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Wednesday, 13 July 2016
Istanbul, Turkey, 13 July — The World Heritage Committee has decided to add Uzbekistan’s Historic Centre of Shakhrisyabz to the List of World Heritage in Danger due to the over-development of tourist infrastructure in the site.
The Committee expressed concern over the destruction of buildings in the centre of the World Heritage site’s Medieval neighbourhoods and the construction of modern ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 13 July 2016
Istanbul, Turkey, 13 July—The World Heritage Committee has decided to remove Georgia’s Historical Monuments of Mtskheta site from the List of World Heritage in Danger.
The Committee’s decision reflects recognition of Georgia’s efforts to improve the safeguarding and management of the site, which had been on the List of World Heritage in Danger since 2009. It had been put on the List in ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 13 July 2016
Istanbul, Turkey, 13 July—The World Heritage Committee has added the Old Towns of Djennéthe List of World Heritage in Danger due to insecurity, which is affecting the area and preventing the implementation of protective measures for the Malian World Heritage site.
The Committee has expressed concern over the property, which is situated in an area affected by insecurity. This situation is ...
1 min read
Sunday, 10 July 2016
Istanbul, 10 July - The 40th session of the World Heritage Committee opened today in Istanbul (Turkey) under the chairmanship of Lale Ülker, Ambassador, Director General of Cultural Affairs and Promotion Abroad of the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The opening ceremony was an opportunity to stress that World Heritage, which is now, more than ever, the subject of numerous threats, must ...
4 min read
Sunday, 10 July 2016
Istanbul, July 10 - The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, today appointed Turkish musician Kudsi Ergüner, UNESCO Artist for Peace, at a ceremony held had the Congress Center in Istanbul (Turkey) following the opening ceremony of the 40th session of the World Heritage Committee, which ends on 20 July.
Kudsi Ergüner is named in recognition of his efforts to promote the universal values ...
2 min read
Tuesday, 5 July 2016
[in French only] Il faudrait construire 90 000 logements par jour, d’ici à 2030, pour répondre aux besoins de 3 milliards de personnes selon UN-Habitat. Face à ce défi, l’architecture de terre propose un certain nombre de solutions. Souvent sous-estimée comme matériau de construction, la terre est pourtant utilisée encore aujourd’hui par plus d’un tiers de la population mondiale. Elle offre ...
Monday, 4 July 2016
From 23-25 June 2016, UNESCO brought together site managers from natural and cultural heritage sites in Tanzania, which are recognized as World Heritage and/or Man and Biosphere Reserves (MAB), community representatives, private partners and national authorities for a workshop to raise capacities in planning and writing project proposals. A total of 35 participants gathered near Kilimanjaro ...
2 min read
Thursday, 30 June 2016
This workshop is part of UNESCO’s ongoing efforts to address the priorities of the Second Cycle of Periodic Reporting for the Africa region, which called for increased capacity-building in dealing with risks and threats to heritage properties at both site-level and regional-level, The training course was co-organized by the African World Heritage Fund, a UNESCO category 2 centre, in ...
1 min read
Thursday, 30 June 2016
Cultural heritage around the world suffers from intentional attacks, collateral damage, looting and the effects of natural disasters. Reaching affected sites and areas quickly to monitor the situation, plan for restoration and prevent further loss often proves very difficult.
Thanks to a partnership between UNESCO and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), ...
1 min read
Monday, 27 June 2016
The World Heritage Centre is pleased to announce the winners of the #OurWorldHeritage photo and story competition. The Instagram campaign aimed to invite people to share their unique World Heritage stories and experiences with the rest of the global community.
Over the course of the competition, more than 1800 posts with the hashtag #OurWorldHeritage were published on social media. Even ...
1 min read
Monday, 27 June 2016
The World Heritage Committee will examine proposals to inscribe 29 sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage List during its 40th session (10 to 20 July), which will be chaired by Ambassador Lale Ülker, General Director for Overseas Promotion and Cultural Affairs at the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The session will be held at the Istanbul Congress Centre.
The Committee will examine the ...
3 min read
Thursday, 23 June 2016
On 9 March 2016, the Government of the Republic of South Sudan officially deposited its instrument of ratification of the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage with the Director-General of UNESCO.
South Sudan become the 192nd State Party to the World Heritage Convention on 9 June 2016, when the Convention entered into force for this country. To date, ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 21 June 2016
Over the last several weeks, the World Heritage Centre has received numerous messages from citizens and NGOs expressing their concerns regarding the development of the Vienna Ice Skating Rink, the Hotel Intercontinental and the Konzerthaus site, and other conservation issues within the boundaries of the property.
It should be noted that the competent authorities of the State Party of the ...
1 min read
UNESCO Director-General addresses the Europe Lecture 2016 on heritage protection as a security issue
Tuesday, 14 June 2016
“The destruction of heritage is inseparable from the persecution of people. This is why we consider the protection of cultural heritage today as far more than a cultural issue. This has become a humanitarian imperative, and a security issue,” stated UNESCO’s Director-General Irina Bokova today in The Hague during the Europe Lecture 2016, organised by the European Lecture Foundation in ...
