2386 news
Wednesday, 18 March 2015
UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova and French President Francois Hollande today sent a strong message of solidarity to the people of Iraq and Syria, and reiterated the urgent need to safeguard cultural heritage of both countries.
President Hollande and the Director-General Bokova met at the Louvre Museum in Paris, which houses several major works reflecting the splendid cultural ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 18 March 2015
UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova today condemned the deadly attack at the Bardo Museum in Tunis, and expressed her support and solidarity with Tunisia and the families of the victims. Ms Bokova spoke of the assault during a meeting with French President Francois Hollande at the Louvre Museum in Paris. The two leaders were addressing media on the destruction of cultural heritage by ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 18 March 2015
“The Elephant Collaring Project Team” from Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is an initiative which aims at strengthening the safeguarding of elephants using radio tracking with specially designed elephant collars. The Park’s goal is to reach 120,000 USD in donations, within 10 weeks.
Donate now to Virunga National Park to reinforce vital resources needed to ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 18 March 2015
The first management planning workshop in a series of five will take place on 25 and 26 March 2015 in the Korça region, Albania. The workshop is carried out in the framework of the 36-month European Union-funded project “Towards strengthened governance of the shared transboundary natural and cultural heritage of the Lake Ohrid region”.
The project is designed to address the main threats ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 17 March 2015
Upcoming 39th session due to take place in Bonn, Germany.
The annual highlight for the World Heritage community is drawing near: From 28 June to 8 July approx. 1200 delegates, observers and NGO-representatives from 191 countries will gather in Bonn, Germany, to attend the 39th session of the World Heritage Committee. During its session last year in Doha, Qatar, the Committee elected Minister ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 17 March 2015
UNESCO, in partnership with the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs (ACA), the Japanese National Institutes for Cultural Heritage (NICH), ICCROM and ICOMOS has organized a special session on "Resilient Cultural Heritage" within the framework of the Third United Nations World Conference Disaster Risk Reduction (WCDRR), which has taken place between 14 and 18 March at Sendai, Japan.
The ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 11 March 2015
Since the beginning of the conflict in Iraq, in addition to the tragic loss of human life and the humanitarian crisis associated to the persecution of cultural and religious minorities, cultural heritage has been the target of intentional destruction. The goal has clearly been to erase the history of the country along with the identities and diversity of its people.
UNESCO Director-General ...
3 min read
Monday, 9 March 2015
Minister of State at the Federal Foreign Office and Chair of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee Maria Böhmer issued the following statement in Berlin on 9 March following the destruction of Iraqi artefacts in Nimrud by the terrorist group ISIS:
“The ongoing barbaric attacks perpetrated by the ISIS terrorist group in Iraq are devastating. In particular the abductions in Tikrit, the burning ...
1 min read
Saturday, 7 March 2015
Since the beginning of the conflict in Iraq, in addition to the tragic loss of human life and the humanitarian crisis associated to the persecution of cultural and religious minorities, cultural heritage has been the target of intentional destruction, with the aim of erasing the history of the country and thus undermining the peaceful coexistence of diverse communities.
Attacks against the ...
1 min read
Friday, 6 March 2015
“I condemn in the strongest possible manner the destruction of the archaeological site of Nimrud site in Iraq. This is yet another attack against the Iraqi people, reminding us that nothing is safe from the cultural cleansing underway in the country: it targets human lives, minorities, and is marked by the systematic destruction of humanity’s ancient heritage,” said UNESCO Director General ...
2 min read
Saturday, 28 February 2015
The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, has welcomed the UN Security Council's statement denouncing the attack on the Mosul Museum.
"This statement is a strong testiment to the unity of the international community regarding the tragic destruction of irreplaceable heritage for all mankind," said the Director-General. "The members of the Security Council have reaffirmed the deep ...
