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 ...

Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Successful World Heritage Candidates for the 2012 Business Planning Programme
Participants to the 4th annual World Heritage Centre / Earthwatch / Shell "Business Planning for natural World Heritage site managers" year long ...

Friday, June 15, 2012
10 Years of Dutch Support to World Heritage “From Astronomy to Zanzibar” published
Since its inception in 2001, the Netherlands Funds-in-Trust (NFiT) at the World Heritage Centre has served the international heritage community as ...

Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Preliminary findings of UNESCO mission sent to assess earthquake damage to sites in northern Italy
Following the earthquakes that struck the region of Emilia in northern Italy, notably since May 20, the UNESCO Director General Irina ...

Saturday, June 9, 2012
Consultative Meeting on World Heritage and Sustainable Development discusses principles and policy
The Consultative Meeting on World Heritage and Sustainable Development, held in Ouro Preto, Brazil from 5 to 8 February, was a ...

Friday, June 8, 2012
World Heritage celebrates World Oceans Day with new iPhone app
In celebration of World Oceans Day, the World Heritage Centre is launching an iPhone app. This years’ Oceans Day theme “Youth: the Next ...

Friday, June 8, 2012
In Memoriam: Professor Philip Tobias
The UNESCO World Heritage Centre would like to express its sincere condolences to the friends and family of Professor Philip Vallentine Tobias, who ...

Thursday, June 7, 2012
UNESCO mission assesses earthquake damage to sites in northern Italy
As requested by Director-General Irina Bokova, a team of experts has traveled to northern Italy to assess damage to World Heritage sites following ...

Friday, June 1, 2012
World Heritage Committee to consider inscription of 36 sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage List at forthcoming session (St Petersburg 22 June – 6 July)
The World Heritage Committee will consider the inscription of 36 sites on the World Heritage List during its next meeting from 24 June to 6 July, in ...

Wednesday, May 30, 2012
World Heritage Inventory of Earthen Architecture available online
The World Heritage Inventory of Earthen Architecture  is now available in English and French online: ...

Thursday, May 24, 2012
Government of Mali and UNESCO move to protect Timbuktu and other heritage sites in the north of Mali
The Government of Mali and UNESCO have defined measures to safeguard World Heritage Properties in the north of Mali, including the fabled city of ...

Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Launching Of The Rivers And Heritage Website
The Rivers and Heritage website was officially launched on 15 March 2012 at the World Water Forum in Marseille (France), during the session ...

Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Director-General concerned about attacks on World Heritage site of Ghadamès (Libya)
The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, today called for the protection of Libya’s Old City of Ghadamès inscribed on ...

Tuesday, May 22, 2012
UNESCO monitors damage to heritage in northern Italy following powerful earthquake
The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, today extended her condolences to the inhabitants of northern Italy for the loss of human life and ...

Thursday, May 17, 2012
Living with World Heritage Conference examines sustainability and local involvement
The conference Living with World Heritage, held in Røros, Norway from 13 to 16 May 2012, was part of Norway`s official ...

Wednesday, May 9, 2012
New Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape
On 7 May 2012, UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova and H.E. Ms Katalin Bogyay, Ambassador of Hungary and President of UNESCO's General Conference, ...

Friday, May 4, 2012
Irina Bokova concerned about growing threats to cultural heritage in Mali
UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova expressed her great concern following the desecration of the graves of Sidi Mahmoud in Mali by the Ansar Dine ...

Friday, April 20, 2012
Frontiers of the Roman Empire World Heritage site receives funding to restore portions of Hadrian’s Wall
The World Heritage property “Frontiers of the Roman Empire” has received £537,185 (US$ 850,406) in funding from SITA Trust to ...

Friday, April 20, 2012
Recommendations for transnational heritage corridors of Silk Roads site nomination
Members of the Coordinating Committee on the Serial World Heritage Nomination of the Silk Roads release recommendations for two priority transnational ...

Monday, April 2, 2012
Sydney Opera House, other sites participate in Earth Hour 2012
Sydney Opera House was among the World Heritage sites around the globe participating in Earth Hour 2012, the environmental campaign to draw ...

Monday, April 2, 2012
UNESCO Director-General expresses concern about the situation in Mali
  In reaction to recent events in Northern Mali, UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova expresses her deep concern about the possible ...

Friday, March 30, 2012
Archaeological discoveries
In the sacred place of Tenochtitlan, archaeologists from INAH-Conaculta (The Mexican National Institute of Anthropology and History and the Mexican ...

Friday, March 30, 2012
Director-General of UNESCO appeals for protection of Syria’s cultural heritage
The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, today called for the protection of the cultural heritage of Syria.   ‘Following a ...

Friday, March 30, 2012
International World Heritage Expert Meeting on criterion (vi)
  The International World Heritage Expert Meeting on Criterion (vi)  and associative values which took place in Warsaw, Poland, 28-30 March ...

Wednesday, March 28, 2012
UNESCO committed to stronger links between World Heritage and Tourism
UNESCO Director-General, Irina Bokova underlined the importance of better integrating cultural heritage preservation and sustainable tourism during ...

Wednesday, March 28, 2012
From World Heritage to Literacy, Philadelphia Embraces UNESCO
World Heritage and literacy were bookends to a day where Philadelphia opened its arms to UNESCO, during the second day of Director-General Irina ...

Wednesday, March 28, 2012
World Heritage and Sustainable Tourism Top Agenda in Miami Leg of Director-General’s Mission to the U.S.
With a stunning visit to the Everglades the day before serving as a strong reminder, Director-General Irina Bokova turned her attention to a ...

Wednesday, March 28, 2012
World Heritage sites participate in Earth Hour
UNESCO will partner with World Wildlife Fund (WWF) for Earth Hour, one of the world's largest and most well-known environmental campaigns in the ...

Thursday, March 22, 2012
GIS boundaries of natural and mixed World Heritage sites available
IUCN and UNEP-WCMC have compiled a KML layer with key information on the natural and mixed World Heritage sites inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage ...