News

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 ...

UNESCO and Panasonic Corporation announced the renewal of their strategic partnership agreement today. The new agreement will run for two years from June 2013 to May 2015. The strategic framework agreement was signed by UNESCO Director-General, Ms. Irina Bokova and Senior Managing Executive Officer of Panasonic Corporation, Mr. Takumi Kajisha, on June 18, 2013, in Phnom Penh in the Kingdom ...

The World Heritage site of East Rennell  has been inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger due to logging that is affecting the ecosystem of  the Solomon Islands’  World Heritage site. The World Heritage Committee determined that logging is threatening the outstanding universal value of East Rennell, and asked the national authorities to provide an impact ...

On 16 June, during her official visit to the Kingdom of Cambodia, the Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, met with His Majesty King Norodom Sihamoni, who underscored the "strong ties which unite the Kingdom of Cambodia and UNESCO". "I will always stand at the side of UNESCO to uphold its values," declared the King, voicing his pride and privilege to host the 37th session of the World ...

On 17 June 2013, in the context of the 37th Session of the World Heritage Committee in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, the Director-General, Irina Bokova, took part in the Round Table of African Ministers, organized by UNESCO and the African World Heritage Fund and attended by over 100 participants. Ministers from Namibia, Tanzania, Chad, Mali, Kenya, Cape Verde, and Cameroun discussed the situation ...

The World Heritage Committee has decided that improvements in the management and conservation of the World Heritage site of Bam and its Cultural Landscape, in the Islamic Republic of Iran, meant the property could be removed from the List of World Heritage in Danger. Bam was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2004, shortly after it was struck by a major earthquake. Damage caused by the ...

Must countries choose between economic development and the safeguarding of heritage? This was the subject of the annual Round Table of African Ministers organized by the African World Heritage Fund and UNESCO as part of the 37th World Heritage Committee session taking place in Phnom Penh (16 to 27 June). Speakers at the event, alongside UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova and the ...

The 37th session of the World Heritage Committee is now underway in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, from 16 to 27 June 2013. Media contacts: Roni Amelan +33 (0)1 45 68 17 64 and, during the Committee meeting: +33 (0)6 31 54 30 36Photo: A photo gallery with pictures that can be used for editorial purposes (with mention of copyright) will be available here: www.unesco.org/new/whc-photosVideo: ...

Solemn appeals for the preservation of the heritage of humanity and colourful cultural performances marked the opening of the 37th session of the World Heritage Committee in Phnom Penh on 16 June.  The opening ceremony was marked by the moving return to Cambodia of two major art treasures of the 10th century by Emily K. Rafferty, President of the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art ...

From 23 to 26 April 2013, the Swiss luxury watch manufacturer Jaeger-LeCoultre, partner of UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre since 2008, organized its fourth online auction for the benefit of World Heritage marine sites. This year, the Manufacture auctioned a watch inspired by the Memovox Deep Sea of 1959: Prototype N° 1 of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Deep Sea Chronograph ...

Enter a Competition for the chance to win 1 of 5 copies of World Heritage: Benefits Beyond Borders! This book was jointly published by UNESCO and Cambridge University Press on the 40th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention. It is a cross-disciplinary collection of case studies providing a meeting point for researchers, practitioners and community representatives and promoting ...

This newly published brochure "New life for historic cities: The historic urban landscape approach explained" introduces the Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape, which was adopted on 10 November 2011 by the 36th session of UNESCO's General Conference, and how to apply the Historic Urban Landscape approach in the local context. UNESCO's approach to managing historic urban ...

Participants to the 5th annual World Heritage Centre / Earthwatch / Shell "Business Planning for natural World Heritage site managers" year long training programme have just been informed of their successful candidacies.    In October 2013, 18 World Heritage site staff from 6 sites in Africa will travel to the Mpala Research Centre  in the shadow of Mount Kenya World ...

“UNESCO saved the temples of Egypt and rebuilt the Mostar Bridge. UNESCO will rebuild the mausoleums of Mali,“ said UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova during the ceremony on 5 June to award French President Francois Hollande the UNESCO-Felix Houphouet-Boigny Peace Prize. The first steps towards this project were taken this week when a  UNESCO team of experts visited ...

Over 1,000 new species have been discovered at marine sites since their inscription on the World Heritage List. This data has been compiled in UNESCO’s global marine biodiversity data portal Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS). The 1972 World Heritage Convention protects 46 marine sites in recognition of their exceptional natural phenomena, their geological processes, ...

The UNESCO World Heritage Centre has published a brochure reporting the events and activities carried out in 2012 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention. This colorful, illustrated publication provides a record of the various initiatives that the World Heritage community undertook at the international, national and local levels-- more than 120 events in 48 ...

The World Heritage Committee will consider the inscription of 32 sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage List during its next session, from 16 to 27 June in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap (Cambodia).  Media wishing to attend the meeting must register online. The Committee’s debates, chaired by Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sok An, will also be webcast. A press conference with the ...

With almost a thousand sites inscribed on the World Heritage List, the reach of the World Heritage Convention is vast. To better present one important issue and the work that’s being done to make a difference, UNESCO has produced an infographic on rhinoceros conservation. This attractive, easy to follow poster describes the plight of several rhinoceros species in Africa and Asia, and how ...

The Tubbataha Reef sprawls across 100,000 hectares and supports over 350 species of coral and almost 500 species of fish.  Earlier this year, two vessels grounded in Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park – a jewel in the middle of Philippines' Sulu Sea. First a U.S. Navy ship grounded on the reef in January. A couple of months later, a Chinese fishing ...

In the wake of alarming media reports on damage to several historic and religious sites in various regions of Syria, I wish to express my grave concern for the safety of Syria’s cultural heritage. I call upon the perpetrators to cease the destruction immediately and demonstrate respect for the beliefs and traditions of all Syrians. I also strongly urge all the parties to the conflict ...