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The Ahwar of Southern Iraq: Refuge of Biodiversity and the Relict Landscape of the Mesopotamian Cities (Iraq)
  

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Best Wishes from the World Heritage Centre
Friday, 21 December 2007
A turreted castle in the icescape of Antarctica evokes not just the sublime beauty of nature but also its impermanence. Preserving this fragile balance between nature and human activity is at the heart of the World Heritage Convention and our efforts to reconcile development and long-term sustainability.In 2008, the International Year of Planet Earth, we would like to pay tribute to our ...
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United Nations 62nd General Assembly proclaimed 2009 the International Year of Astronomy
Thursday, 20 December 2007
On 20 December 2007, the United Nations 62nd General Assembly proclaimed 2009 the International Year of Astronomy. UNESCO was designated as the lead agency and focal point for the Year.The UNESCO Thematic Initiative “Astronomy and World Heritage” launched in support of this International Year aims to establish a link between science and culture with a view to highlighting the scientific value ...
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Sundarbans World Heritage site devastated by cyclone, according to UNESCO experts who visited the site
Friday, 7 December 2007
Bangladesh was struck by a powerful cyclone on November 15 which left more than 3,000 people dead and millions without shelter. While a major international relief effort is currently underway to respond Cyclone Sidr's devastating impact on life and property, UNESCO's World Heritage Centre also sent a team to the Sundarbans World Heritage site, which was badly hit by the disaster. Home ...
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UNESCO regrets U.K. government's decision to cancel A303 road improvement scheme for Stonehenge World Heritage property
Friday, 7 December 2007
UNESCO regrets the U.K. government's decision to cancel the A303 Stonehenge Road Improvement scheme on the basis of cost concerns and hopes that another solution will be found to relieve traffic congestion around the World Heritage property of Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated sites. UNESCO's World Heritage Centre, which has been actively involved in finding a solution to this ...
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Renewed fighting threatens mountain gorillas in Virunga National Park
Friday, 7 December 2007
Heavy fighting broke out again on December 3, 2007 between the DRC army and rebel forces of general Nkunda north of the city of Goma, in North Kivu.  Heavy shelling and gunfire is taking place in the immediate vicinity of the heart of the gorilla sector in the Virunga National Park and World Heritage site. The renewed fighting poses a serious threat to the survival of the mountain gorillas, ...
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Brasilia celebrates 20th anniversary as World Heritage site
Friday, 7 December 2007
UNESCO and the Federal District Government held a ceremony on 7 December 2007 to celebrate 20 years of Brasilia's inscription as a World Heritage site. ‘We will strive with all our efforts to ensure that Brasilia, which is the only contemporary asset inscribed by UNESCO, preserves its quality of life and its urban, architectonic and human conception,' said the Governor of the Federal ...
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Final “Sharing our Heritages” (SOH) master class in France and Belgium
Monday, 3 December 2007
Over the past two years the World Heritage Centre of UNESCO has defined a strategy that aims to encourage universities worldwide to develop World Heritage studies and curricula. In this framework, UNESCO WHC is associated with a three-year project, called "Sharing Our Heritages" (SOH) involving 80 students from the European Union and Australia and funded by both parties.The last ...
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Djibouti ratifies the World Heritage Convention
Friday, 30 November 2007
On 30 August 2007, the Government of Djibouti officially deposited with the Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, its instrument of ratification, becoming the 185th State Party to adopt the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage.The World Heritage Convention entered into force for this State Party on 30 November 2007.
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Inscription of Old Town of Regensburg with Stadtamhof on UNESCO’s World Heritage List
Monday, 26 November 2007
The official ceremony  to mark the inscription of the Old Town of Regensburg with Stadtamhof on the World Heritage List took place at the historical Reichssaal on 24 November 2007 in the presence of 300 invited guests. Thousands of local residents and tourists took part in celebrations including guided city tours, performances of music, theatre and historical dance illustrating stages in the ...
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UNESCO regrets decision on construction of bridge that threatens delisting of Dresden Elbe Valley from World Heritage List
Thursday, 15 November 2007
UNESCO regrets the decision of a German court to authorize the construction of a bridge likely to lead to the deletion of the cultural landscape of Dresden Elbe Valley (Germany)* from the World Heritage List. The status of the property on the UNESCO's World Heritage List is due to be reviewed by the World Heritage Committee at its next meeting in July 2008.For more information please see: ...