1 min read
Saturday, 28 February 2015
"The reopening of the Baghdad Museum is a powerful symbol, coming in the wake of the destruction perpetrated in Mosul. To fight violent extremism and attacks against cultural heritage, we need more than ever to nurture the power of culture, supporting its fundamental role for dialogue and for social cohesion in Iraq and around the world."
"I welcome this historic reopening, coming just a few ...
1 min read
Friday, 27 February 2015
"It is time to get serious about wildlife crime"
This year’s theme for World Wildlife Day is right in line with one of the key goals of the World Heritage Convention: protecting sites which are home to threatened plant and animal species.
These invaluable sites are threatened more than ever, and illegal human activities such as poaching and illegal logging are some of the most worrisome. ...
2 min read
Friday, 27 February 2015
“I was filled with dismay by images of the attack on the Mosul Museum, as well as on other archaeological sites in the Nineveh region in Iraq,” said the Director General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova. She spoke at a press conference following the release of a video showing the devastation of the Mosul Museum in Iraq.
Terrorists based in Iraq defaced many statues and bas-reliefs with an ...
1 min read
Thursday, 26 February 2015
“I am deeply shocked by footage released today showing the destruction of statues and other artefacts of the Mosul Museum. I condemn this as a deliberate attack against Iraq’s millennial history and culture, and as an inflammatory incitement to violence and hatred,” said the Director General.
“This attack is far more than a cultural tragedy – this is also a security issue as it fuels ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 25 February 2015
A major international conference was organized by ICOMOS Oman at Dhofar University in Salalah, Sultanate of Oman to review archaeological heritage identification, management, and conservation, and to explore new approaches.
Among the participants were experts from different parts of the world, representatives from Ministries and heritage agencies, Ambassadors of UNESCO Member States, the ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 18 February 2015
Established as a Category II Centre under the auspices of UNESCO in October 2009, the African World Heritage Fund (AWHF) is an inter-governmental organisation which was jointly initiated by the African Members States of UNESCO and the African Union.
Its mission is to support the effective conservation and protection of natural and cultural heritage of outstanding universal value in Africa. ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 18 February 2015
Prior to the 39th session of the World Heritage Committee, a Young Experts Forum will be held from 18 to 29 June 2015 in the Upper Middle Rhine Valley World Heritage site and in Bonn, former capital of Germany. Young heritage experts from around the world from 20 to 30 years old will exchange ideas and provide input to the theme of this year’s Forum Towards a Sustainable Management of World ...
3 min read
Thursday, 12 February 2015
The Director-General of UNESCO, Ms Irina Bokova, welcomed the adoption of a new UN Security Council Resolution 2199 that condemns the destruction of cultural heritage and adopts legally-binding measures to counter illicit trafficking of antiquities and cultural objects from Iraq and Syria.
“The adoption of resolution 2199 is a milestone for enhanced protection of cultural heritage in Iraq ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 11 February 2015
Over 900 participants, including over 45 Ministers and Vice Ministers of Tourism and Culture, international experts, speakers and guests from 100 countries, gathered at the UNWTO/UNESCO World Conference on Tourism and Culture in Siem Reap, Cambodia, to explore and advance new partnership models between tourism and culture (4-6 February 2015).
Tourism, moving more than one billion people ...
4 min read
Tuesday, 10 February 2015
With support from UNESCO’s World Heritage Marine Programme, the Banc d’Arguin National Park in Mauritania organized a series of educational activities for students from four local schools who are located in the park.
Throughout 2014, about 100 students participated in three-day excursions in which they learned about the biodiversity, the socioeconomic importance of the Park and the need to ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 10 February 2015
The secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) is currently recruiting a Director General (DG).
SPREP is the regional organisation established by the Governments and Administrations of the Pacific charged with protecting and managing the environment and natural resources of the Pacific. It is based in Apia, Samoa, with about 95 staff and an annual budget of USD $20 ...
