1 min read
Monday, 11 October 2004
Every Sunday, listeners of the French radio station France Info can learn more about UNESCO's World Heritage sites, by listening to a new chronicle entitled “Treasures of Humanity” .
Olivier Emond, a 31 years old journalist and History graduate, explains in short chronicles the history of World Heritage sites selected among the 788 that are inscribed on the World Heritage List today. The ...
1 min read
Thursday, 7 October 2004
B orn after 31 December 1975 you will be under 30 years of age in 2005.
You are a native of a Mediterranean country.
You wish to develop a project furthering the knowledge and understanding of Mediterranean cultures.
Every year the Marc de Montalembert Foundation offers a grant of 7000 euro to enable the implementation of such projects.
To apply for the 2005 Marc de ...
1 min read
Thursday, 7 October 2004
On 6 October, the Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, opened an exhibition on "World Heritage Sites in Croatia" in the presence of Mr Krešimir Filipec, Assistant Minister of Culture; Ambassador Ritz, Permanent Delegate of Croatia to UNESCO; the Mayors of Dubrovnik, Split and Togir, as well as the Deputy Mayor of Poreć and the Director of Plitvice Lakes National Park ...
2 min read
Friday, 10 September 2004
On Thursday 9 September, the Director-General of UNESCO together with H.R.H. Prince Philippe of Belgium, Mr Z’Ahidi Ngoma, Vice-President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Mr De Decker, Belgian Minister for Co-operation and Development, inaugurated the exhibition "CONGO - Nature and Culture in the Democratic Republic of Congo". Curated by the Royal Museum for Central Africa (Tervuren, ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 8 September 2004
UNESCO is organizing, with the United Nations Foundation (UNF) the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and several conservation organizations, the first international event to support the DRC’s heritage in danger. The event, “Congo – Heritage in Danger” aims to contribute to the long-term survival of this unique natural heritage.
Placed under the high patronage of Mr Jacques ...
2 min read
Friday, 27 August 2004
On Friday, 27 August 2004, UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura and Nippon Hoso Kyokai (NHK) President Katsuji Ebisawa held a public signing ceremony at NHK Headquarters in Tokyo, Japan to seal their new partnership agreement. Through the Heritage Images Archives Initiative, NHK is offering to contribute to the documenting and safeguarding of tangible and intangible cultural heritage, ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 28 July 2004
The 28th session of the World Heritage Committee was held in Sushou, China, under the chairmanship of Zhang Xinsheng, Vice Minister of Education of China and Chairperson of China’s National Commission for UNESCO, from 28 June to 7 July 2004. Over 700 delegates from States Parties, Advisory Bodies and non-governmental organizations participated. 29 cultural sites and 5 natural sites were ...
4 min read
Monday, 26 July 2004
This document was prepared by the Arab States Unit of the World Heritage Centre, following the request of the World Heritage Committee that an analytical summary of the Periodic Reporting exercise be prepared for the Arab Region in view of its publication. This report aims at evaluating the implementation of the World Heritage Convention in the Arab Region, on the basis of the Periodic ...
1 min read
Friday, 16 July 2004
A new Chinese edition of UNESCO’s World Heritage Review is being launched by the publishing house World Affairs Press of the People’s Republic of China, UNESCO and Ediciones San Marcos (Madrid). The Chinese edition will be launched at the 28th session of the World Heritage Committee in Suzhou on 28 June 2004.
UNESCO’s World Heritage Review has been published in English, French and Spanish ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 7 July 2004
The ruins of the great sea-ports of Kilwa Kisiwani and of Songo Mnara situated off the coast of the United Republic of Tanzania were inscribed yesterday on the List of World Heritage in Danger by the 21-member World Heritage Committee, which is holding its annual meeting in Suzhou until July 7.
The Committee took this decision in response to threats to the integrity of the site, which was ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 6 July 2004
One of Europe’s masterpieces of Gothic architecture, was inscribed today on the List of World Heritage in Danger by the 21-member World Heritage Committee, which is holding its annual meeting in Suzhou until July 7.
The Committee sounded the alarm for the integrity of the urban landscape around the Cathedral after hearing of the construction of several high-rise buildings on the bank ...