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Anna Amalia Library re-opens after extensive restoration
Monday, 5 November 2007
The Anna Amalia Library, part of Germany's Classical Weimar World Heritage site, re-opened to the public on October 24 after extensive restoration work following a devastating fire in 2004. The official opening was hosted by German President Horst Koehler.The fire destroyed the library on 3 September 2004. After the debris was removed, efforts were focused on securing the structure with ...
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Restored Venaria Reale Palace re-opens
Monday, 5 November 2007
The Baroque palace of Venaria Reale, built by the Savoy dynasty outside the city of Turin, has been re-opened to the public after eight years of restoration works. The palace is one of a group of buildings inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1997 as the Residences of the Royal House of Savoy. Built during the 17th and 18th centuries, the palace had declined in the 19th century when it ...
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Award of five UNESCO-Vocations Patrimoine fellowships to meet new economic and safeguarding challenges of heritage
Monday, 5 November 2007
Five young heritage professionals from around the world received UNESCO-Vocations Patrimoine fellowships to pursue post graduate research at University College Dublin (Ireland) and at the Brandenburg Technical University of Cottbus (Germany). The aim of the fellowships is to help prepare site managers to handle the growing threats to which World Heritage sites - 851 sites inscribed around the ...
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Nine new members elected to World Heritage Committee
Friday, 26 October 2007
Nine new members have been elected to the 21-member World Heritage Committee in charge of implementing UNESCO's Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage.Australia, Bahrain, Barbados, Brazil, China, Egypt, Jordan, Nigeria and Sweden were elected for four-year terms. The election took place during the General Assembly of the 184 States Parties to the ...
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Members elected to World Heritage Committee
Wednesday, 24 October 2007
The 16th General Assembly of States Parties to the World Heritage Convention elected 5 new members to the World Heritage Committee. The following States Parties were elected: Australia, Bahrain, China and Egypt. Barbados was elected to the seat reserved to a State Party with no properties on the World Heritage List. The third round of elections will start thursday October 25 at 10.05am, in ...
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[in French only] 16e Assemblée générale des Etats parties à la Convention du Patrimoine mondial
Wednesday, 24 October 2007
[in French only] Le Directeur général a ouvert, le 24 octobre 2007, la 16e session de l'Assemblée générale des Etats parties à la Convention de 1972, qui compte désormais 185 Etats Parties.Dans son discours d'ouverture, Koïchiro Matsuura s'est félicité que la Convention de 1972 ait été « unanimement reconnue comme un programme phare de l'UNESCO », au cours des débats de la ...
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UNESCO World Heritage Desk Diary 2008 Now Available
Wednesday, 17 October 2007
The UNESCO World Heritage Desk Diary 2008 has just been published. Featuring a useful week-at-a-glance design, it is illustrated with 77 colour photos of World Heritage sites, each accompanied with a short caption. It also introduces the Convention Concerning the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage; its objectives, the selection criteria, the institutions which ensure its ...
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Terrorist attacks damage Pakistan Buddha
Thursday, 4 October 2007
The UNESCO World Heritage Centre was informed of two attacks on an ancient rock carving of a seated Buddha located near Janabad in north-west Pakistan, a region known for its ancient Buddhist heritage and archaeological sites. According to numerous reports, suspected pro-Taliban militants carried out two attacks on the rock in early and late September, the second attack leaving the 7-metre ...
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International Melina Mercouri Prize awarded to Russian Federation's Borodino Battlefield
Thursday, 4 October 2007
At a ceremony held today at UNESCO Headquarters Mrs Françoise Rivière, Assistant Director-General for Culture, gave the award for the International Melina Mercouri Prize for the Safeguarding and Management of Cultural Landscapes (UNESCO-Greece) to the Borodino Battlefield (Russian Federation). This prize, named after Melina Mercouri, former Greek Minister of Culture, is financed by the ...
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[in French only] Newsletter n° 7 de la Convention France-UNESCO
Monday, 1 October 2007
[in French only] Actualités sur l'avancement des projets :Turin, Italie: Réunion technique d'urgence sur le site du patrimoine mondial du Minaret de Djam (Afghanistan), 24 - 25 juillet 2007Paris, France: Atelier de travail pour la mise en place d'une formation pour les collectivités africaines, 3-5 septembre 2007 Luang Pra Bang et Vientiane, RDP Laos: mission du 5 au 11 septembre ...
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Donate online to support World Heritage conservation
Friday, 14 September 2007
It's easier than ever to participate in the preservation of World Heritage sites by making an online donation on the UNESCO World Heritage Centre website. With a few clicks you can make a donation in any amount and 100% of it will be used to help protect the most spectacular sites in the world. To make a ...
