Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Fires at the World Heritage site of Pitons, cirques and remparts of Reunion Island (Réunion, France)
UNESCO is monitoring with concern the situation in the Pitons, cirques and remparts of Reunion Island, World Heritage site where fires have been ...

Tuesday, November 1, 2011
SIDS Capacity-Building Programme established
On 10 August 2011 the Japanese Government approved the programme proposal "Capacity Building to Support the Conservation of World Heritage Sites and ...

Monday, October 31, 2011
Floods at Cinque Terre World Heritage site
The UNESCO World Heritage Centre would like to express its condolences for the lives lost in northern Italy last week in the floods and mudslides ...

Friday, October 21, 2011
UNESCO convenes Libyan and international experts meeting for the safeguard of Libya’s cultural heritage
UNESCO has invited experts from both inside and outside of Libya to urgently examine the preservation of cultural heritage in the country, notably ...

Friday, October 21, 2011
First International Purple Economy Forum held
The UNESCO World Heritage Centre participated in a round table on “Attractiveness of regional assets: The creation and regionalization of added ...

Friday, October 14, 2011
Flooding in Thailand
Severe flooding in Thailand since mid July has this week inundated the World Heritage property of the Historic City of Ayutthaya, founded in ca. 1350 ...

Friday, October 14, 2011
Cape Floral Region Protected Areas get Conservation Boost from World Heritage Centre Partner
Fauna and Flora International (FFI) a longtime partner of UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre, launched a global appeal this week with the objective ...

Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Training in marine spatial planning of World Heritage marine sites in Mexico
Whale Sanctuary of El Vizcaino and Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of California(both located in Baja California, Mexico). The Whale ...

Tuesday, October 11, 2011
A 7000 Euro Grant For The Realization Of A Cultural Project Concerning The Mediterranean World
Born after 31 December 1975 you will be under 30 years of age in 2012. You are a native of a Mediterranean country. You wish to develop a ...

Monday, October 3, 2011
Severe damage to Philippine Rice Terraces by two typhoons
The Northern Luzon of the Philippines was severely affected by Typhoon Pedrin (International Name: Nesat) which crossed the region on Tuesday 27 ...

Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Satellites and World Heritage sites, partners to understand climate change
Financed by the Flemish Government and organized by UNESCO and its space partners, in particular Planet Action, this exhibition uses a series of ...

Friday, September 16, 2011
The World Heritage Centre and History® to raise awareness about preservation across the globe
UNESCO's World Heritage Centre and HISTORY® are partnering to increase awareness about heritage preservation worldwide. As part of the three-year ...

Friday, September 9, 2011
UNESCO's Commitment to Action for the cultural recovery of Jacmel (Haiti) has been accepted by the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI)
UNESCO's Commitment to Action for the cultural recovery of Jacmel (Haiti) has been accepted by the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI). The project was ...

Monday, August 22, 2011
Grand Canyon National Park Hosts U.S. World Heritage Fellow
Mr John Zulu, site manager of Zambia's Mosi-oa-Tunya / Victoria Falls National Park and World Heritage site arrived in the U.S. August 5th to spend ...

Friday, August 19, 2011
18th session of the General Assembly of the States Parties to the World Heritage Convention and presentation of candidatures for the election of members to the World Heritage Committee
UNESCO Headquarters, Rooms XII, 7 to 9 November 2011 The General Assembly of States Parties to the Convention concerning the Protection of the World ...

Wednesday, August 10, 2011
"I Know Where I'm Going”- Remote Access to World Heritage Sites from St Kilda to Uluru Conference
Informatics Forum, 10 Crichton Street, Edinburgh, EH8 9AB (Scotland, UK) At a time of economic crisis and environmental threat, ...

Tuesday, August 2, 2011
[in French only] Lettre d'information de la Convention France-UNESCO N°19
[in French only] Vie de la CFU Réunion du Comite mixte de coordination, 26 avril 2011, UNESCO, Paris. Comite du patrimoine mondial, Paris, ...

Tuesday, August 2, 2011
17th ICOMOS General Assembly and Scientific Symposium on the theme “Heritage: Driver of Development”
The most important triennial gathering of ICOMOS will take place from 27 November to 2 December 2011 for the first time in Paris at UNESCO ...

Friday, July 22, 2011
Caribbean Capacity Building Programme (CCBP)’s training Module 6 on Natural Heritage Management available on line
UNESCO Havana, Regional Office for Culture in Latin America and the Caribbean, is pleased to introduce module 6 of the Caribbean Capacity Building ...

Friday, July 15, 2011
Decisions by 35th session of the World Heritage Committee online
The final version of the Decisions adopted at the 35th session of the World Heritage Committee, which was held at UNESCO Headquarters from 19 to 29 ...

