News

The World Heritage community deeply mourns the death of Jukka Jokilehto who passed away on 23 November 2023. Jukka Jokilehto was a Finnish architect and urban planner and his involvement in World Heritage dates back to 1972 when he joined the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM) as coordinator of the programme in architectural ...

The UNESCO Chairs Workshop on "Protecting Historic Cities and Landscapes - Compatible Design for New Interventions" was held from 28 to 29 September 2023, marked with the 15th anniversary of the inscription of ‘Mantua and Sabbioneta’ on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The event was organised by UNESCO Chair in Architectural Preservation and Planning in World Heritage Cities, with support from ...

On 14 November 2023, UNESCO and the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science of the Netherlands signed a new four-year (2023-2026) Funds-in-Trust Agreement for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention, for a total amount of 1.5 million Euros. The Netherlands Funds-in-Trust (NFiT) at the UNESCO World Heritage Centre started in 2001 and is one of the longest and continued FiT ...

In the face of Africa's modernization and socioeconomic transformation lies the intrinsic challenges of nurturing sustainable development that considers the invaluable threads that weave through the continent’s diverse heritage. Recognizing this pivotal moment, the Strategy for World Heritage in Africa aligned with UNESCO Global Priority Africa, Flagship Programme 3 (Fostering Cultural ...

The UNESCO World Heritage Centre is seeking an evaluator to carry out the “External Evaluation of the UNESCO-Greece Melina Mercouri International Prize for the Safeguarding and Management of Cultural Landscapes (2017-2023)” to be carried out from January to February 2024. The UNESCO-Greece Melina Mercouri International Prize for the Safeguarding and Management of Cultural Landscapes was ...

UNESCO has published a report, "Urban Heritage for Resilience", reflecting the results of the third consultation with the Member States on implementing the Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape (HUL). The consultation was conducted between June and November 2022, through which Member States informed their implementation efforts at the national (country) and local (cities and ...

The 24th General Assembly of the States Parties to the World Heritage Convention is meeting from 22 to 23 November 2023 at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France, convening the 195 States Parties to the World Heritage Convention. During the session, the General Assembly elected nine members to the World Heritage Committee: Ukraine, Republic of Korea, Viet Nam, Kenya, Senegal, Lebanon, ...

On 22 November 2023, the Republic of Kenya and UNESCO signed the Letter of Agreement to establish a partnership for the implementation of the UNESCO Thematic Indicators Culture in the 2030 Agenda (UNESCO Culture|2030 Indicators) in Kenya. The UNESCO Culture|2030 Indicators is a framework to measure and monitor culture’s contribution to the national and local implementation of the UN 2030 ...

UNESCO and the Advisory Bodies to the World Heritage Committee - ICCROM (International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property), ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites) and IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature)- have released a newly revised toolkit for assessing the effectiveness of management systems of World Heritage ...

The 2023 edition of the UNESCO-Greece Melina Mercouri International Prize for the Safeguarding and Management of Cultural Landscapes was awarded to the Gunditjmara community for its long-standing efforts to safeguard and manage the Budj Bim Cultural Landscape, a property inscribed on the World Heritage List since 2019. The laureate will receive US$30,000 as prize. The jury recognized the ...

UNESCO is deeply concerned about the allegations in the report of Amnesty International regarding the population relocation programme in Angkor carried out by the Cambodian authorities. UNESCO reiterates that at no point did it request, support, or participate in this programme. It is important to note that the Angkor site is not only a heritage site, it is also a living site: the presence ...

In the framework of UNESCO’s Global Priority Africa (Flagship Programme 3: “Fostering cultural heritage and capacity development” ), the Mentorship Programme for African Heritage Professionals was developed in collaboration with the African World Heritage Fund (AWHF) and the three Advisory Bodies (ICOMOS, ICCROM and IUCN) to expand the roster of Africa experts and create opportunities for ...

From 16th November - 2nd December 2023, AlUla will host the annual Ancient Kingdoms Festival, a fortnight of unique immersive experiences across a network of ancient sites in the ancient landscapes of AlUla. This year, the Festival shines an especially bright light on the cities of the Incense Road including Dadan and Hegra. These sites carry a rich legacy of being a historic crossroads ...

The UNESCO World Heritage Centre and the three Advisory Bodies – ICCROM, ICOMOS and IUCN – are developing their first joint toolkit on climate action for World Heritage. Developed with initial funding from the Australian Government, the toolkit will support States Parties and site managers to integrate climate change in the management strategies of UNESCO World Heritage sites. A call for case ...

In an important milestone, the Rock Islands Southern Lagoon in Palau launched its first comprehensive resilience strategy that aims at providing a sustainable future for both its people and its natural environment. Implementation of the strategy has already begun with the launch of four projects, valued at USD$620,000, each addressing crucial resilience challenges for the marine World ...

November 27 - December 08, 2023Fada, Republic of Chad Context In 2016, UNESCO inscribed Ennedi Massif: Natural and Cultural Landscape on the World Heritage List as a mixed natural and cultural property. Two years later, the public-private partnership between African Parks Network (APN) and the government of Chad was signed, with the aim of rehabilitating and maintaining the natural ...

Meeting in Kotor (Montenegro), in the heart of one of the first World Heritage properties, Natural and Culturo-Historical Region of Kotor, on 24 and 25 October 2023, the national focal points for the implementation of the World Heritage Convention and the representatives of the national cultural and natural heritage institutions of Southeast Europe took stock of the implementation of 2015 ...

The 2011 Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape (HUL Recommendation) is a perfect herald for the theme of the 2023 World Cities Day, “Financing sustainable urban future for all”. The HUL Recommendation is a crucial instrument for managing urban heritage in and around settlements and cities to recognize, protect and integrate historic built environments into urban planning for ...

On October 27, 2023, UNESCO successfully launched an International Expert Workshop Online for the renewal of the UNESCO Culture|2030 Indicators Expert Facility. This kick-off session constituted the first part of a comprehensive training that has been organized in two parts. The second parts will take place from 15 January to 17 January 2024 in three online sessions of three hours each. The ...

The UNESCO Chair for World Heritage and Sustainable Tourism Management in the Arab Region at the German University of Technology in Oman GUtech, and the Arab Regional Centre for World Heritage (ARC-WH) in Bahrain, are pleased to invite academics, professionals and policymakers to participate in their upcoming international Conference Opportunities for Heritage: Fostering Innovation, ...