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Tuesday, 4 July 2023
The Call for Applications for the 2023 Global Awards for World Heritage Education Innovative Cases is now open until the 31st of July.  Introduction Film for 2023 Global Awards for World Heritage Education Innovative Cases play_arrow play_arrow Watch Organizations National Commission of the People's Republic of China for UNESCO Co-organized by: World Heritage Institute of ...
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Monday, 3 July 2023
Copenhagen, 3 July 2023 – The city of Barcelona has been officially designated as World Capital of Architecture for 2026 by the Director-General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay. The designation was made on the recommendation of the Joint UNESCO-UIA Committee for the World Capital of Architecture that is presided by the eminent architect, Dominique Perrault. We are pleased to see the baton of the ...
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Wednesday, 28 June 2023
Over 40 students collected environmental DNA (eDNA) samples in the Socotra Archipelago World Heritage site, as part of the global eDNA expeditions UNESCO is currently piloting across 25 marine World Heritage sites to better understand ocean biodiversity and the effects of climate change. From 28 June to 3 July 2023, 44 students aged 11 to 16 years from four schools collected water samples at ...
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Monday, 26 June 2023
The 5th World Heritage Site Managers' Forum (WHSMF23), in conjunction with the 45th extended session of the World Heritage Committee, started its first online session on 19 June 2023. This year's Forum, with the theme "Managing World Heritage for the Next 50 Years" is being hosted by the Ministry of Culture of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, represented by the National Committee and the Heritage ...
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Wednesday, 14 June 2023
UNESCO, with its unique mandate in Earth Sciences, plays a vital role in promoting a sustainable world, with geoscience at the core of its mission. A workshop on geoheritage management in UNESCO designated sites will be held on 19 - 22 October 2023 for personnel working with current or aspiring natural UNESCO designated sites. A call for applications is now open until 13 August 2023. UNESCO ...
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Tuesday, 13 June 2023
By developing pioneering resilience strategies, both Ningaloo Coast in Australia and Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System in Belize work to safeguard their World Heritage-listed coral ecosystems from the impacts of climate change and strengthen the resilience of local communities that depend on the reef for their livelihoods. On 18 May 2023, experts in resilience-based management and local ...
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Tuesday, 13 June 2023
In response to the deteriorating security situation at the W-Arly-Pendjari Complex World Heritage property, the States Parties of Benin, Burkina Faso and Niger have agreed to strengthen their cooperation to improve the management and protection of the property through a "Support Initiative for the Sustainable Management of the W-Arly-Pendjari Complex". Financed by the Government of Norway's ...
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Thursday, 8 June 2023
The International Centre on Space Technologies for Natural and Cultural Heritage (HIST) under the Auspices of UNESCO is calling for case studies on best practices of digital technologies for the conservation and sustainable development of UNESCO-designated sites. Objective The HIST Award on Sustainable Development of UNESCO-designated sites aims at recognizing exemplary efforts by site ...
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Wednesday, 7 June 2023
Each year, between mid-May and early June, UNESCO celebrates three international days focused on subjects that are as vital as they are complementary. This is an opportunity to jointly consider the three systemic pillars of our planet: biodiversity, the environment and the ocean – the latter being the theme of this world day. The ocean connects, sustains and supports us all. However, its ...
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Tuesday, 6 June 2023
UNESCO welcomes Australia’s decision to implement urgent new protection measures to safeguard the Great Barrier Reef recommended by UNESCO. The measures include a ban on fishing with gillnets. The Australian government formalized its commitments in a letter addressed to Audrey Azoulay, the Director-General of UNESCO this week. "The Great Barrier Reef is a fragile jewel of world heritage. ...
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Wednesday, 31 May 2023
On May 30, 2023, UNESCO successfully launched an online International Workshop on the pilot implementation of the Culture|2030 Indicators. The workshop began with a video address by Mr. Ernesto Ottone R., UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Culture, and opening remarks from Ms. Erica Gerretsen, Director of the Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG-INTPA) of the European ...
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Thursday, 25 May 2023
The Maya Site of Copán is an important archaeological site inscribed on the World Heritage List since 1980. With the support of UNESCO, Honduras has begun a collaborative process to develop an updated management plan for the Maya Site of Copan, an important archaeological site inscribed on the World Heritage List since 1980. This process started between May 17 and 19, 2023, through a ...
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Wednesday, 24 May 2023
UNESCO is concerned about reports of proposed legislative changes at the regional level to the Special Management Plan for the Irrigation Zones in the northern part of the Forest Crown of Doñana (the “Strawberry Plan”), which could threaten the very reasons for the recognition of Doñana National Park as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Doñana has also been a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve since ...
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Monday, 22 May 2023
Each year, between the end of May and the beginning of June, three international days serve as a reminder of three vital and interdependent issues on which the future of our planet depends: biological diversity, the environment and the ocean. And with each year comes an even greater need to understand the urgency of coming together and tackling the immense challenge of preserving nature and ...