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Tragic accident at Kilwa Kisiwani World Heritage site
Friday, 7 September 2007
The UNESCO World Heritage Centre sends its condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Ruzna Amli, a young Tanzanian woman from Songo Mnara, who had worked with the UNESCO restoration project of the Kilwa Kisiwani and Songo Mnara Ruins, a World Heritage Site in Tanzania. The young mother of three died of the consequences of a tragic accident during the restoration works. We deeply ...
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New Book on World Heritage Sites in the Philippines
Thursday, 30 August 2007
Living Landscapes and Cultural Landmarks: World Heritage Sites in the Philippines by Augusto F. Villalon, Photographs by Neal M. Oshima, Publisher: ArtPostAsia Pte. Ltd, Manila, the PhilippinesThis attractive book is the first publication to present all five World Heritage properties located in the Philippines in a single volume. Widely acknowledged by the international scientific community ...
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UNESCO Mission rallies support for the preservation of the mountain gorillas of the DRC
Thursday, 23 August 2007
A mission of experts led by UNESCO has rallied the support of the authorities of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC) and of local communities in the preservation of the endangered mountain gorillas of Virunga National Park.The mission, comprising experts from UNESCO and the World Conservation Union (IUCN) and ...
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UNESCO joins United Nations effort in response to Peruvian earthquake
Tuesday, 21 August 2007
UNESCO's World Heritage Centre extends its deepest sympathies to those who have been affected by the powerful August 15 earthquake in Peru, which measured 7.9 on the Richter scale and left some 500 people dead and over a thousand victims. Peru has 10 properties inscribed on the World Heritage List, including the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu, the Historic Centre of Lima, and the Chan ...
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Inscription of Lopé-Okanda site (Gabon) on UNESCO’s World Heritage List
Tuesday, 21 August 2007
Gabon celebrated the inscription of its Lopé-Okanda site on UNESCO's World Heritage List over the weekend of 11-12 August 2007. Spanning four provinces, Lopé-Okanda is Gabon's first World Heritage site and also the first mixed site in the Central African sub-region. The inscription highlights international recognition of the country's outstanding natural and cultural ...
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"Journalisme et Patrimoine Mondial" just published
Tuesday, 14 August 2007
Heritage advocates often reproach journalists for not being sufficiently interested in their field and for being only able to speak about it in a sensational or superficial way. Journalists for their part, highlight the constraints of editorial offices or express a certain mistrust towards institutions and heritage stakeholders. The international workshop which was held at Laval University, ...
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Dubrovnik Saved from Wildfires
Tuesday, 7 August 2007
The UNESCO World Heritage Centre is relieved that the wildfires around the city of Dubrovnik (Croatia) are now under control and would like to pay tribute to the firefighters who fought the blaze. Reports from Dubrovnik indicate that the Old City, designated a World Heritage site in 1979 and then extended in 1994, was untouched by the fire.  The situation was particularly dangerous during the ...
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New Episodes of Patrimonito's World Heritage Adventures available
Tuesday, 7 August 2007
Two new episodes, the fourth and fifth in the series Patrimonito's World Heritage Adventures ,are now available. 4th: Ethiopia (Lalibela) Watch English/French/Spanish Russian/Arabic/Chinese Download FLV format English/French/Spanish Russian/Arabic/Chinese   5th: Russian Federation (Novgorod) Watch English/French/Spanish ...
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Winners of Patrimonito Storyboard Competition 2007 Announced
Thursday, 2 August 2007
The winners of the most recent Patrimonito Storyboard Competition have been announced. The winning storyboard will be developed into the next episode of Patrimonito's World Heritage Adventures, a cartoon series for young people on World Heritage preservation. 6th: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Uganda (The Virunga Mountains) Watch English/French/Spanish ...
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Director-General voices concern over fate of Virunga National Park gorillas
Thursday, 2 August 2007
The Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, is concerned over attacks perpetrated against the mountain gorillas of the Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and has called on the national authorities to adopt urgent measures to brings the killings to an end.Declared a threatened species by the World Conservation Union (IUCN), the mountain gorilla is one of ...
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Virunga National Park: 4 more gorillas slaughtered
Friday, 27 July 2007
The death toll continues to rise in Virunga National Park (Democratic Republic of the Congo), where three females and one male silverback gorilla were shot and killed in the southern sector of the Park during the night of 22 July.The females, Safari, Neeza and Mburanumwe and the male Rugendo belonged to a group that was regularly visited by tourists. The death of these gorillas is not only ...