1 min read
Sunday, 4 July 2004
Cambodia’s celebrated temples and palaces at Angkor were removed from UNESCO's List of World Heritage in Danger today, as were the Bahla Fort (Oman) and Rwenzori Mountains National Park (Uganda).
As it reviewed the state of conservation of World Heritage sites whose outstanding universal value is severely threatened, the 21-member World Heritage Committee meeting in Suzhou until July 7 ...
2 min read
Saturday, 3 July 2004
The rich archaeological remains of the Iranian city of Bam, where 26,000 lost their lives in the earthquake of December 26, 2003, was inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, alongside 12 other new cultural sites listed today by the World Heritage Committee holding its 28th session in Suzhou. This brings to 788 the number of cultural, natural and mixed sites now on the List.
Bam Cultural ...
10 min read
Friday, 2 July 2004
The Democratic People's Republic of Korea had its first site inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List today with the addition of a complex of Koguryo tombs. Andorra also entered the List with the cultural landscape of Madriu-Claror-Perafita Valley. They were among 13 cultural sites listed in Suzhou today.
Below are the new sites inscribed on July 1 at the World Heritage Committee meeting ...
11 min read
Thursday, 1 July 2004
A glacier-fjord in Greenland, the Ilulissat Icefjord, is among the five new natural sites inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List, while the extraordinary earthen architecture of Koutammakou, the Land of the Batammariba, in Togo, is one of three new cultural sites inscribed by the World Heritage Committee in Suzhou today.
The ongoing 28th session of the Committee, chaired by Zhang ...
7 min read
Tuesday, 22 June 2004
Forty-eight sites will be considered for inscription on UNESCO’s World Heritage List of outstanding cultural and natural sites during the 28th session of UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee, which will meet at the Urban Planning Convention Center in Suzhou (China) from June 28 to July 7.
UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura will address the inaugural session of the meeting, which will be ...
3 min read
Friday, 11 June 2004
The Fifth International Volunteer Khami Restoration Camp (3-26 June) near Bulawayo is now in progress, to be followed by a “1972 World Heritage Workshop” for Zimbabwean journalists. Operating on an annual basis since its inception in 2000, this year’s camp groups a total of 20 students from Botswana, Cameroon, Germany, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Reunion, South Africa, Zambia and ...
1 min read
Friday, 11 June 2004
The web site for one of the World Heritage Advisory Bodies, the World Conservation Union (IUCN), regularly updates news on IUCN's work on protected areas.
Recent features include:
Guidelines for Planning and Managing Mountain Protected Areas;
A mission to the Volcanoes of Kamchatka World Heritage Site in the Russian Federation;
Establishment of a Global network on Transboundary ...
Friday, 4 June 2004
Tripoli-Kufra-Jebel Ouenat, 27 March - 5 April 2004Jebel Ouenat (in Arabic "Mountain of the springs") is a natural and cultural heritage site located at the border among Egypt, Libya and Sudan, which was discovered by the Egyptian explorer Ahmed Hassanein Bey only in 1923. This spectacular mountain, together with the neighbouring Jebel Arkenu, in Libya, and Jebel Kissu in Sudan, is the result ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 26 May 2004
The workshop focused on the redefinition of the boundaries, the preparation of an Action Plan addressing conservation challenges and the discussion of mechanisms to assist the Nepalese Government in soliciting international cooperation.
Various stakeholders including national and local authorities, Nepalese and international experts, members from Universities and INGOs, actively ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 19 May 2004
UNESCO Conference 16-17 September at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris to evaluate the current status and future needs of the World Heritage Centre / UNF project: "Biodiversity Conservation in Regions of Armed Conflict: Protecting World Heritage in the Democratic Republic of the Congo".
Co-sponsored by the Government of Belgium and the Government of Japan, this conference aims to raise global ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 18 May 2004
The 2nd workshop obtained excellent feedback from the fifteen Arab trainees nominated by their governments. Experts were again brought in from leading international institutions, including:
Department of Geography, University of Ghent
R. Lemaire International Centre for Conservation, University of Leuven
WCMC, the World Conservation Monitoring Centre
University of California, ...