5 min read
Monday, 13 June 2016
At its 40th session to be held in Istanbul, Turkey, from 10 to 20 July 2016, the World Heritage Committee will examine the state of conservation of a number of World Heritage properties. The full reports on 152 properties are now publicly available through the World Heritage Centre’ State of conservation Information System at the following Web address: https://whc.unesco.org/en/soc
As part ...
1 min read
Monday, 13 June 2016
Following South Sudan’s ratification of the UNESCO World Heritage Convention in January 2016, UNESCO organized a technical workshop from 8 to 13 June 2016 in Juba to support the process of preparing South Sudan’s World Heritage Tentative List. Over ten representatives from ministries responsible for natural and cultural heritage, NGOs, and Juba University participated in the workshop, which ...
2 min read
Saturday, 11 June 2016
UNESCO’s Director-General condemns the Destruction of Nabu Temple in Nimrud “The recent destruction of Nabu Temple is a new deliberate attack against the Iraqi people and against the shared values of humanity” said the Director General of UNESCO.
“I condemn in the strongest manner this new crime and reiterate UNESCO’s determination to do whatever is needed to support the national responsible ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 8 June 2016
We are living in a time of unprecedented change. As we celebrate our marine treasures this World Oceans Day, we at UNESCO are also reflecting on the work needed to sustain them as sea levels rise, and the water grows warmer and more acidic. This year, the effects of climate change have been multiplied by a strong El Niño that has brought record-breaking temperatures to much of the Pacific ...
2 min read
Monday, 6 June 2016
Experts from nearly 40 countries, including 12 outside the Africa region, gathered in Arusha (Tanzania) for the international conference "Safeguarding African World Heritage as a Driver of Sustainable Development" co-organized by the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, the United Republic of Tanzania and the People's Republic of China, from 31 May to 3 June 2016.
In his opening statement, the ...
2 min read
Monday, 6 June 2016
Policy makers and advisors from the Federal Government of Somalia and national heritage experts met on 6 June 2016 in Mogadishu to consider the benefits of ratifying the UNESCO World Heritage Convention. During a technical workshop organised by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Higher Education together with the Italian NGO CISP as part of the European-Union funded project ‘Reviving ...
2 min read
Sunday, 5 June 2016
Message from Ms Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, on the occasion of the World Environment Day, 5 June 2016
Go Wild for Life!
Wildlife is an integral part of our biosphere. It is not only essential for healthy ecosystems but also key to peace and sustainable development. Many communities depend on wildlife trade, and tourism related to wildlife, for their livelihoods. An estimated ...
2 min read
Saturday, 4 June 2016
Some 230 Syrian and international experts joined forces in a two-day meeting to assess damage to cultural heritage sites in Syria, develop methodologies and define priority emergency safeguarding measures for the country’s heritage. The expert meeting, held in Berlin from 2 to 4 June, was organized by UNESCO and Germany. It was opened by Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, and Maria ...
4 min read
Thursday, 2 June 2016
UNESCO Director-General opened the Expert meeting on the safeguarding of syria's heritage, with Maria Böhmer, Minister of State to the Foreign Minister of the Federal Republic of Germany.
"Berlin embodies the power of culture to bring people together”, said Irina Bokova.
More than 230 Syrian and international experts from all sides are joining forces to develop a common damage assessment ...
2 min read
Tuesday, 31 May 2016
From 25 to 27 May, an international conference entitled “Cultural Heritage and Development Initiatives: a Challenge or a Contribution to Sustainability?” was held at the Palazzo Barnerini in Rome. Organized by the UNESCO Office in Kabul together with the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the World Bank, in cooperation with the Government of Italy, it focused on the relationship between ...
2 min read
Friday, 27 May 2016
“Keeping History Alive” a UNESCO publication on safeguarding cultural heritage in post-conflict Afghanistan was launched in Kabul’s Babur Garden H.E. Chief Executive of Afghanistan Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, and UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova.
“Safeguarding heritage and diversity is more than a cultural issue. It is an issue of citizenship, bringing people together around shared values. To ...
2 min read
Thursday, 26 May 2016
Climate change is fast becoming one of the most significant risks for World Heritage sites, according to the report “World Heritage and Tourism in a Changing Climate” released today by UNESCO, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), and the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS).
“Globally, we need to better understand, monitor and address climate change threats to World Heritage sites,” ...
2 min read
Friday, 20 May 2016
"The 2016 International Day for Biological Diversity is dedicated to the theme of ‘Mainstreaming Biodiversity, Sustaining People and their Livelihoods.’
This echoes powerfully the vision set forth in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Climate Change Agreement.
I see this as a single agenda to chart a new course for people, peace and the planet for the next 15 years. ...