Friday, 6 February 2015
On Wednesday, 28 January, the cargo ship Floreana stranded near San Cristobal, an island that is part of the Galápagos islands World Heritage site.
The vessel transported 1,400 tons of cargo and 50,000 liters of fuel among other, potentially hazardous, products. Accordingly to early government reports, products leaked from the ship. Actions are being taken to define the impacts on the marine ...
1 min read
Friday, 6 February 2015
The latest version of the World Heritage map, produced by the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and National Geographic Maps with the generous support of Germany, can now be ordered for a modest fee from the World Heritage Centre website.
The featured image on the Map presents the Upper Middle Rhine Valley in Germany, country hosting the next session of the World Heritage Committee in June ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 3 February 2015
Since their first agreement signed in 2011, UNESCO and Panasonic have worked together to educate young people about protecting natural and cultural heritage. Long-term success of the program depends on the children of today, hence their involvement is of key importance.
As part of the cooperation with UNESCO, Panasonic China hosted 50 pupils and teachers in a school excursion from 3 to 6 ...
1 min read
Monday, 2 February 2015
World heritage site managers and tourism stakeholders from Zambia and Zimbabwe came together for the first time to initiate the process to develop a sustainable tourism strategy for the Mosi-oa-Tunya/Victoria Falls World Heritage site. The workshop was held in Livingstone, Zambia from 22 to 24 January 2015.
The workshop takes place within the framework of the UNESCO World Heritage and ...
2 min read
Monday, 2 February 2015
Issue 74 of World Heritage magazine
World Heritage sites are exposed to a wide variety of natural and human-induced hazards, such as earthquakes, cyclones or fires, which can have devastating effects on their value as well as on the lives and assets of the communities concerned. This issue explores the risks that sites are exposed to and different aspects of disaster risk management, ...
Friday, 30 January 2015
Storage conditions of ancient manuscripts smuggled out of Timbuktu to Bamako in 2012 must be improved rapidly to avoid decay, concluded participants at an international conference, held from 28 to 30 January in the national capital. They also called for the adoption of an emergency plan to preserve the manuscripts in the long-term.
The conference was attended by academics; representatives of ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 28 January 2015
From 22 to 24 January 2015, UNESCO, in cooperation with the Vietnamese authorities, hosted a workshop on World Heritage and sustainable development at the Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex in Viet Nam.
The workshop responded to the request by the World Heritage Committee at its 36th session in Saint Petersburg to develop a policy on the integration of sustainable development into the ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 27 January 2015
Following a week-long constructive discussion with UNESCO's World Heritage Centre and IUCN, the government of Belize agreed to start talks on critical conservation challenges related to the removal of the Belize Barrier Reef from the World Heritage List in Danger.
From 19-23 January 2015, UNESCO's World Heritage Centre, in cooperation with the International Union for the Conservation of ...
2 min read
Thursday, 22 January 2015
2 February each year is World Wetlands Day.
It marks the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on 2 February 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar on the shores of the Caspian Sea. Each year since 1997, government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and groups of citizens at all levels of the community have taken advantage of the opportunity to undertake actions aimed at ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 21 January 2015
Nearly two years after armed groups occupied northern Mali and destroyed cultural heritage there, an international conference will take place in the capital, Bamako, from 28 to 30 January to examine the long-term conservation of the country’s invaluable ancient manuscript collections.
UNESCO’s Office in Bamako, Mali’s Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and the Ahmed Baba ...
2 min read
Tuesday, 20 January 2015
Once again this year Earthwatch is offering funded training and mentoring in organisational and business management practices to protected areas in Africa. The application period is now open until 27th February 2015.
The Programme is looking to recruit 6 protected areas, who will each nominate 3 members of staff for training during a 10 day residential training course in October 2015. This ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 20 January 2015
Internship Opportunities in South Africa and Benin, from 1 April until 30 September 2015.
