2420 news
Saturday, 30 June 2018
The World Heritage Committee, meeting in Manama since 24 June under the chair of Shaikha Haya Bint Rashed al-Khalifa of Bahrain, inscribed four cultural sites on the World Heritage List this morning. The inscription of sites will continue through 1 July.
The new World Heritage sites, in order of inscription, are:
Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensemble of Mumbai (India) – Having become a ...
2 min read
Saturday, 30 June 2018
The World Heritage Committee, meeting in Manama since 24 June under the chair of Shaikha Haya Bint Rashed al-Khalifa of Bahrain, inscribed cultural sites in Denmark and Germany on the World Heritage List this afternoon. Inscriptions will continue through 1 July.
The new World Heritage sites, in order of inscription, are:
Aasivissuit-Nipisat, Inuit Hunting Ground between Ice and Sea ...
2 min read
Friday, 29 June 2018
The World Heritage Committee, meeting in Manama since 24 June under the chair of Shaikha Haya Bint Rashed al-Khalifa of Bahrain, inscribed three cultural sites on the World Heritage List this afternoon. The inscription of sites will continue through 1 July.
The new World Heritage sites, in order of inscription, are:
Thimlich Ohinga archeological site (Kenya) – Situated north-west of the ...
2 min read
Thursday, 28 June 2018
A benefit concert and fundraising event was held last night during the 42nd session of the World Heritage Committee to support the widows and families of the fallen rangers of Virunga National Park.
The reception and concert, featuring a performance by Musicians Without Borders at the Arcapita building in Manama (Bahrain), launched the crowdfunding campaign #HelpVirunga, created to support ...
1 min read
Thursday, 28 June 2018
The World Heritage Committee, meeting in Manama since 24 June, decided today to inscribe the Lake Turkana National Parks on the List of World Heritage in Danger, notably because of the impact of a dam on the site.
The Committee expressed concern about the changes affecting the hydrology of the Lake Turkana Basin, notably the disruptive effect of Ethiopia’s Gibe III dam on the flow and ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 26 June 2018
World Heritage faces threats and challenges which raise the question: how can we contribute to a sustainable protection, preservation and conservation for heritage in an ever-changing world? Youth are the most affected by the key development changes. Now more than ever is the time to actively involve them in the management and protection of World ...
2 min read
Tuesday, 26 June 2018
The World Heritage Committee, meeting in Manama since 24 June, decided Tuesday to remove the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System from the List of World Heritage in Danger.
The Committee considered that safeguarding measures taken by the country, notably the introduction of a moratorium on oil exploration in the entire maritime zone of Belize and the strengthening of forestry regulations ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 26 June 2018
Today, the 42nd session of the World Heritage Committee decided to remove the world’s second largest coral reef, Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System, from the UNESCO List of World Heritage in Danger. The decision follows an intensive period of landmark conservation action over the past year, led by the Government of Belize in close collaboration with UNESCO, IUCN and civil society.
The Belize ...
2 min read
Tuesday, 26 June 2018
The International Indigenous Peoples’ Forum on World Heritage (IIPFWH) was launched on 25 June 2018 during the 42nd Session of the World Heritage Committee, held in Manama, Bahrain.
“Our newly established Forum will focus on capacity strengthening for effective participation of Indigenous peoples in World Heritage processes, and we hope to establish diverse partnerships in support of that," ...
2 min read
Monday, 25 June 2018
The opening ceremony of the 42nd session of the World Heritage Committee took place Sunday at the Bahrain National Theatre in the presence of Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa of Bahrain. It marked the beginning of the Committee's work, which will continue until 4 July.
Several hundred people took part in the ceremony, which was opened by the President of the Bahraini Authority for ...
4 min read
Wednesday, 20 June 2018
Taking place in Helsingør, Denmark the meeting prepared for the launch of the first sustainable travel website for World Heritage. The initiative is co-funded by the European Union.