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Thursday, 18 May 2023
On 18 May 2023, Tuvalu became the 195th State Party to the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (1972). With this new ratification, the UNESCO World Heritage Convention nears universal recognition, as one of the most ratified legal instruments in the world. Represented by H.E. Samuelu Laloniu, Special Envoy of the Tuvaluan Government, Tuvalu ...
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Tuesday, 16 May 2023
From 2020 through 2022, UNESCO Jakarta carried out a project “Towards a sustainable future for the Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra UNESCO World Heritage site: integrating management and reviewing boundaries for the long-term protection of the Outstanding Universal Value,” funded by the UNESCO/Netherlands Funds-in-Trust, in close coordination with the Directorate General of Natural ...
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Saturday, 13 May 2023
13 May 2023 – World Migratory Bird Day highlights the importance of water for migratory birds and calls for more action to protect water resources and aquatic ecosystems. UNESCO World Heritage sites are crucial safe havens for all 12 migratory bird species that are celebrated today. Water is fundamental to life on our planet. Many migratory birds rely on aquatic ecosystems during their life ...
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Thursday, 11 May 2023
From June until November 2022, Member States were invited to report on the implementation of the 2011 Recommendation at the national and urban levels. Progress in the Member States’ implementation of the 2011 Recommendation since the Second Consultation in 2019 is evident and encouraging, with reports received from 69 Member States reported with 62 national reports and 125 local reports out ...
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Saturday, 6 May 2023
From 3 to 6 May 2023, 11 students aged 10 to 14 from the Banc d'Arguin National Park UNESCO World Heritage site participated in UNESCO's Environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling campaign, as part of a global effort to better understand ocean biodiversity and the effects of climate change. Eleven young people from the 4 schools in the park’s coastal villages of Mamghar, R'Gueiba, Teichott and Iwik ...
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Friday, 5 May 2023
Message from Ms Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, on the occasion of African World Heritage Day Each year, on 5 May, UNESCO and its partners come together to celebrate African heritage. The richness and diversity of this heritage are embodied in natural sites of breathtaking beauty, which are often home to a unique biodiversity, such as the Ivindo National Park in Gabon, listed as ...
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Wednesday, 3 May 2023
On Tuesday 2 May, the Director of UNESCO World Heritage, Lazare Eloundou Assomo, accompanied by the Director of the UNESCO Regional Office for Culture in Latin America and the Caribbean, Anne Lemaistre, visited the Convent of Santa Clara, the first women’s convent in Havana (founded in 1644), part of the World Heritage property “Old Havana and its Fortification System,” inscribed on the ...
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Wednesday, 3 May 2023
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 3-12 September 2023Looking Ahead: The Next 50 Years of Protecting Natural and Cultural Heritage As an integral part of the extended 45th session of the World Heritage Committee, and in the framework of the UNESCO World Heritage Education Programme, the Ministry of Culture in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia through the National Committee for Education, Culture and ...
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Monday, 1 May 2023
In May 2023, Traditional Owners collected environmental DNA (eDNA) samples in the Ningaloo Coast World Heritage site (Australia), as part of the global eDNA expeditions UNESCO is currently piloting across 25 marine World Heritage sites to better understand ocean biodiversity and the effects of climate change. Water samples were collected from 5 locations across Ningaloo Coast World Heritage ...
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Thursday, 27 April 2023
The 5th edition of the World Heritage Site Managers’ Forum (WHSMF23) will be organised in conjunction with the extended 45th session of the World Heritage Committee, with the theme selected for the Forum “Managing World Heritage for the Next 50 Years.” It is hosted by the Ministry of Culture of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, represented by the National Committee and the Heritage Commission ...
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Monday, 24 April 2023
Call for nominations are open. Deadline for submission: extended until 31 May 2023. The Prize rewards outstanding examples of action to safeguard and enhance the world’s cultural landscapes. The Prize was established in 1995 by Greece and named after the actress and activist Melina Mercouri, a strong advocate of integrated heritage conservation and former Minister of Culture of Greece. The ...
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Friday, 21 April 2023
Today, Belize’s Ministry of Blue Economy and Civil Aviation launched the Strategy for Reef Resilience in Belize, paving the way for concerted action across government, businesses and civil society to help safeguard the future of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System from the impacts of climate change. The strategy was released alongside initial seed funding to ...
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Thursday, 20 April 2023
Bridges: UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe's biannual newsletter, issue 2 July - December 2022 is now available online. The issue illustrates World Heritage-related activity in the region. You can access and download the newsletter through the UNESCO Digital Library below:Bridges: UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe, issue 2, July - December 2022 - ...
