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Tuesday, 22 December 2009
National Government Officials and World Heritage site managers, essentially from 24 countries in the Asia and the Pacific Region, but also from other continents of the world, gathered together at the World Heritage Institute of Training and Research for the Asia and the Pacific Region (WHITRAP, China) and participated in an Asia-Pacific Regional Training Workshop on Assessment of ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 22 December 2009
The Belgian government has recently given its financial support to the 3rd phase of the project "Biodiversity Conservation in Regions of Armed Conflict: Conserving World Heritage sites in the Democratic Republic of Congo" with a total amount of 2 million Euros.
The five World Heritage Sites in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, National Parks Virunga, Kahuzi-Biega, Garamba and Salonga, ...
2 min read
Friday, 18 December 2009
Germany has just offered the Côte d'Ivoire's Park and Reserves Foundation 1,5 billion CFA Francs (US$ 3.2 millions). According to Mr Stephen Keller, German Ambassador in Côte d'Ivoire, this donation is justified by the fact that "the Ivorian parks and reserves, including Taï which will benefit from this funding, have a rich biodiversity that needs protection."
The Taï ...
1 min read
Thursday, 17 December 2009
Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, yesterday presented UNESCO's climate change initiative at a press briefing held during the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP 15) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
"Thanks to its interdisciplinary capacities, UNESCO can render a unique contribution to mitigation and adaptation to climate change through distinct ...
3 min read
Tuesday, 15 December 2009
Restoration works begun on the site the Great Mosque of Djenné, Mali in January 2009, financed by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, continue with traditional masons and consolidation works to ensure the survival of this exceptional but fragile example of earthen architecture, inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1988.
The conclusion of the state of conservation of the site quickly ...
1 min read
Monday, 14 December 2009
The publication 'World Heritage Paper Series n°23 - Enhancing our Heritage Toolkit, Assessing management effectiveness of natural World Heritage sites' is now available in Spanish.
This document provides several tools to assist site managers or other stakeholders in identifying World Heritage site values and threats; in assessing management needs and processes, assessing ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 8 December 2009
Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, expressed her deep sadness at the death of Professor Ikuo Hirayama, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, on 2 December at the age of 79.
"UNESCO has lost a friend," she said. "For more than 20 years, Professor Hirayama lent his tireless support to the Organization's projects, especially in the fields of education, emergency relief and reconstruction. He was ...
1 min read
Thursday, 3 December 2009
Sites of outstanding universal value inscribed on the World Heritage List - the Palace of Versailles in France, the historic centre of Prague in the Czech Republic and the old town of Cáceres in Spain, for example - can now be explored online by internet users around the world, thanks to an alliance signed by UNESCO and the international corporation Google.The agreement makes it possible for ...
3 min read
Wednesday, 2 December 2009
On the occasion of the launch of the new Jurassic Studies Centre, situated at the centre of the natural World Heritage Site of Dorset and Devon's Jurassic Coast, in Lyme Regis, United Kingdom, a range of natural science courses will take place in February and March 2010 and 2011, in partnership with the Natural History Museum and the Field Studies Council.
This pilot project will offer a ...
1 min read
Monday, 30 November 2009
On 25 November 2009, the UNESCO World Heritage sites of the Ifugao Rice Terraces in the Philippines and Cinque Terre in Italy signed the Twinning Program of Exchange and Cooperation agreement at the Kiangan municipality in Ifugao.
Governor Teodoro Baguilat Jr and Arch. Pasquale Bruno Malara, Director of the Regional Directorate of Liguria for Cultural Heritage and Landscape led the Twinning ...
1 min read
Thursday, 26 November 2009
On 25 November 2009, the exhibition 'Aksum Rediscovered: the Re-installation of the Obelisk' was opened in Rome, Italy at the Headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The exhibition illustrates the re-installation of the Aksum Obelisk from where it stood in front of the FAO Headquarters for several decades, to its original location at the Aksum World Heritage site in ...