The World Heritage Journeys of the European Union platform showcases a selection of sites based around four thematic journeys – Romantic, Royal, Underground and Ancient Europe. Each journey features 8-9 World ...
2 min read
Thursday, 14 June 2018
The World Heritage Committee will inscribe some of the 30 sites nominated for inclusion on UNESCO’s World Heritage List during its forthcoming meeting in Manama under the chair of Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa of Bahrain from 24 June to 4 July.
The proposed additions to the World Heritage List number five natural sites, including one extension to a site already inscribed, three mixed sites ...
3 min read
Thursday, 14 June 2018
The renewed agreement outlines the mandate and responsibilities in the field of World Heritage of the Regional Heritage Management Training Centre “Lucio Costa” located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil as a Category 2 Centre under the auspices of UNESCO.
The Lucio Costa Centre is recognized for its mandate focused on reinforcing the capacities of Member States for the conservation and management of ...
1 min read
Monday, 11 June 2018
The stakeholders and partners of the project BIOsphere and Heritage of Lake Chad (BIOPALT) met in N'Djamena from 28 to 31 May 2018 to discuss their collaboration for the implementation of the project. Launched on 28 February 2018, the BIOPALT project aims to strengthen the capacity of the member states of the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) to safeguard and sustainably manage the ...
2 min read
Friday, 8 June 2018
This World Oceans Day, the World Heritage Centre highlights the power of art to inspire people all over the world to step up efforts to protect our Marine World Heritage for future generations.
Since the first true marine site was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1981, Marine World Heritage has grown into a global collection of 49 sites that stretch from the tropics to the ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 6 June 2018
Standard Chartered Bank has informed the World Heritage Centre that as part of a review and update of their environmental and social framework, it has strengthened its policy regarding World Heritage sites.
Standard Chartered has not only decided to stop financing or lending to any projects that may damage World Heritage sites, but has also stated that it will not provide financial services ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 6 June 2018
Considering that the sky is the common heritage of all humanity, as well as recognizing the need to identify and reinforce the ties that exist between religious / sacred traditions and knowledge of the universe, that illustrate in many places the close relationship between spirituality, the skyscape and sacred places, experts from 18 States Parties from around the world and a wide range of ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 5 June 2018
Join us in beating plastic pollution at World Heritage sites. If you plan to visit one of the 1073 World Heritage sites this year, help contribute to protecting the site by not using single-use plastic. 50% of consumer plastics are designed to be used only once, and nearly one third of the plastics we do use escape our collection systems. Once they’re in the environment, plastics don’t go ...
1 min read
Thursday, 17 May 2018
Following the regional strategy approved by the World Heritage Committee in Decision 38 COM 10B.4 (Doha, 2014), and contained in the regional Action Plan for World Heritage in Latin America and the Caribbean (PARALC), 2014-2024, a sub-regional meeting with the participation of Mexico and the countries of Central America was held in Zacatecas, Mexico. The objectives of the meeting were to ...
2 min read
Thursday, 17 May 2018
The Norwegian Parliament has adopted a resolution to halt emissions from cruise ships and ferries in the West Norwegian Fjords – Geirangerfjord and Nærøyfjord World Heritage site by 2026 at the latest. This will make the fjords among the world’s first zero emission zones at sea. The decision is expected to have a positive impact on the local population, transport and tourism, climate and ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 16 May 2018
An exceptional photo of the Namib Sand Sea presented by Mrinal Mohit won the first prize in the photo contest organized on Instagram by the World Heritage Centre (WHC) and the African World Heritage Fund (AWHF) on the occasion of the third edition of the African World Heritage Day (5 May). The contest closed on Monday 30 April 2018 after three weeks of competition, and with the submission of ...
2 min read
Tuesday, 15 May 2018
May 31, 1945 - May 5, 2018. Architect Augusto F. Villalon, one of Asia’s most renowned experts in heritage conservation, recently passed away in Manila, Philippines.