Monday, 3 May 2004
Presentations will be made everyday at 10am, 1pm and 3pm on issues such as World Heritage destinations, sustainable tourism at World Heritage sites, the effects of tourism on the conservation of World Heritage sites, individual conservation efforts, the trade's role in site conservation, and World Heritage tours as new markets. World Heritage Site Managers will be on hand to present ...
2 min read
Monday, 3 May 2004
2nd training workshop to be organized in the Arab region for the application of Information Management for World Heritage Sites, fucusing on nature.
This training to be organized from may 3 to 16, 2004 will gathered a group of trainees from different Arab Countries and known specialists on World Heritage environmental issues.
Wednesday, 28 April 2004
The World Heritage Committee consists of representatives from 21 of the States Parties to the Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, elected by the General Assembly of States Parties to the Convention.
The current composition of the Committee is: Argentina, Benin, Chile, China (Chair), Colombia, Egypt, India, Japan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Lithuania, Netherlands, ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 31 March 2004
The United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is still accepting entries for the 2004 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation.The Awards programme recognizes outstanding conservation projects of the built heritage, undertaken by private sector entities or through public-private partnerships. Now in its fifth year, the programme has ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 11 November 2003
The Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Atsunori Kawarmura, Executive Producer of Nippon Hoso Kyokai (NHK TV) at UNESCO Headquarters.The MoU launches a new public service project aimed at creating a database of high-definition, digital motion pictures on different forms of cultural heritage to ensure the transmission of ...
1 min read
Monday, 16 June 2003
The letter follows the receipt of numerous individual letters and e-mails sent to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre.
Wednesday, 26 March 2003
Paris - The Web site of the 27th session of the World Heritage Committee, which will take place in Suzhou (China), from the 29th of June to the 5th of July 2003, is now online at this address: http://www.27whc.org. The Web site is available in Chinese and English versions (French to come) and provides numerous useful information about the forthcoming session of the Committee, the organizing ...
Monday, 17 February 2003
A large fortified city under the influence of the Parthian Empire and capital of the first Arab Kingdom, Hatra withstood invasions by the Romans in A.D. 116 and 198 thanks to its high, thick walls reinforced by towers.
The remains of the city, especially the temples where Hellenistic and Roman architecture blend with Eastern decorative features, attest to the greatness of its civilization. ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 5 February 2003
On 20 January 2003, a fire broke out in the Ancient Building Complex in the Wudang Mountains in Hubei Province, China.
Two-and-a-half hours later, the Yuzhengong Palace was burned to the ground. No one was injured in the fire but many of the structures from the Ming dynasty (14th-17th centuries) were damaged.
Inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1994, the Ancient Building Complex ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 5 February 2003
Following decision from the President of Romania to halt the proposed development of the themepark "Draculaland" at the World Heritage site of the "Historic Centre of Sighisoara". WORLD HERITAGE COMMITTEECHAIRMAN / PRESIDENT 6 February 2003 Excellency, In my capacity as Chairperson of the World Heritage Committee I would like to applaud the decision to halt the proposed ...
2 min read
Tuesday, 26 November 2002
Brussels - The Belgian Government and UNESCO signed an Agreement of Cooperation today, wishing to enhance their cooperation, especially between the Federal office for Scientific, Technical and Cultural affairs (OSTC) and the UNESCO World Heritage Centre. “Through this Agreement, we will make available the Belgian know-how and the expertise of the Universities of Ghent and Louvain in the use ...
2 min read
Thursday, 12 September 2002
Special events and activities
Record of Decisions of the 26th session of the World Heritage Committee Budapest, Hungary, 24-29 June 2002
Budapest Declaration
World Heritage 2002: Shared Legacy, Common ResponsibilityAn International Congress organized by UNESCO with the support of the Government of Italy and under the patronage of the city of Venice on the occasion of the 30th anniversary ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 20 August 2002
From Mr Francesco Bandarin, Director of the World Heritage Centre We have noted with great concern, the news of massive floods sweeping across Europe and that a number of World Heritage sites in Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany and Hungary are threatened by the worst flooding in a century. I would like to transmit our solidarity with the regional crisis committees and the people of the ...
