2398 news
Monday, 2 December 2013
A massive earthquake and powerful typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) successively struck central Philippines in October and early November 2013, causing catastrophic destruction and human loss. The UNESCO World Heritage Centre has expressed its deepest sympathy to the Government and people of the Philippines for their tragic losses, and conveyed its commitment to support their recovery ...
1 min read
Friday, 29 November 2013
On 27 November, Swiss watch manufacturer Jaeger-LeCoultre, a partner of the World Heritage Centre, donated 30,000 Euros for the preservation of Cocos Island National Park.
This World Heritage marine site is located 550 km off the Pacific coast of Costa Rica and is the only island in the tropical eastern Pacific with a tropical rainforest. The donation will be used to improve the conditions ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 26 November 2013
UNWTO is the specialized agency of the United Nations in charge of promoting a responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism.
A new memorandum of Understanding was signed by UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova and UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai, in the margins of the UN System Chief Executives Board for Coordination in New York. The Agreement provides a framework for ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 20 November 2013
On 19 November, representatives of the 190 States Parties to the 1972 World Heritage Convention elected 12 new members to the 21-member intergovernmental Committee in charge of managing UNESCO’s World Heritage List and implementing the Convention.
The new members of the World Heritage Committee, elected for four years, are: Croatia, Finland, Jamaica, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, ...
1 min read
Monday, 18 November 2013
Celebrating 40 years of the World Heritage Convention, the proceedings of the Closing Event of the Celebration of the 40th Anniversary of the World Heritage Convention, has been published. This electronic publication provides the vivid record of the three-day landmark event, which was organized jointly by the Government of Japan and UNESCO World Heritage Centre, in Kyoto, Japan, 6-8 November ...
1 min read
Saturday, 16 November 2013
This manual provides guidance for States Parties and all those involved in the care of World Heritage cultural properties on how to comply with the requirements of the World Heritage Convention. It also aims to help States Parties to ensure that heritage has a dynamic role in society and harnesses, but also delivers to others, the mutual benefits that such a role can create.
Managing ...
2 min read
Saturday, 16 November 2013
The significant number of reports prepared by UNESCO and the Advisory Bodies to the World Heritage Committee represents an exceptional documentation on conservation issues, one of the most comprehensive monitoring systems of any international conventions, through a global network of hundreds of sites.
The Information System is a comprehensive database on the state of conservation of World ...
1 min read
Monday, 28 October 2013
The Atlas by Collins app can be downloaded for free on Tuesday, October 29th. The app comes with one globe pre-installed and includes 10 other globes that can be downloaded. The free download is available to celebrate the launch of the World Heritage globe.
With the World Heritage globe:
Discover the locations of all 981 UNESCO World Heritage sites.
Learn about the criteria for ...
1 min read
Monday, 21 October 2013
UNESCO on 14 October delivered a first training course in cultural heritage protection to military, police and civilian staff from Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, France, Romania, Rwanda, Togo and the United Kingdom, who are part of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA).
The session comes in the wake of United Nations Security Council Resolution ...
2 min read
Thursday, 17 October 2013
Managers from 46 marine World Heritage sites will meet in Ajaccio, Corsica, from October 18-20, for the second World Heritage Marine Site Managers’ conference.
The World Heritage Convention was founded in 1972 on the premise that certain places on our planet – cultural or natural -- should be recognized as having “outstanding universal value” and should be safeguarded ...
4 min read
Monday, 30 September 2013
The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, deplored the suicide attack that took place on 28 September, near the Djingareyber Mosque in Timbuktu, Mali, inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
"I wish to express my solidarity with the people of Mali, the families and especially the community of Timbuktu, for the suicide bombing that brings back such terror and violence by injuring ...
1 min read
Monday, 30 September 2013
On Wednesday, 25 September, UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova joined the President of the International Council of Museums (ICOM), Dr. Hans-Martin Hinz, and United States Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration, Ms Anne Richard, to launch an Emergency Red List of Syrian Cultural Objects at Risk.
The event was held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York ...
2 min read
Monday, 23 September 2013
A joint publication of UNESCO and the Paris-based NGO Oriental Cultural Heritage Sites Protection Alliance, Lumbini, Birthplace of Buddha is a novel approach at encapsulating this site’s timeless essence. Eight photographers – three Nepali and five from around the world – used their unique vision to capture the Sacred Garden experience and, in the tradition of ...
2 min read
Tuesday, 10 September 2013
The results of the 3rd and 4th HERITY Conferences, held in Rome, Italy in December 2010 and 2012, are now available.
The conferences and their conclusions were made possible thanks to contributions from UNESCO-WHC, UN-WTO, ICCROM and HERITY International.
For more information on HERITY, the different conferences and their results, please visit: ...
Friday, 30 August 2013
The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, today called on all parties involved in the conflict in Syria to safeguard the country’s cultural heritage and take all possible measures to avoid further destruction. The Director-General’s appeal followed a meeting of experts held at the Organization’s Headquarters today to examine an action plan aimed at preventing ...
2 min read
Monday, 19 August 2013
The World Heritage Centre has learnt with deep sadness of the recent passing away of Professor Walter Santagata, a long-time collaborator of UNESCO and the creator, among many other scientific programmes, of the Turin Category 2 centre for training and research on the economics of World Heritage (ITRECH, 2011).
The establishment of this institution, aimed at exploring the economic dimension ...
1 min read
Monday, 19 August 2013
Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site on Tuesday welcomed its 10 millionth visitor since achieving the rare distinction of being designated a World Heritage site.
Visitor N° 10,000,000 was Michelle Miller of Waterloo, Ill. She was accompanied by her mother, Lorraine Novak; daughter Gabrielle Miller; and her daughter’s friend Keira Schmitz. Miller received a personal tour of the site ...
1 min read
Sunday, 18 August 2013
On 10 November 2011 UNESCO’s General Conference adopted the Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape, six years after the General Assembly of States Parties to the World Heritage Convention adopted Resolution 15GA/7 (in October 2005) that called for the elaboration of a new international standard-setting instrument that would be based on the recognition and guidance of investment in and ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 7 August 2013
The Val de Loire World Heritage cultural landscape (France) is organizing a one-day workshop on Economy, Heritage and Landscape, to be held 12th December 2013 in Tours.
The workshop will focus mainly on policies and politics, and assessing the economic, environmental and cultural current and future returns on investments in the economic, landscape and heritage spheres. Discussions ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 6 August 2013
New report on lessons learned to engage local communities in the Conservation of World Heritage sites launched during the 37th session of the World Heritage Committee
The role of local communities in ensuring that World Heritage contributes to sustainable development was chosen by the World Heritage Committee as the central theme for the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Convention ...
3 min read
Tuesday, 6 August 2013
The Africa Nature risk preparedness workshop took place from the 20th-25th May 2013 at the Golden Gate Highlands National Park. Organized by African World Heritage Fund with the support of the Government of South Africa, this workshop aimed at English-speaking African countries. It gathered 14 site managers from natural World Heritage Sites in Ethiopia, Kenya, Seychelles, Tanzania, Uganda, ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 30 July 2013
Given the current rate of poaching, children from West or Central Africa will one day speak of elephants and rhinoceros as we speak of mammoths: as magnificent creatures belonging to the past.
Over recent years, the massacre of wild species has reached an industrial scale, in particular the poaching of animals for their ivory. In Gabon alone, some 11,000 elephants have been killed illegally ...
4 min read
Friday, 26 July 2013
For the first time, the Lagoons of New Caledonia: Reef Diversity and Associated Ecosystems brought together all the local communities actively involved in the management of this exceptional marine World Heritage site from 5 to 6 July. The local management committees are unique in their endeavor to include the local population in the management of the lagoons in a very comprehensive ...
1 min read
Thursday, 18 July 2013
H.E. Gürcan Balik, Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of Turkey to UNESCO, and Kishore Rao, Director of UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre, on 17 July signed a Plan of Operations for a $1.2 million project to safeguard the Turkish World Heritage site of Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia. H. E. Mr Isao Kiso, Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of Japan was also ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 16 July 2013
The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, has expressed deep shock at news of further destruction to cultural heritage in Syria, and particularly following the publication of media reports and images depicting damage to the Crac des Chevaliers, one of Syria’s World Heritage sites. These two castles are outstanding examples of the region’s fortified architecture developed ...
2 min read
Monday, 15 July 2013
The French Grand Sites Network and its International Training and Exchange Centre for Francophone Heritage Sites Managers organized recently an “Exchange Workshop on management and valorization of paleo-metallurgical sites”. From the 20th to the 24th of May 2013, this workshop gathered sixteen managers of patrimonial sites and paleo-metallurgical experts of Western Africa and ...
