2412 news
Tuesday, 1 July 2014
The value of rebuilding Timbuktu, a unique intellectual and spiritual capital rich in cultural treasures, is priceless for both Mali’s post-conflict recovery and for its significance for global patrimony. However $8 million is still required for the actual restoration costs, according to Lazare Eloudou Assomo, UNESCO Representative to Mali and global expert on the iconic World Heritage ...
2 min read
Monday, 30 June 2014
A UNESCO World Heritage site in Danger needs your help! Your donations will help the Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra combat the crisis of poaching of Sumatran elephants. An emergency appeal has been launched by our partner, the Rapid Response Facility (RRF) for local conservation group HAkA.
Please click here to donate.
You can also watch the emergency appeal video by clicking ...
2 min read
Friday, 27 June 2014
Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg (Germany) is receiving applications for the Master’s programme in World Heritage Studies.
CONCEPT
The international Master’s programme World Heritage Studies was developed around the UNESCO Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. Its curriculum reflects diverse approaches to ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 25 June 2014
The inscriptions of the 1000th site and Myanmar’s first property on the World Heritage List, were among the highlights of the 38th session of the World Heritage Committee, which ended today in Doha (Qatar). During its ten-day meeting, the Committee added a total of 26 new sites the List to bring the number of World Heritage Sites to 1007, in 161 countries.
The session, chaired by ...
2 min read
Tuesday, 24 June 2014
In the framework of UNESCO’s Action plan for the safeguarding of Mali’s cultural heritage adopted in February 2013, and as part of the World Heritage Earthen Architecture Programme (WHEAP 2007-2017), the World Heritage Centre has now published the Conservation Manual and the Study on Timbuktu’s Mausoleums.
Both publications compile valuable documentation on this prominent World Heritage ...
1 min read
Monday, 23 June 2014
Doha, 23 June – The World Heritage Committee this morning inscribed properties in the Russian Federation, Costa Rica, Viet Nam, India, Philippines and Denmark on the World Heritage List. It also approved the extensions of a site in China and two transboundary sites in Poland and Belarus, and Denmark and Germany.
The sites discussed include two cultural sites, a mixed natural and ...
5 min read
Sunday, 22 June 2014
Doha, 22 June – Botswana’s Okavango Delta became the 1000th site inscribed on the World Heritage List today. Okavango was inscribed as a natural site by the World Heritage Committee, which is meeting in Doha (Qatar) under the Chair of Sheikha Al Mayassa Bint Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani.
The Committee also inscribed sites in France, Israel, Italy,Turkey and the United States ...
5 min read
Sunday, 22 June 2014
Doha, 22 June –Myanmar made its entry onto the World Heritage List today, with the inscription of its first site, Pyu Ancient Cities. The World Heritage Committee, meeting in Doha (Qatar) under the Chair of Sheikha Al Mayassa Bint Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, also inscribed Iran’s ‘Burnt City” on the List.
Pyu Ancient Cities (Myanmar) includes the remains of ...
2 min read
Sunday, 22 June 2014
Doha, 22 June – The World Heritage Committee, meeting in Doha (Qatar) under the Chair of Sheikha Al Mayassa Bint Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, this morning inscribed four cultural sites in the Republic of Korea, China, and India on the World Heritage List, as well as a section of the Silk Roads network, submitted by Kyrgyzstan, China and Kazakhstan.
The new properties are: ...
4 min read
Saturday, 21 June 2014
Doha, 21 June – The World Heritage Committee, meeting in Doha (Qatar) under the Chair of Sheikha Al Mayassa Bint Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, this afternoon inscribed two new cultural sites and one mixed natural and cultural site on the World Heritage List. They include Qhapac Ñan, Latin America’s first serial property, crossing six countries across the continent.
The new ...
3 min read
Saturday, 21 June 2014
Doha, 21 June – The World Heritage Committee, meeting in Doha (Qatar) under the Chair of Sheikha Al Mayassa Bint Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, has today inscribed the following sites on the World Heritage List.
Erbil Citadel (Iraq) is a fortified settlement on the top of an imposing ovoid-shaped tell (a hill created by many generations of people living and rebuilding on the same spot) ...
3 min read
Saturday, 21 June 2014
Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa Bint Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, Chairperson of the 38th Session of the World Heritage Committee, met today with Ambassador José Manuel Rodríguez Cuadros, Chairperson of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, and Mr. Mauricio Escanero, Chairperson of the Subsidiary Committee of the Meeting of States Parties to ...
1 min read
Friday, 20 June 2014
Doha, 20 June – The World Heritage Committee today began the examination of 36 sites nominated for inclusion on the World Heritage List. The first property discussed was Palestine: Land of olives and vines, Cultural Landscape of Southern Jerusalem, Battir, submitted by Palestine as an emergency nomination.
The Committee approved the inscription of the site on the World Heritage List. It ...
1 min read
Friday, 20 June 2014
This compilation of 40 case studies on the conservation and management of historic cities is now available in hard copy format, in English, French and Spanish.
The compilation is available online in three languages: English, French and Spanish.
This compilation of case studies on the conservation and management of historic cities Developing historic cities: keys for understanding and taking ...
1 min read
Friday, 20 June 2014
The World Heritage Institute of Training and Research for the Asia and the Pacific Region under the auspices of UNESCO (WHITRAP) created a special web site dedicated to the Historic Urban Landscape (HUL).
The Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) is an approach to the management of heritage resources in dynamic and constantly changing environments. It is based on the recognition and ...
1 min read
Thursday, 19 June 2014
Delegates to the 2014 World Heritage Youth Forum held in Doha from 4 to 15 June, made it clear they expect to play a much bigger role in safeguarding the world’s heritage, and proposed a range of projects aimed at getting young people more involved.
The Youth Forum has become an annual meeting held in conjunction with the session of the World Heritage Committee. This year’s Forum was ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 18 June 2014
Doha, 18 June – The World Heritage Committee meeting in Doha (Qatar) today inscribed the Selous Game Reserve (United Republic of Tanzania) on the List of World Heritage in Danger because widespread poaching is decimating wildlife populations on the property. The Committee called on the international community, including ivory transit and destination countries, to support Tanzania in the ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 18 June 2014
Doha, 18 June – The World Heritage Committee meeting in Doha (Qatar) today deferred for 12 months a decision on whether to inscribe Australia’s Great Barrier Reef on the List of World Heritage in Danger.
The Committee’s concerns over the site relate to planned coastal developments, including development of ports and liquefied natural gas facilities. It has asked Australia ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 17 June 2014
Doha, 17 June – The World Heritage Committee meeting in Doha (Qatar) today inscribed the City of Potosi (Plurinational State of Bolivia) on the List of World Heritage in Danger, because of continued and uncontrolled mining operations in the Cerro Rico Mountain that risk degrading the site.
In the 16th century, Potosi was regarded as the world’s largest industrial complex. The ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 17 June 2014
The World Heritage Committee meeting in Doha (Qatar) has found that management and safeguarding of the Ruins of Kilwa Kisiwani and Ruins of Songo Mnara in the United Republic of Tanzania have improved to the point where the site can be removed from the List of World Heritage in Danger.
Located on two islands close to each other just off the Tanzanian coast about 300km south of Dar es ...
1 min read
Monday, 16 June 2014
Since the World Heritage Convention was adopted in 1972, the World Heritage List has continually evolved and is growing steadily.
With this growth, a critical need has emerged for guidance for States Parties on the implementation of the Convention. Various expert meetings and results of the periodic reporting process have identified the need for more focused training and capacity development ...
1 min read
Monday, 16 June 2014
Doha, 16 June – UNESCO and cruise operator Seabourn today announced a six-year, $1 million partnership agreement aimed at reinforcing protection for World Heritage and promoting sustainable tourism.
The partnership will work to foster wider support and understanding in the travel industry and among travelers, for UNESCO’s mission of identifying, safeguarding and promoting ...
1 min read
Sunday, 15 June 2014
Qatar announces $10m donation for new heritage protection initiative.
Doha, 15 June —The Prime Minister of Qatar, Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, today announced a $10 million donation to a new fund to protect World Heritage sites affected by conflict or natural disaster. The Prime Minister made the announcement during the opening ceremony of the annual meeting of the World ...
3 min read
Thursday, 12 June 2014
UNESCO has welcomed the announcement by SOCO international this week to halt oil exploration activities in the Virunga National Park, a World Heritage Site in Danger in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
In a joint statement with the World Wildlife Fund, the British company agreed “not to undertake or commission any exploratory or other drilling within Virunga National Park unless UNESCO and ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 11 June 2014
Using its revolutionary 360-degree panoramic underwater camera, the Catlin Seaview Survey aims at revealing the hidden wonders of our oceans. This technology will for the first time provide a comprehensive snapshot of the exceptional values of marine sites on the World Heritage List.
Through its dive expeditions, the survey captures stunning imagery every few seconds allowing anyone with ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 10 June 2014
In celebration of World Oceans Day, the World Heritage Centre presents
"A virtual dive in six marine World Heritage sites"
By Richard Vevers, CEO, Underwater Earth
And an address on the World Hertiage Convention and its contribution to ocean conservation by His Excellency Michael Worbs, Ambassador of Germany to UNESCO
Tuesday, 10 June 2014 at 5:30 p.m.
Restaurant, 7th floor, UNESCO, 125 ...
Friday, 6 June 2014
At the occasion of the 38th session of the World Heritage Committee, held from 15 to 25 June 2014 in Doha (Qatar), a special issue of World Heritage is dedicated to Al Zubarah Archaeological Site, inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2013, which flourished as a pearling and trading centre in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, and offers outstanding testimony to an urban trading and ...
1 min read
Thursday, 5 June 2014
From 23 to 24 May 2014, the UNESCO World Heritage Centre in collaboration with the Beijing Zhongkun Investment Group organized the workshop “Strengthening South-South collaboration on World Heritage and Sustainable Tourism” in Hongcun Village, China.
Hongcun Village is one of the Ancient Villages in Southern Anhui inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2000. The event gathered World ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 4 June 2014
On 15 May 2014, the Government of the Bahamas officially deposited with the Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, its instrument of ratification for the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage.
The World Heritage Convention will enter into force for the Bahamas on 15 August 2014, making the island country the 191st State Party to the Convention, ...
1 min read
Monday, 2 June 2014
The report resulting from the workshop held in Oslo, Norway from 1 to 3 April 2014 on the theme “Building capacity to support rights-based approaches in the World Heritage Convention: Learning from practice” is now available (see attachment below).