1 min read
Monday, 15 July 2002
The World Heritage Committee concluded its 26th session (24 to 29 June 2002) by adopting the Budapest Declaration on World Heritage, marking the 30th anniversary of the signing of the World Heritage Convention in 1972. Adopted in the presence of the Director-General of UNESCO, Mr. Koïchiro Matsuura, and representatives of the Hungarian government, the Budapest Declaration recognizes the near ...
2 min read
Monday, 15 July 2002
Inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1982, Tipasa on the shores of the Mediterranean, comprises Phoenician, Roman, palaeochristian and Byzantine ruins alongside indigenous monuments such as the Kbor er Roumia, the great royal mausoleum of Mauritania. An ancient Punic trading-post conquered by Rome, Tipasa turned into a strategic base for the conquest of the kingdoms of Mauritania. However, ...
1 min read
Monday, 1 July 2002
This map was produced by the Cartographic Section of the World Heritage Centre. The boundaries, colors, denominations and any other information shown on this map do not imply, on the part of UNESCO, any judgement on legal status of any territory, or any endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries. January 2002 UNESCO World Heritage Centre.Legend:The grey points and triangles show World ...
Wednesday, 26 June 2002
Budapest, Hungary. The World Heritage Committee, meeting in Budapest since June 24, has inscribed today 9 new sites on the World Heritage List. The List now numbers 730 sites of "outstanding universal value" in 125 countries. For the first time, a site from Afghanistan appears on the List. The 9 inscriptions this year include only cultural sites.Simultaneously with its inscription ...
5 min read
Monday, 24 June 2002
Budapest, Hungary - 24 June 2002. The World Heritage Committee opened its 26th annual session in Budapest, Hungary, on Monday, 24 June. The opening session was attended by 320 participants representing all 21 Committee members, over 50 observers from States Parties to the World Heritage Convention, representatives from the Advisory Bodies to the World Heritage Committee (ICOMOS, IUCN, and ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 5 June 2002
Three States have recently signed the World Heritage Convention. This will bring the total of States Parties to the Convention to 170. The three States, with the dates on which they deposited their instrument of ratification or acceptance, are: Liberia 23 March 2002 Barbados 09 April 2002 Marshall Islands 24 April 2002 The Convention will come into force for the three countries three months ...
Tuesday, 9 April 2002
Important announcement for the visitors of the World Heritage Centre portal The UNESCO World Heritage Centre has established a new simpler web address: https://whc.unesco.org (without www) Web browsers using the old address will be automatically referred to the appropriate page on the new server.
Wednesday, 9 January 2002
The annual report of the du World Heritage Committee (Helsinki, Finland, 11 - 16 décember 2001) has been issued.
Thursday, 13 December 2001
Helsinki, Finland - 14 December 2001. The World Heritage Committee, meeting in Helsinki since December 11, has inscribed 31 new sites on the World Heritage List. The List now numbers 721 sites of "outstanding universal value" in 124 countries. For the first time, sites in Botswana and Israel appear on the List. The 31 inscriptions this year include six natural sites and 25 cultural ...
15 min read
Wednesday, 12 December 2001
Helsinki, Finland - In its annual review of the state of conservation of sites on the World Heritage List, the World Heritage Committee today decided to include two additional sites on the List of World Heritage in Danger, while at the same time removing a third site. As a result, the List of World Heritage in Danger now includes 31 properties. BRAZIL Iguacu National Park Committee agreed to ...
3 min read
Tuesday, 11 December 2001
Helsinki, Finland - The World Heritage Committee opened its 25th annual session in Helsinki, Finland, on Tuesday, 11 December. The meeting, hosted by the Finnish Government, was opened by the Director-General of UNESCO, Koichiro Matsuura; the President of Finland, Ms Tarja Halonen, and the Finnish ministers of Culture and Environment. The opening session was attended by 280 participants ...
4 min read
Tuesday, 30 October 2001
Paris. The General Assembly of States Parties to the World Heritage Convention opened Tuesday, 30 October 2001 at 10 a.m. in the presence of the majority of the States Parties to the Convention. After the opening of the session by Mounir Bouchenaki, UNESCO ADG Culture and representative of the Director General, Samuel Fernandéz Illanes, Ambassador of Chile to UNESCO, was elected ...
