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Monday, 14 January 2013
The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova launched an appeal to all military forces in Mali: "I ask all armed forces to make every effort to protect the cultural heritage of the country, which has already been severely damaged”.
Invoking the Hague Convention of 1954 for the Protection of Cultural Property in the event of armed conflict and its two Protocols, Irina Bokova sent a ...
2 min read
Monday, 7 January 2013
Within framework of the World Heritage Earthen Architecture Programme (WHEAP), an international colloquium on the conservation of earthen architecture was organized at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, in partnership with CRAterre-ENSAG, on 17 and 18 December 2012.
This conference, which brought together 240 participants, including experts, professionals and students, was the first international ...
3 min read
Friday, 21 December 2012
World Heritage sites cover a quater of all marine protected areas on the planet: 46 jewels of the ocean, beautiful but fragile. Lest's protect them!
Tuesday, 18 December 2012
The First Expert/Stakeholder Meeting took place in Pompei (Italy) on 17 November 2012, within the framework of the project “Towards a governance system for coordinating the updating and the implementation of the Management Plan of the Archaeological Areas of Pompei, Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata”. The meeting was funded by the Italian Government and managed by the UNESCO World ...
2 min read
Tuesday, 18 December 2012
Negotiated with the support of the World Heritage Centre, this 3 year Swiss government financed project entitled "Local Capacities for climate change adaptation and risk management: Manu National Park in Peru - World Heritage Site" was brought to a successful close earlier this month. Fully implemented by the UNESCO Lima office, the project was founded on a strategic alliance with ...
1 min read
Monday, 17 December 2012
During the recent 7th Conference of the Parties for the Nairobi Convention (December 2012, Maputo, Mozambique), dedicated to "Partnering for a Healthy Western Indian Ocean", important discussions on the potential for new Marine World Heritage sites in the region were held. On the basis of these discussions, the Parties to the Nairobi Convention encouraged its Secretariat, the World Heritage ...
2 min read
Sunday, 16 December 2012
The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, laid out a vision for the World Heritage Convention in the 21st century stunning some 200 people from the cultural preservation community attending the ICOMOS Gala celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Convention in Washington on 12 December.
"We have come together to celebrate one of the most positive and visionary ideas that emerged in the ...
3 min read
International experts meeting on earthen architecture: its preservation and potential for the future
Friday, 14 December 2012
Forty of the world’s leading experts on earthen architecture—which serves as habitat for up to one third of the world’ population—will exchange experiences about the preservation of this often remarkable and always sustainable heritage in a meeting at UNESCO Headquarters on 17 and 18 December (RoomXI).
The International Colloquium on the Conservation of World ...
2 min read
Thursday, 6 December 2012
The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, paid tribute to the great Brazilian architect, Oscar Niemeyer, who died on Wednesday, 5 December, at the age of 104.
"Oscar Niemeyer helped define the 20th century and lay the foundations for the 21st -- for all this, he deserves the title of universal artist. As a founder of modern architecture, he gave the cities he loved iconic buildings, ...
1 min read
Thursday, 6 December 2012
The UNESCO World Heritage Centre and Panasonic Corporation present the new tablet PC edition of the 2013 World Heritage calendar. Featuring stunning photographs of World Heritage sites from around the world, the tablet app joins the paper and online versions of the popular calendar.
The tablet PC app calendar also includes fun facts about World Heritage sites in English, Chinese, French, ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 5 December 2012
The World Heritage Centre, with the support from the Flanders Government, has embarked on the development a comprehensive and integrated information system on the state of conservation of World Heritage properties. This information is now public and hosted on the World Heritage Centre’s website. This public tool has a multi-criteria search form in order to extract specific data according to ...
1 min read
Friday, 30 November 2012
The latest version of the World Heritage map, produced by the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and National Geographic Maps with the generous support of Cambodia, can now be ordered for a modest fee from the World Heritage Centre website. The featured image on the Map presents Angkor in Cambodia, where the next session of the World Heritage Committee will be held (June 2013).
This poster-sized ...
1 min read
Monday, 26 November 2012
The final meeting in the Second Cycle of the Periodic Report on the State of World Heritage in Latin America and the Caribbean will take place from 3 to 5 December in Santiago, Chile. The objective of the meeting is to draw up a World Heritage Action Plan (2013-2020) for this region.
The activity is in compliance with Decision 36 COM 10C, approved by the World Heritage Committee at its 36th ...