In April this year an international invitation-only workshop was held for about 30 IUCN, ICCROM and ICOMOS experts representing most ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 28 May 2014
The World Heritage Committee will consider the inscription of 40 sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage List when it meets in Doha (Qatar) from 15 to 25 June under the chair of Sheikha Al Mayassa Bint Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani.
Sites to be considered include five that are extensions to sites already on the List. The state of conservation of existing World Heritage sites will also be ...
4 min read
Wednesday, 28 May 2014
In May 2014, forty participants, including site managers and local community representatives from World Heritage sites in Africa, participated in two separate “Entrepreneurial Training Workshops for World Heritage” in Ghana and Senegal, coordinated by the African World Heritage Fund (AWHF) in partnership with the World Heritage Centre, UNESCO Offices in Accra and Dakar, the Ecole ...
3 min read
Wednesday, 28 May 2014
UNESCO will establish an observatory in Beirut (Lebanon) to monitor and assess the state of Syria’s cultural heritage. The decision was made during an international meeting of experts held at UNESCO from 26 - 28 May. The Observatory will monitor the state of buildings, artefacts and intangible cultural heritage to combat illicit trafficking and collect information to restore heritage ...
4 min read
Tuesday, 27 May 2014
The Kingdom of Buganda, once the largest of all the traditional kingdoms in East Africa, bears an eloquent witness to the living cultural traditions of present day Uganda. At the heart of this legacy lies the former palace of the Kabakas (Kings) of Buganda, built in 1882 and later converted into the royal burial grounds known as the Muzibu Azaala Mpanga.
After the fire in 2010 the main ...
4 min read
Tuesday, 27 May 2014
UNESCO Sites are symbols of our work in support of sustainable development. The international community helps us ensure these sites, of outstanding universal value, function as models of heritage conservation and sustainable human living. In Ethiopia, UNESCO's work includes developing integrated management plans for sites such as Simien Mountains National Park, the Castles of Gondar, and Lake ...
3 min read
Thursday, 22 May 2014
UNESCO has renewed its partnership with NTT Docomo, Dentsu and Evergreen (Japan), with the goal of educating elementary school pupils about World Heritage through dedicated apps for tablets and web content for teachers.
First launched in 2013, the current agreement is extended to spring 2015 with a focus on teaching children in Japanese schools about natural World Heritage through games, ...
Wednesday, 21 May 2014
A practical guide on climate change adaptation for natural World Heritage sites has been published in the latest edition of the UNESCO World Heritage Paper Series, thanks to the generous support of the Netherlands Funds-in-Trust and the Belgian Federal Public Service Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment.
Climate change has become more prominent as a management concern. The World ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 20 May 2014
At its 38th session to be held in Doha, Qatar, from 15 to 25 June 2014, the World Heritage Committee will examine the state of conservation of 150 World Heritage properties. The full reports are now publicly available through the World Heritage State of conservation Information System at the following Web address: whc.unesco.org/en/soc
As part of the reactive monitoring process for ...
1 min read
Monday, 19 May 2014
On the occasion of the 38th Session of the World Heritage Committee (Doha, Qatar), the World Heritage Centre and the African World Heritage Fund are organizing a Roundtable Discussion for African Ministers responsible for World Heritage with the Director General of UNESCO on 21 June.
This Roundtable Discussion will allow African Ministers to share their views on the accomplishments, ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 13 May 2014
The reconstruction of the Tombs of Buganda Kings at Kasubi in Uganda was launched today at a ceremony held on the World Heritage site, which was partially destroyed by fire in March 2010.The project , which is financed by Japan, is being implemented by the Ugandan Government and UNESCO.
The ceremony was attended by several government representatives including Uganda’s Permanent ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 7 May 2014
From 22 to 25 April 2014, government leaders, ocean practitioners, business, science, donors and international agencies came together at the Global Oceans Action Summit for Food Security and Blue Growth. The Summit, hosted by the government of the Netherlands, aimed at identifying solutions, financing mechanisms and mobilizing innovative partnerships to scale up the efforts toward healthy ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 7 May 2014
UNESCO Bangkok Director Gwang-Jo Kim and Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration (DASTA) Director-General Nalikatibhag Sangsnit officially launched the “Cultural Heritage Specialist Guides for the Historic Town of Sukhothai and Associated Historic Towns World Heritage Site” project at a ceremony in Sukhothai on 21 April.
The Historic Town of Sukhothai and ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 23 April 2014
The latest version of the World Heritage map, produced by the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and National Geographic Maps, has now been published in Arabic thanks to support from the Qatar Museums Authority.
The map is an extremely valuable learning and awareness-raising tool that gives a rich and initial contact with the World Heritage concept, allowing UNESCO to communicate its work in this ...
1 min read
Thursday, 17 April 2014
"It is with distress and anger that I learned of the violent attack against Emmanuel de Merode, chief warden of Virunga National Park,” said UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova. “We are following his condition closely and wish him a full and speedy recovery," she added.
“It is unacceptable that professionals like those of the Congolese Institute for the Conservation of ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 15 April 2014
The cultural landscape of the Loire Valley (France) has launched a new promotion and interpretation tool: a geo localized application for Smartphones on the landscape of the Loire valley: "The Loire valley: view from the train “.