3 min read
Tuesday, 30 October 2001
Paris - The 13th session of the General Assembly of the State Parties of the World Heritage Convention ended on the 31st October with the election of eight new members of the World Heritage Committee. The following States Parties were elected:
Argentina
India
Lebanon
Nigeria
Oman
Russian Federation
Saint Lucia
United Kingdom
1 November 2001: Fifth Extraordinary session of ...
Friday, 26 October 2001
Paris - The Thirteenth General Assembly of States Parties to the World Heritage Convention will take place this week at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. The bi-annual two-day meeting, which opens Tuesday, is an opportunity for all of the countries which have signed the Convention to take part in its governance. Provisional AgendaParticipation: In accordance with Rule 2 of the Rules of Procedure ...
1 min read
Friday, 22 June 2001
The twenty-fifth session of the Bureau of the World Heritage Committee will open on Monday, 25 June for its annual six-day meeting at UNESCO Headquarters. The seven Bureau members, Australia, Canada, Ecuador, Finland, Morocco, Thailand, and Zimbabwe will be joined by observer delegations from many other States Parties to the Convention, as well as representatives from the Advisory Bodies ...
1 min read
Thursday, 21 June 2001
Paris - The World Heritage Committee will hold its 26th annual session from June 24 to 29 in Budapest, Hungary, during which it will inscribe new sites on the World Heritage List and review the List of World Heritage in Danger. The intergovernmental World Heritage Committee consists of 21 members elected by the General Assembly of the 172 States Parties to the World Heritage Convention. The ...
2 min read
Thursday, 30 November 2000
Cairns - UNESCO's World Heritage Committee, meeting since November 27 in Cairns, Australia, has inscribed 61 new cultural and natural sites on the World Heritage.
The List now has 690 sites of "exceptional universal value" in 122 countries. Sites in Azerbaijan, Malaysia, Nicaragua and Suriname are on the List for the first time. Ten of the new sites are properties inscribed for natural ...
21 min read
Wednesday, 29 November 2000
Cairns - On the third day of its 24th session, the World Heritage Committee added three sites to the List of World Heritage in Danger. The three sites, the Historic Town of Zabid (Yemen), the Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary (Senegal) and the Fort and Shalamar Gardens in Lahore (Pakistan), were the subject of extensive discussion during the previous day's deliberations on the state of ...
2 min read
Monday, 27 November 2000
Cairns, Australia - The World Heritage Committee today opened its 24th annual session in Cairns, Australia. The meeting, hosted by the Australian Federal government and the government of the State of Queensland, was attended by over 320 people.
The meeting was attended by all twenty-one members of the World Heritage Committee: Australia, Belgium, Benin, Canada, China, Colombia, Cuba, ...
5 min read
Wednesday, 15 November 2000
The World Heritage Committee will hold its 24th annual session from November 27 to December 2 in Cairns, Australia, during which it will inscribe new cultural and natural sites on the World Heritage List and review the List of World Heritage in Danger. The intergovernmental World Heritage Committee consists of 21 States Parties elected for a term of six years by the General Assembly of the ...
2 min read
Friday, 20 October 2000
Paris - UNESCO's 58-member Executive Board - whose 157th session opened on October 5 - today nominated, in the third round of voting, Koichiro Matsuura as its candidate for the post of UNESCO Director-General, to replace the present Director General Federico Mayor at the end of his second 6-year mandate. Mr Matsuura's candidacy will be submitted to the approval of UNESCO's General Conference ...
2 min read
Tuesday, 7 March 2000
The President of Mexico, Ernesto Zedillo, announced on 2 March 2000 that the development of the proposed saltworks at San Ignacio would not proceed.
The decision was made following the international UNESCO expert mission to the site in August 1999. The results of the mission were presented to, and adopted by, the World Heritage Committee at its twenty-third session held in Marrakesh ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 8 December 1999
The World Heritage Committee at its twenty-third session held in Marrakesh (Morocco) from 29 November to 4 December 1999, adopted the conclusions and recommendations of the mission of international experts sent to the Whale Sanctuary of El Vizcaino (Mexico). The Committee endorsed the main findings of the mission's report which "concluded that the World Heritage site under present ...
2 min read
Thursday, 2 December 1999
Marrakesh - UNESCO's World Heritage Committee, meeting since November 29 in Marrakesh (Morocco), has inscribed 48 new cultural and natural sites on the World Heritage List.