1 min read
Monday, 15 July 2013
On 6th May 2013, the creation of a “Rivers and heritage” UNESCO Chair was approved by UNESCO.
This project stems from a partnership between the University François Rabelais in Tours (France), the University of Angers (France) and the Mission Val de Loire which is the management body of the Val de Loire site World Heritage site. The creation of a UNESCO chair is part of the ...
2 min read
Sunday, 7 July 2013
New excavations within the Maya Devi Temple of Buddha’s birthplace in Lumbini, Nepal, have revealed evidence of a series of shrines extending the history of the site to a much earlier date than previously known.
Until now, the earliest Buddhist temples have been attributed to Emperor Ashoka, who in the 3rd century BC spread Buddhism across the region, as evidenced by his Pillar and ...
2 min read
Friday, 28 June 2013
Some 500 of the 1400 participants of the 37th session of the World Heritage Committee made the journey from Phnom Penh to Siam Reap and visited the Terrace of the Elephants at Angkor Thom ahead of the closing ceremony of the event.
The stone elephants that flank the impressive platform built some eight centuries ago by Angkor's King Jayavarman VII for public ceremonies were surrounded by ...
1 min read
Sunday, 23 June 2013
Two new sites and one extension to a Polish site were inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List on Sunday afternoon, bringing to 19 the total number of sites added to the List during the 37th session taking place in Phnom Penh.
The latest inscriptions are:
Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe, (Germany)
Descending a long hill dominated by a giant statue of Hercules, the monumental water ...
4 min read
My Son, Viet Nam: Director-General Celebrates Restoration of World Heritage Champa Kingdom Monuments
Sunday, 23 June 2013
After 16 years of excavation and restoration work, a group of tower temples and monuments belonging to the My Son Sanctuary, once the religious and political capital of the Champa Kingdom, were inaugurated by the Director-General with Vietnamese authorities and the Ambassador of Italy to Viet Nam on 22 June.
Under steady rainfall, dancers and musicians lined the path leading through lush ...
2 min read
Sunday, 23 June 2013
The World Heritage Committee inscribed the following three sites on Sunday morning:
Ancient City of Tauric Chersonese and its Chora (Ukraine).
The site features the remains of a city founded by Dorian Greeks in the 5th century BC on the northern shores of the Black Sea. It encompasses six component sites with urban remains and agricultural lands divided into several hundreds of chora, ...
3 min read
Saturday, 22 June 2013
The World Heritage Committee has inscribed a site of rice terraces in Yunnan (China) and an extension to the uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park which is now known as the mixed cultural and natural Maloti Drakensberg Tranboundary World Heritage Site (Lesotho and South Africa).
Cultural Landscape of Honghe Hani Rice Terraces, China
The Cultural Landscape of Honghe Hani Rice Terraces, China covers ...
2 min read
Saturday, 22 June 2013
Qatar and Fiji had their first World Heritage sites inscribed during the afternoon session of the World Heritage Committee on Saturday, as the intergovernmental body added six properties to UNESCO’s World Heritage List
Fujisan, Sacred Place and Source of Artistic Inspiration (Japan)
The beauty of the solitary, often snow-capped, stratovolcano, known around the world as Mount Fuji, ...
5 min read
Friday, 21 June 2013
China’s Xinjiang Tianshan and Namib Sand Sea (Namibia) were inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List on Friday. Mount Kenya-Lewa Wildlife conservancy (Kenya), was also inscribed as an extension to Mount Kenya Natural Park / Natural Forest.
Xinjiang Tianshan (China)
Xinjiang Tianshan (China) comprises four components—Tomur, Kalajun-Kuerdening, Bayinbukuke and ...
3 min read
Friday, 21 June 2013
The World Heritage Committee has inscribed natural sites from Tajikistan, Italy, and Mexico on the World Heritage List.
Tajikistan National Park (Mountains of the Pamirs) (Tajikistan)
Tajikistan National Park (Tajikistan) covers more than 2.5 million hectares in the east of the country, at the centre of the so-called “Pamir Knot”, a meeting point of the highest mountain ranges ...
3 min read
Hill Forts of Rajastan and Wooden Churches of the Carpathian region inscribed on World Heritage List
Friday, 21 June 2013
The World Heritage Committee today inscribed two new cultural World Heritage sites, one in India and the other astride the border of Poland and Ukraine.
Hill Forts of Rajasthan (India)
The serial site, situated in the state of Rajastahan, includes six majestic forts in Chittorgarh; Kumbhalgarh; Sawai Madhopur; Jhalawar; Jaipur, and Jaisalmer. The ecclectic architecture of the forts, some up ...
2 min read
Thursday, 20 June 2013
The World Heritage Committee has decided to place the six World Heritage sites of the Syrian Arab Republic on the List of World Heritage in Danger so as to draw attention to the risks they are facing because of the situation in the country.
The danger listing is intended to mobilize all possible support for the safeguarding of these properties which are recognized by the international ...
1 min read
Thursday, 20 June 2013
The World Heritage Youth Forum, Cambodia 2013 was held at the site of Angkor, Siem Reap and Phnom Penh, Cambodia from 8 to 16 June 2013, in conjunction with the 37th session of the World Heritage Committee. The event gathered 36 youth representatives from 16 countries, including 20 from Cambodia.
The World Heritage Youth Forum aimed at raising awareness among young people about the ...
3 min read
Wednesday, 19 June 2013
The UNESCO World Heritage Centre, in partnership with the African World Heritage Fund (AWHF) and in collaboration with the Centre for Heritage Development in Africa (CHDA) and the Ministry of Arts and Culture of Mauritius, is organising a month-long field training project on risk management at World Heritage sites from the 19 August 2013 to 13 September 2013 at the Aapravasi Ghat and Le Morne ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 18 June 2013
UNESCO and Panasonic Corporation announced the renewal of their strategic partnership agreement today. The new agreement will run for two years from June 2013 to May 2015.
The strategic framework agreement was signed by UNESCO Director-General, Ms. Irina Bokova and Senior Managing Executive Officer of Panasonic Corporation, Mr. Takumi Kajisha, on June 18, 2013, in Phnom Penh in the Kingdom ...
5 min read
Tuesday, 18 June 2013
The World Heritage site of East Rennell has been inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger due to logging that is affecting the ecosystem of the Solomon Islands’ World Heritage site.
The World Heritage Committee determined that logging is threatening the outstanding universal value of East Rennell, and asked the national authorities to provide an impact ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 18 June 2013
On 16 June, during her official visit to the Kingdom of Cambodia, the Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, met with His Majesty King Norodom Sihamoni, who underscored the "strong ties which unite the Kingdom of Cambodia and UNESCO".
"I will always stand at the side of UNESCO to uphold its values," declared the King, voicing his pride and privilege to host the 37th session of the World ...
8 min read
Tuesday, 18 June 2013
On 17 June 2013, in the context of the 37th Session of the World Heritage Committee in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, the Director-General, Irina Bokova, took part in the Round Table of African Ministers, organized by UNESCO and the African World Heritage Fund and attended by over 100 participants.
Ministers from Namibia, Tanzania, Chad, Mali, Kenya, Cape Verde, and Cameroun discussed the situation ...
1 min read
Monday, 17 June 2013
The World Heritage Committee has decided that improvements in the management and conservation of the World Heritage site of Bam and its Cultural Landscape, in the Islamic Republic of Iran, meant the property could be removed from the List of World Heritage in Danger.
Bam was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2004, shortly after it was struck by a major earthquake. Damage caused by the ...
1 min read
Monday, 17 June 2013
Must countries choose between economic development and the safeguarding of heritage? This was the subject of the annual Round Table of African Ministers organized by the African World Heritage Fund and UNESCO as part of the 37th World Heritage Committee session taking place in Phnom Penh (16 to 27 June).
Speakers at the event, alongside UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova and the ...
2 min read
Sunday, 16 June 2013
The 37th session of the World Heritage Committee is now underway in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, from 16 to 27 June 2013.
Media contacts: Roni Amelan +33 (0)1 45 68 17 64 and, during the Committee meeting: +33 (0)6 31 54 30 36Photo: A photo gallery with pictures that can be used for editorial purposes (with mention of copyright) will be available here: www.unesco.org/new/whc-photosVideo: ...
Sunday, 16 June 2013
Solemn appeals for the preservation of the heritage of humanity and colourful cultural performances marked the opening of the 37th session of the World Heritage Committee in Phnom Penh on 16 June.