This application is a Mission Val de Loire’s initiative with the Centre and Pays de la Loire regions’, in partnership with France’s national ...
2 min read
Tuesday, 15 April 2014
The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, today expressed deep concern over the destruction caused by fires that have been raging around the city of Valparaiso and pledged the Organization’s support for Chile in safeguarding the Historic Quarter of the Seaport City of Valparaíso inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2003.
“I wish to present my heartfelt condolences ...
2 min read
Monday, 14 April 2014
This manual provides guidance for States Parties and all those involved in the care of World Heritage cultural properties on how to comply with the requirements of the World Heritage Convention. It also aims to help States Parties to ensure that heritage has a dynamic role in society and harnesses, but also delivers to others, the mutual benefits that such a role can create. The English ...
1 min read
Monday, 14 April 2014
Launched on 14 March 2014 in partnership with UNESCO, the rehabilitation work carried out on Sheik Baber Baba Idjé and Sheik Mahamane Al Fullani mausoleums of Timbuktu was completed this week.
Mausoleums, adjacent to the west side of the Djingareyber Mosque, had been razed to the ground by armed rebel groups on 10 July 2012.
Their reconstruction was thus carried out along the ...
2 min read
Tuesday, 25 March 2014
UNESCO has announced the renewal of its partnership agreement with OUR PLACE Publishing Ltd. The New Zealand-based company will continue its mission to photograph and promote the sites inscribed on the World Heritage List.
Our Place has been documenting World Heritage sites around the globe since first partnering with UNESCO in 2007. So far, Our Place has documented over 360 sites in more ...
1 min read
Monday, 24 March 2014
On 24 March, the UNESCO Director-General opened an International Conference in Bergen, Norway, on the UNESCO 1972, 2003 and 2005 conventions, entitled “Synergies for Development -- Using natural and cultural heritage in sustainable development.”
The Conference is organized by the University of Bergen, in cooperation with the National Commission of Norway for UNESCO, the City of Bergen, the ...
2 min read
Friday, 21 March 2014
The URHC project team invites young filmmakers and urban heritage lovers aged between 18 and 30 years to produce a video of 5 minutes or less, expressing their vision of Historic Cairo.
How do you see Historic Cairo heritage? Show us your vision of the historic soul of the Egyptian capital and of its future.Your video could win the opportunity to represent the image of Historic ...
1 min read
Friday, 14 March 2014
Residents of Timbuktu today launched the reconstruction of World Heritage mausoleums damaged by the armed extremists who occupied the north and centre of Mali in 2012.
During the occupation, the extremists began to destroy the mausoleums - important edifices that bear witness to the golden age of Timbuktu as an economic, intellectual and spiritual centre in the 15th and 16th centuries. These ...
2 min read
Monday, 3 March 2014
Today, we celebrate the first World Wildlife Day, proclaimed by the UN General Assembly. Since time immemorial, humanity has marvelled at the wild animals with which we co-exist and on which we depend. Prehistoric peoples have depicted wildlife through rock art and engravings, many of which are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. UNESCO’s global network of World Heritage sites ...
1 min read
Thursday, 27 February 2014
The third edition of The World’s Heritage is available now, published by UNESCO Publishing and Collins. Featuring all 981 entries on the UNESCO World Heritage List, with all the new sites inscribed onto the list by the World Heritage Committee in 2013.
With only the world’s most spectacular and extraordinary sites making it on to the list, The World’s Heritage (third edition) is a beautiful ...
1 min read
Monday, 24 February 2014
On 20 February 2014 in Bukhara, Uzbekistan, a discussion on the requirements of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage was organized jointly with the Senate of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the UNESCO Tashkent Office. Mr Sodik Salikhovich Safoev, Head of the Committee on International Relations of the Senate of Oliy Majlis (Parliament) of the ...
2 min read
Thursday, 20 February 2014
In the face of a deteriorating situation inside Syria, the UNESCO Director-General, Irina Bokova, made the following statement :
"The situation in Syria is deteriorating at a rapid pace with incalculable human suffering and loss. Syria’s unique cultural heritage is also subject to tremendous destruction from the conflict. To date, three UNESCO World Heritage Sites -- Palmyra, the Crac ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 18 February 2014
Managers of natural World Heritage sites in Africa met with national coordinators of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Small Grants Programme from several African countries in Limbe, Cameroon from 10 to 14 February to discuss how to involve local communities in the conservation of World Heritage sites. This workshop is part of UNESCO’s Africa Nature Programme, which aims to ...
2 min read
Thursday, 13 February 2014
UNESCO, Malian and international experts have completed the first assessment of damage to cultural heritage in Gao, following the occupation by armed groups of parts of northern Mali. Their work addressed both sites and the cultural practices of local people.
“Urgent measures are required to safeguard the Tomb of Askia World Heritage site before the next rainy season in June,” ...
3 min read
Over 3 million USD pledged for the African World Heritage Fund at African Union Head of State Summit
Wednesday, 12 February 2014
On Friday 31 January 2014, UNESCO joined forces with the African Union Commission to raise awareness and funds for the African World Heritage Fund (AWHF) during the African Union (AU) Heads of State luncheon at the AU Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Participants pledged a total of 3,050,000 USD in support of the AWHF Endowment Fund.