The List now has 630 sites of "exceptional universal value" in 118 countries. Sites in South Africa, Nigeria, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Turkmenistan are on the List for the first time.
Notable among the new sites are ...
16 min read
Tuesday, 30 November 1999
Marrakesh - UNESCO's World Heritage Committee, meeting in Marrakech (Morocco) since November 29, has today included four new sites on its List of World Heritage in Danger. They are the Iguacu National Park (Brazil), the Rwenzori Mountains (Uganda), the Salonga National Park (Democratic Republic of the Congo) and the Groups of Monuments at Hampi (India). The inclusion of the Iguacu National ...
3 min read
Monday, 29 November 1999
Marrakesh - The 23rd session of the World Heritage Committee in Marrakesh, Morocco, was informed today that the United Nations Foundation (UNF) would contribute $2.9 million to World Heritage sites in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The project, "Biodiversity Conservation in Regions of Armed Conflict: Protecting World Natural Heritage in the Democratic Republic of the Congo", ...
3 min read
Monday, 12 July 1999
UNESCO's World Heritage Committee in an Extraordinary meeting today welcomed efforts by the Australian government to help resolve the controversy surrounding uranium mining and milling in an enclave within the Kakadu National Park which, some claim, endangers this unique archaeological and ethnological site.
The Committee decided not to inscribe the site, which has been on the World Heritage ...
3 min read
Tuesday, 25 May 1999
Second letter from the Chairperson of the World Heritage Committee to the Environmental Groups concerning the Whale Sanctuary of El Viscaino
Friday, 4 December 1998
The letter follows the receipt of about 30,000 petitions received and numerous individual letters and e-mails sent to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre.
Letter sent by the Chairman of the World Heritage Committee to the Environmental Groups concerning the Whale Sanctuary of El Vizcaino (Mexico)
Wednesday, 2 December 1998
Kyoto,Japan - UNESCO's World Heritage Committee, meeting in Kyoto since November 30, has added 30 new sites and one extension to its World Heritage List of cultural and natural sites, bringing the number of listed sites of "exceptional universal value" to 582 in 114 countries. For the first time, the List includes sites located in Belgium and the Solomon Islands. Among this year's ...
11 min read
Tuesday, 1 December 1998
Kyoto, (Japan) - UNESCO's World Heritage Committee today announced it removed the Old City of Dubrovnik (Croatia) and the Wieliczka Salt Mines (Poland) from its List of World Heritage in Danger due to the success of measures undertaken for their restoration and preservation. Dubrovnik, the Dalmatian Coast city dubbed "the pearl of the Adriatic" and dotted with beautiful Gothic, ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 25 November 1998
Paris - UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee will hold its annual meeting from November 30 to December 5 in Kyoto (Japan) at the close of which it will inscribe new cultural and natural sites on the World Heritage List and the List of World Heritage in Danger. Alongside the 22nd session of the Committee, UNESCO is organising another event in Japan the International World Heritage Youth Forum ...
3 min read
Monday, 27 April 1998
At 3.30 AM on Saturday 25th April 1998 the south coast of Spain was host to what has been dubbed the worst environmental disaster in Europe. A supporting wall of the reservoir containing the toxic wastes of the Aznalcollar mine burst, releasing 5 million cubic metres of toxic mud and acidic water onto the surrounding landscape. The toxic waste entered the Agrio River, a tributary of the ...
1 min read
Sunday, 7 December 1997
The following sites have been inscribed on the World Heritage List by the World Heritage Committee at its 21st session, meeting in Naples, Italy, 1-6 December, 1997. A total of 46 sites were inscribed: 7 natural sites; 38 cultural sites; and 1 mixed site. The work of the 21st Session thus brings the total number of sites on the World Heritage List to 552 (418 cultural, 114 natural and 20 ...
19 min read
Monday, 22 September 1997
Threats to World Heritage areas in Australia continues to claim media headlines. At the Kakadu World Heritage area the Australian Government is supporting the development of a new uranium mine. At present the Government is awaiting an environmental impact statement and negotiating with the local indigenous population who are opposing the mine. In the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage area the ...