Thursday, July 7, 2011
World Heritage Committee refers decision to revise the boundaries of Selous Game Reserve (Tanzania)
In February, the United Republic of Tanzania submitted a request for a minor modification to the boundaries of the Selous Game Reserve. The 50000 km2 ...

Thursday, July 7, 2011
Report of impact of tsunami on Galápagos wildlife
Eighteen hours after the March 11 tsunami wreaked devastation in Japan, it hit the Galápagos Islands.  Luckily, by then the energy of ...

Friday, July 1, 2011
Five World Heritage Sites in Africa Selected to Participate in Business Planning Programme
After a rigorous selection process, a total of 18 managers from five World Heritage sites in Africa were recently selected for admission into the ...

Friday, July 1, 2011
World Bank and UNESCO: Expanding Opportunities for Collaboration on Culture and Sustainable Development
Memorandum of Understanding Outlines Concrete Joint Initiatives UNESCO and the World Bank have cooperated informally over the past decades, in ...

Thursday, June 30, 2011
Tides of Time Partners Renew Commitment to Marine World Heritage until 2014
In June 2011, Jaeger-LeCoultre, the International Herald Tribune and UNESCO's World Heritage Centre agreed to renew their longstanding 'Tides of Time' ...

Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Four new sites inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List
The Residence of Bukovinian and Dalmatian Metropolitans (Ukraine), the Petroglyphs Complexes of the Mongolian Altai (Mongolia), The Causses and the ...

Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Twenty-five new properties inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List which now numbers 936
The World Heritage Committee has inscribed a total of 25 sites on UNESCO's World Heritage List, including three natural properties, 21 cultural and ...

Monday, June 27, 2011
Sites in Ethiopia, Kenya and Viet Nam inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List
Konso Cultural Landscape (Ethiopia) , Fort Jesus, Mombasa (Kenya) and Citadel of the Ho Dynasty (Viet Nam), have been added to UNESCO's World ...

Monday, June 27, 2011
Six new sites inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List
The Ancient villages of Northern Syria (Syrian Arab Republic), The Cultural Sites of Al Ain (Hafit, Hili, Bidaa Bint Saud and Oases Areas), (United ...

Sunday, June 26, 2011
UNESCO Director-General regrets the announcement of Thailand's intention to denounce the 1972 World Heritage Convention
The Director-General of UNESCO Irina Bokova has expressed her deep regret following the declaration of the Thai Minister Suwit Khunkitti during the ...

Saturday, June 25, 2011
Barbados enters World Heritage List with Bridgetown and its Garrison; Hiraizumi (Japan) and Germany’s Beech Forests also inscribed
The World Heritage Committee has inscribed three new sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage List so far today: the Ancient Beech Forests of Germany as ...

Saturday, June 25, 2011
World Heritage Committee inscribes five new sites in Colombia, Sudan, Jordan, Italy and Germany
The Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia (Colombia), the Archaeological Sites of the Island of Meroe (Sudan), Wadi Rum Protected Area (Jordan) and ...

Friday, June 24, 2011
Ancient Chinese cultural landscape, the West Lake of Hangzhou, inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List
The World Heritage Committee has inscribed the West Lake Cultural Landscape of Hangzhou, comprising the West Lake and the hills surrounding its three ...

Friday, June 24, 2011
Japan's Ogasawara Islands on UNESCO's World Heritage List
The World Heritage Committee has inscribed Ogasawara Islands, the Japanese islands situated some 1,000 km south of the country's main archipelago, on ...

Friday, June 24, 2011
Kenya Lake System in the Great Rift Valley and Australia's Ningaloo Coast inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List
The World Heritage Committee has inscribed the Kenya Lake System in the Great Rift Valley (Kenya) and Australia's Ningaloo Coast on UNESCO's World ...

Friday, June 24, 2011
Senegal’s Saloum Delta inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List
The World Heritage Committee has inscribed Saloum Delta (Senegal) and its vestiges of more than two millennia of human occupation on UNESCO’s ...

Friday, June 24, 2011
Contested Tanzania highway project will not cross Serengeti National Park
In an important decision taken at the current session of the World Heritage Committee at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France, the United Republic of ...

Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Danger listing for Indonesia’s Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra
The need to mobilize support and raise awareness to overcome threats facing the 2.5 million hectare Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra has led ...

Wednesday, June 22, 2011
World Heritage Committee puts Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve on Danger List at the request of Honduras
The Honduran World Heritage site of Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve , one of the few tropical rainforest remains in Central America, has ...

Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Successful preservation of India's Manas Wildlife Sanctuary enables withdrawal from the List of World Heritage in Danger
Significant improvements in the preservation of Manas Wildlife Sanctuary have allowed for its withdrawal from the List of World Heritage List ...

Monday, June 20, 2011
Conservation of World Heritage sites under scrutiny: World Heritage Committee meets to examine World Heritage List and inscribe new sites
The future of the World Heritage Convention ahead of its 40th anniversary next year and the growing challenges of heritage preservation were the key ...