1 min read
Friday, 13 November 2009
The Business Skills for World Heritage Programme, a collaboration between international environmental charity Earthwatch, global energy company Shell and the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, was kicked off with a training course held in Borneo from 19th to 29th October 2009. The programme seeks to improve the management effectiveness of World Heritage Sites using business planning ...
2 min read
Tuesday, 10 November 2009
The book 'Patrimoine mondial de l'UNESCO : les sites marocains' ('UNESCO World Heritage: the Moroccan sites') is a voyage to an exceptional part of Moroccan heritage. Ancient traces, fairytale wanderings, exquisite landscapes: writer-photographer Jean-Jacques Gelbart has captured Morocco's most incredible sites through the lens of his camera.
Eight writers have added prose to his ...
1 min read
Thursday, 29 October 2009
Denkmal, European Trade Fair for Conservation, Restoration and Old Building Renovation 18 - 20 November 2010
After Italy (2004), France (2006) and Hungary (2008), the Denkmal trade fair's new national partner is now confirmed. The Republic of Poland will be introducing itself at the European Trade Fair for Conservation, Restoration and Old Building Renovation from 18 to 20 November ...
2 min read
Thursday, 29 October 2009
The General Assembly of States Parties to the 1972 World Heritage Convention replaced more than half the 21 members of the World Heritage Committee during its biennial session, which took place at UNESCO Headquarters from 23 to 28 October. The Committee is responsible for the implementation of the Convention. The General Assembly also focused on the priorities to be set in implementing the ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 27 October 2009
Twelve new members were elected to the World Heritage Committee during the 17th General Assembly of States Parties to the World Heritage Convention, held at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France from 23 to 28 October. The new members of the Committee are Cambodia, Estonia, Ethiopia, France, Iraq, Mali, Mexico, Russian Federation, South Africa, Switzerland, Thailand and United Arab Emirates. ...
1 min read
Friday, 23 October 2009
TripAdvisor, the world's largest on-line community of travellers, and UNESCO launched a partnership on Thursday to mobilize travellers' support to preserve natural and cultural sites inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List.
At the launch of the partnership, TripAdvisor founder and Chief Executive Officer, Stephen Kaufer, pledged to donate up to US$1.5m of support over the next two years to ...
2 min read
Thursday, 15 October 2009
You are a native of a Mediterranean country. Born after 31 December 1980 you will be under 30 years of age in 2010. You wish to undertake a project furthering the knowledge and understanding of Mediterranean cultures.
Every year the Marc de Montalembert Foundation offers through competitive selection a 7000 euros grant to enable the implementation of such projects.
The grant is meant to ...
1 min read
Thursday, 8 October 2009
Representatives from the national, regional and local authorities led by Spain's Permanent Delegate to UNESCO, Ambassador María Jesús San Segundo, met Francesco Bandarin, Director of the World Heritage Centre, on 8 October to discuss the conservation of the World Heritage property of "Ibiza, Biodiversity and Culture".
The meeting focused on preparations of a joint expert ...
2 min read
Tuesday, 6 October 2009
The 35th session of the General Conference is meeting from 6-23 October 2009, and the 17th General Assembly of States Parties to the World Heritage Convention will meet from 23 to 28 October 2009 at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France.
At the General Conference, a feasibility study on the desirability of a new UNESCO Recommendation on the conservation of the Historic Urban Landscape ...
2 min read
Thursday, 1 October 2009
The UNESCO World Heritage Desk Diary 2009 has just been published. Featuring a useful week-at-a-glance design, it is illustrated with 79 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 ...
Tuesday, 29 September 2009
The most complete guide to World Heritage sites has been co-published by UNESCO and Harper Collins with the title The World's Heritage: A unique guide to every UNESCO World Heritage site. The world's outstanding cultural and natural treasures are included with detailed descriptions of 878 UNESCO World Heritage sites. Organized chronologically by the year of inscription on the World Heritage ...
1 min read
Thursday, 10 September 2009
The UNESCO World Heritage Centre and the German Federal Foundation for the Environment (Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt, DBU) have signed a Partnership Agreement which provides a strategic framework for future cooperation for the conservation of World Heritage sites in Europe.