Two internships will run in 2015, one at the African World Heritage Fund (AWHF) in Midrand (South Africa) and one at EPA in Porto-Novo (Benin). AWHF was launched in 2006 to support African State Parties in implementing the UNESCO Convention on the protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. ...
1 min read
Sunday, 18 January 2015
On 14 January 2015, a fire has once again ravaged the Palace of the King Houégbadja in the Royal Palaces of Abomey World Heritage property in Benin.
Thankfully there were no victims. Despite the efforts of firefighters, all of the thatched roofs of the palace complex were burned. As they were built from fire-resistant earthen architecture, the walls of the palace buildings were spared. The ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 14 January 2015
In the framework of the France-UNESCO Cooperation Agreement (an agreement for the protection and enhancement of monumental, urban and natural heritage, between the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and the Government of France) UNESCO has technical and financial assistance at their disposal through the following Ministries of France: Ministry of Culture and ...
2 min read
Thursday, 8 January 2015
Nainoa Thompson and the Mālama Honua Worldwide Voyage (sponsored by Hawaiian Airlines) are embarking on a 3-year trip that will take them to 13 marine World Heritage sites. The voyage is taking place with Hōkūle'a and Hikianalia, sister canoes who are both sailing on parallel sail plans in 2015-2017.
UNESCO and the Polynesian Voyaging Society signed a partnership agreement that will ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 7 January 2015
The National Park Service's newest online travel itinerary highlights the 22 World Heritage sites located in the United States.
The project includes fun facts and interesting background information about sites across the country, from the Statue of Liberty to Hawaii Volcanoes, which have universal significance.
The World Heritage sites in the United States itinerary is the 60th in the ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 6 January 2015
On 6 January, during her official visit to Turkey, the Director-General participated in a ceremony to present the World Heritage Certificates for the newly inscribed sites of “Pergamon Multi-layered Cultural Landscape” and “Bursa and Cumalıkızık: the Birth of an Empire” on the UNESCO World Heritage List, in the presence of H.E. Ömer Çelik, Minister of Culture and Tourism.
The ceremony took ...
2 min read
Monday, 22 December 2014
The UNESCO World Heritage Centre and Panasonic Corporation have released the 2015 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
Friday, 19 December 2014
The First World Conference on Tourism and Culture will bring together, for the first time, Ministers of Tourism and Ministers of Culture from around the world, experts and stakeholders from both sectors to explore new models of partnership between tourism and culture (Siem Reap, Cambodia, 4-6 February 2015).
Cultural tourism can contribute to inclusive economic growth, social ...
2 min read
Friday, 19 December 2014
The Panasonic Corporation in cooperation with UNESCO Office Jakarta organised a launching ceremony of LED Lighting Installment in Prambanan Temple Compounds on 17 December 2014. The ceremony was attended by more than 100 participants representing different stakeholders including the National and Local Government, UNESCO Jakarta and Headquarters, local communities, craftsmen, NGOs, as well as ...
2 min read
Thursday, 18 December 2014
An oil spill occurred in The Sundarbans, Bangladesh on Tuesday, 9 December when a small coastal oil tanker sank after being rammed by another vessel from behind, releasing approximately 400,000 liters of oil in the water.
The Sundarbans was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1997 and is one of the largest mangrove forests in the world. It lies on the delta of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and ...
1 min read
Monday, 15 December 2014
As part of the "World Heritage Eco Learning Program", Panasonic hosted, on 15 December 2015, the "Environmental activity for the next generation” at Budapest World Heritage site.
Panasonic hosted 150 pupils in an extraordinary school excursion on Monday, 15 December 2014.
Children between the ages of 8 and 12, and 20 teachers accompanying them, had the opportunity to view the UNESCO ...
1 min read
Friday, 12 December 2014
A presentation of the “Fragile Venice” study, which touches on some of the most serious future challenges faced by the city of Venice and its Lagoon, will take place today, 12 December (2.30 pm.), in Venice, at the sala del Piovego in the Doge’s Palace. As the city’s urban fabric undergoes deep structural changes, this is the first enquiry of its kind into the wider effects of tourism and ...
