News

The Joint Research Centre through the BIOPAMA program launched a Massive Online Open Course (MOOC) focused on ‘Assessing tourism services in protected areas: value chain and economic analyses’. The course is based on Opportunity Study Guidelines produced by The International Trade Centre, and Visitors Count! published by UNESCO and the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation BfN, and written ...

On 17 March 2023, schoolchildren aged 8-10 from the Gulf of Porto: Calanche of Piana, Gulf of Girolata, Scandola Reserve UNESCO World Heritage site took part in UNESCO's Environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling campaign, as part of a global effort to better understand how climate change affects marine biodiversity. Under the spring sun and in the company of dolphins, thirteen young students from ...

Are you a heritage expert interested in learning more about World Heritage management in Latin America and the Caribbean?  We are calling for applications to this online flagship foundational course. Participants will learn how effective management can give heritage places a dynamic and mutually beneficial role in society today and long into the future, reflecting the vast array of people ...

A dynamic team of Bangladeshi primary school and university students, along with local experts, joined UNESCO’s environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling campaign at the Sundarbans to help increase scientific understanding of the unparalleled biodiversity of the world’s largest unbroken mangrove forest. Embracing the heavy chill of January, the eDNA expedition team from Bangladesh set foot on the ...

From 11 to 17 March 2023, UNESCO is organising the First Workshop on Digital Documentation for World Heritage in the Arab region for 'Dive into Heritage.' 'Dive into Heritage' is a project supported by the Ministry of Culture in Saudi Arabia that aims at creating an innovative online platform to present digital data of UNESCO World Heritage sites in the Arab region and its related intangible ...

On International Women’s Day, we celebrate girls and women across the globe – and we remember that women’s rights must never be taken for granted. Indeed, the path towards a gender-equal world is an uncertain one: gradual progress, made over generations, can be wiped out in one fell swoop. The women and girls of Afghanistan know this well. In a few short months, they have lost their most ...

Throughout March 2023, members of New Caledonia's World Heritage site associations and management committees joined the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD) and the New Caledonian Biodiversity Agency (ANCB) to take part in UNESCO's environmental DNA sampling campaign, as part of a global effort to sample and reference marine biodiversity in 25 marine World ...

Within the framework of the UNESCO/Netherlands Funds-in-Trust project "Implementation of World Heritage Committee Decisions in relation to Boundaries and Strategic Conservation at Gebel Barkal and the Sites of the Napatan Region, Sudan," the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and the UNESCO Khartoum Office organized, on 27 February 2023, a key meeting of partners and stakeholders. In a significant ...

Over time, rainforest communities in Africa have developed a close relationship with their neighbours, the so-called 'umbrella species' such as great apes and elephants. Umbrella species are often either iconic or threatened, or both. These species are called 'umbrella species' because their protection also entails the protection of a wide range of fauna and flora that share their habitat. ...

In line with UNESCO’s efforts since 1988 to encourage research on the Silk Roads as routes of interchange and dialogue of cultures, the UNESCO/Republic of Korea Funds-in-Trust (FiT) project “Support for the Asian Silk Roads World Heritage Serial and Transnational Nomination(s) (Phase II)” was launched in November 2018 and completed in November 2022. Upon completion of this project, the final ...

Through innovative national debt restructuring and blue bond arrangements, both Aldabra Atoll in the Seychelles and the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System in Belize are securing sustainable finance to help conserve their marine World Heritage sites over the next decades. On 19 January 2022, global marine protected area practitioners met online with World Heritage managers from the Seychelles ...

The UNESCO World Heritage Centre held two workshops with World Heritage site managers and national Focal Points in Latin America and the Caribbean to prepare a Regional Action Plan for the Third Cycle of Periodic Reporting. Periodic Reporting is one of the core conservation and monitoring mechanisms of the Lazare Eloundou Assomo, Director of UNESCO World Heritage, praised the commitment of ...

On 14 February 2023, the UNESCO World Heritage Centre organized the second Coordination Group meeting on ‘Post COVID-19 World Heritage Site Management: Integration of Conservation, Tourism and Local Livelihood Strategies at World Heritage Sites’, a project funded by the government of Japan through the UNESCO/Japanese Funds-in-Trust. Subsequent to the project’s launch in June 2022 (see Post ...

On 14 February 2023, 20 students aged 8 to 11 years old from Lord Howe Island Group became marine scientists for the day. In doing so, they joined UNESCO’s global environmental DNA research initiative that is being rolled out across 25 marine World Heritage sites to better understand ocean biodiversity and the impacts of climate change. The day commenced with classroom activities, where ...

UNESCO is delighted to announce that submissions are now being accepted for the 2023 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation. The UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation (‘Awards’) recognizes exemplary efforts by individuals and organizations to restore or conserve structures, places and properties of heritage value in the region. It encourages ...

World Heritage Volunteers 2023 - Working on the Future  The UNESCO World Heritage Centre is pleased to announce the selected projects of the World Heritage Volunteers 2023 Campaign. Under the theme World Heritage Volunteers 2023 - Working on the Future, and on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, 76 action camp projects will be implemented from April ...

UNESCO on Monday expressed its support for Syria and Türkiye following the devastating earthquakes that struck the two countries. “My condolences go out to the families and loved ones of those who died. My thoughts are also with the injured and all those affected. Our Organization will provide assistance within its mandate,” said Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO. The Organization ...

Panamanian children from Santa Catalina and nearby communities ventured out to Coiba National Park to sample the World Heritage area’s rich marine waters as part of the global eDNA expeditions that UNESCO is currently piloting across 25 marine World Heritage sites to better understand ocean biodiversity and the effects of climate change thereupon. On 7 February 2023, amidst a beautiful sunny ...

On 24 January 2023, UNESCO and the Foundation for the Safeguarding of the Cultural Heritage of Rabat signed a five-year agreement to jointly develop actions for the protection of World Heritage and intangible cultural heritage in Morocco and throughout the African continent. It marks the beginning of a long-term strategic and operational collaboration. UNESCO and the Foundation for the ...

Celebrated annually on 2 February, World Wetlands Day aims to raise global awareness about the vital role of wetlands for people and the planet. This year’s theme: ‘It is time for Wetland Restoration’ - is in alignment with the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. Ecosystems support all life on earth. The healthier our ecosystems are, the healthier the planet - and its people. Taking this ...