Signed in July 2009 by Francesco Bandarin, Director of the World Heritage Centre, and Mr Fritz Brickwedde, ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 8 September 2009
The Rapid Response Facility (RRF), the emergency small grants programme jointly operated by Fauna & Flora International (FFI), UNESCO World Heritage Centre, and the United Nations Foundation, has just launched a new website at www.rapid-response.org.
The RRF is a unique small grant programme. With a target processing time for grant applications of just 8 working days, the RRF provides ...
1 min read
Monday, 7 September 2009
The Great Barrier Reef Outlook Report 2009, prepared by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, is the first comprehensive assessment of the health of the Great Barrier Reef and identifies the key challenges facing it now and into the future. It is the first report of its kind and provides a reliable and scientifically credible assessment of and outlook for the Great Barrier Reef World ...
2 min read
Thursday, 3 September 2009
On 21 July 2009, the Algerian Ministry of Culture and the National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research (INRAP) signed a cooperation agreement with the support of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre. The ceremony took place in Algiers with the participation of the Algerian Ministry of Culture's Director of International Cooperation, the Ambassador of France, the President of INRAP ...
2 min read
Monday, 31 August 2009
[in French only] février 2009 - août 2009
Vie de la CFU :
Réunion de bilan
Réunion de bilan de la Convention France-UNESCO présidé par Délégation permanente française auprès de l'UNESCO, 12 mars 2009, UNESCO.
Réunion de bilan technique et financier des fonds en dépôts français ...
Monday, 24 August 2009
Last June UNESCO's Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) and Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB) published the guide, "Marine Spatial Planning: A step-by-step approach toward ecosystem-based management". The guide offers countries an operational framework to conserve the value of their marine heritage while at the same time allowing sustainable use of the economic potential of ...
1 min read
Monday, 17 August 2009
Signed in 1997 and entered into force in 1999, the France-UNESCO Convention for architectural, urban and landscape heritage is a tool for cooperation, by which France places financial and technical assistance at UNESCO's disposal. The France-UNESCO Convention contributes to the development of concrete actions in the framework of the major objectives of the United Nations and is designed to ...
1 min read
Friday, 31 July 2009
"Why do I have mangoes in July?" was the title of one of the presentations at a three-day expert seminar on climate change education at UNESCO HQ in Paris, which brought together 60 experts in climate change, education for sustainable development and curriculum development, in particular coming from Small Islands Developing States.
"Global warming is the defining issue of our time. ...
2 min read
Friday, 31 July 2009
Originally published in 2007 in English, this publication has now been reprinted for the third time in English and translated into French and Spanish. It presents twenty-six case studies from selected natural and cultural World Heritage sites in order to illustrate the impacts of climate change that have already been observed, and those that can be expected in the future. This is a foundation ...
1 min read
Monday, 20 July 2009
Following a discussion with Francesco Bandarin, Director of UNESCO's World Heritage Centre, Christine Petersen, Chief Marketing Officer of TripAdvisor, has confirmed the company's pledge to support World Heritage by developing an online outreach and awareness building campaign focusing on conservation and community involvement at World Heritage site destinations. TripAdvisor has proposed to ...
1 min read
Sunday, 28 June 2009
The Sacred City of Caral-Supe (Peru), the oldest centre of civilization in the Americas, was inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List by the World Heritage Committee, chaired by María Jesús San Segundo, the Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of Spain to UNESCO. The Committee also added the historic centre of the town of Levoča to the Slovak World Heritage site of ...
1 min read
Sunday, 28 June 2009
The World Heritage Committee, chaired by María Jesús San Segundo, the Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of Spain to UNESCO, inscribed the Historical Monuments of Mtskheta (Georgia) on the List of World Heritage in Danger because of concerns over their preservation.
The Committee asked Georgia to adopt an integrated management plan for the site and address problems related to ...