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UNESCO confirms that it is not involved in the "New 7 wonders of the world" campaign
Monday, 9 July 2007
In order to avoid any damaging confusion, UNESCO wishes to reaffirm that there is no link whatsoever between UNESCO's World Heritage programme, which aims to protect world heritage, and the current campaign concerning "The New 7 Wonders of the World". This campaign was launched in 2000 as a private initiative by Bernard Weber, the idea being to encourage citizens around the ...
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[in French only] Newsletter n° 6 de la Convention France-UNESCO
Thursday, 5 July 2007
[in French only] Actualités sur l'avancement des projets : Fleuve Niger et patrimoine : projet europeen Formation internationale à la gestion des sites patrimoniaux Vienne, Autriche, Réunion points focaux « rapport périodique » ouest européens : 2 - 4 mai 2007Saint-Louis du senegal : reportage photographique et suivi du projet Riga, Lettonie : missions en avril et juin 2007FOCUS : Actions ...
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Three new sites inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List
Friday, 29 June 2007
The World Heritage Committee today finalized this year's additions to UNESCO's World Heritage List with the inscription of three new sites: Gamzigrad-Romuliana, Palace of Galerius (Serbia), Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape (Azerbaijan), and Central University City Campus of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Mexico.The Late Roman fortified palace compound and ...
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Twenty-two new sites inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, and one deleted during Committee meeting in Christchurch
Friday, 29 June 2007
Christchurch, New Zealand, 29 June - The World Heritage Committee inscribed 22 new sites on UNESCO's World Heritage List during its ongoing session in Christchurch. The new inscriptions include 16 cultural, five natural and one mixed, cultural and natural property. In a decision unprecedented in the history of UNESCO's Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and ...
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World Heritage Committee inscribes two natural, one mixed, and four cultural sites onto UNESCO’s World Heritage List
Thursday, 28 June 2007
The World Heritage Committee today inscribed two natural sites on UNESCO's World Heritage List: Teide National Park (Spain); Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathian (Slovakia, Ukraine). The Committee also inscribed the Ecosystem and Relict Cultural Landscape of Lopé-Okanda (Gabon) as a mixed - cultural and natural - site. Four cultural sites were inscribed: the Richtersveld Cultural and ...
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World Heritage Committee inscribes four new cultural sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage List
Thursday, 28 June 2007
The World Heritage Committee on Thursday afternoon inscribed four cultural sites on UNESCO's World Heritage List: Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine and its Cultural Landscape (Japan), Parthian Fortresses of Nisa (Turkmenistan), Sydney Opera House (Australia), and the Red Fort Complex (India). The Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine, south-west of Honshu Island, is a cluster of mountains, rising to 600 metres ...
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Bosnian Bridge among five new sites inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List this evening
Thursday, 28 June 2007
Christchurch, New Zealand, 28 June - The World Heritage Committee on Thursday evening inscribed another five sites on UNESCO's World Heritage List: Mehmed Paša Sokolović Bridge of Višegrad (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Rideau Canal (Canada), Bordeaux, Port of the Moon (France), and the Old Town of Corfu (Greece), and Lavaux, vineyard terraces (Switzerland).The Mehmed Paša Sokolović Bridge of ...
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Oman's Arabian Oryx Sanctuary : first site ever to be deleted from UNESCO's World Heritage List
Thursday, 28 June 2007
Christchurch, New Zealand, 28 June - The World Heritage Committee on Thursday took the unprecedented decision of removing a site from UNESCO's World Heritage List. The Arabian Oryx Sanctuary (Oman), home to the rare antelope, today became the first site to be deleted since UNESCO's 1972 Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage entered into ...
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World Heritage Committee approves Auschwitz name change
Thursday, 28 June 2007
Christchurch, New Zealand - The World Heritage Committee has approved Poland's request to change the name of Auschwitz on UNESCO's World Heritage List. After international consultations, the property, listed as "Auschwitz Concentration Camp" in 1979, is to have the title of "Auschwitz Birkenau" and the subtitle of "German Nazi Concentration and Extermination Camp (1940-1945)." In its ...
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Natural sites in Madagascar, China and Korea inscribed on UNESCO World Heritage List
Wednesday, 27 June 2007
Christchurch, New Zealand - The World Heritage Committee on Tuesday decided to inscribe the three new sites on UNESCO's World Heritage List: the Rainforests of the Atsinanana (Madagascar); South China Karst (China); and Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes (Republic of Korea). The Rainforests of the Atsinanana comprise six national parks distributed along the eastern part of the island. ...