2 min read
Thursday, 11 December 2014
Twenty-two conservation architects, engineers, archaeologists, and experts from different regions across Syria, including Damascus, Maaloula, Daraa, Homs and Aleppo, concluded today a three-week training course that aims to enhance their technical skills and introduce them to the recent conservation trends in order for them to secure their endangered built cultural heritage and take the ...
3 min read
Wednesday, 3 December 2014
UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova today called for the creation of “protected cultural zones” around heritage sites in Syria and Iraq. Opening an international conference on threats to cultural heritage and diversity in these countries at UNESCO Headquarters, she suggested a start could be made with the city of Aleppo, and especially the Omeyyad Mosque, a highly iconic site located in the ...
3 min read
Friday, 28 November 2014
On the occasion of the Mediterranean Week of Economic Leaders and in the framework of the XXIII General Assembly of the Association of the Mediterranean Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ASCAME) held on 26 November 2014, UNESCO received an award for promoting Mediterranean cultural heritage in the world and for its efforts to promote the tangible and intangible cultural heritage as a ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 26 November 2014
In 2011, the French Ministry of Culture and Communication (Directorate General of Cultural Heritage – Department of European and International Affairs) launched « e-patrimoines »: a new e-learning training program on tangible and intangible heritage, for nearly a hundred francophone countries. This project was undertaken in partnership with the Agence universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF) ...
2 min read
Tuesday, 25 November 2014
Recent policy and conceptual developments in World Heritage, and in conservation generally, set the stage for new approaches that engage indigenous and local communities in World Heritage. The inclusion of communities as one of the five Strategic Objectives in the World Heritage Convention reflects an increasing demand for community engagement at all stages of the World Heritage process, and ...
2 min read
Thursday, 20 November 2014
The World Heritage Centre expresses its condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Professor Karel Bakker from the Department of Architecture, University of Pretoria (South Africa), and a long-time collaborator on World Heritage, who passed away on 19 November 2014.
Prof. Bakker contributed to numerous World Heritage missions, Heritage Impact Assessments, training workshops, ...
1 min read
Thursday, 20 November 2014
The General Assembly of the States Parties to the World Heritage Convention met for its 1st extraordinary session on 13-14 November 2014 at UNESCO Headquarters under the Chairpersonship of Ms Vera Lacoeuilhe, Permanent Delegate of Saint-Lucia to UNESCO, with the mandate of examining the proposals made by the Open-ended Working Group to revise the Rules of Procedure in order to achieve the ...
3 min read
Tuesday, 18 November 2014
The Convention on Wetlands, also known as the “Ramsar Convention” from the name of the city in Iran where it was signed in 1971, is an intergovernmental treaty which provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and sustainable use of wetland biodiversity and services. It was the first of the modern global multilateral environmental agreements ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 18 November 2014
Amidst alarming reports of increase in acts of vandalism, illicit trafficking and attacks on Libyan cultural heritage, UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova called on all parties to protect Libya’s unique cultural heritage. Her call came in the context of the deterioration of the security situation in Libya and in support of efforts towards an inclusive political dialogue to put an end to the ...
2 min read
Monday, 17 November 2014
Compliance management in the Great Barrier Reef has matured over more than 30 years and is currently one of the most advanced worldwide. Still today, over 30% of all marine World Heritage sites are suffering serious pressure from fishing activities, most of which is illegal and unreported. Monitoring and evaluation of these sites is often costly and the need for a clever intelligence system ...
1 min read
Monday, 17 November 2014
Conserving Cultural Landscapes: Challenges and New Directions is now available from Routledge publishers.
The book is edited by Ken Taylor, Australian National University, Australia; Archer St. Clair, Rutgers University, USA; and Nora J. Mitchell, University of Vermont, USAIt is published as part of the series Routledge Studies in Heritage.