The opening ceremony was marked by the moving return to Cambodia of two major art treasures of the 10th century by Emily K. Rafferty, President of the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art ...
3 min read
Friday, 14 June 2013
From 23 to 26 April 2013, the Swiss luxury watch manufacturer Jaeger-LeCoultre, partner of UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre since 2008, organized its fourth online auction for the benefit of World Heritage marine sites. This year, the Manufacture auctioned a watch inspired by the Memovox Deep Sea of 1959: Prototype N° 1 of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Deep Sea Chronograph ...
2 min read
Friday, 14 June 2013
Enter a Competition for the chance to win 1 of 5 copies of World Heritage: Benefits Beyond Borders! This book was jointly published by UNESCO and Cambridge University Press on the 40th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention. It is a cross-disciplinary collection of case studies providing a meeting point for researchers, practitioners and community representatives and promoting ...
Friday, 14 June 2013
This newly published brochure "New life for historic cities: The historic urban landscape approach explained" introduces the Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape, which was adopted on 10 November 2011 by the 36th session of UNESCO's General Conference, and how to apply the Historic Urban Landscape approach in the local context.
UNESCO's approach to managing historic urban ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 11 June 2013
Participants to the 5th annual World Heritage Centre / Earthwatch / Shell "Business Planning for natural World Heritage site managers" year long training programme have just been informed of their successful candidacies. In October 2013, 18 World Heritage site staff from 6 sites in Africa will travel to the Mpala Research Centre in the shadow of Mount Kenya World ...
1 min read
Sunday, 9 June 2013
“UNESCO saved the temples of Egypt and rebuilt the Mostar Bridge. UNESCO will rebuild the mausoleums of Mali,“ said UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova during the ceremony on 5 June to award French President Francois Hollande the UNESCO-Felix Houphouet-Boigny Peace Prize.
The first steps towards this project were taken this week when a UNESCO team of experts visited ...
2 min read
Friday, 7 June 2013
Over 1,000 new species have been discovered at marine sites since their inscription on the World Heritage List. This data has been compiled in UNESCO’s global marine biodiversity data portal Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS). The 1972 World Heritage Convention protects 46 marine sites in recognition of their exceptional natural phenomena, their geological processes, ...
1 min read
Friday, 7 June 2013
The UNESCO World Heritage Centre has published a brochure reporting the events and activities carried out in 2012 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention. This colorful, illustrated publication provides a record of the various initiatives that the World Heritage community undertook at the international, national and local levels-- more than 120 events in 48 ...
1 min read
Friday, 7 June 2013
The World Heritage Committee will consider the inscription of 32 sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage List during its next session, from 16 to 27 June in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap (Cambodia).
Media wishing to attend the meeting must register online. The Committee’s debates, chaired by Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sok An, will also be webcast. A press conference with the ...
3 min read
Wednesday, 5 June 2013
With almost a thousand sites inscribed on the World Heritage List, the reach of the World Heritage Convention is vast. To better present one important issue and the work that’s being done to make a difference, UNESCO has produced an infographic on rhinoceros conservation. This attractive, easy to follow poster describes the plight of several rhinoceros species in Africa and Asia, and how ...
2 min read
Monday, 3 June 2013
The Tubbataha Reef sprawls across 100,000 hectares and supports over 350 species of coral and almost 500 species of fish. Earlier this year, two vessels grounded in Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park – a jewel in the middle of Philippines' Sulu Sea. First a U.S. Navy ship grounded on the reef in January. A couple of months later, a Chinese fishing ...
1 min read
Sunday, 2 June 2013
In the wake of alarming media reports on damage to several historic and religious sites in various regions of Syria, I wish to express my grave concern for the safety of Syria’s cultural heritage. I call upon the perpetrators to cease the destruction immediately and demonstrate respect for the beliefs and traditions of all Syrians.
I also strongly urge all the parties to the conflict ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 29 May 2013
Most people know Bamiyan as the site where giant statutes of the Buddha were destroyed by the Taliban in 2001. But it is the location of other important archaeological sites too, such as Shahr-i-Zohak (Red City), an impressive mass of ruins that was once the fortress protecting the entrance to Bamiyan in the 12th and 13th centuries. Now this site will be restored and conserved as part of a ...
3 min read
Monday, 27 May 2013
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is hosting a World Heritage Fellow, Mr. Anoop K.R., Director of Keoladeo National Park in India and Deputy Conservator of Forests in the Bharatpur District of Rajasthan.
As a recognized World Heritage site, the Park is participating in this fellowship program which allows professionals from other heritage sites a unique opportunity to temporarily ...
1 min read
Monday, 27 May 2013
The Nordic World Heritage Fund (NWHF) and the World Heritage Institute of Training and Research in the Asia and the Pacific Region (WHITR-AP), have signed a cooperation agreement as an extension of a Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2009. Ms Anne-Kristin Endresen, Director of NWHF, and Mr Jian Zhou, Director of WHITR-AP, represented their organizations. NWHF and WHITR-AP are centres that ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 21 May 2013
Following certain media announcements reporting on the cancellation of the UNESCO Mission to the Old City of Jerusalem, Director-General Irina Bokova wishes to underscore that contrary to such information, consultations are being pursued by the Government of Israel, and the Palestinian and Jordanian authorities with a view to finalizing the terms of the mission and determining its date.
Friday, 17 May 2013
On the 3rd of May, the Rapid Response Facility (RRF) received a request for emergency support in confronting a surge of rosewood poaching in Dong Phayayen Kao Yai Forest Complex World Heritage site. The petitioners/advocates explained that poaching was becoming more organized and had for the first time turned deadly. On March 14th, 33 year-old Thaweesak Chomyong, a park ranger, ...
2 min read
Tuesday, 7 May 2013
World Heritage Education Programme is pleased to announce the release of "Patrimonito’s World Heritage Adventures" cartoon series. The mentioned episodes are dedicated to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention.
Episode 10thLebanon (Sustainable Development for the Site of Ouaid Qadisha and the Forest of the Cedars of ...
1 min read
Friday, 3 May 2013
On 30 April 2013, UNESCO and the International Astronomical Union (IAU) renewed their Memorandum of Understanding at the Organization’s Headquarters. The agreement has been concluded in the framework of the thematic initiative “Astronomy and World Heritage”, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary. The purpose of the initiative is to reinforce the links between science and ...
2 min read
Friday, 3 May 2013
The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, has expressed deep concern over the rise of armed violence, poaching and destruction in the Dzanga-Sanga National Park, in Central African Republic. The site is part of Sangha Trinational, inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 2012 and located in the north-western Congo Basin, at the meeting point between Cameroon, Congo and the ...
2 min read
Friday, 3 May 2013
Demonstrating an excellent example of cooperation between managers and staff of two of the globe’s most iconic World Heritage volcano sites, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park in the USA and New Zealand’s Tongariro National Park worked together to assess risk to visitors in what can be inherently dangerous places.
At the request of the Conservator, Tongariro Whanganui Taranaki ...
2 min read
Monday, 29 April 2013
After three successful programme cycles of 4 years each, during the period from 2001 to 2012, the Dutch Government decided to extend the Netherlands Funds-in-Trust for another 4-year cycle during the period 2013-2016, for a total amount of 1.5 million Euros.
The implementation report “From Astronomy to Zanzibar – 10 Years of Dutch Support to World Heritage”, published by the World Heritage ...
2 min read
Friday, 26 April 2013
From 15-16 April 2013, 25 experts from 4 European marine World Heritage Sites were brought together in Tönning (Germany) with the aim to strengthen their cooperation. Participants included managers from High Coast (Sweden), Kvarken Archipelago (Finland), St Kilda (Scotland) as well as from the Wadden Sea (The Netherlands/Germany). Participants engaged in an intensive exchange on ...
1 min read
Thursday, 25 April 2013
The 2nd South East European (SEE) World Heritage Youth Forum for peace and sustainable development was held from 6 to 11 April 2013 in Zajecar, eastern Serbia, home of the Gamzigrad – Felix Romuliana / Palace of Galerius World Heritage site.
At the opening ceremony on 7 April, the message delivered on behalf of Irina Bokova, Director General of UNESCO, stated: "Our theme today is forward ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 24 April 2013
UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova expressed her deep distress over reports of the continuing destruction which has severely damaged the ancient city of Aleppo, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1986. Today, the minaret of one of Syria's most famous mosques was destroyed during clashes in the northern city of Aleppo.