2 min read
Saturday, 24 November 2012
25 years of Council of Europe cultural routes celebrated in Colmar, France, 21-23 November 2012
The Colmar Forum, organized by the secretariat of the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Cultural Routes and the European Institute of Cultural Routes marked 25 years of existence of the Council of Europe’s cultural routes programme. It was attended by around 130 people, representing the 24 ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 21 November 2012
The 3rd Expert Working Group Meeting for the Old City of Herat and the World Heritage property of Jam (Afghanistan), met at the Museo d’ Arte Orientale in Turin, Italy, from 4 to 6 September 2012, released a set of recommendations for future safeguarding actions for the two sites. The Meeting brought together more than 30 well-known experts and high-ranking officials from the government of ...
2 min read
Friday, 16 November 2012
The World Heritage Convention, adopted by the UNESCO General Conference on 16 November 1972, turns 40 today. The only treaty for heritage preservation that englobes both cultural and natural sites, the Convention has been almost universally ratified, with 190 States Parties. There are currently 962 sites on the World Heritage List, 745 of them cultural, 188 natural and 29 mixed (both cultural ...
1 min read
Friday, 16 November 2012
In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention, Eastern National and the National Park Service’s Office of International Affairs have produced the new booklet "World Heritage Sites in the United States". The booklet highlights the 21 sites in the United States that have been selected and inscribed on the World Heritage List for their natural or cultural ...
1 min read
Thursday, 8 November 2012
The Closing Event of the 40thAnniversary of the World Heritage Convention concluded today in Kyoto, Japan, after three days of presentations and lively panel discussions among international World Heritage experts. Held from 6 to 8 November, the occasion was the culmination of a year of celebratory activities around the world, gathering more than 500 international heritage experts from 60 ...
4 min read
Thursday, 8 November 2012
In the framework of Document WHC-12/36.COM/10C and Decision 36 COM 10C adopted by the World Heritage Committee at its 36th session (Saint Petersburg, 2012), the final meeting of the Second Cycle of the Periodic Reporting Exercise for Latin America and the Caribbean will take place in Santiago de Chile, Chile from 3-5 December 2012.
As the final meeting for the Region, it will involve the ...
1 min read
Thursday, 8 November 2012
Preparations are being completed in Chile, where almost everything is ready, for the final meeting of the Second Cycle of the Periodic Reporting Exercise for Latin America and the Caribbean that will take place in Santiago de Chile from 2 to 5 December 2012.
The primary objectives of this meeting will be the development of the 2013-2020 Regional Action Plan and also the preparation of a ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 6 November 2012
The Cuban National Cultural Heritage Council (CNPC) and the Cuban National Ballet (BNC) offered last October 30 a gala performance on the 40th anniversary of the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, parallel to the 33rd International Havana Ballet Festival. This major cultural event was attended by BNC director Alicia Alonso, His Excellency Mr. ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 6 November 2012
The opening ceremony of the Closing Event taking place in Kyoto from 6 to 8 November featured a performance by UNESCO Artist for Peace Sarah Brightman, and a traditional drum performance by the Japanese group Hi Ryu (Flying Dragon).
The Chairperson of the event, Ambassador Masuo Nishibayashi, and UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova opened the celebration, along with Kazuyuki Hamada, ...
4 min read
Monday, 5 November 2012
A three-day event in Kyoto, Japan, will mark the end of a year-long worldwide celebration of the 40th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention from 6 to 8 November. The Convention, which was adopted by UNESCO’s General Conference on 16 November 1972, is the most widely accepted treaty for cultural and natural heritage preservation in the world with 190 States Parties, and 962 ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 31 October 2012
On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, over 300 delegates, including 16 African Ministers of Culture, Tourism, Environment and Home Affairs as well as representatives from the African Union, the African World Heritage Fund and experts in cultural and natural heritage from across the continent and around the world actively participated in a high-level ...
3 min read
Thursday, 25 October 2012
The Historic Town of Vigan (Philippines), inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1999, has been recognized as a model of best practices in World Heritage site management, at the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention. The distinction will be officially announced and a certificate presented to the Mayor of Vigan, Ms Eva Marie S. Medina, during the closing event of ...
1 min read
Friday, 19 October 2012
Thirty-four young messengers (participants) from over 20 different marine World Heritage sites around the world gathered in Hyderabad from 6 to 15 October as part of the International Youth Forum Go4BioDiv. The Forum is the largest youth initiative for both IUCN and the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and gives young adults between the ages of 18 and 29 the possibility to ...
2 min read
Friday, 19 October 2012
Irina Bokova, the Director-General of UNESCO today denounced the renewed destruction of mausoleums in northern Mali, near the World Heritage city of Timbuktu.
“This new act of destruction marks an escalation of violence and testifies of the deliberate will to erase symbols of a tolerant and open Islam, deeply enshrined in this region of Sahel. This is an inacceptable attack against the ...