1 min read
Thursday, 18 September 1997
The organizers of a symposium on world cultural heritage, held in Hildesheim, Germany 23 February - 1 March 1997 have announced the publication of the proceedings of this symposium, entitled: "World Cultural Heritage: A Global Challenge." The work contains all the presentations and the resolution adopted at this week-long conference.Seven representative projects from all five continents ...
1 min read
Friday, 12 September 1997
Between 6 and 11 September, the Incan ruins of Machu Picchu, were threatened by a large brush fire, eventually consuming over 800 hectares of mountain forest. At one time more than 400 firefighters pumped water on the dense vegetation on the hills surrounding the World Heritage site to prevent the fire from reaching the ruins.
The fire was believed to have been started by local farmers ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 10 September 1997
We have opened the ICONS_L mailing list for discussing issues related to the International Conservation Networking System (ICONS), a relational database management system in support of networking on biodiversity and conservation issues, and for information management by indigenous and community-based organizations.ICONS provides basic structures for the management of bibliographies, ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 3 September 1997
Paris - UNESCO'S Director-General Federico Mayor launched yesterday in Maputo an international appeal to safeguard the Island of Mozambique. He also inaugurated, on behalf of the United Nations System, a trust fund to implement the Agenda for the Sustainable Development and Integral Conservation of the World Heritage Site of the Island of Mozambique. UNESCO is contributing US$100,000 to the ...
2 min read
Monday, 1 September 1997
The Ninth Forum of Ministers of Cultural Heritage of Latin America and the Caribbean, which took place in Cartagena, Colombia from 27 to 30 June 1997 has formally endorsed the conclusions and recommendations of an expert meeting calling for the nomination of a multi-national "Fortifications in the Caribbean." The Ministers decided to support the initiative of Colombia to work towards the ...
1 min read
Thursday, 14 August 1997
Paris - UNESCO Director-General Federico Mayor expressed sadness over the reported death yesterday of Raymond Lemaire, his special advisor and representative on the cultural heritage of Jerusalem.
"UNESCO has lost one of its most outstanding experts. No cultural site or monument in the world was foreign to Raymond Lemaire," Mr Mayor said. "He applied his great expertise as one of the editors ...
1 min read
Thursday, 24 July 1997
The National Center for Heritage Development with conference host, the Illinois & Michigan Canal National Heritage Corridor, announce Rally III for America's Real Places: Best Practices in Heritage Development and Cultural Tourism. If you would be interested in becoming a conference Sponsor, Partner or Exhibitor please contact the National Center at 202-885-8910 or by e-mail at nchd@al.net. ...
Saturday, 19 July 1997
Both ICOMOS and ICCROM have recently established new addresses on the World Wide Web. In addition to its site at www.icomos.org in North America, ICOMOS now also has a second site in Europe, www.international.icomos.org. Both sites contain the same materials, and users should choose the site which is closest to them for access.ICCROM, which until recently has shared space on the ICOMOS ...
1 min read
Monday, 7 July 1997
The Antiquities Development Project of the American Research Center in Egypt is committed to undertaking three dimensional architectural surveys at the two Monasteries of St. Paul and St Anthony and the Ottoman Fort at Quseir, by the Red Sea coast of Egypt. This is part of the conservation and restoration projects currently carried out by the Antiquities Development Project at these ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 2 July 1997
in the environment of EU INFO2000 programme has been realized a proposal regarding an Archaeological Geographic Information System in the Mediterranean area. In this first phase a demo prototype on the Via Aurelia (Italy) and Via Domizia (France) is working at the address: www.aec2000.it/archeologis
Saturday, 28 June 1997
The twenty-first session of the Bureau of the World Heritage Committee was held at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris from 23 to 28 June 1997. The seven Bureau members, Australia, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Morocco and Niger, were joined by observer delegations from thirty-seven other States Parties, as well as representatives of the Advisory Bodies.The agenda included an examination of the ...
8 min read
Monday, 23 June 1997
The Asia & West Pacific Network for Urban Conservation (AWPNUC) was formed in 1991 for the purpose of exchanging cultural information and technical expertise in the area of urban conservation. The members are predominantly urban conservation advocates, professionals and practitioners who are actively involved in international networking and/or projects outside their home countries.Anyone who ...
1 min read