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Galápagos and Niokolo-Koba National Park inscribed on UNESCO’s List of World Heritage in Danger
Tuesday, 26 June 2007
Christchurch, New Zealand - The World Heritage Committee today inscribed the Galápagos (Ecuador), and Niokolo-Koba National Park (Senegal) on UNESCO's List of World Heritage in Danger with a view to mobilizing support for their conservation. Situated in the Pacific Ocean some 1,000 km from the South American continent, the 19 islands of the Galápagos and their surrounding marine reserve ...
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World Heritage Committee keeps Dresden on UNESCO World Heritage List but warns against bridge project
Monday, 25 June 2007
Christchurch, New Zealand - The World Heritage Committee on Monday decided to keep Dresden Elbe Valley (Germany) on the List of World Heritage in Danger. But it asked Germany to provide an alternative solution to traffic management than the bridge currently planned in the site inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List in 2004. The World Heritage Committee, meeting in Christchurch for its ...
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Royal Palaces of Abomey and Kathmandu removed from Danger List
Monday, 25 June 2007
Christchurch, New Zealand - The World Heritage Committee has removed Royal Palaces of Abomey, Benin, and Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, from the List of World Heritage in Danger, recognizing progress in the two sites' state of preservation.The Palaces of Abomey, inscribed simultaneously on UNESCO's World Heritage List and on the List of World Heritage in Danger in 1985, are a unique ...
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Florida Everglades and Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve removed from Danger List
Sunday, 24 June 2007
The World Heritage Committee has decided that improvements in the preservation of the Everglades National Park (Florida, USA) and Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve (Honduras) were sufficient to remove both UNESCO World Heritage site from the List of World Heritage in Danger.The Committee commended the United States of America for its investment of scientific and financial resources to ...
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World Heritage Committee opening in Christchurch
Saturday, 23 June 2007
Christchurch, New Zealand, 23 June  - The Pacific region's traditional respect for both natural and cultural preservation was celebrated at the opening of the 31st session of the World Heritage Committee, chaired by Tumu te Heuheu of New Zealand, here Saturday.A traditional Powhiri welcome celebration took place at the Christchurch Town Hall auditorium to open the session in the presence ...
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UNESCO launches the re-erection project of the Aksum Obelisk
Tuesday, 19 June 2007
The UNESCO World Heritage Centre today signed the contract with Lattanzi SRL construction company to begin the re-erection of the Aksum obelisk. Also known as Stela 2, it is the second largest stela on the Aksum World Heritage site in Ethiopia. Transported to Rome by the troops of Mussolini in 1937, it was returned by the Italian Government in April 2005. Weighing 150 tons and 24 meters high, ...
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Agreement to Eradicate Rabbits on Macquarie Island
Friday, 8 June 2007
The Australian and Tasmanian Governments have today reached an agreement to jointly fund the eradication of rodent pests on Macquarie Island, Australia to protect its World Heritage values. The seabird populations and vegetation of the Island are under serious threat from plagues of rabbits, rats and mice. Following discussions, the Governments have agreed to provide funding of AUS$24.6 ...
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Virunga National Park: Mountain gorillas remain target for armed groups
Friday, 8 June 2007
On Friday June 8, 2007, a female gorilla was shot in the southern sector of Virunga National Park, and her 3-month old baby was found sitting on her dead body. This female belonged to a group of 33 gorillas referred to as "habituated", meaning they are used to contact with humans. The death of this female gorilla occurred less than six months after that of two males killed in the same ...
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Torrential landslide at the Kamchatka Volcanoes World Heritage Site
Monday, 4 June 2007
The World Heritage Centre expresses its deep concern after a torrential landslide of snow, mud, stones, trees and vegetation at the Geyser Valley in the Volcanoes of Kamchatka World Heritage site. Located in the eastern part of the Russian Federation, this is one of the most outstanding volcanic regions in the world, with a high density of active volcanoes, a variety of types, and a wide ...
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Annual Cultural Heritage/Europa Nostra Award Winners Announced
Friday, 1 June 2007
The European Commission (DG EAC) and Europa Nostra, the pan-European Federation for Cultural Heritage, has announced the laureates of the annual European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage/Europa Nostra Awards.The Awards will be presented to the representatives of the awarded achievements at the annual European Heritage Awards Ceremony, which will take place on 8 June 2007 in the Stockholm ...