1 min read
Sunday, 28 June 2009
The World Heritage Committee holding its 33rd session chaired by María Jesús San Segundo, the Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of Spain to UNESCO, has inscribed two new natural sites and 11 cultural sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. Since it also withdrew one site - from the List, Dresden Elbe Valley (Germany), the List now numbers a total of 890 properties.
The ...
12 min read
Saturday, 27 June 2009
The World Heritage Committee, chaired by María Jesús San Segundo, the Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of Spain to UNESCO, has inscribed a Spanish lighthouse dating back to antiquity, The Tower of Hercules in La Coruña, on the World Heritage List alongside the watch-manufacturing towns of La Chaux-de-Fonds / Le Locle watch-making town-planning (Switzerland).
The Tower ...
2 min read
Saturday, 27 June 2009
The World Heritage Committee, chaired by María Jesús San Segundo, the Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of Spain to UNESCO, has inscribed the Stoclet House, a private residence in the Belgian capital Brussels, on the World Heritage List.
When banker and art collector Adolphe Stoclet commissioned this house from one of the leading architects of the Vienna Secession movement, ...
1 min read
Saturday, 27 June 2009
The World Heritage Committee meeting in Seville, under the chair of María Jesús San Segundo, Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of Spain to UNESCO, has decided to inscribe Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System and Colombia's Los Katios National Park on the List of World Heritage in Danger.
The main problem with Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System concerns mangrove cutting and ...
1 min read
Saturday, 27 June 2009
The World Heritage Committee, chaired by María Jesús San Segundo, the Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of Spain to UNESCO, has inscribed Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal (United Kingdom) on UNESCO’s World Heritage List and added France’s Great Saltworks of Salins-les-Bains as an extension to the site of Royal Saltworks of Arc-et-Senans, which was inscribed in 1982 ...
1 min read
Friday, 26 June 2009
Sulamain-Too Sacred Mountain of Kyrgyzstan has become the country’s first site to be inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. Shushtar Historical Hydraulic System, Bridges, dams, canals, buildings and watermills from ancient time to present (Iran) and the Royal Tombs of the Joseong Dynasty (Republic of Korea) were also added to the List on Friday.
Sulamain-Too Sacred Mountain (Kyrgyzstan) ...
3 min read
Friday, 26 June 2009
Burkina Faso joined the rank of countries that have World Heritage properties on their territory with the inscription of the Ruins of Loropéni on UNESCO’s List on Friday.
The 11,130m2 property, the first to be inscribed in the country, with its imposing stone walls is the best preserved of ten fortresses in the Lobi area and is part of a larger group of 100 stone enclosures that ...
1 min read
Friday, 26 June 2009
The World Heritage Committee, chaired by María Jesús San Segundo, the Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of Spain to UNESCO, has inscribed China's Mount Wutai on UNESCO's World Heritage List as a cultural landscape.
With its five flat peaks, Mount Wutai is a sacred Buddhist mountain. The cultural landscape numbers 53 monasteries and includes the East Main Hall of Foguang Temple, ...
1 min read
Friday, 26 June 2009
The World Heritage Committee, chaired by María Jesús San Segundo, the Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of Spain to UNESCO, has inscribed the Wadden Sea on the World Heritage List as a transboundary property for Germany and the Netherlands.
The Committee also inscribed Italy's Dolomites mountains and the Philippines' Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park as an extension to the Tubbataha ...
2 min read
Friday, 26 June 2009
The Tides of Time programme, initiated in 2008 through a partnership with Jaeger-LeCoultre and the International Herald Tribune, has entered its second year.
The year began with coverage of sites such as Sian Kaan in Mexico and the Everglades in the USA. Other sites including the Atoll of Aldabra (Seychelles), Sundarbans (Bangladesh/India), Shiretoko (Japan), and the Peninsula Valdez ...
1 min read
Friday, 26 June 2009
Cidade Velha has been inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List, marking Cape Verde's entry to the international community's inventory of properties of outstanding universal value.
The World Heritage Committee, chaired by María Jesús San Segundo, Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of Spain to UNESCO, inscribed the historic centre, which dates back to the late 15th century and ...
1 min read
Friday, 26 June 2009
On 13 March 2009 in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the latest maps of World Heritage sites produced by the Belgian universities of Louvain (UCL) and Gand (UGent), with the financial support of the Belgian Federal Science Policy Office (BELSPO) were officially presented to the Congo Institute for Nature Conservation (ICCN).
The General Director for the ICCN, Mr Cosma ...
1 min read
Thursday, 25 June 2009
The Weimar Jena Akademie in partnership with the Bauhaus Universität Weimar and co-financed by the European Union, is organizing its 10th edition of the Weimar Summer Courses.
The Weimar Summer Courses will offer around 80 participants from different countries a two week program of diverse activities in small work groups which will include seminars, lectures, workshops and discussion ...
1 min read
Thursday, 25 June 2009
The World Heritage Committee has welcomed the success of the authorities of Azerbaijan in preserving the Walled City of Baku with the Shirvanshahs' Palace and Maiden Tower (Azerbaijan), and decided to remove the property from UNESCO's List of World Heritage in Danger.
The site, which sustained damage during the earthquake of November 2000, was inscribed on the Danger List in 2003. The site ...
1 min read
Thursday, 25 June 2009
"Every time we fail to preserve a site, we share the pain of the State Party," declared María Jesús San Segundo, the Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of Spain to UNESCO who is chairing the 33rd session of the World Heritage Committee presently underway in Seville on Thursday.
The World Heritage Committee decided to remove Germany's Dresden Elbe Valley from UNESCO's World Heritage List due ...
2 min read
Monday, 22 June 2009
The 33rd session of the World Heritage Committee, chaired by María Jesús San Segundo, the Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of Spain to UNESCO, opened today in Seville, Spain. During the session, which ends on June 30, the Committee´s 21 members will review the state of conservation of properties inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List and 27 nominations for new ...
3 min read
Friday, 19 June 2009
José Maria and José, founders of the ICE CARE project, left UNESCO Headquaters in Paris this morning following a meeting with Mr Kishore Rao, Deputy Director of the World Heritage Centre, to begin their 4 year project at five of the World Heritage Glaciers. The purpose of the expeditions will be to raise awareness about the threats to these melting ice caps. It is upon reading ...
1 min read
Thursday, 18 June 2009
Spain, host of the 33rd session of the World Heritage Committee, is organizing the first Ibero-American World Heritage Youth Forum. Participants will be young people between 12 and 15 years old who attend in their country of origin a secondary school affiliated with the UNESCO ASPnet Schools Network, and who are acquainted with the World Heritage in Young Hands programme. During the week-long ...
1 min read
Saturday, 13 June 2009
On 12 June 2009, the Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Francesco Bandarin and the Director-General of the Research Centre for Islamic History, Art and Culture (IRCICA), Halit Eren signed a cooperation agreement in Istanbul, Turkey, within the framework of the UNESCO-IRCICA Mou signed in 2005 by the Heads of the two Organizations.
The World Heritage Centre and IRCICA have ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 9 June 2009
The Honorable Jim Prentice, Canada's Canada's Environment Minister and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, has introduced a bill which resulted in an important expansion of the Nahanni National Park Reserve of Canada. This followed a commitment made in 2009 by the Government of Canada. Through this proposed law, the Nahanni area is six times larger, making this 3000-km² park the third ...
1 min read
Friday, 5 June 2009
On 21 and 22 May 2009, the Director-General of UNESCO, Mr Koïchiro Matsuura, visited four World Heritage Sites in northern Portugal. He was accompanied throughout his trip by the President of the Portuguese National Commission to UNESCO, Ambassador Fernando Andresen Guimarães.
The Director-General's first visit was to the Prehistoric Rock-Art Sites in the Côa Valley , ...
2 min read
Thursday, 4 June 2009
On 28 May, after a visit to UNESCO's Director-General, UNESCO Artist for Peace Missa Johnouchi met with Mr Francesco Bandarin, Director of the World Heritage Centre.
