Friday, October 19, 2012
Director-General condemns renewed destruction of mausoleums in Timbuktu
Irina Bokova, the Director-General of UNESCO today denounced the renewed destruction of mausoleums in northern Mali, near the World Heritage city of ...

Thursday, October 11, 2012
UNESCO Director-General deplores the increasing threats and possible damage to the Umayyad Mosque in Aleppo, Syria
UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova today expressed utmost concern over the escalation of violence in Syria, in particular in the vicinity of several ...

Monday, October 8, 2012
UNESCO launches Africa Nature programme
On 1 and 2 October 2012, a workshop took place in Nairobi, Kenya to launch the UNESCO Africa Nature Programme, which was developed following the ...

Monday, October 1, 2012
Rock Islands Southern Lagoon and Tubbataha World Heritage sites win Future Policy Award for marine resource management
This year, two Marine World Heritage sites won the Future Policy Award, which celebrates policies that create better living conditions for current and ...

Sunday, September 30, 2012
UNESCO Director-General deplores destruction of ancient Aleppo markets, a World Heritage site
UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova today expressed distress and dismay over the fire that severely damaged the ancient markets in the old city of ...

Friday, September 21, 2012
The International Protection of Landscapes conference results in Declaration on Landscape
The International Protection of Landscapes meeting was organized by UNESCO and the International Traditional Knowledge Institute and held in ...

Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Singapore becomes 190th State Party to the World Heritage Convention
On 19 June 2012, the Government of Singapore officially deposited with the Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, its instrument of ratification, ...

Wednesday, September 19, 2012
The Director-General pays tribute to leading US conservationist and one of the founding fathers of the World Heritage Convention
It was with great sadness that the Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, learned of the passing of Russell E. Train, former President of the World ...

Tuesday, September 18, 2012
10.5 billion tonnes of carbon stored in World Heritage forest sites
A study commissioned by the World Heritage Centre reviews the total carbon stored in trees, leaves forest litter and soil for all 106 World Heritage ...

Tuesday, September 18, 2012
IUCN World Conservation Congress celebrates the 40th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention and calls for maintaining the highest standards for World Heritage
On Saturday 15 September, the IUCN World Conservation Congress ended on the Island of Jeju, Republic of Korea, which harbors the “Jeju Volcanos ...

Monday, September 17, 2012
UNESCO and National Geographic partner with Intercontinental Hotels for Responsible Business Week 2012
InterContinental Hotels & Resorts Responsible Business Week to run from 17-23 September 2012 InterContinental Hotels & Resorts today embarks ...

Saturday, September 15, 2012
The Director-General visits the Historic Quarter of the City of Colonia del Sacramento in Uruguay
UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova traveled to Colonia del Sacramento today, and visited the old city, which became the first World Heritage site ...

Saturday, September 15, 2012
The Jurassic Coast celebrates the Earth in 2012
The Jurassic Coast Earth Festival 2012 was a celebration of England’s only natural World Heritage Site – the Dorset and EastDevonCoast, ...

Friday, September 7, 2012
IUCN World Conservation Congress begins in Jeju, Republic of Korea
The IUCN World Conservation Congress, the world’s largest and most important conservation event, began 6 September on the Island of Jeju, ...

Thursday, September 6, 2012
Job opening: Cultural Heritage Specialist for Arab Regional Centre for World Heritage in Manama, Bahrain
The  recently established Arab Regional Centre for World Heritage (ARC-WH) in Manama, Bahrain, is currently recruiting a Culture Heritage ...

Wednesday, September 5, 2012
2013 UNESCO World Heritage Desk Diary published
Featuring a useful week-at-a-glance design, the Desk Diary is illustrated with colour photos of World Heritage sites, each accompanied with ...

Monday, September 3, 2012
The Director-General congratulates the Italian authorities for progress achieved in the conservation of the iconic World Heritage site of the Archaeological Areas of Pompei and Herculaneum
During her visit to Naples on the occasion of the World Urban Forum organized by UN-HABITAT, the Director-General, Irina Bokova, commended the Italian ...

