News

On International Women’s Day, we celebrate girls and women across the globe – and we remember that women’s rights must never be taken for granted. Indeed, the path towards a gender-equal world is an uncertain one: gradual progress, made over generations, can be wiped out in one fell swoop. The women and girls of Afghanistan know this well. In a few short months, they have lost their most ...

Throughout March 2023, members of New Caledonia's World Heritage site associations and management committees joined the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD) and the New Caledonian Biodiversity Agency (ANCB) to take part in UNESCO's environmental DNA sampling campaign, as part of a global effort to sample and reference marine biodiversity in 25 marine World ...

Within the framework of the UNESCO/Netherlands Funds-in-Trust project "Implementation of World Heritage Committee Decisions in relation to Boundaries and Strategic Conservation at Gebel Barkal and the Sites of the Napatan Region, Sudan," the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and the UNESCO Khartoum Office organized, on 27 February 2023, a key meeting of partners and stakeholders. In a significant ...

Over time, rainforest communities in Africa have developed a close relationship with their neighbours, the so-called 'umbrella species' such as great apes and elephants. Umbrella species are often either iconic or threatened, or both. These species are called 'umbrella species' because their protection also entails the protection of a wide range of fauna and flora that share their habitat. ...

In line with UNESCO’s efforts since 1988 to encourage research on the Silk Roads as routes of interchange and dialogue of cultures, the UNESCO/Republic of Korea Funds-in-Trust (FiT) project “Support for the Asian Silk Roads World Heritage Serial and Transnational Nomination(s) (Phase II)” was launched in November 2018 and completed in November 2022. Upon completion of this project, the final ...

Through innovative national debt restructuring and blue bond arrangements, both Aldabra Atoll in the Seychelles and the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System in Belize are securing sustainable finance to help conserve their marine World Heritage sites over the next decades. On 19 January 2022, global marine protected area practitioners met online with World Heritage managers from the Seychelles ...

The UNESCO World Heritage Centre held two workshops with World Heritage site managers and national Focal Points in Latin America and the Caribbean to prepare a Regional Action Plan for the Third Cycle of Periodic Reporting. Periodic Reporting is one of the core conservation and monitoring mechanisms of the Lazare Eloundou Assomo, Director of UNESCO World Heritage, praised the commitment of ...

On 14 February 2023, the UNESCO World Heritage Centre organized the second Coordination Group meeting on ‘Post COVID-19 World Heritage Site Management: Integration of Conservation, Tourism and Local Livelihood Strategies at World Heritage Sites’, a project funded by the government of Japan through the UNESCO/Japanese Funds-in-Trust. Subsequent to the project’s launch in June 2022 (see Post ...

On 14 February 2023, 20 students aged 8 to 11 years old from Lord Howe Island Group became marine scientists for the day. In doing so, they joined UNESCO’s global environmental DNA research initiative that is being rolled out across 25 marine World Heritage sites to better understand ocean biodiversity and the impacts of climate change. The day commenced with classroom activities, where ...

UNESCO is delighted to announce that submissions are now being accepted for the 2023 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation. The UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation (‘Awards’) recognizes exemplary efforts by individuals and organizations to restore or conserve structures, places and properties of heritage value in the region. It encourages ...

World Heritage Volunteers 2023 - Working on the Future  The UNESCO World Heritage Centre is pleased to announce the selected projects of the World Heritage Volunteers 2023 Campaign. Under the theme World Heritage Volunteers 2023 - Working on the Future, and on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, 76 action camp projects will be implemented from April ...

UNESCO on Monday expressed its support for Syria and Türkiye following the devastating earthquakes that struck the two countries. “My condolences go out to the families and loved ones of those who died. My thoughts are also with the injured and all those affected. Our Organization will provide assistance within its mandate,” said Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO. The Organization ...

Panamanian children from Santa Catalina and nearby communities ventured out to Coiba National Park to sample the World Heritage area’s rich marine waters as part of the global eDNA expeditions that UNESCO is currently piloting across 25 marine World Heritage sites to better understand ocean biodiversity and the effects of climate change thereupon. On 7 February 2023, amidst a beautiful sunny ...

On 24 January 2023, UNESCO and the Foundation for the Safeguarding of the Cultural Heritage of Rabat signed a five-year agreement to jointly develop actions for the protection of World Heritage and intangible cultural heritage in Morocco and throughout the African continent. It marks the beginning of a long-term strategic and operational collaboration. UNESCO and the Foundation for the ...

Celebrated annually on 2 February, World Wetlands Day aims to raise global awareness about the vital role of wetlands for people and the planet. This year’s theme: ‘It is time for Wetland Restoration’ - is in alignment with the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. Ecosystems support all life on earth. The healthier our ecosystems are, the healthier the planet - and its people. Taking this ...

The World Heritage Committee on Wednesday decided to inscribe the Historic Centre of Odesa (Ukraine) on the World Heritage List. This decision recognizes the outstanding universal value of the site and the duty of all humanity to protect it. "Odesa, a free city, a world city, a legendary port that has left its mark on cinema, literature and the arts, is thus placed under the reinforced ...

The World Heritage Committee meeting in an extraordinary session decided on Thursday to inscribe the Rachid Karameh International Fair of Tripoli (Lebanon) on the List of World Heritage in Danger. Located in northern Lebanon, the Rachid Karameh International Fair of Tripoli was designed in 1962 by the Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer on a 70-hectare site located between the historic centre ...

The World Heritage Committee meeting in an extraordinary session on Thursday inscribed the Landmarks of the Ancient Kingdom of Saba, Marib (Yemen) on the List of World Heritage in Danger. The Landmarks of the Ancient Kingdom of Saba, Marib, is a serial property comprising seven archaeological sites that bear witness to the rich Kingdom of Saba and its architectural, aesthetic and ...

The State Party of Djibouti ratified the World Heritage Convention in 2007 and established its first Tentative List in 2015 with 10 sites. However, Djibouti remains one of the twelve African countries without property inscribed on the World Heritage List. In the framework of Priority Africa and under the “Capacity-building programme for the nomination of World Heritage sites in the Africa ...

The Kingdom of Eswatini ratified the World Heritage Convention in 2005 and established its first Tentative List in 2008. However, Eswatini remains one of the 12 African countries without property inscribed on the World Heritage List. In line with UNESCO’s Priority Africa, Eswatini has been benefiting from the “Capacity-building programme for the nomination of World Heritage sites in the ...