54 Member States of the African Union were invited ...
3 min read
Wednesday, 12 February 2014
The UNESCO World Heritage Centre has taken note of information provided by individuals and civil society organizations concerning the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage site, and thanks them for their considerations and concerns.
The UNESCO World Heritage Centre has received a request from the Australian Government seeking the approval of the World Heritage Committee for a minor ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 11 February 2014
The Banc d’Arguin National Park (Mauritania) and The Wadden Sea (Germany /The Netherlands) are the most critical sites for migratory birds on the East Atlantic Flyway and are intimately connected in a unique and fascinating way.
The Wadden Sea provides support to migratory birds as a staging, moulting and wintering area. Every year, approximately 30% of the estimated 7 million wading birds ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 11 February 2014
The UNESCO/Korea Funds-in-Trust project, “Support for the Preparation of the World Heritage Serial Nomination for the Silk Roads in South Asia,” was officially approved last July 2013 and has now launched operational activities, in the form of consultation and training meetings, both in Nepal and Bhutan in October and November 2013, respectively.
This undertaking will highlight a ...
2 min read
Friday, 7 February 2014
The Regional Secretariat Northwest Europe of the Organization of World Heritage Cities (OWHC), one of the organization’s 8 regional secretariats, has recently published a position paper on “Safeguarding and Further Developing World Heritage Cities”.
Based on the experiences of its member cities, the paper addresses the challenges and experimented hands-on solutions to ...
Monday, 3 February 2014
UNESCO has welcomed confirmation from French-based oil and gas corporation Total that it will refrain from prospecting or exploiting oil and gas in natural sites inscribed on the World Heritage List, saying this was an encouraging sign for World Heritage conservation.
In a letter sent earlier this month to UNESCO, Total’s Directeur délégué, Relations avec les ONG et la Société civile (Vice ...
1 min read
Friday, 31 January 2014
The World Heritage Committee, at its last meeting in June 2013, expressed concern for the Great Barrier Reef and requested Australia ensure that the property remains well protected.
We received a report on the state of conservation from the Australian government this week. We are currently reviewing this report and all other available information regarding developments concerning the ...
Friday, 24 January 2014
The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, today expressed grave concern about the damage to Egypt’s Museum of Islamic Art, following the reported explosion of a car near the Police Security Directorate, which is located at Port Said Street in Cairo, in front of the main entrance of the Museum.
“I firmly condemn this attack and the destruction it has caused to the ...
1 min read
Friday, 20 December 2013
The millennial temples of Angkor with their monumental architecture, infinitely fine bas-reliefs, enduring spiritual significance and complex irrigation system constitute one of the most impressive success stories of the World Heritage Convention.
The symbol of a whole nation, the 400km2 site lay fallow in the early 1990s. While monks continued to pray at many temples in the site, ...
4 min read
Friday, 20 December 2013
Two World Heritage sites in Azerbaijan and three in Belgium have been given "enhanced protection" status by the Committee for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, which held its eighth meeting at UNESCO Headquarters from 18-19 December 2013. The properties, which have been granted this status, are the Walled City of Baku with the Shirvanshah’s Palace and ...
1 min read
Friday, 20 December 2013
Happy New Year from the UNESCO World Heritage Centre International Year of Small Island Developing States (SIDS)World Heritage fosters sustainable development. For SIDS, sustainable development is not a choice, but a question of survival.-->
Wednesday, 18 December 2013
The proceedings of the International Colloquium on the conservation of World Heritage Earthen Architecture have been published in the latest edition of the UNESCO World Heritage Paper Series: Earthen Architecture in Today’s World, thanks to the generous support of the Italian Funds in Trust to UNESCO.
The Colloquium took place at UNESCO Headquarters on 17 and 18 December 2012 - the ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 17 December 2013
The World Heritage site in Bamiyan has received further support today with the Government of the Republic of Korea committing to provide US$5.4 to build a museum and cultural centre. The signing of the agreement saw the participation of H.E. Dr. Sayed Makhdoum Raheen, Minister of Information and Culture, H.E. Mr. Cha Youngcheol, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Afghanistan, and Mr. ...
3 min read
Monday, 16 December 2013
UNESCO dispatched an expert mission to the Philippines from 4 to 11 December following the massive earthquake and powerful typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda), which successively struck the central region of the country in October and early November 2013. The goal of the mission was to assist the Government and people of the Philippines in assessing the impact of the disasters on immovable, movable, and ...
1 min read
Thursday, 12 December 2013
The UNESCO World Heritage Centre and Panasonic Corporation have released the 2014 World Heritage calendar. Featuring stunning photographs of World Heritage sites from around the world, this popular calendar can be used in paper, online and tablet app versions.
UNESCO and Panasonic have been creating wall calendars since 1995 and a web version since 2010. The wall calendar includes brief ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 11 December 2013
Ádám Riba, from Hungary, the laureate of this year’s Panasonic Eco Picture Diary award, was one of the 28 children from 11 countries who were given a three-day trip to Paris and a visit to UNESCO for their participation in the Eco Picture Diary on 5 December.
Three-hundred thousand children from all over the world took part in the contest which requires children ...
1 min read
Friday, 6 December 2013
UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova today paid tribute to former South African President Nelson Mandela, who died on Thursday night, 5 December.