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Committee to review 45 candidates for inscription on UNESCO’s World Heritage List
Friday, 1 June 2007
The World Heritage Committee will consider requests for the inscription of 45 new sites on UNESCO's World Heritage List when it meets for its 31st session in Christchurch, New Zealand, from 23 June to 2 July.During the session, the Committee will also examine a strategy to reduce risks from disasters at World Heritage properties; the impact of climate change on World Heritage sites; and ...
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‘Managing Rock Art World Heritage Sites’ Workshop Held
Thursday, 31 May 2007
The UNESCO World Heritage Centre, in collaboration with the Centro Camuno per i Studi Preistorici (CCSP) and the Ministero per i Beni et le Attività Culturali, organised a workshop from 23-23 May 2007, financed by the Spanish Funds-in-Trust entitled ‘Managing Rock Art World Heritage Sites' with the participation of invited Rock Art experts from around the world to present new developments ...
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Fire on Cutty Sark, of Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site
Wednesday, 23 May 2007
The World Heritage Centre expresses its deep concern after the fire on the Cutty Sark tea clipper, part of the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage site located in the United Kingdom. On 21 May 2007, the British authorities informed the World Heritage Centre that a fire had swept through the Cutty Sark. The fire started around 4.45 am on Monday and the damage has been substantial. However, due ...
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First Extraordinary Session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage
Tuesday, 22 May 2007
At its first session in Algiers (Algeria), November 2006, the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage accepted the generous offer of China to host an extraordinary session of the Committee (Decision 1.COM 8). During this session, the Intergovernmental Committee will pursue the discussions initiated in Algiers.  The main participants of the first ...
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Inauguration of a World Heritage Training and Research Institute for Asia and the Pacific Region in China
Wednesday, 16 May 2007
The Government of China will launch a World Heritage Training and Research Institute for Asia and the Pacific Region in China. The inauguration ceremony of this institute will take place at Tongji University, Shanghai with the presence of Mr Francesco Bandarin, Director of UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Mr Mounir Bouchenaki, Director-General of the International Centre for the Study of the ...
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Prince of Wales inaugurates World Heritage site of the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape
Tuesday, 15 May 2007
The Prince of Wales received the UNESCO certificate for the Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape during the inscription ceremony on 10 May 2007 at Cotehele House (Cornwall, United Kingdom). Dr Mechtild Rössler, Chief of the Europe and North America Section at the World Heritage Centre, highlighted in her speech the contribution the area had made to the industrial revolution and mining ...
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Director of World Heritage Centre Delivers 4th Dinos Leventis Memorial Lecture in Cyprus
Friday, 11 May 2007
Mr Francesco Bandarin, Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, travelled to Nicosia, Cyprus, from May 8-10, 2007 to deliver the 4th Dinos Leventis Memorial Lecture. The lecture series is intended to commemorate the figure of Dinos Leventis, former Ambassador of Cyprus to UNESCO and founder of the internationally renowned Leventis Foundation, deceased in 2002. The lecture, entitled ...
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“World Heritage Memory Net” is coming soon!
Thursday, 3 May 2007
In November 2006, the World Heritage Centre signed a multi-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Simmons College, Boston, Massachusetts, USA, to establish the first World Heritage Digital Center (WHDC) under the leadership of Dr. Ching-chih Chen, information technology Professor at Simmons Graduate School of Library and Information Science. "The World Heritage Centre considers this ...
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Director-General urges systematic measures to end poaching and killing of endangered animals in Democratic Republic of Congo World Heritage Sites
Thursday, 26 April 2007
The Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, has written to Joseph Kabila, President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and to Jean-Marie Guehenno, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, asking for measures to stop the poaching and killing of endangered animals in the five World Heritage sites of the DRC. The Director-General's ...
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CAWHFI Steering Committee validates the annual action plan: Sustainable management of ecological landscapes and reinforced collaboration between stakeholders
Friday, 20 April 2007
The annual steering committee of the Central Africa World Heritage Forest Initiative (CAWHFI) took place in Libreville on March 21-22, 2007 under the aegis of the Central Africa Forest Commission (COMIFAC). This initiative aims to improve sustainable management of three forest landscapes of the Congo Basin: the Gamba-Conkouati complex, the Tri-National Sangha complex (TNS) and the ...