Ms Johnouchi was in Paris to record three new songs with the French National Orchestra for her next album. The album will be released in Japan in autumn 2009 and is conceived by Ms Johnouchi, with the support of UNESCO, as a ...
Friday, 29 May 2009
UNESCO's Director-General, Koïchiro Matsuura, and the President of the Republic of Chile, Michelle Bachelet Jeria, presented today in Paris a joint training project for development and sustainable ecotourism, aimed at local communities in the Rapa Nui National Park, a site inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1995.
To launch the project, financed by the Government of Japan, a ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 26 May 2009
The World Heritage Committee will consider requests for the inscription of new sites on UNESCO's World Heritage List when it meets for its 33rd session in Seville, Spain, from 22 to 30 June.
During this year's session - to be chaired by María Jesús San Segundo, the Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of Spain to UNESCO - 35 States Parties to the World Heritage Convention will ...
5 min read
Tuesday, 19 May 2009
The World Heritage Centre wishes to pay tribute to Michel Parent, a leading personality of world cultural heritage, who passed away last week at the age of ninety-three.
Born in 1916 in Neuilly sur Seine, France, Michel Parent was a highly active and creative man. During his impressive career, he successively became Inspector (1945) and Inspector General (1958) of Sites, Inspector General ...
1 min read
Friday, 15 May 2009
The first World Heritage sites to participate in the Earthwatch "Business Skills for World Heritage" programme were selected today. A total of 9 site managers from Ujung Kulon National Park (Indonesia), Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park (Philippines) and Kinabalu Park (Malaysia) will join two Earthwatch training professionals and three Shell company business planning experts on ...
1 min read
Thursday, 30 April 2009
The master's degree course "World Heritage at Work", offered by the University of Turin and the Polytechnic of Turin and organized by the International Training Centre of ILO in collaboration with the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, is preparing for its second year.
The programme is intended for professionals involved in the management of a World Heritage property and those who are associated ...
2 min read
Monday, 27 April 2009
As part of a commitment to sharing its expertise, the US National Park Service (NPS) is offering training opportunities to qualified candidates who wish to learn from the US experience in managing and protecting World Heritage Sites. All expenses paid extended residencies in US parks designated as World Heritage Sites will be available to site managers and staff of World Heritage Sites ...
1 min read
Thursday, 23 April 2009
On 23 April 2009, the Director-General of UNESCO, Mr Koïchiro Matsuura inaugurated an exhibition at UNESCO Headquarters celebrating the successful reinstallation of the Aksum Obelisk in Ethiopia. Entitled 'Aksum Rediscovered: The Reinstallation of the Aksum Obelisk', the exhibition features films and photographs documenting key moments of the re-installation built around a structure ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 22 April 2009
With the financial support of the World Heritage Fund, as well as national organizers of India, the final of a series of "Itinerant Workshops on the Conservation and Management of Persian, Timurid and Mughal Architecture", has successfully taken place in Delhi and Agra, from 6 to 12 April 2009 in India. It was jointly organized by the World Heritage Centre, the Archaeological Survey of India ...
1 min read
Monday, 20 April 2009
The World Heritage Centre has noted with great concern the news of the earthquake that struck near L'Aquila, Central Italy, on Monday, 6 April 2009.
According to initial reports, some 60 miles west of the epicentre of the quake, the Baths of Caracalla (part of the UNESCO World Heritage property "Historic Centre of Rome, the Properties of the Holy See in that City Enjoying Extraterritorial ...
1 min read
Monday, 20 April 2009
An exhibition - photographs and a video installation - at UNESCO will celebrate the reinstallation of the Aksum obelisk. The show will give visitors a chance to learn about the history of the Ethiopian site and to view the key stages of reinstalling the monument, 24 metres high and weighing 150 tons.
Open to the public from 4 to 15 May (9 a.m. to 5.30 p.m.), the exhibition will be ...