The mosque, which is located within the UNESCO World Heritage site, has ...
1 min read
Friday, 12 April 2013
A group of Afghan and international experts working on the safeguarding of Bamiyan (Afghanistan), as well as representatives of the Afghan and Japanese governments and UNESCO, recently released a list of recommendations for further activities to preserve the Bamiyan site. The 11th Expert Working Group meeting for the safeguarding of the cultural landscape and archaeological remains of the ...
2 min read
Tuesday, 2 April 2013
7th issue of SPANDREL, Historic Urban Landscape. Biannual publication. 2013
The 7th issue of the SPANDREL journal for the promotion and dissemination of the “Historic Urban Landscape” approach published by the School of Planning and Architecture of Bhopal is now available. Mrs. Savita Raje, Professor and Head of the Department of Architecture as well as the editor of this issue, ...
1 min read
Friday, 22 March 2013
Once again 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 world. UNESCO has invited World Heritage sites to participate in this initiative by switching off the lights on the night of Earth Hour: Saturday, 23 March 2013, from 8:30 to 9:30pm local time.
The Earth Hour campaign ...
Friday, 22 March 2013
UNESCO is launching a project to develop a flood risk mitigation plan for the World Heritage Site of Ayutthaya. The launch event at UNESCO Bangkok on 22 March 2013 was attended by key players of Thailand’s national flood risk reduction efforts and representatives from the embassies of Germany, Japan, Portugal and the United States that have been actively involved in Ayutthaya’s ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 6 March 2013
On 1st March 2013, UNESCO signed the Plan of Operation with the Government of Uganda for the project “Technical and financial assistance for the reconstruction of Muzibu-Azaala-Mpanga, architectural masterpiece of the Tombs of Buganda Kings at Kasubi, Uganda, World Heritage property in Danger”, generously supported through the Japanese Funds-in-Trust. Inscribed on the World ...
2 min read
Friday, 1 March 2013
For more than a year now, I have been expressing on behalf of UNESCO my deep concern about the dramatic humanitarian situation in Syria and the threats to the outstanding cultural heritage of the country, which bear testimony to its history and to its cultural identity. I have called upon all those involved in the conflict to ensure the respect and protection of this heritage.
The tragedy ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 26 February 2013
The field testing of the World Heritage Centre’s field guide for climate change adaptation in natural World Heritage sites was launched last Friday in Nairobi.
Managers from Mount Kenya National Park/National Forest and the Kenya Lakes System in the Great Rift Valley and their civil society partners gathered for a two-day introductory workshop on the field guide. The group will now return ...
1 min read
Monday, 25 February 2013
Managers from 10 World Heritage sites throughout Africa met at the IUCN ESARO regional offices in Nairobi, Kenya to reflect on and learn more about management effectiveness of natural World Heritage sites in Africa.
The Africa Nature project, a collaborative effort by the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, IUCN and the African World Heritage Fund, with financial support from the Governments of ...
2 min read
Friday, 22 February 2013
The UNESCO Kathmandu Office has recently created a website on Lumbini, the Birthplace of the Lord Buddha, World Heritage property in Nepal: ‘Lumbini: Past, Present & Future’.
Lumbini, the birthplace of the Lord Buddha, was inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1997 because of its Outstanding Universal Value. The values described are that it is the birthplace of ...
2 min read
Tuesday, 19 February 2013
An Action Plan for the Rehabilitation of Cultural Heritage and the Safeguarding of Ancient Manuscripts in Mali was adopted at an international experts’ meeting organized by UNESCO and France at the Organization’s Headquarters on Monday.
The Action Plan for Mali has three priorities: rehabilitate cultural heritage damaged during the conflict with the active ...
2 min read
Friday, 15 February 2013
On 10 January 2013, UNESCO and the Fondation Franz Weber of Switzerland signed a five-year agreement to reinforce support for the Rapid Response Facility, and to develop a new project for the sustainable preservation of the Dja Faunal Reserve in Cameroon.
The partnership will reinforce the ability of the Rapid Response Facility (RRF) to respond to serious risks to World Heritage sites. ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 13 February 2013
The Director-General of UNESCO, together with the Government of France, is organizing an international Day of Solidarity for Mali on 18 February 2013 at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France.
This day-long event will begin with an international meeting of experts, charged with developing an action plan for the rehabilitation of Mali’s cultural heritage and the safeguarding of ancient ...
2 min read
Friday, 8 February 2013
On 7 February, international film stars Clive Owen and Jacques Perrin gave their support to Marine World Heritage: The Crown Jewels of the Ocean, at a special event dedicated to marine site preservation at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. A short film on marine sites, narrated by Mr Perrin, was also shown.
The event presented a 10-year strategy to protect the Crown Jewels of the Ocean, ...
2 min read
Monday, 4 February 2013
In response to the conflict taking place in the northern regions of Mali since April 2012, UNESCO, in collaboration with the National Directorate of Cultural Heritage in Mali and the International Centre for Earthen Architecture (CRAterre), has produced two publications on the cultural heritage of Timbuktu, Gao and Kidal. The first is an illustrated map with detailed texts in two formats ...
1 min read
Sunday, 3 February 2013
UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova made a visit to Mali on Saturday 2 February with French President François Hollande and the interim President of Mali Dioncounda Traoré.
The main aim of the visit was to launch the process of reconstruction and safeguarding of the cultural heritage of northern Mali, including the mausoleums of Timbuktu and the city’s fabulous ...
2 min read
Saturday, 2 February 2013
The Director-General is visiting Mali today with French President François Hollande, with the goal to launch the assessment of the state of Mali’s cultural heritage and manuscripts after the recent fighting and tensions and to define a plan of action with the Government of Mali that will guide UNESCO’s support to its reconstruction and safeguarding.
Irina Bokova will be ...
1 min read
Saturday, 2 February 2013
2 February each year is World Wetlands Day. It marks the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands on 2 February 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar on the shores of the Caspian Sea. Each year since 1997, government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and groups of citizens at all levels of the community have taken advantage of the opportunity to undertake actions aimed at ...
1 min read
Project Publication on Tourism Management at World Heritage Sites of Portuguese Origin and Influence
Friday, 1 February 2013
In January 2013, the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and Turismo de Portugal (the Portuguese Tourism Authority) concluded their joint project on capacity-building for tourism management in World Heritage sites of Portuguese origin and influence. The project culminated in a final event at the School of Tourism in Lisbon, Portugal, where were showcased the project’s publication and case ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 30 January 2013
UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova today announced that UNESCO will do everything possible to safeguard and rebuild Mali’s extraordinary cultural heritage, which she described as “a vital part of the country’s identity and history and fundamental for its future. Its restoration and reconstruction will give the people of Mali the strength and the confidence to rebuild ...
3 min read
Monday, 21 January 2013
Are you a youth organization and want to sensitize the young people more about the value of World Heritage sites? Or are you an NGO and wish to organize a work camp to preserve and promote a World Heritage site, with young international volunteers? Here is a way to do so!
The UNESCO World Heritage Education Programme in collaboration with the Coordinating Committee for ...
1 min read
Monday, 14 January 2013
The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova launched an appeal to all military forces in Mali: "I ask all armed forces to make every effort to protect the cultural heritage of the country, which has already been severely damaged”.
Invoking the Hague Convention of 1954 for the Protection of Cultural Property in the event of armed conflict and its two Protocols, Irina Bokova sent a ...
2 min read
Monday, 7 January 2013
Within framework of the World Heritage Earthen Architecture Programme (WHEAP), an international colloquium on the conservation of earthen architecture was organized at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, in partnership with CRAterre-ENSAG, on 17 and 18 December 2012.
This conference, which brought together 240 participants, including experts, professionals and students, was the first international ...
3 min read
Friday, 21 December 2012
World Heritage sites cover a quater of all marine protected areas on the planet: 46 jewels of the ocean, beautiful but fragile. Lest's protect them!
Tuesday, 18 December 2012
The First Expert/Stakeholder Meeting took place in Pompei (Italy) on 17 November 2012, within the framework of the project “Towards a governance system for coordinating the updating and the implementation of the Management Plan of the Archaeological Areas of Pompei, Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata”. The meeting was funded by the Italian Government and managed by the UNESCO World ...
2 min read
Tuesday, 18 December 2012
Negotiated with the support of the World Heritage Centre, this 3 year Swiss government financed project entitled "Local Capacities for climate change adaptation and risk management: Manu National Park in Peru - World Heritage Site" was brought to a successful close earlier this month. Fully implemented by the UNESCO Lima office, the project was founded on a strategic alliance with ...
