News

Friday, December 23, 2011
Best Wishes 2012
40 years of protection, 188 States Parties, 936 World Heritage Sites. Join us for the 40th Anniversary of the World Heritage Convention as we highlight the role of local communitites in sustainable development. // ...

Friday, December 23, 2011
Marine Programme - Newsletter January 2012
Read our newsletter to learn about our major accomplishments, including new services that will help improve marine protection efforts around the globe. Additionally, this year we celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the UNESCO World Heritage ...

Tuesday, December 20, 2011
World Heritage Volunteers 2012
Call for Projectsconcrete actions for the 40th Anniversary of the World Heritage Convention The UNESCO World Heritage Education Programme in collaboration with the Coordinating Committee for International Voluntary Service (CCIVS) is pleased to ...

Thursday, December 15, 2011
Kernavė Archaeological site in Lithuania granted “enhanced protection” in the event of armed conflict
Kernavė Archaeological Site (Cultural Reserve of Kernavė) World Heritage site has been given "enhanced protection" status by the Committee for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, which held its sixth meeting at ...

Wednesday, December 14, 2011
London 2012 Torch Relay to pass through Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage site
While exact details of the route are still under cover, it has been announced that the Olympic Torch will be carried through Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage site (United Kingdom). The torch will be carried over the iron bridge which has stood ...

Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Italy announces support to UNESCO for Safeguarding Cultural Heritage in Myanmar
The Government of Italy has granted 400,000€ to support a new UNESCO project to build capacity for safeguarding cultural heritage in Myanmar. The contribution will allow UNESCO to mobilize international expertise to assist Myanmar in ...

Monday, December 12, 2011
Palestine and the World Heritage Convention
Since Palestine was admitted to UNESCO on 31 October, there have been several misleading media reports about the status of Palestinian cultural heritage sites.  Here is how UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee works and what it has done ...

Friday, December 2, 2011
Panasonic sponsors The World Heritage Special on National Geographic Channel in 183 countries
The two-year partnership signed between Panasonic and the World Heritage Centre in June 2011 aims to promote sustainable development and increase environmental awareness. In addition to the World Heritage Eco Learning Programme dedicated to ...

Tuesday, November 29, 2011
3rd annual Business Skills for Natural World Heritage Site manager training event held
Midway through a discussion on risk analysis, someone jumps to their feet and shouts “ELEPHANTS!!” and within a matter of seconds the classroom is deserted. For the next few minutes, the participants in Earthwatch’s Business ...

Tuesday, November 29, 2011
UNESCO and Italy agree to cooperate on the restoration of Pompeii
UNESCO and Italy have agreed to collaborate on the restoration of the Archaeological Areas of Pompeii, Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata, inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1997. International attention turned to the World Heritage ...

Thursday, November 24, 2011
Scotland hosts global conference on remote access to World Heritage sites
Leading lights in science, technology, conservation and heritage interpretation descended upon Edinburgh on 23 November 2011 for a unique conference on how new technology could help protect fragile landscapes while giving greater ...

Friday, November 18, 2011
UNESCO World Heritage app downloaded over 13,000 times
To launch the 40th anniversary celebrations of the World Heritage Convention, UNESCO offered the World Heritage iPhone/iPad application (app) free for one day. On Wednesday, 16 November the app was downloaded 13,343 times from the Apple iTunes ...

Friday, November 18, 2011
Presentation ceremony held to recognize tri-national World Heritage site
On 16 November 2011, Kishore Rao, Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, presented a certificate to German Minister for Environment Norbert Röttgen and the State Ministers recognizing the inscription of the Primeval Beech Forests of ...

Thursday, November 10, 2011
State of Conservation of World Heritage Forests report launched
The World Heritage Centre is pleased to announce the publication of the World Heritage Paper #30:  “Adapting to Change – The State of Conservation of World Heritage Forests in 2011” as a contribution to the 2011 United ...

Tuesday, November 8, 2011
World Heritage Centre and Turismo de Portugal cooperate on Tourism Management at World Heritage sites
In June 2011 UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre and Turismo de Portugal, the Portuguese Tourism Authority, signed an agreement engaging in a cooperation project on capacity-building for tourism management in World Heritage sites of Portuguese ...

Monday, November 7, 2011
The G-77 & China at UNESCO celebrates the 40th Anniversary of the World Heritage Convention
A contribution of the G-77 & China in honor of the 40th Anniversary of the World Heritage Convention, in collaboration with UNESCO, the photo exhibit "The G-77 & China at UNESCO celebrates the 40th Anniversary of the World Heritage ...

Monday, November 7, 2011
2011-2012 World Heritage Map Available
The latest version of the World Heritage map, produced by the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and National Geographic Maps with the generous support of Russian Federation, can now be ordered for a modest fee from the World Heritage Centre website. ...

Monday, November 7, 2011
UNESCO kicks off 40th anniversary celebration of World Heritage Convention
The Director-General of UNESCO Irina Bokova today launched the 40th anniversary celebrations for the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, adopted by UNESCO's Member States on 16 November 1972. In her ...

Monday, November 7, 2011
Nine members elected to World Heritage Committee
Nine new members were elected to the World Heritage Committee on the first day of the 18th General Assembly of States Parties to the World Heritage Convention, which started its meeting today at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France. The new ...

Thursday, November 3, 2011
Elwha River Restoration project underway at Olympic National Park, USA
One of the largest restoration projects in the history of the United States is underway at Olympic National Park World Heritage site in Washington. Begun in September 2010, the removal of the Elwha and Glines Canyon dams on the ...