2 min read
Tuesday, 17 May 2016
Over the last several months, the World Heritage Centre has received numerous messages, through the NGO Platform Save the Tua, from individuals expressing their concern regarding the Foz Tua dam project, located inside the buffer zone, but outside the World Heritage property “Alto Douro Wine Region” limit. Those messages drew attention to the adverse impact it may have on the landscape, ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 17 May 2016
The Director-General of UNESCO strongly condemned the severe damage caused by an air-strike to the Church of Saint Simeon, part of the UNESCO World Heritage property of the Ancient Villages of Northern Syria. The byzantine Church was built in the year 490 AD on Mount Simeon and used to be a popular destination for worshippers and tourists alike.
The Director-General of UNESCO, Ms Irina ...
2 min read
Friday, 13 May 2016
Key UNESCO partners joined with the Organization to approve a new action plan to address emergency and short term interventions for the safeguarding of Libya’s cultural heritage following a three-day international expert meeting in the Tunisian capital this week.
Organized with the support of the U.S. Embassy in Libya and in close cooperation with the Department of Antiquities of Libya and ...
1 min read
Thursday, 12 May 2016
In preparation for the UNESCO experts’ meeting in Berlin (2-4 June 2016) on the safeguarding of cultural heritage in Syria, UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova and UNESCO teams are pursuing consultations with representatives from Member States and experts across the board to assess the situation and the way forward. These actions are in line with the unanimous decision of the 199th session ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 10 May 2016
With the slogan “ … and when the skies fall silent?", the World Migratory Bird Day 2016 on 10 May aims to highlight the incredible numbers of migratory birds being threatened and lost each year . This is often linked to illicit activities are various and the toll that they are taking is disastrous – millions of birds are being killed each year. Such numbers are totally unsustainable and ...
2 min read
Monday, 9 May 2016
[in French only] Une quarantaine de personnes s'est réunie le 3 mai dernier à Niamey pour le lancement du projet de « Gestion communautaire de la conservation des aires protégées » (COMPACT en anglais) au Parc du W au Niger, bien inscrit sur la Liste du patrimoine mondial depuis 20 ans.
Ce projet, qui bénéficie d’un financement du gouvernement espagnol et du Programme de micro financement du ...
Thursday, 5 May 2016
This first African World Heritage Day is very special.
This is an opportunity to celebrate the wealth of Africa’s cultural and natural heritage, embodying outstanding universal values. This is a moment for the world to stand with Governments, local communities and societies to support one of the continent’s most precious resources. Africa’s cultural and natural heritage is a force for peace ...
2 min read
Friday, 29 April 2016
The first Anglophone African Heritage Regional Youth Forum opened today on Robben Island World Heritage site in South Africa. The forum will take place from 29 April until 4 May. This first-of-its-kind forum is co-organized by the African World Heritage Fund (AWHF), the Robben Island Museum (RIM) and the UNESCO World Heritage Centre with support from the Government of South Africa and the ...
2 min read
Friday, 29 April 2016
Building materials company CEMEX has committed to staying out of World Heritage sites and to building awareness of the need to protect them, following a collaboration with UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre and IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature.
The commitment, confirmed in the firm’s 2015 Sustainable Development Report issued this week, is in line with the globally accepted ...
2 min read
Friday, 29 April 2016
The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, expressed sadness and anger after the latest violent attack of 23rd April at Garamba National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The attack left three dead and two wounded among the guards of the Park.
"I condemn this attack and killing of the guards at Garamba National Park. Once again I commend the courage of the guards who risk their lives to ...
1 min read
Friday, 29 April 2016
Thanks to a contribution of 4,992 USD from the International Assistance World Heritage Fund, the State Party of Albania organized a training workshop for the development of monitoring indicators for the World Heritage property "Historic Centres of Berat and Gjirokastra”. The workshop took place in Berat, Gjirokastra and Tirana between 27 and 29 April 2016.
In 2009, the World Heritage ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 27 April 2016
On their return from a technical rapid assessment mission to the Palmyra yesterday, UNESCO’s experts presented their preliminary findings regarding damages to the Syrian Arab Republic World Heritage site.
Headed by the Director of UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre, the mission, from 24 to 26 April inspected both Palmyra’s museum and archaeological site. The mission was escorted by United ...
3 min read
Tuesday, 26 April 2016
Following years of preparation, the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park received an “in principle” approval as a Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA) from the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) last week. The endorsement is a major breakthrough in securing protection from the impacts of international shipping for the World Heritage site and a ...
2 min read
Monday, 25 April 2016
UNESCO has sent a Rapid Assessment Mission to the world Heritage site of Palmyra (Arab Syrian Republic), led by the Director of the World Heritage Centre, from 24 to 26 April 2016.
The objective of the mission is to assess the overall state of conservation of Palmyra and identify the emergency safeguarding measures, including drafting a damage assessment of the site and the museum. The ...
2 min read