“Nelson Mandela was truly a giant among men,” Irina Bokova said. “He not only changed South Africa’s history, he changed the world and made it a better place. He taught us all a lesson on the power of peace and reconciliation; the importance of ...
1 min read
Thursday, 5 December 2013
Available for iPad, Android and Kindle Fire tablets, this new app allows you to download World Heritage magazine.
Lavishly illustrated, and published quarterly since 1996 in English, French and Spanish, World Heritage is UNESCO’s official publication devoted to sites inscribed on the World Heritage List and their conservation. With the app, not only can you read exclusive articles ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 4 December 2013
Published on the 40th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention, this thematic collection of case studies provides a thorough understanding of World Heritage sites and their Outstanding Universal Value in the context of sustainable development. It is now available in French and Korean versions.
The case studies describe twenty-six thematically, typologically and regionally diverse World ...
1 min read
Monday, 2 December 2013
The 24 members of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage will meet in Baku (Azerbaijan) from 2 to 7 December 2013 for the eighth ordinary session to review the progress made by the States Parties on the legal, regulatory and institutional measures taken to safeguard the intangible cultural heritage in their countries. Over ...
2 min read
Monday, 2 December 2013
Are you a youth organization and want to sensitize young people about the value of World Heritage sites? Or are you an NGO and wish to organize an action camp to preserve and promote a World Heritage site, with young international volunteers? Here is a way to do so!
We are pleased to announce the call for proposals for the World Heritage Volunteers (WHV) 2014. This year the campaign will be ...
2 min read
Monday, 2 December 2013
A massive earthquake and powerful typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) successively struck central Philippines in October and early November 2013, causing catastrophic destruction and human loss. The UNESCO World Heritage Centre has expressed its deepest sympathy to the Government and people of the Philippines for their tragic losses, and conveyed its commitment to support their recovery ...
1 min read
Friday, 29 November 2013
On 27 November, Swiss watch manufacturer Jaeger-LeCoultre, a partner of the World Heritage Centre, donated 30,000 Euros for the preservation of Cocos Island National Park.
This World Heritage marine site is located 550 km off the Pacific coast of Costa Rica and is the only island in the tropical eastern Pacific with a tropical rainforest. The donation will be used to improve the conditions ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 26 November 2013
UNWTO is the specialized agency of the United Nations in charge of promoting a responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism.
A new memorandum of Understanding was signed by UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova and UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai, in the margins of the UN System Chief Executives Board for Coordination in New York. The Agreement provides a framework for ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 20 November 2013
On 19 November, representatives of the 190 States Parties to the 1972 World Heritage Convention elected 12 new members to the 21-member intergovernmental Committee in charge of managing UNESCO’s World Heritage List and implementing the Convention.
The new members of the World Heritage Committee, elected for four years, are: Croatia, Finland, Jamaica, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, ...
1 min read
Monday, 18 November 2013
Celebrating 40 years of the World Heritage Convention, the proceedings of the Closing Event of the Celebration of the 40th Anniversary of the World Heritage Convention, has been published. This electronic publication provides the vivid record of the three-day landmark event, which was organized jointly by the Government of Japan and UNESCO World Heritage Centre, in Kyoto, Japan, 6-8 November ...
1 min read
Saturday, 16 November 2013
This manual provides guidance for States Parties and all those involved in the care of World Heritage cultural properties on how to comply with the requirements of the World Heritage Convention. It also aims to help States Parties to ensure that heritage has a dynamic role in society and harnesses, but also delivers to others, the mutual benefits that such a role can create.
Managing ...
2 min read
Saturday, 16 November 2013
The significant number of reports prepared by UNESCO and the Advisory Bodies to the World Heritage Committee represents an exceptional documentation on conservation issues, one of the most comprehensive monitoring systems of any international conventions, through a global network of hundreds of sites.
The Information System is a comprehensive database on the state of conservation of World ...
1 min read
Monday, 28 October 2013
The Atlas by Collins app can be downloaded for free on Tuesday, October 29th. The app comes with one globe pre-installed and includes 10 other globes that can be downloaded. The free download is available to celebrate the launch of the World Heritage globe.
With the World Heritage globe:
Discover the locations of all 981 UNESCO World Heritage sites.
Learn about the criteria for ...
1 min read
Monday, 21 October 2013
UNESCO on 14 October delivered a first training course in cultural heritage protection to military, police and civilian staff from Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, France, Romania, Rwanda, Togo and the United Kingdom, who are part of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA).
The session comes in the wake of United Nations Security Council Resolution ...
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Thursday, 17 October 2013
Managers from 46 marine World Heritage sites will meet in Ajaccio, Corsica, from October 18-20, for the second World Heritage Marine Site Managers’ conference.
The World Heritage Convention was founded in 1972 on the premise that certain places on our planet – cultural or natural -- should be recognized as having “outstanding universal value” and should be safeguarded ...
4 min read
Monday, 30 September 2013
The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, deplored the suicide attack that took place on 28 September, near the Djingareyber Mosque in Timbuktu, Mali, inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
"I wish to express my solidarity with the people of Mali, the families and especially the community of Timbuktu, for the suicide bombing that brings back such terror and violence by injuring ...
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Monday, 30 September 2013
On Wednesday, 25 September, UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova joined the President of the International Council of Museums (ICOM), Dr. Hans-Martin Hinz, and United States Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration, Ms Anne Richard, to launch an Emergency Red List of Syrian Cultural Objects at Risk.