Monday, June 20, 2011
'Our Place' Photo Exhibit at 35th session of World Heritage Committee
A selection of 50 photographs of World Heritage sites are on display during the 35th session of the World Heritage Committee held from 19 to 29 June ...

Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Launch of InforMEA – the United Nations Information Portal on Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs)
The MEA Information and Knowledge Management (IKM) Initiative brings together the UN, UNESCO, FAO and UNEP, and 12 global UN Multilateral ...

Tuesday, June 7, 2011
The World Heritage Paper Series N°28: "Navigating the Future of Marine World Heritage" is published
Since the early 1980s, forty-three marine sites have been inscribed on the World Heritage List, covering about 1.4 million km2 of ocean surface - ...

Friday, June 3, 2011
UNESCO and Panasonic partner to promote World Heritage conservation and environmental education
UNESCO's World Heritage Centre and Panasonic Corporation on 3 June announced a strategic partnership agreement to promote sustainable development ...

Wednesday, May 25, 2011
First South-East Europe World Heritage Youth Forum
The First South-East Europe World Heritage Youth Forum is currently underway with the theme 'World Heritage education: Networking for a ...

Friday, May 20, 2011
Parks Canada wins conservation award; celebrates 100 years
The UNESCO World Heritage Centre would like to congratulate Parks Canada on its 100th anniversary, and for receiving the Gift to the Earth award from ...

Friday, May 20, 2011
[in French only] Formation intensive pour gestionnaires francophones de sites patrimoniaux
[in French only] « Construire ensemble l'avenir des sites patrimoniaux : élaborer et mettre en œuvre une gestion durable pour ...

Thursday, May 19, 2011
International Conference "What is the fate of Public Art?"
In celebration of the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development On the 19th and 20th May 2011, the World Heritage Centre of ...

Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Anti-Poaching Patrols to continue at Niokolo Koba National Park, thanks to Rapid Response Facility emergency support
Niokolo Koba National Park in Senegal was inscribed onto the List of World Heritage sites In Danger in 2007 due in large part to intensive poaching ...

Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Ashgabat Agreement: representatives and experts of twelve Asian countries outline the Silk Roads Heritage Corridors approach for the future Serial and Trans-boundary World Heritage Nomination
Some fifty potential Silk Roads Heritage Corridors have been identified, with twenty corridors being  considered as a medium priority, while ...

Monday, May 16, 2011
UNESCO World Heritage sites iPhone and iPad Application from HarperCollins
UNESCO and HarperCollins Publishers are pleased to announce the release of the world's first fully comprehensive World Heritage sites application ...

Friday, May 13, 2011
World Migratory Bird Day 2011 observed 14-15 May in over 50 countries
The theme for World Migratory Bird Day 2011, celebrated around the world on 14-15 May, is ' Land use changes from a bird's-eye view ' and it ...

Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Dr Kenton R. Miller, nature conservation leader and former IUCN Director General, dies
The UNESCO World Heritage Centre and IUCN are deeply saddened by the loss of one of nature conservation’s leading lights. Dr Kenton ...

Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Human - Elephant conflict: Rapid Response Facility awards emergency grant to the Wildlife Conservation Society of Tanzania
The UNESCO - FFI - UNF Rapid Response Facility awarded an emergency grant to the Wildlife Conservation Society of Tanzania this week in response to ...

Thursday, May 5, 2011
Forty-two sites to be considered for inscription on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in June
Remarkable natural and cultural properties from 40 countries will be considered for inscription on UNESCO’s World Heritage List during the ...

Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Jaeger-LeCoultre auction proceeds support Malpelo Fauna and Flora Sanctuary
From 18-22 April 2011, the Swiss watch manufacturer Jaeger-LeCoultre organized its third online auction for the benefit of World Heritage marine ...

Friday, April 29, 2011
World Heritage Memory Net Launched
World Heritage Memory Net (WHMNet) is a model global digital library of cultural, historical, and moveable heritage collections related to the current ...

Thursday, April 28, 2011
Increase in One-horned Rhinoceros reported at Royal Chitwan National Park World Heritage Site (Nepal)
The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has released the results of its rhinoceros census in Nepal, reporting a reported 23% increase in rhino ...

Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Expert Working Group releases recommendations for Safeguarding Bamiyan
Following their meeting in UNESCO Headquarters, Paris 3-4 March 2011, a group of Afghan and international experts working on the safeguarding of ...

Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Conclusions of the Second HERITY International Conference
This conference was held in Rome December 3-5, 2008. The conclusions outlined below were reached thanks to contributions from ICCROM, UNESCO-WHC, ...