During his long career, Arch. Augusto F. Villalon made an outstanding contribution to heritage conservation and to the World Heritage Convention in particular. A former President of ICOMOS Philippines, he was practically a lone ...
2 min read
Monday, 14 May 2018
The “Warsaw Recommendation on Recovery and Reconstruction of Cultural Heritage” was developed at the ‘International conference on reconstruction: The challenges of World Heritage recovery’ held in Warsaw, Poland, from 6 to 8 May.
The purpose of the international conference was to summarize previous discussions and experiences regarding the recovery and reconstruction of UNESCO World Heritage ...
1 min read
Friday, 11 May 2018
This year’s World Migratory Bird Day is dedicated to the world’s major bird flyways—the flight paths of migratory birds that span continents and oceans. These flyways include World Heritage sites that are key stopover sites for birds, so the effective conservation of these sites are crucial for migratory bird conservation on a global scale.
The three major flyways, shown below, contain ...
2 min read
Saturday, 5 May 2018
Today, for the third time, we celebrate African World Heritage Day. The Day was established to raise awareness of the immense potential of the African cultural and natural heritage. It also aims to alert the world to the vulnerability of this heritage: there are 21 African sites on the List of World Heritage in Danger.
The preservation and enhancement of this heritage are essential factors ...
4 min read
Thursday, 3 May 2018
In keeping with UNESCO’s mandate to promote culture and education in Africa, the World Heritage Centre, in close collaboration with the African World Heritage Fund and the UNESCO Regional Office for Southern Africa in Harare, organized a regional workshop entitled “World Heritage and Education Institutions in Africa” at the Great Zimbabwe, Masvingo (Zimbabwe) from 26 to 28 April 2018. This ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 2 May 2018
Barclays has announced their first public policy that will prevent the bank from financing projects in World Heritage sites and Ramsar Wetlands, following WWF’s call for the world’s banks to stop financing damaging activities in the planet’s most precious places.Despite being awarded the highest levels of protection by the United Nations, almost half of all natural and mixed World Heritage ...
2 min read
Monday, 30 April 2018
Special Events in Host City St Petersburg
The Director-General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Herbie Hancock announced the programme for the 2018 edition of International Jazz Day, with events in Saint Petersburg (Russian Federation), a World Heritage site and this year’s Global Host City, and over 190 countries around the world.
A series of educational and ...
1 min read
Friday, 27 April 2018
Empowering the Commitment to World Heritage.
The UNESCO World Heritage Centre is pleased to publish the selected projects for the World Heritage Volunteers (WHV) Campaign 2018.
What is the WHV Initiative?
The WHV Initiative was launched in 2008 to encourage young people to undertake concrete actions and to play an active role in the protection, preservation and promotion of World Heritage ...
1 min read
Thursday, 26 April 2018
UNESCO Director-General, Audrey Azoulay and Shaikha Mai bint Mohammed Al Khalifa of Bahrain today signed an agreement recognizing the Kingdom of Bahrain as the host of the 42nd session of the World Heritage Committee (Manama, Bahrain, 24 June - 4 July).
This will be the second time that Bahrain hosts the World Heritage Committee since 2011 when Shaikha Mai Chaired the 35th session at UNESCO ...
1 min read
Monday, 23 April 2018
#RevivetheSpiritofMosul, UNESCO flagship initiative.
The United Arab Emirates, UNESCO and Iraq today signed a historic agreement whereby the Emirates will provide $50,4 million to contribute to the rebuilding of the cultural heritage of Mosul.
Audrey Azoulay, the Director-General of UNESCO, has welcomed the partnership. “This is a historic partnership, the largest and unprecedented ...
1 min read
Friday, 20 April 2018
In recent years, big strides have been made toward protecting bigger shares of the ocean. According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), 6,97% of the ocean is now covered by marine protected areas. Yet many challenges remain. UNESCO’s World Heritage Marine Programme was invited to participate in the Monaco Blue Initiative to share and update on how the world’s ...