2 min read
Thursday, 16 April 2009
On 2 April 2009 at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris Mr Francesco Bandarin, Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, signed an agreement with INRAP, the French National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research (Institut national de recherches archéologiques preventives). The Letter of Intent was signed by Mrs Nicole Pot, Director of INRAP and Mr Jean-Paul Jacob, President of ...
1 min read
Friday, 10 April 2009
The Liaison Group of the Biodiversity-related Conventions (BLG) is a coordinating mechanism among Conventions for joint activities and shared tools in the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, maximizing outcomes from limited resources in accordance with UN goals. The meeting was hosted by the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and took place at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 7 April 2009
This lecture presents a brief history of attitudes to conservation in the 20th Century - the key concepts underpinning the Venice Charter (1964) UNESCO recommendations on historic areas (1976) and the Lahore recommendations on historic cities (1980).
Professor Lewcock chronicles these changes in his own experiences in Cairo (1972-1984) and Uzbekistan (1970-1996) and he discusses in detail ...
1 min read
Friday, 3 April 2009
UNESCO was recently informed of two serious threats at the Marojejy and Masoala national parks in the north of Madagascar, which are part of the recently inscribed Rainforests of Atisnanana World Heritage site.
Inscribed on the World Heritage List in June 2007 during the 31st session of the World Heritage Committee, the site is composed of six ...
2 min read
Tuesday, 31 March 2009
UNESCO, Egypt and Sudan have started commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Nubia Campaign, a defining example of international solidarity when countries understood the universal nature of heritage and the universal importance of its conservation.
The Egyptian and Sudanese governments' request - in April and October 1959 respectively - for UNESCO's help to save the 3,000-year-old ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 24 March 2009
From 16 to 19 March 2009, Mr Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO, paid his third official visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He was accompanied throughout his visit by Mr Ziad Bin Abdullah Aldrees, Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to UNESCO.
On 17 March, the Director-General was received by HRH Prince Sultan bin Salman Bin Abdelaziz Al-Saud, ...
3 min read
Friday, 20 March 2009
18 students from Greenland visited the UNESCO World Heritage Centre on 16 March 2009 to learn more about World Heritage, the Arctic and climate change. They were briefed about the expert workshop on World Heritage and the Arctic (Narvik, Norway, 2007), received a copy of the proceedings (see: /) which were published in 2008 thanks to the generous support of the Prince Albert II Foundation of ...
1 min read
Friday, 20 March 2009
The World Heritage site of the Tubbataha Reef Marine Park in the Philippines will benefit from the total amount of £13,540 collected through an auction organized in February by the Swiss watch company Jaeger-LeCoultre, within the framework of the partnership with UNESCO's World Heritage Centre and the International Herald Tribune.
The purchase of a watch designed to celebrate this ...
1 min read
Thursday, 19 March 2009
The International Workshop and Expert Meeting "Starlight Reserves and World Heritage - scientific cultural and environmental values", was held in Fuerteventura, Spain, from 10-11 March 2009. It was attended by 32 participants and experts from 10 countries including representatives of private organizations, companies, the tourism industry, NGOs, scientific bodies and research ...
1 min read
Monday, 16 March 2009
The International Workshop and Expert Meeting "Starlight Reserves and World Heritage - scientific cultural and environmental values", was held in Fuerteventura, Spain from 10-11 March 2009, and attended by 32 participants and experts from 10 countries. Participants were representatives of private organizations, enterprises, the tourism industry, NGOs, scientific bodies and research ...
2 min read
Monday, 2 March 2009
"For her work on the evolution of the stars from the birth of the universe to the present time." (Jury Citation, General Public)
"For her work on the chemical composition of old stars and its relevance to the formation and evolution of galaxies." (Jury Citation, Scientific Public)
Who She Is
Professor Barbuy was born in Brazil, and received her doctorate degree from the University of Paris ...
3 min read
Thursday, 26 February 2009
UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Jean-Michel Jarre has agreed to become the Artistic Director of the World Sky Race launched in a partnership between the nongovernmental U.S.-based World Air League and UNESCO's World Heritage Centre. The aim of the World Sky Race is to promote environmental protection and the use of lighter-than-air skyships as a means to reduce pollution and pressures caused by ...