The event was held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York ...
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Monday, 23 September 2013
A joint publication of UNESCO and the Paris-based NGO Oriental Cultural Heritage Sites Protection Alliance, Lumbini, Birthplace of Buddha is a novel approach at encapsulating this site’s timeless essence. Eight photographers – three Nepali and five from around the world – used their unique vision to capture the Sacred Garden experience and, in the tradition of ...
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Tuesday, 10 September 2013
The results of the 3rd and 4th HERITY Conferences, held in Rome, Italy in December 2010 and 2012, are now available.
The conferences and their conclusions were made possible thanks to contributions from UNESCO-WHC, UN-WTO, ICCROM and HERITY International.
For more information on HERITY, the different conferences and their results, please visit: ...
Friday, 30 August 2013
The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, today called on all parties involved in the conflict in Syria to safeguard the country’s cultural heritage and take all possible measures to avoid further destruction. The Director-General’s appeal followed a meeting of experts held at the Organization’s Headquarters today to examine an action plan aimed at preventing ...
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Monday, 19 August 2013
The World Heritage Centre has learnt with deep sadness of the recent passing away of Professor Walter Santagata, a long-time collaborator of UNESCO and the creator, among many other scientific programmes, of the Turin Category 2 centre for training and research on the economics of World Heritage (ITRECH, 2011).
The establishment of this institution, aimed at exploring the economic dimension ...
1 min read
Monday, 19 August 2013
Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site on Tuesday welcomed its 10 millionth visitor since achieving the rare distinction of being designated a World Heritage site.
Visitor N° 10,000,000 was Michelle Miller of Waterloo, Ill. She was accompanied by her mother, Lorraine Novak; daughter Gabrielle Miller; and her daughter’s friend Keira Schmitz. Miller received a personal tour of the site ...
1 min read
Sunday, 18 August 2013
On 10 November 2011 UNESCO’s General Conference adopted the Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape, six years after the General Assembly of States Parties to the World Heritage Convention adopted Resolution 15GA/7 (in October 2005) that called for the elaboration of a new international standard-setting instrument that would be based on the recognition and guidance of investment in and ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 7 August 2013
The Val de Loire World Heritage cultural landscape (France) is organizing a one-day workshop on Economy, Heritage and Landscape, to be held 12th December 2013 in Tours.
The workshop will focus mainly on policies and politics, and assessing the economic, environmental and cultural current and future returns on investments in the economic, landscape and heritage spheres. Discussions ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 6 August 2013
New report on lessons learned to engage local communities in the Conservation of World Heritage sites launched during the 37th session of the World Heritage Committee
The role of local communities in ensuring that World Heritage contributes to sustainable development was chosen by the World Heritage Committee as the central theme for the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Convention ...
3 min read
Tuesday, 6 August 2013
The Africa Nature risk preparedness workshop took place from the 20th-25th May 2013 at the Golden Gate Highlands National Park. Organized by African World Heritage Fund with the support of the Government of South Africa, this workshop aimed at English-speaking African countries. It gathered 14 site managers from natural World Heritage Sites in Ethiopia, Kenya, Seychelles, Tanzania, Uganda, ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 30 July 2013
Given the current rate of poaching, children from West or Central Africa will one day speak of elephants and rhinoceros as we speak of mammoths: as magnificent creatures belonging to the past.
Over recent years, the massacre of wild species has reached an industrial scale, in particular the poaching of animals for their ivory. In Gabon alone, some 11,000 elephants have been killed illegally ...
4 min read
Friday, 26 July 2013
For the first time, the Lagoons of New Caledonia: Reef Diversity and Associated Ecosystems brought together all the local communities actively involved in the management of this exceptional marine World Heritage site from 5 to 6 July. The local management committees are unique in their endeavor to include the local population in the management of the lagoons in a very comprehensive ...
1 min read
Thursday, 18 July 2013
H.E. Gürcan Balik, Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of Turkey to UNESCO, and Kishore Rao, Director of UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre, on 17 July signed a Plan of Operations for a $1.2 million project to safeguard the Turkish World Heritage site of Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia. H. E. Mr Isao Kiso, Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of Japan was also ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 16 July 2013
The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, has expressed deep shock at news of further destruction to cultural heritage in Syria, and particularly following the publication of media reports and images depicting damage to the Crac des Chevaliers, one of Syria’s World Heritage sites. These two castles are outstanding examples of the region’s fortified architecture developed ...
2 min read
Monday, 15 July 2013
The French Grand Sites Network and its International Training and Exchange Centre for Francophone Heritage Sites Managers organized recently an “Exchange Workshop on management and valorization of paleo-metallurgical sites”. From the 20th to the 24th of May 2013, this workshop gathered sixteen managers of patrimonial sites and paleo-metallurgical experts of Western Africa and ...
1 min read
Monday, 15 July 2013
On 6th May 2013, the creation of a “Rivers and heritage” UNESCO Chair was approved by UNESCO.
This project stems from a partnership between the University François Rabelais in Tours (France), the University of Angers (France) and the Mission Val de Loire which is the management body of the Val de Loire site World Heritage site. The creation of a UNESCO chair is part of the ...