1 min read
Monday, 17 December 2012
During the recent 7th Conference of the Parties for the Nairobi Convention (December 2012, Maputo, Mozambique), dedicated to "Partnering for a Healthy Western Indian Ocean", important discussions on the potential for new Marine World Heritage sites in the region were held. On the basis of these discussions, the Parties to the Nairobi Convention encouraged its Secretariat, the World Heritage ...
2 min read
Sunday, 16 December 2012
The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, laid out a vision for the World Heritage Convention in the 21st century stunning some 200 people from the cultural preservation community attending the ICOMOS Gala celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Convention in Washington on 12 December.
"We have come together to celebrate one of the most positive and visionary ideas that emerged in the ...
3 min read
International experts meeting on earthen architecture: its preservation and potential for the future
Friday, 14 December 2012
Forty of the world’s leading experts on earthen architecture—which serves as habitat for up to one third of the world’ population—will exchange experiences about the preservation of this often remarkable and always sustainable heritage in a meeting at UNESCO Headquarters on 17 and 18 December (RoomXI).
The International Colloquium on the Conservation of World ...
2 min read
Thursday, 6 December 2012
The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, paid tribute to the great Brazilian architect, Oscar Niemeyer, who died on Wednesday, 5 December, at the age of 104.
"Oscar Niemeyer helped define the 20th century and lay the foundations for the 21st -- for all this, he deserves the title of universal artist. As a founder of modern architecture, he gave the cities he loved iconic buildings, ...
1 min read
Thursday, 6 December 2012
The UNESCO World Heritage Centre and Panasonic Corporation present the new tablet PC edition of the 2013 World Heritage calendar. Featuring stunning photographs of World Heritage sites from around the world, the tablet app joins the paper and online versions of the popular calendar.
The tablet PC app calendar also includes fun facts about World Heritage sites in English, Chinese, French, ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 5 December 2012
The World Heritage Centre, with the support from the Flanders Government, has embarked on the development a comprehensive and integrated information system on the state of conservation of World Heritage properties. This information is now public and hosted on the World Heritage Centre’s website. This public tool has a multi-criteria search form in order to extract specific data according to ...
1 min read
Friday, 30 November 2012
The latest version of the World Heritage map, produced by the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and National Geographic Maps with the generous support of Cambodia, can now be ordered for a modest fee from the World Heritage Centre website. The featured image on the Map presents Angkor in Cambodia, where the next session of the World Heritage Committee will be held (June 2013).
This poster-sized ...
1 min read
Monday, 26 November 2012
The final meeting in the Second Cycle of the Periodic Report on the State of World Heritage in Latin America and the Caribbean will take place from 3 to 5 December in Santiago, Chile. The objective of the meeting is to draw up a World Heritage Action Plan (2013-2020) for this region.
The activity is in compliance with Decision 36 COM 10C, approved by the World Heritage Committee at its 36th ...
2 min read
Saturday, 24 November 2012
25 years of Council of Europe cultural routes celebrated in Colmar, France, 21-23 November 2012
The Colmar Forum, organized by the secretariat of the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Cultural Routes and the European Institute of Cultural Routes marked 25 years of existence of the Council of Europe’s cultural routes programme. It was attended by around 130 people, representing the 24 ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 21 November 2012
The 3rd Expert Working Group Meeting for the Old City of Herat and the World Heritage property of Jam (Afghanistan), met at the Museo d’ Arte Orientale in Turin, Italy, from 4 to 6 September 2012, released a set of recommendations for future safeguarding actions for the two sites. The Meeting brought together more than 30 well-known experts and high-ranking officials from the government of ...
2 min read
Friday, 16 November 2012
The World Heritage Convention, adopted by the UNESCO General Conference on 16 November 1972, turns 40 today. The only treaty for heritage preservation that englobes both cultural and natural sites, the Convention has been almost universally ratified, with 190 States Parties. There are currently 962 sites on the World Heritage List, 745 of them cultural, 188 natural and 29 mixed (both cultural ...
1 min read
Friday, 16 November 2012
In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention, Eastern National and the National Park Service’s Office of International Affairs have produced the new booklet "World Heritage Sites in the United States". The booklet highlights the 21 sites in the United States that have been selected and inscribed on the World Heritage List for their natural or cultural ...
1 min read
Thursday, 8 November 2012
The Closing Event of the 40thAnniversary of the World Heritage Convention concluded today in Kyoto, Japan, after three days of presentations and lively panel discussions among international World Heritage experts. Held from 6 to 8 November, the occasion was the culmination of a year of celebratory activities around the world, gathering more than 500 international heritage experts from 60 ...
4 min read
Thursday, 8 November 2012
In the framework of Document WHC-12/36.COM/10C and Decision 36 COM 10C adopted by the World Heritage Committee at its 36th session (Saint Petersburg, 2012), the final meeting of the Second Cycle of the Periodic Reporting Exercise for Latin America and the Caribbean will take place in Santiago de Chile, Chile from 3-5 December 2012.
As the final meeting for the Region, it will involve the ...
1 min read
Thursday, 8 November 2012
Preparations are being completed in Chile, where almost everything is ready, for the final meeting of the Second Cycle of the Periodic Reporting Exercise for Latin America and the Caribbean that will take place in Santiago de Chile from 2 to 5 December 2012.
The primary objectives of this meeting will be the development of the 2013-2020 Regional Action Plan and also the preparation of a ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 6 November 2012
The Cuban National Cultural Heritage Council (CNPC) and the Cuban National Ballet (BNC) offered last October 30 a gala performance on the 40th anniversary of the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, parallel to the 33rd International Havana Ballet Festival. This major cultural event was attended by BNC director Alicia Alonso, His Excellency Mr. ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 6 November 2012
The opening ceremony of the Closing Event taking place in Kyoto from 6 to 8 November featured a performance by UNESCO Artist for Peace Sarah Brightman, and a traditional drum performance by the Japanese group Hi Ryu (Flying Dragon).
The Chairperson of the event, Ambassador Masuo Nishibayashi, and UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova opened the celebration, along with Kazuyuki Hamada, ...
4 min read
Monday, 5 November 2012
A three-day event in Kyoto, Japan, will mark the end of a year-long worldwide celebration of the 40th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention from 6 to 8 November. The Convention, which was adopted by UNESCO’s General Conference on 16 November 1972, is the most widely accepted treaty for cultural and natural heritage preservation in the world with 190 States Parties, and 962 ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 31 October 2012
On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, over 300 delegates, including 16 African Ministers of Culture, Tourism, Environment and Home Affairs as well as representatives from the African Union, the African World Heritage Fund and experts in cultural and natural heritage from across the continent and around the world actively participated in a high-level ...
3 min read
Thursday, 25 October 2012
The Historic Town of Vigan (Philippines), inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1999, has been recognized as a model of best practices in World Heritage site management, at the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention. The distinction will be officially announced and a certificate presented to the Mayor of Vigan, Ms Eva Marie S. Medina, during the closing event of ...
1 min read
Friday, 19 October 2012
Thirty-four young messengers (participants) from over 20 different marine World Heritage sites around the world gathered in Hyderabad from 6 to 15 October as part of the International Youth Forum Go4BioDiv. The Forum is the largest youth initiative for both IUCN and the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and gives young adults between the ages of 18 and 29 the possibility to ...
2 min read
Friday, 19 October 2012
Irina Bokova, the Director-General of UNESCO today denounced the renewed destruction of mausoleums in northern Mali, near the World Heritage city of Timbuktu.
“This new act of destruction marks an escalation of violence and testifies of the deliberate will to erase symbols of a tolerant and open Islam, deeply enshrined in this region of Sahel. This is an inacceptable attack against the ...
1 min read
Thursday, 11 October 2012
UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova today expressed utmost concern over the escalation of violence in Syria, in particular in the vicinity of several World Heritage sites. The Director-General reiterates her appeal of 30 March 2012 to the parties involved in the conflict to protect all Syrian cultural heritage.
The Director-General’s comments follow reports about damage to the Umayyad ...
1 min read
Monday, 8 October 2012
On 1 and 2 October 2012, a workshop took place in Nairobi, Kenya to launch the UNESCO Africa Nature Programme, which was developed following the results of the second cycle of Periodic Reporting in Africa (2010-2011).
The Africa Nature programme aims to improve the management effectiveness of the natural World Heritage sites in Africa through targeted capacity building and knowledge sharing. ...