Wednesday, 19 April 2023
High school children from rural villages travelled to iSimangaliso Wetland Park to sample South Africa’s unique World Heritage-listed marine area as part of the global eDNA expeditions UNESCO is currently piloting across 25 marine World Heritage sites to better understand ocean biodiversity and the effects of climate change. In the early morning of 19 April 2023, children from three high ...
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Tuesday, 18 April 2023
Blog post by Director of World Heritage at UNESCO - Lazare Eloundou AssomoIs there a place you have never been, but always felt a special connection to? From Peru’s Machu Picchu to Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, the Temple of Angkor Wat in Cambodia to the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks, these wonders of the world are as diverse as they come. But they have one thing in common – they are part of ...
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Tuesday, 18 April 2023
The World Heritage Volunteers Initiative, one of UNESCO’s flagship activities that involves young people in the active preservation of our World Heritage is celebrating the International Day of Monuments and Sites by kick-starting its 2023 Campaign with 3 projects in Madagascar, India and China, respectively. Young international and national volunteers will trek along the Khangchendzonga ...
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Sunday, 16 April 2023
Scientists and rangers from the National Commission of Protected Natural Areas (CONANP) undertook an expedition to the Archipiélago de Revillagigedo World Heritage site in Mexico to collect marine baseline information, including environmental DNA (eDNA) samples as part of the eDNA sampling campaigns currently piloted by UNESCO across 25 marine World Heritage sites. From 16 to 26 April 2023, ...
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Friday, 14 April 2023
From 2020 through 2022, Colombia has undertaken a project aimed at developing a dossier in view of a future nomination of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and Tayrona National Park for the UNESCO World Heritage List. Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta was declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1979. It is the world’s highest coastal mountain formation with two peaks at 5,775 metres above sea level ...
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Friday, 14 April 2023
Young Philippine volunteers journeyed overnight to Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park to take eDNA samples at the remote World Heritage site, located in the centre of the Sulu Sea. The sampling was part of the global eDNA expeditions initiative that UNESCO currently coordinates across 25 marine World Heritage sites to better understand ocean biodiversity and the effects of climate change. On 13 ...
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Thursday, 13 April 2023
On 14 January 2023, the Forum on the 50th Anniversary of the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage was held in Beijing in a hybrid format. Under the theme of "World Heritage for the Next 50 Years", the Forum was co-hosted by the National Commission of the People's Republic of China for UNESCO, the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, the ...
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Sunday, 9 April 2023
Students from villages near the Dungonab Bay and Mukkawar Island Marine National Park sampled Sudan’s unique World Heritage listed marine area as part of the global eDNA expeditions UNESCO is currently piloting across 25 marine World Heritage sites to better understand ocean biodiversity and the effects of climate change. On 9 and 10 April 2023, 8 students from primary and secondary schools ...
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Friday, 7 April 2023
Students from Senior High School in Miami, Florida joined scientists from Everglades National Park World Heritage site to participate in UNESCO's Environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling campaign, as part of a global effort to sample and record marine biodiversity across 25 marine World Heritage Sites. On 7 April 2023, under a warm Florida sun and a pleasant breeze, six students aged 15-17-year-old ...
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Wednesday, 5 April 2023
From 5 to 12 April 2023, fisheries officers and community researchers defied choppy seas while collecting environmental DNA (eDNA) samples across the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System. The local sampling is part of the global eDNA expeditions initiative that UNESCO currently conducts across 25 marine World Heritage sites to better understand ocean biodiversity and the effects of climate ...
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Tuesday, 4 April 2023
Eleven eco-school students travelled to the remote Aldabra Atoll for a week of intense educational activities, including the collection of environmental DNA samples as part of the global eDNA expeditions UNESCO is currently piloting across 25 marine World Heritage sites to better understand ocean biodiversity and the effects of climate change. From 31st March to 4th April 2023, four teachers ...
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Monday, 3 April 2023
The Arab Regional Centre for World Heritage (ARC-WH), in collaboration with the Heritage Commission in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, announces the open call for the second edition of the short film competition "My Heritage" as part of the "Arab Youth for Heritage" initiative. Get a chance to win a trip to Saudi Arabia to screen the winning films at the side events of the 45th World Heritage ...
Thursday, 30 March 2023
Earlier this month, Ningaloo Coast UNESCO World Heritage site in Australia released a pioneering resilient reefs strategy that is aimed at securing the long-term conservation of the coral reef and its communities in a rapidly changing climate. The strategy takes a uniquely holistic view of the threats facing Ningaloo Reef together with the needs of local communities and businesses and ...
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Wednesday, 29 March 2023
Deadline: 23 April 2023, midnight (Paris time) UNESCO launches a call to renew and expand the two existing Expert Facilities for the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (hereafter “the 2005 Convention”), and the UNESCO Culture|2030 Indicators under a new EU/UNESCO Expert Facility Programme for a 4-year mandate (2023-2026). The Expert ...
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