2 min read
Thursday, 19 April 2018
Rubbish and pollution are a problem at many World Heritage sites. Increased tourism means that more people are leaving trash at the world’s most iconic sites, so we need to learn to visit sites without leaving a trace behind.
Marine pollution is also a problem at many World Heritage sites, where waste—including plastics—wash up on the beach. Birds, turtles and marine mammals get entangled in ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 18 April 2018
18 April 2018 is the International Day for Monuments and Sites with the theme: Heritage for Generations.
If our heritage is what we leave behind for future generations, we need to prepare young people to protect it—and the best way is through education.
The World Heritage Education Programme gives young people around the world the chance to learn about their heritage, and to be a part of ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 18 April 2018
UNESCO and World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) signed an agreement to cooperate by developing activities in order to raise awareness and mobilize young Scouts to participate in World Heritage conservation and promotion.
As a main result of this agreement, WOSM produced the “World Scouting-UNESCO World Heritage Recognition Programme Guidelines” in collaboration with the UNESCO ...
1 min read
Monday, 16 April 2018
Specially conceived for young people between the ages of 18 and 28, #MyAfricanheritage is an Instagram contest aiming to promote the exceptional cultural and natural heritage of the African continent. Each participant will post a photo of an African site inscribed on the World Heritage List along with a brief description of the site’s significance to the participant and his/her personal ...
2 min read
Friday, 13 April 2018
The Geneva Declaration ‘Human Rights and Culture Heritage: Committed Cities Working Together’ was adopted in Geneva, Switzerland on 26 March 2018, marking the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The Declaration aims to clarify cities’ obligations in the area of cultural heritage rehabilitation, particularly in relation to intentionally destroyed cultural heritage. ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 10 April 2018
The Kenyan National Commission for UNESCO organized a three-day workshop from 26 to 28 March 2018 in Nairobi, Kenya in order to increase youth engagement in the conservation and promotion of World Heritage and Intangible Cultural Heritage.
As a State Party to three important UNESCO Conventions in the field of Culture, Kenya has made the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, ...
3 min read
Tuesday, 10 April 2018
The Director-General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, today condemed the deadly attack perpetrated on 9 April against the staff of the Virunga National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site, during which six guards and their driver lost their lives.
“I condemn this deadly attack on six guards of the Virunga National Park and their driver. I call on the Democratic Republic of the Congo to take all the ...
1 min read
Thursday, 5 April 2018
The conservation of wetlands does not only contribute to the safeguarding of biodiversity, it can also support the safeguarding of their cultural and spiritual values. The workshop “The Cultural and Spiritual Significance of Wetlands Supporting the integration of nature and culture in their governance and management” organised by the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) in ...
1 min read
Thursday, 5 April 2018
The International Meeting of experts on the Conservation and Revitalization of the Kasbah of Algiers, a World Heritage Site, organized by the World Heritage Centre of UNESCO jointly with the Algerian Ministry of Culture, took place from 20 to 23 January 2018 in Algiers, Algeria. It gathered 200 participants, including key actors of the conservation of the Kasbah of Algiers, international ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 28 March 2018
From the 13th to the 15th of March 2018, the World Heritage Policy Compendium Working Group met for the second time at UNESCO headquarters in Paris. The meeting was organised in follow-up to the first meeting of the group (December 2017, Paris) and on completion of the Policy Compendium Online Consultation, which was carried out in February and March 2018.
The Policy Compendium initiative, ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 28 March 2018
In February and March 2018, the World Heritage Centre carried out an online consultation with key World Heritage stakeholders on the first draft of the World Heritage Policy Compendium. The consultation gathered feedback and comments from key World Heritage stakeholders including States Parties to the World Heritage Convention. For the first time, the online consultation included also UNESCO ...