1 min read
Thursday, 11 October 2012
UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova today expressed utmost concern over the escalation of violence in Syria, in particular in the vicinity of several World Heritage sites. The Director-General reiterates her appeal of 30 March 2012 to the parties involved in the conflict to protect all Syrian cultural heritage.
The Director-General’s comments follow reports about damage to the Umayyad ...
1 min read
Monday, 8 October 2012
On 1 and 2 October 2012, a workshop took place in Nairobi, Kenya to launch the UNESCO Africa Nature Programme, which was developed following the results of the second cycle of Periodic Reporting in Africa (2010-2011).
The Africa Nature programme aims to improve the management effectiveness of the natural World Heritage sites in Africa through targeted capacity building and knowledge sharing. ...
2 min read
Monday, 1 October 2012
This year, two Marine World Heritage sites won the Future Policy Award, which celebrates policies that create better living conditions for current and future generations. Both Rock Islands Southern Lagoon (Palau) and Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park (Philippines) won a Future Policy Award 2012 in recognition of their marine policies.
Palau was given the Gold Award 2012 for its Protected ...
1 min read
Sunday, 30 September 2012
UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova today expressed distress and dismay over the fire that severely damaged the ancient markets in the old city of Aleppo, a World Heritage site, over the weekend. She also reminded all parties of the country’s obligations under the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, to which Syria is a ...
2 min read
Friday, 21 September 2012
The International Protection of Landscapes meeting was organized by UNESCO and the International Traditional Knowledge Institute and held in Florence, Italy from 19 to 21 September to mark the 40th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention. The Florence Declaration on Landscape 2012 was produced during the session.
Cultural heritage is an evolving historical category subject to ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 19 September 2012
On 19 June 2012, the Government of Singapore officially deposited with the Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, its instrument of ratification, becoming the 190th State Party to accept the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. The World Heritage Convention has entered into force for this State Party on 19 September 2012.
Wednesday, 19 September 2012
It was with great sadness that the Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, learned of the passing of Russell E. Train, former President of the World Wildlife Fund, who died on 17 September at the age of 92.
Russell E. Train was a renowned US conservationist who played a central role in creating groundbreaking laws in response to rising concerns about environmental protection in America and ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 18 September 2012
A study commissioned by the World Heritage Centre reviews the total carbon stored in trees, leaves forest litter and soil for all 106 World Heritage forest sites. Carried out by Mr. Devendra Pandey, the former Director General of the Indian Forest Survey, the study is the first to look specifically at World Heritage forests sites, combining information from different sources, to obtain ...
2 min read
Tuesday, 18 September 2012
On Saturday 15 September, the IUCN World Conservation Congress ended on the Island of Jeju, Republic of Korea, which harbors the “Jeju Volcanos Island and Lava Tubes” World Heritage site. Held every four years, the congress is the world’s largest and most important conservation event and the current edition was attended by 10,000 people, including 5,000 conservation experts ...
3 min read
Monday, 17 September 2012
InterContinental Hotels & Resorts Responsible Business Week to run from 17-23 September 2012
InterContinental Hotels & Resorts today embarks on a week-long programme of activities around the world to help protect and preserve unique cultural heritage sites as part of Responsible Business Week 2012. This marks the third year of InterContinental’s Responsible Business Week in ...
1 min read
Saturday, 15 September 2012
UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova traveled to Colonia del Sacramento today, and visited the old city, which became the first World Heritage site of Uruguay in 1995.
She was accompanied by the Minister of Culture and Education, Mr. Ricardo Erlich and by the Permanent Delegate of Uruguay to UNESCO, Ambassador Omar Mesa Gonzalez.
During her visit, she met with local officials and discussed ...
1 min read
Saturday, 15 September 2012
The Jurassic Coast Earth Festival 2012 was a celebration of England’s only natural World Heritage Site – the Dorset and EastDevonCoast, commonly known as the JurassicCoast. The 95 miles of coastline from Exmouth to StudlandBay tells the story of 185 million years of the earth’s history through its geological exposures and landforms, and is inscribed on the list under ...
2 min read
Friday, 7 September 2012
The IUCN World Conservation Congress, the world’s largest and most important conservation event, began 6 September on the Island of Jeju, Republic of Korea. Held every four years, the Congress aims to improve how we manage our natural environment for human, social and economic development.
The Island of Jeju harbors one of Korea’s natural World Heritage sites (Jeju Volcanic ...
2 min read
Thursday, 6 September 2012
The recently established Arab Regional Centre for World Heritage (ARC-WH) in Manama, Bahrain, is currently recruiting a Culture Heritage Specialist. The incumbent will be responsible for the implementation of Cultural Heritage Programme for the Arab Region in ARCWH.
The Arab Regional Centre for World Heritage was established as a Category 2 Centre under the auspices of UNESCO to ...
1 min read