News

Most people know Bamiyan as the site where giant statutes of the Buddha were destroyed by the Taliban in 2001.  But it is the location of other important archaeological sites too, such as Shahr-i-Zohak (Red City), an impressive mass of ruins that was once the fortress protecting the entrance to Bamiyan in the 12th and 13th centuries.  Now this site will be restored and conserved as part of a ...

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is hosting a World Heritage Fellow, Mr. Anoop K.R., Director of Keoladeo National Park in India and Deputy Conservator of Forests in the Bharatpur District of Rajasthan.  As a recognized World Heritage site, the Park is participating in this fellowship program which allows professionals from other heritage sites a unique opportunity to temporarily ...

The Nordic World Heritage Fund (NWHF) and the World Heritage Institute of Training and Research in the Asia and the Pacific Region (WHITR-AP), have signed a cooperation agreement as an extension of a Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2009. Ms Anne-Kristin Endresen, Director of NWHF, and Mr Jian Zhou, Director of WHITR-AP, represented their organizations. NWHF and WHITR-AP are centres that ...

Following certain media announcements reporting on the cancellation of the UNESCO Mission to the Old City of Jerusalem, Director-General Irina Bokova wishes to underscore that contrary to such information, consultations are being pursued by the Government of Israel, and the Palestinian and Jordanian authorities with a view to finalizing the terms of the mission and determining its date.

On the 3rd of May, the Rapid Response Facility (RRF) received a request for emergency support in confronting a surge of rosewood poaching in Dong Phayayen Kao Yai Forest Complex World Heritage site.  The petitioners/advocates explained that poaching was becoming more organized and had for the first time turned deadly.  On March 14th, 33 year-old Thaweesak Chomyong, a park ranger, ...

World Heritage Education Programme is pleased to announce the release  of "Patrimonito’s World Heritage Adventures" cartoon series. The mentioned episodes are dedicated to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention. Episode 10thLebanon (Sustainable Development for the Site of Ouaid Qadisha and the Forest of the Cedars of ...

On 30 April 2013, UNESCO and the International Astronomical Union (IAU) renewed their Memorandum of Understanding at the Organization’s Headquarters. The agreement has been concluded in the framework of the thematic initiative “Astronomy and World Heritage”, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary. The purpose of the initiative is to reinforce the links between science and ...

The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, has expressed deep concern over the rise of armed violence, poaching and destruction in the Dzanga-Sanga National Park, in Central African Republic. The site is part of Sangha Trinational, inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 2012 and located in the north-western Congo Basin, at the meeting point between Cameroon, Congo and the ...

Demonstrating an excellent example of cooperation between managers and staff of two of the globe’s most iconic World Heritage volcano sites, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park in the USA and New Zealand’s Tongariro National Park worked together to assess risk to visitors in what can be inherently dangerous places. At the request of the Conservator, Tongariro Whanganui Taranaki ...

After three successful programme cycles of 4 years each, during the period from 2001 to 2012, the Dutch Government decided to extend the Netherlands Funds-in-Trust for another 4-year cycle during the period 2013-2016, for a total amount of 1.5 million Euros. The implementation report “From Astronomy to Zanzibar – 10 Years of Dutch Support to World Heritage”, published by the World Heritage ...

From 15-16 April 2013, 25 experts from 4 European marine World Heritage Sites were brought together in Tönning (Germany) with the aim to strengthen their cooperation.  Participants included managers from High Coast (Sweden), Kvarken Archipelago (Finland), St Kilda (Scotland) as well as from the Wadden Sea (The Netherlands/Germany). Participants engaged in an intensive exchange on ...

The 2nd South East European (SEE) World Heritage Youth Forum for peace and sustainable development was held from 6 to 11 April 2013 in Zajecar, eastern Serbia, home of the Gamzigrad – Felix Romuliana / Palace of Galerius World Heritage site. At the opening ceremony on 7 April, the message delivered on behalf of Irina Bokova, Director General of UNESCO, stated: "Our theme today is forward ...

UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova expressed her deep distress over reports of the continuing destruction which has severely damaged the ancient city of Aleppo, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1986. Today, the minaret of one of Syria's most famous mosques was destroyed during clashes in the northern city of Aleppo. The mosque, which is located within the UNESCO World Heritage site, has ...

A group of Afghan and international experts working on the safeguarding of Bamiyan (Afghanistan), as well as representatives of the Afghan and Japanese governments and UNESCO, recently released a list of recommendations for further activities to preserve the Bamiyan site. The 11th Expert Working Group meeting for the safeguarding of the cultural landscape and archaeological remains of the ...

7th issue of SPANDREL, Historic Urban Landscape. Biannual publication. 2013 The 7th issue of the SPANDREL journal for the promotion and dissemination of the “Historic Urban Landscape” approach published by the School of Planning and Architecture of Bhopal is now available. Mrs. Savita Raje, Professor and Head of the Department of Architecture as well as the editor of this issue, ...

Once again UNESCO will partner with World Wildlife Fund (WWF) for Earth Hour, one of the world's largest and most well-known environmental campaigns in the world. UNESCO has invited World Heritage sites to participate in this initiative by switching off the lights on the night of Earth Hour: Saturday, 23 March 2013, from 8:30 to 9:30pm local time.  The Earth Hour campaign ...

UNESCO is launching a project to develop a flood risk mitigation plan for the World Heritage Site of Ayutthaya. The launch event at UNESCO Bangkok on 22 March 2013 was attended by key players of Thailand’s national flood risk reduction efforts and representatives from the embassies of Germany, Japan, Portugal and the United States that have been actively involved in Ayutthaya’s ...

On 1st March 2013, UNESCO signed the Plan of Operation with the Government of Uganda for the project “Technical and financial assistance for the reconstruction of Muzibu-Azaala-Mpanga, architectural masterpiece of the Tombs of Buganda Kings at Kasubi, Uganda, World Heritage property in Danger”, generously supported through the Japanese Funds-in-Trust. Inscribed on the World ...

For more than a year now, I have been expressing on behalf of UNESCO my deep concern about the dramatic humanitarian situation in Syria and the threats to the outstanding cultural heritage of the country, which bear testimony to its history and to its cultural identity. I have called upon all those involved in the conflict to ensure the respect and protection of this heritage. The tragedy ...

The field testing of the World Heritage Centre’s field guide for climate change adaptation in natural World Heritage sites was launched last Friday in Nairobi.  Managers from Mount Kenya National Park/National Forest and the Kenya Lakes System in the Great Rift Valley and their civil society partners gathered for a two-day introductory workshop on the field guide. The group will now return ...