Thursday, August 23, 2012
Argentina names World Heritage site to the Ramsar List
The government of Argentina has designated its 21st Wetland of International Importance, called the Humedales de Península Valdés ...

Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Patrimonito Chinese Storyboard Competition 2012 Results
In June 2012, the World Heritage Education Center for Youth (Beijing, China) and the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (WHC) launched ...

Friday, August 17, 2012
Director-General deeply concerned by wildfires in Southern Europe
UNESCO is monitoring closely the impact of wildfires in Southern Europe and the southernmost portion of the European Union. The Organization has been ...

Friday, August 17, 2012
Launch of ICOMOS-ICORP website
ICOMOS-ICORP recently launched its new website and Facebook page. ICOMOS- ICORP is the International Scientific Committee on Risk ...

Friday, August 10, 2012
Panasonic organizes UNESCO World Heritage Eco Learning event for Hanoi secondary school students
Panasonic Vietnam, in cooperation with UNESCO’s Office in Hanoi, organized the Eco Learning program on UNESCO World Heritage for students ...

Friday, August 10, 2012
Aleppo must be saved: Call by the Chairman of the World Heritage Committee
"Regardless of political positioning, the public is deeply concerned about the security situation in Aleppo and the safety of its citizens ...

Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Director-General Visits the Buddhist Monuments of Bagan
Close to one thousand years ago, Anawrahta, king of the first Myanmar Empire and a staunch advocate of Theravada Buddhism, embarked on one of the most ...

Monday, August 6, 2012
“World Heritage and indigenous peoples” - on the occasion of the International Day of the World’s Indigenous People, 9 August 2012
At its tenth session, the UN Permanent Forum on indigenous issues (UNPFII) made several recommendations relating to UNESCO, its World Heritage ...

Tuesday, July 31, 2012
UNESCO and the Smithsonian Institution team up to celebrate the World Heritage Convention
The project ‘Protection, Preservation and Prosperity: Stories of World Heritage,’ is being launched today by UNESCO and the Smithsonian ...

Friday, July 27, 2012
The Director-General of UNESCO appeals for the Protection of the World Heritage City of Aleppo
In light of escalated violence in the vicinity of several historic urban areas in Syria, the Director-General reiterates her appeal of 30 March 2012, ...

Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Creation of a Special Fund for the Safeguarding of Mali’s World Heritage sites
Echoing the call of UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova, the World Heritage Committee has established a Special Fund to support Mali’s efforts ...

Friday, July 20, 2012
RRF grant awarded to rebuilt the Okapi Wildlife Reserve
On June 24, a group of armed rebels attacked the headquarters of the Okapi Wildlife Reserve, situated in the north-east of the Democratic Republic of ...

Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Tokyo Expert Meeting (Feb 2012) published
The record of the "International Expert Meeting on the 40th Anniversary" which was held on 16 February 2012 is now available on the Japan ...

Friday, July 6, 2012
World Heritage Centre signs Memorandum of Understanding with the French Marine Protected Area Agency
The World Heritage Centre and the French Marine Protected Area Agency (AAMP) signed a Memorandum of Understanding in support of the conservation of ...

Friday, July 6, 2012
End of 36th session of the World Heritage Committee marked by concern for World Heritage sites in Mali
The World Heritage Committee Friday closed its 36th session after almost two weeks of work under the chair of Eleonora Mitrofanova, the Ambassador ...

Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Emergency appeal for Okapi Wildlife Reserve (DRC) following murderous raid by poachers
*Read about new updates   UNESCO and the nongovernmental organization Fauna and Flora International are launching an emergency appeal to ...

Wednesday, July 4, 2012
21st International Radiocarbon Conference held at UNESCO Headquarters
The World Heritage Thematic Programme, Human Evolution: Adaptations, Dispersals and Social Developments (HEADS) http://whc.unesco.org/en/heads/, ...

Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Beech Forests of Europe – Further Sites for the WH list ?
After a three-day expert meeting held in Italy and ending on 20 June 2012, participants concluded that there is further potential for European beech ...

Tuesday, July 3, 2012
World Heritage Committee calls for end to destruction of Mali’s heritage and adopts decision for its support
The World Heritage Committee on 2 July condemned the destruction of World Heritage sites in Mali and decided on measures to help the country protect ...