Tuesday, April 19, 2011
UNESCO for Haiti. 19 April 2011
UNESCO invites Member States, Intergovernemental Organizations, NGOs, the Private Sector and Civil Society to a Conference designed to demonstrate the ...

Thursday, April 7, 2011
Call for applications for the IV° edition of the Master in "World Heritage at Work"
The call for applications for the IV° edition of the Master in "World Heritage at Work", offered by the University of Turin, the Polytechnic of ...

Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Rapid Response Facility Supports Post Tsunami Recovery in Galápagos
The devastating March 11th earthquake that struck the coast of Japan created a powerful tsunami that ravaged the  coastline and brought tragedy ...

Monday, April 4, 2011
2010 - 2011 World Heritage map now available
The latest version of the World Heritage Map, produced by the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and National Geographic Maps with support from Ministry of ...

Thursday, March 31, 2011
Statement from the Chairperson of the World Heritage Committee
Since the Kingdom of Bahrain became for the first time a member of the prestigious World Heritage Committee in 2007, one of the ...

Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Kishore Rao appointed Director of UNESCO World Heritage Centre
Kishore Rao has been appointed Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre. An expert in forestry and natural resources policy and planning, Mr Rao ...

Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Director-General urges military forces engaged in Libya to refrain from endangering cultural heritage
The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, today called on both Libya and the coalition of States implementing a no-fly zone over the country to ...

Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Call for Posters on World Heritage Cities and Climate Change for the 11th OWHC World Congress
In view of the forthcoming 11th World Congress of the Organization of World Heritage Cities in Sintra (Portugal), 22 to 25 November 2011, the OWHC has ...

Monday, March 21, 2011
Statement of the Chairperson of the World Heritage Committee
Following the kind invitation of the World Heritage Centre, I had the great pleasure to attend the meeting entitled "Follow-up to the Second Cycle of ...

Friday, March 18, 2011
Arab States meeting held to define regional programme
From 2008 to 2010, the Arab States Parties to the World Heritage Convention undertook the Periodic Reporting exercise, consisting in assessing the ...

Friday, March 18, 2011
Director-General welcomes suspension of oil prospection at Virunga National Park (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, has welcomed the announcement by the Minister for Environment, Nature Conservation and Tourism of the ...

Friday, March 18, 2011
35th session of the World Heritage Committee to meet in Paris in June 2011
Due to the prevailing situation in the Kingdom of Bahrain and following consultations with Bahraini authorities, the Director-General of UNESCO, Irina ...

Wednesday, March 16, 2011
UNESCO World Heritage Centre expresses its solidarity with Japanese people following tragic events
The UNESCO World Heritage Centre would like to express its condolences for the loss of lives due to the devastating earthquake and tsunami which ...

Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Tsunami Spares Galapagos Wildlife, but Destroys Marine Laboratory
Minor damage has been reported at Galápagos Islands World Heritage site following the earthquake and tsunami that occurred off the coast of ...

Friday, March 11, 2011
[in French only] Newsletter N° 18 de la Convention France UNESCO
[in French only] Vie de la CFU * Réunion de bilan technique, 3 Février 2011, UNESCO, Paris* Rapport sur les possibilités de ...

Thursday, March 10, 2011
Resource Manual 'Preparing World Heritage Nominations' available online
The second title within the World Heritage Resource Manuals Preparing World Heritage Nominations (First Edition, 2010) series has just been ...

Monday, March 7, 2011
Experts outline future plans for the Cultural Landscape and Archaeological Remains of the Bamiyan Valley (Afghanistan)
Afghan officials and international experts outlined plans for the future safeguarding of the Cultural Landscape and Archaeological Remains of Bamiyan ...

Thursday, March 3, 2011
Ten years on – remembering the tragic destruction of the giant Buddha statues of Bamiyan (Afghanistan)
UNESCO will commemorate the 10th anniversary of the tragic destruction of the giant Buddha statues of Bamiyan with a forum on the event and a two-day ...

Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Statement from the Chairperson of the World Heritage Committee on the earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand
On behalf of the World Heritage Committee, I was deeply saddened by the news of the earthquake that has caused loss of life and the destruction of the ...

Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Sustainable Indicators in World Heritage Urban Areas, Mexico City, Mexico
A mission was organized from the 30th January - 5th February 2010 in view of strengthening Spanish Funds-in-Trust technical cooperation, focusing on ...

Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Publication of the Comparative Analysis on Archaeology of Hunter-gatherers. Archaeological sites of the Chinchorro Culture
The International Meeting "The Chinchorro Culture from a Comparative Perspective ", took place in Arica, Chile, 5-8 January, 2010. As a ...

Tuesday, February 22, 2011
UNESCO Special Envoy on Preah Vihear to meet with prime ministers of Thailand and Cambodia
UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova's Special Envoy on the Preah Vihear Temple, Koïchiro Matsuura, will travel to Bangkok and Phnom Penh between ...