News

The Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD) and UNESCO signed a new agreement this week to supplement the financing of UNESCO’s Heritage Emergency Fund (HEF) with US$2 million. “More than ever, we need to respond quickly and efficiently to assess, secure and safeguard threatened heritage, said UNESCO’s Director-General, Audrey Azoulay “The Heritage Emergency Fund is a key tool for doing this and I ...

In January 2018, a joint World Heritage Centre / ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring mission took place at the World Heritage property “Nan Madol: Ceremonial Centre of Eastern Micronesia” (Federated States of Micronesia). The mission was requested by the World Heritage Committee to ‘agree on a Desired State of Conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger ...

Over the last six months, the World Heritage Centre (WHC) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) have received numerous reports expressing concern about the decision of the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania to move forward with the construction of a hydropower dam at Stiegler's Gorge, located within the Selous Game Reserve World Heritage property. The ...

Cyclone Gita, which accelerated into a category five storm, struck the Pacific country of Tonga, battering the Parliament House and other buildings, and parts of southern Fiji. Mechtild Rössler, Director of the World Heritage Centre, would like to express her condolences to the families who have endured losses during the storm. Two sites, Lapita Pottery Archaeological Sites and The Ancient ...

UNESCO will bring a preservation project focusing on research and the dissemination of knowledge, the rehabilitation of wetlands and wildlife corridors, and the promotion of sustainable income generating activities to the International Conference on Lake Chad, which will take place in Abuja (Nigeria) from 26 to 28 February. Known as BIOPALT, the French acronym for biosphere and heritage of ...

On the occasion of the International Conference on the Reconstruction of Iraq, held in Kuwait City from 12 to 14 February, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay today announced the launch of a flagship initiative to revive the spirit of Mosul. The objective, to coordinate international efforts in this direction. A starting point for a broad strategic plan to promote the spirit of peaceful ...

The World Heritage Centre has launched an online consultation with key World Heritage stakeholders on the first draft of the World Heritage Policy Compendium. The consultation, which is taking place in February and March 2018, will gather feedback and comments from key World Heritage stakeholders on the draft Policy Compendium, currently being developed by a Working Group of cultural and ...

In February 2018, a joint UNESCO/ICOMOS/ICOMOS reactive monitoring mission will take place to the World Heritage property “Historical Monuments of Mtskheta” (Georgia), as requested by the World Heritage Committee to assess current conditions at the property. The World Heritage property of the Historical Monuments of Mtskheta was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1994 and on the List of ...

On the heels of one of the hottest years on record, the protection of our precious ocean gems is more urgent than ever. Fortunately, we are seeing a rising tide of activism to meet the challenge. Over the past year, governments, non-profit leaders and experts from across the planet are increasingly working together to safeguard World Heritage marine sites. Download the Report Over the past ...

The Earth Skills Network (ESN) is a unique collaboration between Earthwatch, UNESCO, IUCN and the business community. It connects leaders from the business and conservation community through mentoring and skill-sharing opportunities. The Earth Skills Network provides funded training in: business planning and effective management practices and, personal development of leadership ...

“Wetlands for a sustainable urban future”Message from Mechtild Rössler, Director of UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre, for World Wetlands Day 2018 In focusing on the theme “wetlands for a sustainable urban future”, this year’s World Wetlands Day sheds light on the importance of wetlands for cities. Today, 50% of the world’s population live in urban areas. Forecasts expect the urban population ...

On 25 January 2018, a joint workshop between UNESCO and FAO’s Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) was organized with the World Heritage Centre at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris to share experiences and explore areas of cooperation in the field of agricultural heritage. The workshop brought together cross-sectoral actors contributing to the safeguarding of heritage with ...

Léon Rajaobelina is considered a pioneer in the preservation of African natural world heritage, in Madagascar and throughout the continent. He was active in the defense of protected areas and biodiversity throughout his life and worked for International Conservation for twenty years, eventually becoming a Regional Vice-President.  During this period, in 2005, he contributed to the creation ...

The African World Heritage Fund is a Category 2 Centre under the auspices of UNESCO and an inter-governmental organization based in South Africa with a specific mandate of implementing the UNESCO 1972 Convention concerning the protection and promotion of world cultural and natural places in Africa. The organization seeks to appoint an Executive Director in Johannesburg, South ...

The UNESCO World Heritage Centre and Panasonic Corporation have released the 2018 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 ...

The World Rowing Federation, FISA, is the first global sports body to pledge a commitment to protecting World Heritage sites. The commitment has developed out of World Rowing’s Clean Water partnership with WWF International and is part of WWF’s global campaign to strengthen the protection of natural World Heritage sites. World Rowing recognizes that large sporting events can have a negative ...

The World Heritage Centre currently receives numerous messages from civil society concerning the state of conservation of the World Heritage property Pirin National Park. The competent authorities of the Republic of Bulgaria as well as the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Body IUCN are fully informed of the concerns raised. At its 40th session in 2016, the World Heritage Committee ...

On 21 and 22 January 2018, European Ministers of Culture met in Davos, Switzerland, to adopt a Declaration promoting the concept of a high-quality Baukultur in Europe. This step forward is congratulated by the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, particularly as urban heritage on the World Heritage List exceeds 40% of the total sites. The adoption of the Declaration, which specifies guidelines for ...

In an effort to improve tourism management at World Heritage sites, the UNESCO World Heritage Centre convened an expert meeting on the development of a new and innovative tool for tourism and visitor management. Experts participating in the meeting hosted at the UNESCO HQ in Paris 15-16 January 2018 included representatives from UNESCO, the Advisory Bodies (IUCN, ICOMOS, ICCROM), site ...

In a historic decision for marine conservation efforts, the Government of Belize has adopted a full oil moratorium for all Belize offshore waters, including the entire Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System World Heritage site.  The Belize reef system is the second largest reef system in the world, with approximately 200,000 Belizeans dependent on the reef for their livelihood. “The World ...