2 min read
Monday, 1 October 2012
This year, two Marine World Heritage sites won the Future Policy Award, which celebrates policies that create better living conditions for current and future generations. Both Rock Islands Southern Lagoon (Palau) and Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park (Philippines) won a Future Policy Award 2012 in recognition of their marine policies.
Palau was given the Gold Award 2012 for its Protected ...
1 min read
Sunday, 30 September 2012
UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova today expressed distress and dismay over the fire that severely damaged the ancient markets in the old city of Aleppo, a World Heritage site, over the weekend. She also reminded all parties of the country’s obligations under the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, to which Syria is a ...
2 min read
Friday, 21 September 2012
The International Protection of Landscapes meeting was organized by UNESCO and the International Traditional Knowledge Institute and held in Florence, Italy from 19 to 21 September to mark the 40th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention. The Florence Declaration on Landscape 2012 was produced during the session.
Cultural heritage is an evolving historical category subject to ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 19 September 2012
On 19 June 2012, the Government of Singapore officially deposited with the Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, its instrument of ratification, becoming the 190th State Party to accept the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. The World Heritage Convention has entered into force for this State Party on 19 September 2012.
Wednesday, 19 September 2012
It was with great sadness that the Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, learned of the passing of Russell E. Train, former President of the World Wildlife Fund, who died on 17 September at the age of 92.
Russell E. Train was a renowned US conservationist who played a central role in creating groundbreaking laws in response to rising concerns about environmental protection in America and ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 18 September 2012
A study commissioned by the World Heritage Centre reviews the total carbon stored in trees, leaves forest litter and soil for all 106 World Heritage forest sites. Carried out by Mr. Devendra Pandey, the former Director General of the Indian Forest Survey, the study is the first to look specifically at World Heritage forests sites, combining information from different sources, to obtain ...
2 min read
Tuesday, 18 September 2012
On Saturday 15 September, the IUCN World Conservation Congress ended on the Island of Jeju, Republic of Korea, which harbors the “Jeju Volcanos Island and Lava Tubes” World Heritage site. Held every four years, the congress is the world’s largest and most important conservation event and the current edition was attended by 10,000 people, including 5,000 conservation experts ...
3 min read
Monday, 17 September 2012
InterContinental Hotels & Resorts Responsible Business Week to run from 17-23 September 2012
InterContinental Hotels & Resorts today embarks on a week-long programme of activities around the world to help protect and preserve unique cultural heritage sites as part of Responsible Business Week 2012. This marks the third year of InterContinental’s Responsible Business Week in ...
1 min read
Saturday, 15 September 2012
UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova traveled to Colonia del Sacramento today, and visited the old city, which became the first World Heritage site of Uruguay in 1995.
She was accompanied by the Minister of Culture and Education, Mr. Ricardo Erlich and by the Permanent Delegate of Uruguay to UNESCO, Ambassador Omar Mesa Gonzalez.
During her visit, she met with local officials and discussed ...
1 min read
Saturday, 15 September 2012
The Jurassic Coast Earth Festival 2012 was a celebration of England’s only natural World Heritage Site – the Dorset and EastDevonCoast, commonly known as the JurassicCoast. The 95 miles of coastline from Exmouth to StudlandBay tells the story of 185 million years of the earth’s history through its geological exposures and landforms, and is inscribed on the list under ...
2 min read
Friday, 7 September 2012
The IUCN World Conservation Congress, the world’s largest and most important conservation event, began 6 September on the Island of Jeju, Republic of Korea. Held every four years, the Congress aims to improve how we manage our natural environment for human, social and economic development.
The Island of Jeju harbors one of Korea’s natural World Heritage sites (Jeju Volcanic ...
2 min read
Thursday, 6 September 2012
The recently established Arab Regional Centre for World Heritage (ARC-WH) in Manama, Bahrain, is currently recruiting a Culture Heritage Specialist. The incumbent will be responsible for the implementation of Cultural Heritage Programme for the Arab Region in ARCWH.
The Arab Regional Centre for World Heritage was established as a Category 2 Centre under the auspices of UNESCO to ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 5 September 2012
Featuring a useful week-at-a-glance design, the Desk Diary is illustrated with 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 implementation, as well as the list of States Parties ...
Monday, 3 September 2012
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 authorities, and in particular the Municipal authorities and Superintendency of Region for the positive emergency conservation achievements at the World Heritage archaeological complex of Pompei, following the collapse of walls in 2010 and ...
3 min read
Thursday, 23 August 2012
The government of Argentina has designated its 21st Wetland of International Importance, called the Humedales de Península Valdés (42,695 hectares), comprising two coastal sub-sites along the gulfs on either side of the Valdés peninsula in Patagonia, within the much larger Península Valdés World Heritage property that was inscribed in the UNESCO World ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 21 August 2012
In June 2012, the World Heritage Education Center for Youth (Beijing, China) and the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (WHC) launched the Patrimonito National Storyboard Competition, China.
Of the 103 student submissions, 15 of the storyboards were selected by the Chinese World Heritage Education Center for Youth of Beijing and sent to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre. The medals ...
3 min read
Friday, 17 August 2012
UNESCO is monitoring closely the impact of wildfires in Southern Europe and the southernmost portion of the European Union. The Organization has been in constant contact with the local authorities in affected areas. These devastating fires have not only touched World Heritage sites and Biosphere Reserves, but have also irreversibly changed the lives of many. People have been forced to abandon ...
1 min read
Friday, 17 August 2012
ICOMOS-ICORP recently launched its new website and Facebook page. ICOMOS- ICORP is the International Scientific Committee on Risk Preparedness of the International Council on Monuments and Sites ICOMOS; an International NGO dedicated towards the protection and management of cultural heritage.
The goals of the International Scientific Committee on Risk ...
1 min read
Friday, 10 August 2012
Panasonic Vietnam, in cooperation with UNESCO’s Office in Hanoi, organized the Eco Learning program on UNESCO World Heritage for students of secondary schools in Hanoi, on 9 and 10 August at the Central Sector of the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long – Hanoi (Thang Long Imperial Citadel). Representatives from the Ministry of Education and Training participated in the ...
2 min read
Friday, 10 August 2012
"Regardless of political positioning, the public is deeply concerned about the security situation in Aleppo and the safety of its citizens during the civil conflict. Aleppo, the Milennial City of Art and History, Is now in Danger, and its Cultural heritage of outstanding universal value is now under threat.
On behalf of the World Heritage Committee, while expressing our solidarity with ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 8 August 2012
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 ambitious religious construction programs in history in his kingdom’s capital city, Bagan.
Today, over 3,000 temples and pagodas – the largest concentration in the world - stretch as far as the eye can see across the plains to the ...
2 min read
Monday, 6 August 2012
At its tenth session, the UN Permanent Forum on indigenous issues (UNPFII) made several recommendations relating to UNESCO, its World Heritage Committee and the advisory bodies ICOMOS, ICCROM and IUCN.
At the 34th (Brasilia, 2010), 35th (UNESCO, 2011) and 36th (St Petersburg, 2012) sessions of the World Heritage Committee, representatives of the UN Permanent Forum were present as observers ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 31 July 2012
The project ‘Protection, Preservation and Prosperity: Stories of World Heritage,’ is being launched today by UNESCO and the Smithsonian Institution to celebrate the World Heritage Convention. Using mobile phone technology to reach the wider public, the project focuses on 10 World Heritage sites which embody, in particular, the role of local communities in World Heritage ...
2 min read
Friday, 27 July 2012
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, to all parties involved in the conflict to protect all Syrian cultural heritage.
UNESCO is particularly alarmed over reports of heavy fighting in Aleppo, which ancient city is a World Heritage site. Strategically positioned on historic trade ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 25 July 2012
Echoing the call of UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova, the World Heritage Committee has established a Special Fund to support Mali’s efforts to safeguard the World Heritage properties affected by the armed conflict in the north of the country, notably the sites of Timbuktu and the Tomb of Askia in Gao.
The Fund will support the Government of Mali in assessing damage at the sites, ...
1 min read
Friday, 20 July 2012
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 Congo, killing seven park staff- and their family members. Others were taken hostage or are unaccounted for. The entire Reserve infrastructure was destroyed and the 15 okapi of the Epulu Breeding and Research Station were all killed. Epulu plays ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 18 July 2012
The record of the "International Expert Meeting on the 40th Anniversary" which was held on 16 February 2012 is now available on the Japan ICOMOS website in English and Japanese.
http://www.japan-icomos.org/news.html
World Heritage Centre signs Memorandum of Understanding with the French Marine Protected Area Agency
Friday, 6 July 2012
The World Heritage Centre and the French Marine Protected Area Agency (AAMP) signed a Memorandum of Understanding in support of the conservation of marine World Heritage sites. The World Heritage Centre and AAMP have cooperated informally over the past years, in particular on efforts for the conservation marine World Heritage in the Indian Ocean and strengthening the World Heritage ...