Challenging traditional notions of historic ...
1 min read
Monday, 17 November 2014
Patrimonito takes a stand in a changing global environment
The World Heritage Centre (WHC) is pleased to announce the Call for Proposals for the World Heritage Volunteers (WHV) Campaign 2015. In the framework of the UNESCO World Heritage Education Programme, the WHC leads the Initiative in collaboration with the Coordinating Committee for International Voluntary Service (CCIVS), Open Houses ...
1 min read
Sunday, 16 November 2014
November 15, 2014, marks the official announcement of the design competition to build the new Bamiyan Cultural Centre in Afghanistan. UNESCO, together with the Government of Afghanistan, decided to select the design of the Cultural Centre through an open international competition.
The competition will generate interest in the project and ensure that the winning design is both iconic and also ...
2 min read
Sunday, 16 November 2014
UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova visited Australia’s Great Barrier Reef on the weekend of 15-16 November for a firsthand look at the way the World Heritage site is being managed. Her visit came amidst widespread concerns over the health of the reef, which experts say is threatened by climate change, pollution and other environmental issues that make careful, long-term planning absolutely ...
1 min read
Friday, 14 November 2014
From the 13 to the 15 October 2014, the Paraguay National Commission for cooperation with UNESCO through its Executive Committee for Heritage, the UNESCO Associated Schools Project Network (ASPnet), Paraguay National Secretary of Tourism (SENATUR) and the Paraguay Chamber of Tourism for the Jesuit Missions, with the cooperation of the Ministry of Education and Culture, will hold the 1st Youth ...
1 min read
Friday, 14 November 2014
Supermodel and UN Goodwill ambassador for the Environment Gisele Bündchen narrates the latest film from the World Heritage Marine Programme, which premiered at the World Parks Congress in Sydney, Australia, to a standing-room-only crowd.
Ms Bündchen is a strong supporter of ocean conservation and believes in its critical role in human and ecosystem health. She has given her time and talent ...
2 min read
Friday, 14 November 2014
The Rapid Response Facility (RRF) releases the 2014 legacy report summarizing its lasting impacts of eight years of cooperation with the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and its partners, notably the Franz Weber Foundation and Fauna & Flora International.
The programme provides emergency support to natural World Heritage sites in developing countries. Since 2006, The RRF has given 35 grants ...
1 min read
Friday, 14 November 2014
Sydney, 13 November - UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova today called for a global commitment to “restore, revitalize and safeguard one of the planet’s most precious resources: protected areas”, at the opening session of the World Parks Congress, in Sydney, Australia.
The Congress is organized by the International Union for the Conservation for Nature (IUCN), one of the advisory bodies to ...
2 min read
Thursday, 6 November 2014
With the severe deterioration of the humanitarian and security situation in Iraq, UNESCO has established an Emergency Response Action Plan (ERAP) to address the challenges to safeguarding Iraq’s cultural heritage. The plan was set up at an emergency expert meeting held at UNESCO’s Paris Headquarters on 17 July 2014, which brought together experts from both Iraq and the international community ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 5 November 2014
UNESCO is gearing up for its participation in the 2014 IUCN World Parks Congress (WPC), which will take place in Sydney, Australia, from 12 to 19 November At this edition of the world’s most influential international forum devoted to the planet’s protected areas, over 5,000 participants will formulate the global conservation agenda in the outcome document: "The Promise of Sydney".
It is also ...
2 min read
Tuesday, 4 November 2014
Thanks to the generous support of the French National Commission and Ateliers d'Art de France, UNESCO will participate in the International Cultural Heritage Show at the Carrousel du Louvre, in Paris, France from 6 to 9 November. The Organization will have stand 30 during the four days and will present its activities in the culture sector, particularly concerning cultural heritage. UNESCO ...
1 min read