Monday, 23 February 2009
On 23 January 2009, Artist for Peace Ms Missa Johnouchi met with Mr Francesco Bandarin, Directer of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, to present a donation for the preservation of World Heritage sites.
The funds, collected during the "World Heritage Torch-Run Concert - A voyage of the heart on the Silk Road from France to Japan" organized by the French Chamber ...
Friday, 13 February 2009
The Royal Palaces of Abomey in Benin were ravaged by a fire on 21 January 2009 which destroyed several buildings. A brushfire, whose origins are still uncertain, consumed the straw roof and framework of six buildings enclosing two temples to Agasu, as well as the tombs of King Agonglo, King Ghezo, and each king's 41 wives. The fire moved quickly due to the strong harmattan winds which are ...
1 min read
Friday, 13 February 2009
On 22 January 2009, the Anegundi Bridge at the World Heritage Group of Monuments at Hampi collapsed, killing eight construction workers. The unfinished bridge over the Tungabhadra River gave way under the weight of the additional concrete used to complete its construction, only weeks after resumption of the works which had been halted over 9 years ago.
The Group of Monuments at Hampi was ...
2 min read
Friday, 13 February 2009
Dutch and the Flemish Governments join Japan, UCCLA and Portugal in financing the San Sebastian Fortress rehabilitation project
On 18 December 2008, the Government of Mozambique and UNESCO signed two plans of operation for projects funded by the Netherlands and Flanders Funds-in-Trusts supporting the rehabilitation of the San Sebastian Fortress. Since its inscription on the World Heritage ...
1 min read
Thursday, 12 February 2009
In the context of the partnership between Jaeger-LeCoultre, The International Herald Tribune and UNESCO, the Jaeger-LeCoultre Manufacture has designed a watch symbolizing its commitment to the World Heritage Marine Programme.
The goal of the partnership is to identify, monitor and preserve marine sites around the world, and the Swiss luxury watch manufacturer has designed a limited edition ...
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Wednesday, 11 February 2009
The latest version of the World Heritage map, produced by the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and National Geographic Maps with support from the United Nations Foundation, can now be ordered for a modest fee from the World Heritage Centre website. All proceeds from sales of the maps will go toward the preservation and promotion of World Heritage sites.
The map is an extremely valuable learning ...
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Monday, 9 February 2009
[in French only] Actualités sur l'avancement des projets cfu :
Formation «patrimoine culturel et développement local». Porto Novo, Benin, 18-21 novembre 2008.
Séminaire international "Les ponts : de la construction à l'approche patrimoniale". Paris, 26-28 novembre 2008.
Atelier technique sur les inventaires du patrimoine culturel dans ...
Sunday, 1 February 2009
On 16 January 2009, the Government of the Cook Islands officially deposited with the Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, its instrument of ratification, becoming the 186th State Party to adopt the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage.
The World Heritage Convention will enter into force for this State Party on 16 April ...
Monday, 26 January 2009
Discover the rich history of the Silk Road on a guided visit to six World Heritage sites from April 12 to 27, 2009. The American Museum of Natural History, in partnership with the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, is offering an exciting and informative program to the oasis cities of Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan accompanied by archaeologist and early Silk Road scholar, Dr. Hsin-Mei Agnes Hsu. ...
Wednesday, 21 January 2009
The UNESCO Lima office, through an agreement with the National Institute of Culture of Peru, is providing technical assistance for the development of heritage site management plans for the Pachacamac archeological complex and the Lines and Geoglyphs of Nasca and Pampas de Jumana. Such assistance requires the expertise of international specialists. The main objective of the work plans is to ...
Wednesday, 7 January 2009
On 2 January 2009, Ugandan rebels known as the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) attacked Garamba National Park, one of five World Heritage sites in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
So far, there are 8 dead, including two guards and two wives of park rangers, and 13 wounded.
Park authorities are also evaluating damage done to the park. Nagero Station, targeted by the rebels, is ...
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