1 min read
Friday, 6 July 2012
The World Heritage Committee Friday closed its 36th session after almost two weeks of work under the chair of Eleonora Mitrofanova, the Ambassador of Russia to UNESCO.
The Committee added 26 new sites to UNESCO’s World Heritage List during the session. It marked the 40th anniversary of the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage.
The new ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 4 July 2012
UNESCO and the nongovernmental organization Fauna and Flora International are launching an emergency appeal to support the staff and rebuild the headquarters of the Okapi Wildlife Reserve in Epulu, a small village in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. On 24 June, poachers armed with AK47 rifles attacked the facility and killed seven people, including two ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 4 July 2012
The World Heritage Thematic Programme, Human Evolution: Adaptations, Dispersals and Social Developments (HEADS) https://whc.unesco.org/en/heads/, collaborated with the UNESCO Science Sector in the organization of the 21st International Radiocarbon Conference, held from 9 to 13 July 2012, at UNESCO Headquarters.
Nuria Sanz, General Coordinator of the HEADS Programme at the World Heritage ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 3 July 2012
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 forests as World Natural Heritage. The workshop was held in the context of the existing site “Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and The Ancient Beech Forests of Germany”, and demonstrated how World Heritage was ...
2 min read
Tuesday, 3 July 2012
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 its heritage.
In its decision, the 21-member Committee responsible for implementing the World Heritage Convention, called on the Director-General of UNESCO to create a special fund to help Mali in the conservation of its cultural heritage.
The ...
1 min read
Monday, 2 July 2012
The World Heritage Committee on Monday morning inscribed Lena Pillars Nature Park of the Russian Federation, the last site to be added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List during this year’s session. Chad, Congo, Palau and Palestine had World Heritage sites inscribed on the List for the first time.
Lena Pillars Nature Park is marked by spectacular rock pillars that reach a height of approximately ...
3 min read
Sunday, 1 July 2012
The World Heritage Committee on Sunday inscribed eight new sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, including Chad’s first World Heritage property. Inscriptions will continue tomorrow Monday. The new sites are:
Major Mining Sites of Walonia (Belgium): The four sites of the property form a strip that is 170km long by 3 to 15 km, crossing Belgium from east to west. It consists of the ...
5 min read
Saturday, 30 June 2012
Pearling, testimony of an island economy (Bahrain) and the Masjed-e Jāmé of Isfahan (Iran) were inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, Saturday morning.
The World Heritage Committee, the independent 21-member responsible for the World Heritage Convention, will continue examining sites nominated for inscriptions during its afternoon session and tomorrow.
Pearling, testimony ...
2 min read
Saturday, 30 June 2012
The World Heritage Committee on Saturday afternoon added the following sites to UNESCO’s World Heritage List: Gonbad-e Qābus (Iran), Archaelogical Heritage of the Lenggong Valley (Malaysia), The Landscape of Grand Pré (Canada); Heritage of Mercury (Almadén and Idrija (Slovenia/Spain); Margravial Opera House Bayreuth (Germany); Garrison Border Town of Elvas and its ...
5 min read
Saturday, 30 June 2012
UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova today expressed her distress and dismay over the destruction of three sacred tombs that are part of a World Heritage site in Timbuktu, Mali. Ms Bokova called on the belligerents to cease the destruction immediately.
“Reports that the Mausoleums of Sidi Mahmoud, Sidi Moctar and Alpha Moya have been destroyed is extremely distressing,” the ...
1 min read
Saturday, 30 June 2012
The World Heritage Centre received a letter today from the Government of Mexico’s National Commission for Natural Protected Areas formally advising it that the government had withdrawn all approvals for the development of a very large tourism development application located near Cabo Pulmo National Marine Park (CPNP). CPNP is a component of the large Islands and Protected Areas of ...
1 min read
Friday, 29 June 2012
New sites have been inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List: Birthplace of Jesus: the Church of the Nativity and the Pilgrimage Route, Bethlehem (Palestine); Site of Human Evolution at Mount Carmel: The Nahal Me’arot/Wadi el-Mughara Caves (Israel), Rock Islands Southern Lagoon (Palau), and The Cultural Landscape of Bali: the Subak System as a Manifestation of the Tri Hita Karana ...
4 min read
Friday, 29 June 2012
The Site of Xanadu (China), the Bassari Country: Bassari and Bedik Cultural Landscapes (Senegal) and the Historic Town Grand Bassam, the first capital of Côte d’Ivoire have been added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
North of the Great Wall, the Site of Xanadu encompasses the remains of Kublai Khan’s legendary capital city, designed by the Mongol ...
2 min read
Friday, 29 June 2012
The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, expressed her utmost concern with the recent fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, which is affecting several World Heritage sites. On Sunday June 24, a group of armed rebels attacked the headquarters of the Okapi Wildlife Reserve, killing at least 7 park staff. Others were taken hostage by the rebels or are still unaccounted for. All ...
2 min read
Thursday, 28 June 2012
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 of World Heritage in Danger. The decision aims to raise cooperation and support for the sites threatened by the armed conflict in the region.
The Committee, meeting in St Petersburg until 6 July, also asked Mali’s neighbours to do all in ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 27 June 2012
The World Heritage Committee on Tuesday morning recognized the success of two countries, Pakistan and the Philippines, in improving the conservation of sites that had been inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger: Fort and Shalamar Gardens in Lahore (Pakistan) and the Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras (Philippines).
Successful measures have been taken to remove the threat ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 27 June 2012
Environmental factors, lack of maintenance and uncontrollable urban developments have been cited as reasons to inscribe the Fortifications on the Caribbean Side of Panama: Portobelo-San Lorenzo on UNESCO’s List of World Heritage in Danger.
The site, comprising a group of fortifications, is a magnificent example of 17th- and 18th-century military architecture built on Panama’s ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 26 June 2012
The World Heritage Committee has placed Liverpool Maritime Mercantile City on the List of World Heritage in Danger due to the proposed construction of Liverpool Waters, a massive redevelopment of the historic docklands north of the city centre.
The Committee contended that the development will extend the city centre significantly and alter the skyline and profile of the site inscribed on the ...
1 min read
Monday, 25 June 2012
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 Committee session began this morning, from the historic 18th century Tauride Palace (also known as “Tavrichesky” Palace) in St Petersburg, Russia. Delegations from the 21 States Parties will decide, by July 6, which sites will be added to ...
2 min read
Sunday, 24 June 2012
The challenges facing heritage preservation as UNESCO celebrates the 40th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention were the focus of the opening of the 36th session of the World Heritage Committee. The session started Sunday in St Petersburg and will continue until 6 July.
The Chairperson of the World Heritage Committee, Eleonora Valentinovna Mitrofanova, welcomed the participants ...
2 min read
36th Session of World Heritage Committee Youth Forum: Kazan (Republic of Tatarstan) 1 - 9 July, 2012
Sunday, 24 June 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 States Parties to the World Heritage Convention to the problem of preservating natural and cultural heritage and to raise awareness of youth activities related to the Convention, its role and its international importance as well as procedures ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 20 June 2012
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 National Organization for Urban Harmony (NOUH), and Dr. Tarek Shawky, Head of the UNESCO Cairo office, on behalf of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre.
Attendees included H.E Mohammed Ibrahim, Minister of State for Antiquities, H.E Mohammed Saber ...
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Tuesday, 19 June 2012
Participants to the 4th annual World Heritage Centre / Earthwatch / Shell "Business Planning for natural World Heritage site managers" year long training programme have just been informed of their successful candidacies. In October 2012, 18 World Heritage site staff from 6 sites in Africa will travel to the Mpala Research Centre in the shadow of Mount Kenya World ...
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Friday, 15 June 2012
Since its inception in 2001, the Netherlands Funds-in-Trust (NFiT) at the World Heritage Centre has served the international heritage community as well as local communities in practically all regions of the world in pursuing the safeguarding and sustainable development of the World Heritage, both natural and cultural.
The agreement between the Dutch Government and UNESCO has enabled a ...
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Tuesday, 12 June 2012
Following the earthquakes that struck the region of Emilia in northern Italy, notably since May 20, the UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova dispatched an urgent technical mission with the objective of assessing the overall situation at the affected World Heritage properties. The mission also aimed to evaluate the current risks related to the evolution of the seismic phenomenon ...