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UNESCO sends mission to assess the state of conservation of Machu Picchu World Heritage Site
Thursday, 19 April 2007
UNESCO will send a mission to the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu, Peru, in view of concerns by the World Heritage Committee for the conservation of this outstanding Andean archaeological centre and its natural environment, inscribed as a mixed natural and cultural site on the World Heritage List in 1983.From 23 to 30 April, the UNESCO mission, which will include the participation of ...
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UNESCO Mission confirms threat to Galápagos Islands
Monday, 16 April 2007
A UNESCO mission has confirmed serious threats to the Galápagos National Park and Marine Reserve and welcomed ambitious measures announced by the Ecuadorian authorities to preserve the site on UNESCO's World Heritage List.The mission confirmed the threat to the outstanding value and physical integrity of this iconic World Heritage site mainly from: the growing encroachment of invasive ...
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UNESCO-IUCN Mission to Galápagos Islands World Heritage Site
Thursday, 12 April 2007
A UNESCO World Heritage Centre/World Conservation Union (IUCN) mission is currently in Ecuador (April 8-12, 2007) at the request of the World Heritage Committee and at the invitation of the government of Ecuador, to assess the state of conservation of the Galápagos National Park and Marine Reserve. The mission will include high-level meetings with senior government officials from the ...
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Rapid Response Facility for World Heritage Biodiversity Sites Exceeds Target
Wednesday, 11 April 2007
In its recently released first annual report, the Rapid Response Facility (RRF) Secretariat announced that it has taken an average of less than 6 days (below its 8-day target) to process requests for emergency grants, to solicit and receive reviews from at least two independent referees on the pertinence of the request, to decide on whether an application should be approved and to inform the ...
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'World Heritage: Challenges for the Millennium' Published in French and English
Tuesday, 10 April 2007
Now available online. To download the pdf version, please click here. This 200-page publication provides a comprehensive overview and analysis of more than three decades of the implementation of the World Heritage Convention and highlights a number of its successes and challenges. It includes a history of the 1972 Convention and its implementation, an analysis of the natural and cultural ...
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Climate change threatens UNESCO World Heritage sites
Tuesday, 10 April 2007
The threats posed by climate change to natural and cultural sites on UNESCO's World Heritage List are outlined in a new UNESCO publication, "Case Studies on Climate Change and World Heritage"*. The report features 26 examples - including the Tower of London, Kilimanjaro National Park and the Great Barrier Reef - case studies that are representative of the dangers faced by the 830 sites ...
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Concern for the State of conservation of the Church of St. Cyril, located near Saint-Sophia Cathedral in Kiev, Ukraine
Wednesday, 28 March 2007
The UNESCO World Heritage Centre and the UNESCO Office in New York have received a large number of letters from individuals who are concerned about the state of conservation of the Church of St. Cyril - located near Saint-Sophia Cathedral in Kiev, Ukraine- and in particular about planned reconstruction works in its interior.Please note that the Church of St. Cyril is not included in the ...
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Launch of New Cycle of UNESCO-VOCATIONS PATRIMOINE Co-Sponsored Fellowships for World Heritage Site Managers
Monday, 19 March 2007
World Heritage site managers and people intending to pursue a career in World Heritage site management are being invited to apply for Fellowships offered through the UNESCO-VOCATIONS PATRIMOINE World Heritage Site Managers Programme. This programme - launched in January 2006 - is made possible as a result of an innovative public-private partnership between the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and ...
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Old City of Jerusalem: Publication of UNESCO’s technical mission Report
Thursday, 15 March 2007
"The technical mission that I had sent from 27 February to 2 March 2007 to the Old City of Jerusalem, which is inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List and on the World Heritage in Danger List, completed its technical assessment on the works conducted on the Mughrabi pathway leading to the Haram el-Sharif.  The mission has submitted to me their Report (attached below) accompanied by ...
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Statement from the Chairman of the Executive Board on the activities under-way at the site of the Old City of Jerusalem
Tuesday, 13 March 2007
The following statement is issued by the Chairman of UNESCO's Executive Board, Mr Zhang Xinsheng. 1. The six Arab members of the Executive Board addressed a letter to the Chairman of the Executive Board on 14 February 2007, requesting that a special session of the Board be held on the subject of the activities under way at the site of the Old City of Jerusalem, in accordance with Rule 3 ...
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Old City of Jerusalem: return of the technical mission’s experts
Tuesday, 6 March 2007
The technical mission sent by the Director-General of UNESCO to the Old City of Jerusalem, which is inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List, completed its technical assessment on the works conducted on the pathway to the Haram el-Sharif.This mission, conducted by Francesco Bandarin, Director of the World Heritage Centre, took place from 27 February to 2 March 2007. It was composed of ...