Monday, July 2, 2012
Twenty-six new sites inscribed on UNESCO World Heritage List this year
The World Heritage Committee on Monday morning inscribed Lena Pillars Nature Park of the Russian Federation, the last site to be added to ...

Sunday, July 1, 2012
Four natural and four cultural properties added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List on Sunday
The World Heritage Committee on Sunday inscribed eight new sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, including Chad’s first World Heritage ...

Saturday, June 30, 2012
Bahraini pearling site and the Mosque of Isfahan inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List
Pearling, testimony of an island economy (Bahrain) and the Masjed-e Jāmé of Isfahan (Iran) were inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage ...

Saturday, June 30, 2012
Sites in Iran, Malaysia, Canada, Slovenia, Spain, Germany, Portugal and France on UNESCO’s World Heritage List
The World Heritage Committee on Saturday afternoon added the following sites to UNESCO’s World Heritage List: Gonbad-e Qābus (Iran), ...

Saturday, June 30, 2012
UNESCO Director-General of UNESCO calls for a halt to destruction of cultural heritage site in Timbuktu
UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova today expressed her distress and dismay over the destruction of three sacred tombs that are part of a World ...

Saturday, June 30, 2012
Mexican tourism project cancelled to protect Gulf of California World Heritage site
The World Heritage Centre received a letter today from the Government of Mexico’s National Commission for Natural Protected Areas formally ...

Friday, June 29, 2012
Church of the Nativity and the Pilgrimage Route in Bethlehem, Palestine, inscribed on UNESCO World Heritage List along with sites from Israel, Palau, Indonesia and Morocco
New sites have been inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List: Birthplace of Jesus: the Church of the Nativity and the Pilgrimage Route, ...

Friday, June 29, 2012
Xanadu (China), Bassari Country (Senegal) and Grand Bassam (Côte d’Ivoire) added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List
The Site of Xanadu (China), the Bassari Country: Bassari and Bedik Cultural Landscapes (Senegal) and the Historic Town Grand Bassam, the first capital ...

Friday, June 29, 2012
UNESCO Director-General preoccupied by fighting in World Heritage sites in eastern DRC
The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, expressed her utmost concern with the recent fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, which is ...

Thursday, June 28, 2012
Heritage sites in northern Mali placed on List of World Heritage in Danger
The World Heritage Committee on Thursday accepted the request of the government of Mali to place Timbuktu and the Tomb of Askia on UNESCO’s List ...

Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Better conservation in Pakistan and the Philippines allow Committee to remove two sites from World Heritage List in Danger
The World Heritage Committee on Tuesday morning recognized the success of two countries, Pakistan and the Philippines, in improving the conservation ...

Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Panamanian fortifications inscribed on List of World Heritage in Danger
Environmental factors, lack of maintenance and uncontrollable urban developments have been cited as reasons to inscribe the Fortifications on the ...

Tuesday, June 26, 2012
World Heritage Committee places Liverpool on List of World Heritage in Danger
The World Heritage Committee has placed Liverpool Maritime Mercantile City on the List of World Heritage in Danger due to the proposed construction ...

Monday, June 25, 2012
Day 1 in St Petersburg: 2012 World Heritage Committee
Of the 33 sites nominated this year, which ones will make the cut to achieve UNESCO World Heritage status? The first day of the World Heritage ...

Sunday, June 24, 2012
36th session of World Heritage Committee opens with focus on sustainable development
The challenges facing heritage preservation as UNESCO celebrates the 40th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention were the focus of the opening ...

Sunday, June 24, 2012
36th Session of World Heritage Committee Youth Forum: Kazan (Republic of Tatarstan) 1 - 9 July, 2012
The Youth Model of the World Heritage Committee, to be held in Kazan from 1 to 9 July, is designed to attract the attention of young people of the ...

Wednesday, June 20, 2012
UNESCO and NOUH sign agreement for preservation of Historic Cairo
On 11 June, a protocol agreement for a preservation and management project for Historic Cairo (Egypt) was signed by Mr. Samir Gharib, Head of the ...