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Saturday, 9 June 2012
The Consultative Meeting on World Heritage and Sustainable Development, held in Ouro Preto, Brazil from 5 to 8 February, was a contribution to the celebration the 40th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention. In the first session, all speakers stressed the need to redefine the paradigm of this important topic in the face of growing inequalities and global challenges.
This ...
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Friday, 8 June 2012
In celebration of World Oceans Day, the World Heritage Centre is launching an iPhone app. This years’ Oceans Day theme “Youth: the Next Wave for Change” inspired the World Heritage Centre to go mobile. Of the 6,000 marine protected areas on the planet, only 45 are inscribed on the World Heritage List, the highest internationally recognized status for conservation. The ...
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Friday, 8 June 2012
The UNESCO World Heritage Centre would like to express its sincere condolences to the friends and family of Professor Philip Vallentine Tobias, who passed away on Thursday, 7 June 2012 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Professor Tobias, born on 14 October 1925, was an exceptional paleoanthropologist and an inspiration to generations of students. He was internationally renowned for his commitment ...
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Thursday, 7 June 2012
As requested by Director-General Irina Bokova, a team of experts has traveled to northern Italy to assess damage to World Heritage sites following recent earthquakes.
On 20 May 2012 a powerful earthquake hit the region of Emilia Romagna, in the north of Italy, followed by numerous aftershocks. This caused considerable damage to several important historic buildings. The three World Heritage ...
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Friday, 1 June 2012
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 Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation.
The forthcoming 36 th session of the Committee , an independent body of 21 States Parties to the 1972 World Heritage Convention , will be chaired by. Eleonora Mitrofanova, Ambassador Permanent Delegate ...
4 min read
Wednesday, 30 May 2012
The World Heritage Inventory of Earthen Architecture is now available in English and French online: https://whc.unesco.org/en/earthen-architecture/ (see documents 2 and 3).
In 2008, the World Heritage Programme on Earthen architecture (WHEAP) was launched as an initiative to address pressing concerns through the development of policies for the conservation, revitalisation and ...
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Government of Mali and UNESCO move to protect Timbuktu and other heritage sites in the north of Mali
Thursday, 24 May 2012
The Government of Mali and UNESCO have defined measures to safeguard World Heritage Properties in the north of Mali, including the fabled city of Timbuktu, following reports of wilful damage to mausoleums in the World Heritage site.
UNESCO’s Assistant Director-General for Africa, Lalla Aicha Ben Barka, travelled to Bamako (18 – 20 May) and met senior government officials ...
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Wednesday, 23 May 2012
The Rivers and Heritage website was officially launched on 15 March 2012 at the World Water Forum in Marseille (France), during the session “Water Culture in local governance” organized by the AIMF in partnership with l'Académie de l'Eau and UNESCO in the framework of the France-UNESCO Convention. The site lies within the framework of the Rivers and Heritage, conducted ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 22 May 2012
The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, today called for the protection of Libya’s Old City of Ghadamès inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1986.
“I am deeply concerned by information that the Libyan city of Ghadamès has been the target of rocket attacks,” the Director-General said. “I call upon all those involved to refrain from ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 22 May 2012
The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, today extended her condolences to the inhabitants of northern Italy for the loss of human life and suffering caused by the earthquake that shook the region on May 20.
The Director-General also said that UNESCO is sending a mission to assess damage to World Heritage sites and other cultural heritage in northern Italy.
“While initial reports from ...
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Thursday, 17 May 2012
The conference Living with World Heritage, held in Røros, Norway from 13 to 16 May 2012, was part of Norway`s official contribution to the celebration of the World Heritage Convention`s 40th anniversary. Almost 140 persons from 28 countries participated.
The themes of the conference were sustainable development and the role of local communities, with a primary ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 9 May 2012
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, signed the new Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape adopted by the General conference on 10 November 2011. The Recommendation was adopted by acclamation, the first such instrument on the historic environment issued by UNESCO in 35 ...
1 min read
Friday, 4 May 2012
UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova expressed her great concern following the desecration of the graves of Sidi Mahmoud in Mali by the Ansar Dine group on 4 May 2012. According to information UNESCO received, the front door of the mausoleum and its protective curtain have been burned and the people of Timbuktu who gather there every Friday for prayer were prevented from accessing it.
"This ...
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Friday, 20 April 2012
The World Heritage property “Frontiers of the Roman Empire” has received £537,185 (US$ 850,406) in funding from SITA Trust to underwrite a conservation project that will restore dilapidated portions of the site located in the United Kingdom. The project will be administered by Hadrian’s Wall Heritage.
Originally inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1987 as ...
1 min read
Friday, 20 April 2012
Members of the Coordinating Committee on the Serial World Heritage Nomination of the Silk Roads release recommendations for two priority transnational heritage corridors of Silk Roads Serial and Transnational Nomination
Following their meeting in Tashkent, a group of 30 experts from 5 Central Asian countries and China as well as international experts from UK, Japan and Belgium, today ...
2 min read
Monday, 2 April 2012
Sydney Opera House was among the World Heritage sites around the globe participating in Earth Hour 2012, the environmental campaign to draw attention to the effects of climate change through turning off the lights for one hour, from 8.30 to 9.30pm on 31 March 2012.
To see a list of the participating ...
Monday, 2 April 2012
In reaction to recent events in Northern Mali, UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova expresses her deep concern about the possible consequences of the ongoing armed conflict on the invaluable cultural World Heritage property located in Timbuktu and Gao. The recent takeover of these cities by the Tuareg rebels could have damaging effects on the management and conservation of the three mosques ...
1 min read
Friday, 30 March 2012
The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, today called for the protection of the cultural heritage of Syria.
‘Following a number of media reports that Syria’s cultural heritage is threatened by the current conflict, I wish to express my grave concern about possible damage to precious sites and to call upon all those involved in the conflict to ensure the protection of ...
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Friday, 30 March 2012
In the sacred place of Tenochtitlan, archaeologists from INAH-Conaculta (The Mexican National Institute of Anthropology and History and the Mexican National Council for Culture and the Arts), have found 23 tombstones over 550 years old, with etched images of snakes, prisoners, ornaments and warriors, which, as a whole, appears to depict the story alluding to the birth of Huitzilopochtli and ...
3 min read
Friday, 30 March 2012
The International World Heritage Expert Meeting on Criterion (vi) and associative values which took place in Warsaw, Poland, 28-30 March 2012, adopted its recommendations at a closing session today. The conclusions and recommendations will be presented to the 36th session of the World Heritage Committee in Saint Petersburg June 2012.
The meeting appreciated the support of the ...
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Wednesday, 28 March 2012
UNESCO Director-General, Irina Bokova underlined the importance of better integrating cultural heritage preservation and sustainable tourism during the Roundtable on World Heritage and Sustainable Tourism, held in Miami on 19 March. She highlighted that cultural heritage is a powerful driver of social and economic development for local communities.
Also participating in this Roundtable were ...
3 min read
Wednesday, 28 March 2012
World Heritage and literacy were bookends to a day where Philadelphia opened its arms to UNESCO, during the second day of Director-General Irina Bokova’s visit to the United States on Thursday.Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar joined the Director-General to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the World Heritage Convention at morning ceremonies held at Independence Hall, where in 1776 ...
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Wednesday, 28 March 2012
With a stunning visit to the Everglades the day before serving as a strong reminder, Director-General Irina Bokova turned her attention to a private-public sector roundtable on World Heritage and Sustainable Tourism in Miami on Monday. Joining a panel of local leaders in the tourism industry and conservation, the Director-General highlighted the importance of better integrating cultural ...
3 min read
Wednesday, 28 March 2012
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 world. UNESCO has invited World Heritage sites to participate in this initiative by switching off the lights on the night of Earth Hour: Saturday, 31 March 2012, from 8:30 to 9:30pm local time. The lights will also be switched off at UNESCO ...
1 min read
Thursday, 22 March 2012
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 List as of 1 January 2012. The information comes from the latest version of the World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA). The WDPA is a joint project of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and IUCN, maintained at the UNEP World ...
1 min read
Thursday, 22 March 2012
From 12-15 March 2012, the Swiss luxury watch manufacturer Jaeger-LeCoultre, partner of UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre since 2008, organized its fourth online auction for the benefit of World Heritage marine sites. This year, the Manufacture auctioned a new water-resistant watch inspired by the Memovox Deep Sea: Prototype N° 1 of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Deep Sea Vintage ...
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