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Sunday, 7 July 2013
New excavations within the Maya Devi Temple of Buddha’s birthplace in Lumbini, Nepal, have revealed evidence of a series of shrines extending the history of the site to a much earlier date than previously known.
Until now, the earliest Buddhist temples have been attributed to Emperor Ashoka, who in the 3rd century BC spread Buddhism across the region, as evidenced by his Pillar and ...
2 min read
Friday, 28 June 2013
Some 500 of the 1400 participants of the 37th session of the World Heritage Committee made the journey from Phnom Penh to Siam Reap and visited the Terrace of the Elephants at Angkor Thom ahead of the closing ceremony of the event.
The stone elephants that flank the impressive platform built some eight centuries ago by Angkor's King Jayavarman VII for public ceremonies were surrounded by ...
1 min read
Sunday, 23 June 2013
Two new sites and one extension to a Polish site were inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List on Sunday afternoon, bringing to 19 the total number of sites added to the List during the 37th session taking place in Phnom Penh.
The latest inscriptions are:
Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe, (Germany)
Descending a long hill dominated by a giant statue of Hercules, the monumental water ...
4 min read
My Son, Viet Nam: Director-General Celebrates Restoration of World Heritage Champa Kingdom Monuments
Sunday, 23 June 2013
After 16 years of excavation and restoration work, a group of tower temples and monuments belonging to the My Son Sanctuary, once the religious and political capital of the Champa Kingdom, were inaugurated by the Director-General with Vietnamese authorities and the Ambassador of Italy to Viet Nam on 22 June.
Under steady rainfall, dancers and musicians lined the path leading through lush ...
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Sunday, 23 June 2013
The World Heritage Committee inscribed the following three sites on Sunday morning:
Ancient City of Tauric Chersonese and its Chora (Ukraine).
The site features the remains of a city founded by Dorian Greeks in the 5th century BC on the northern shores of the Black Sea. It encompasses six component sites with urban remains and agricultural lands divided into several hundreds of chora, ...
3 min read
Saturday, 22 June 2013
The World Heritage Committee has inscribed a site of rice terraces in Yunnan (China) and an extension to the uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park which is now known as the mixed cultural and natural Maloti Drakensberg Tranboundary World Heritage Site (Lesotho and South Africa).
Cultural Landscape of Honghe Hani Rice Terraces, China
The Cultural Landscape of Honghe Hani Rice Terraces, China covers ...
2 min read
Saturday, 22 June 2013
Qatar and Fiji had their first World Heritage sites inscribed during the afternoon session of the World Heritage Committee on Saturday, as the intergovernmental body added six properties to UNESCO’s World Heritage List
Fujisan, Sacred Place and Source of Artistic Inspiration (Japan)
The beauty of the solitary, often snow-capped, stratovolcano, known around the world as Mount Fuji, ...
5 min read
Friday, 21 June 2013
China’s Xinjiang Tianshan and Namib Sand Sea (Namibia) were inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List on Friday. Mount Kenya-Lewa Wildlife conservancy (Kenya), was also inscribed as an extension to Mount Kenya Natural Park / Natural Forest.
Xinjiang Tianshan (China)
Xinjiang Tianshan (China) comprises four components—Tomur, Kalajun-Kuerdening, Bayinbukuke and ...
3 min read
Friday, 21 June 2013
The World Heritage Committee has inscribed natural sites from Tajikistan, Italy, and Mexico on the World Heritage List.
Tajikistan National Park (Mountains of the Pamirs) (Tajikistan)
Tajikistan National Park (Tajikistan) covers more than 2.5 million hectares in the east of the country, at the centre of the so-called “Pamir Knot”, a meeting point of the highest mountain ranges ...
3 min read
Hill Forts of Rajastan and Wooden Churches of the Carpathian region inscribed on World Heritage List
Friday, 21 June 2013
The World Heritage Committee today inscribed two new cultural World Heritage sites, one in India and the other astride the border of Poland and Ukraine.
Hill Forts of Rajasthan (India)
The serial site, situated in the state of Rajastahan, includes six majestic forts in Chittorgarh; Kumbhalgarh; Sawai Madhopur; Jhalawar; Jaipur, and Jaisalmer. The ecclectic architecture of the forts, some up ...
2 min read
Thursday, 20 June 2013
The World Heritage Committee has decided to place the six World Heritage sites of the Syrian Arab Republic on the List of World Heritage in Danger so as to draw attention to the risks they are facing because of the situation in the country.
The danger listing is intended to mobilize all possible support for the safeguarding of these properties which are recognized by the international ...
1 min read
Thursday, 20 June 2013
The World Heritage Youth Forum, Cambodia 2013 was held at the site of Angkor, Siem Reap and Phnom Penh, Cambodia from 8 to 16 June 2013, in conjunction with the 37th session of the World Heritage Committee. The event gathered 36 youth representatives from 16 countries, including 20 from Cambodia.
The World Heritage Youth Forum aimed at raising awareness among young people about the ...
3 min read
Wednesday, 19 June 2013
The UNESCO World Heritage Centre, in partnership with the African World Heritage Fund (AWHF) and in collaboration with the Centre for Heritage Development in Africa (CHDA) and the Ministry of Arts and Culture of Mauritius, is organising a month-long field training project on risk management at World Heritage sites from the 19 August 2013 to 13 September 2013 at the Aapravasi Ghat and Le Morne ...
1 min read