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[in French only] Newsletter n° 5 de la Convention France-UNESCO
Monday, 5 March 2007
[in French only] Actualités sur l'avancement des projets CFU :Le comité mixte de coordination (CMC) de la Convention France-UNESCO a eu lieu le 8 mars 2007 à l’UNESCO.Fleuve Niger et patrimoine : projet européen« Villages oubliés » du nord de la Syrie : suivi du projet de nomination sur la Liste du patrimoine mondialBéjaïa, Algérie : assistance à la création d’un plan de sauvegarde et de ...
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Royal Palaces of Abomey in Young African Hands
Thursday, 1 March 2007
Equipped with shovels, wheelbarrows and water buckets, twelve girls and thirteen boys between the ages of 14 and 17, from eight different countries in West Africa, set about attempting to put their newly learned conservation skills to work at the Royal Palaces of Abomey World Heritage site (Benin) from 19 to 23 February 2007.  The young people, participants in the First World Heritage ...
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UNESCO to send technical mission to assess the situation concerning the work on the access to the al-Haram al-Sharif, Jerusalem
Friday, 23 February 2007
The Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, has decided to send a technical mission to the Old City of Jerusalem, inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List and on the World Heritage in Danger List, to carry out a technical assessment of the works on the access to the al-Haram al-Sharif. Following extensive consultations with all the parties concerned, the Director-General requested ...
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Huge Settlement Unearthed Near Stonehenge World Heritage Site
Tuesday, 13 February 2007
Archaeologists at the University of Sheffield have unearthed a huge settlement at Durrington Walls, near Stonehenge, confirming that the Stonehenge monument was part of a larger ritual centre. The excavations reveal an enormous ancient settlement that once housed hundreds of people. Archaeologists believe the houses were constructed and occupied by the builders of nearby Stonehenge, the ...
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Publication on Eco-tourism in Central and South Asia Available
Monday, 12 February 2007
The project on the Development of Cultural and Ecotourism in the Mountainous Regions of Central and South Asia has just produced a publication entitled "Poverty Alleviation and Community-Based Tourism: Experiences from Central and South Asia". This publication reports on pilot activities carried out in eight Central and South Asian countries between 2002 and 2005 in order to develop ...
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Director-General offers UNESCO’s assistance to repair fire damage at World Heritage City of Valparaiso
Friday, 9 February 2007
Koïchiro Matsuura, the Director-General of UNESCO today offered the Organization's assistance in repairing damage caused by the fire that destroyed part of the historical city centre of Valparaiso, Chile, killing several people, on 3 February. "Firstly, I wish to extend my sincere condolences to the families and friends of the victims of this tragedy," the Director-General said. ...
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The Director-General of UNESCO voices his alarm over the resumption of tensions in the Old City of Jerusalem
Thursday, 8 February 2007
On Tuesday 8 February 2007, the Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, expressed his "deep concern over the work initiated by the Israeli authorities on the site of the Old City of Jerusalem, which is protected by the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (1972). By virtue of this Convention, the site is inscribed on the World Heritage ...
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'Management and Preservation of Historic Cities on World Heritage List' Conference Held in St Petersburg
Thursday, 1 February 2007
The conference on "Management and Preservation of Historic Cities inscribed on the World Heritage List" is taking place in St Petersburg from 29 January to 3 February 2007. It is a follow-up to the February 2006 international UNESCO/ICOMOS mission to St Petersburg reviewing a number of conservation and planning issues in this city, including the extension to the Marinsky Theatre. ...
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Concern for World Heritage site after British Coast Cargo Spill
Wednesday, 24 January 2007
The World Heritage Centre expresses its deep concern regarding the cargo spill off the British Coast. The MSC Napoli is grounded near Sidmouth's coastline, part of the Dorset and East Devon Coast World Heritage site, inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2001. The chemical containers and oil released from the ship may represent a potential environmental disaster. If the information ...
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Situation Worsens at Virunga National Park (DRC): Two Male Gorillas Killed
Friday, 19 January 2007
The situation continues to get worse at Virunga National Park (Democratic Republic of the Congo), where 2 male silverbacks have been killed.The gruesome tally continues: since late December the mountain gorilla, a flagship species that contributes to the recognition of the outstanding universal value of the Park, has suffered serious losses by armed groups. On January 6 and 11, two male ...
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