1 min read
Monday, 26 March 2018
‘Mainstreaming youth perspective and involvement in conservation and sustainable development of African World Heritage’
The 3rd African World Heritage Regional Youth Forum 2018 under the theme of ‘Mainstreaming youth perspective and involvement in conservation and sustainable development of African World Heritage’ will take place from 30 April to 3 May 2018 in the World Heritage site of the ...
1 min read
Thursday, 22 March 2018
Water is essential to life; no living organism can survive without it. We need water for human survival, and water is critical for sustaining healthy ecosystems, which provide a wide range of benefits to people.
World Heritage sites include a large variety of landscapes, from wet tropical rainforests to arid deserts. Mountains inscribed on the World Heritage List provide water to thousands ...
1 min read
Thursday, 22 March 2018
The latest version of the World Heritage map, produced by the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and National Geographic Maps with the generous support of the Kingdom of Bahrain, can now be ordered from the World Heritage Centre website.
The featured image on the map presents the Pearling, Testimony of an Island Economy World Heritage property in Bahrain, country hosting the next session of the ...
1 min read
Thursday, 22 March 2018
The World Heritage Centre has taken due note of concerns expressed by numerous citizens and NGOs regarding the recent agreement signed between Seychelles and India to establish a naval base on Assumption Island, located some 27 km from Aldabra Atoll World Heritage property (Seychelles). UNESCO appreciates the commitment of these stakeholders to the safeguarding of this World Heritage ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 21 March 2018
Forest ecosystems are home to the vast majority of the world’s terrestrial species, but they are also under the greatest pressure from human activities. Ranging in size from the Vallée de Mai, Seychelles (18 hectares), to Lake Baikal, Russian Federation (8.8 million hectares), World Heritage forest sites have a total surface area of over 75 million hectares, or 1.5 times the surface area of ...
1 min read
Thursday, 8 March 2018
Women's Day is an occasion to celebrate the power of women, and the often overlooked role they play in society.
World Heritage preservation is no different from any other sector - women play a crucial role in conservation, and their influence is increasing. Women are the caretakers of the sacred site the Tombs of Buganda Kings at Kasubi (Uganda). Female rangers protect Virunga National Park ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 7 March 2018
This new UNESCO publication examines World Heritage and sustainable development in Africa. It addresses not only the challenges of safeguarding World Heritage in the Africa region but also the process of integrating the objectives of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development into African regional and national policies as well as the African Union’s ‘Agenda 2063: the Africa We ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 6 March 2018
A Capacity-Building Seminar was held in Vilnius, Lithuania from 18 to 20 October, 2017, for Managers of Eastern European sites.
The practical Capacity-building Seminar took place over two days, during which were presented three thematic lectures given by international experts from World Heritage Centre, ICOMOS, ICCROM, accompanied by three leading practical workshops and individual case ...
1 min read
Monday, 5 March 2018
The UNESCO Deputy Director-General, Getachew Engida, officially launched the BIOsphere and Heritage of Lake Chad (BIOPALT) project at the International Conference on Lake Chad, held on 26 February 2018. The BIOPALT project aims to increase knowledge of Lake Chad, restore wetlands, rehabilitate wildlife migration corridors and promote sustainable income-generating activities in Abuja, Nigeria. ...
3 min read
Saturday, 3 March 2018
Natural World Heritage sites are home to a great many species, which makes taking care of these sites even more important. This year for World Wildlife Day, we celebrate the 'big cats', predators who play a primordial role in the ecosystems in which they live, and many of whom are under threat.
Of the 36 wild species of cat that exist in the world, 35 occur in at least one World Heritage ...
2 min read
Friday, 2 March 2018
World Heritage Young Professionals Forum 2018 ‘Protecting Heritage in an Ever-Changing World’
As an integral part of the 42nd session of the World Heritage Committee, and in the framework of the UNESCO World Heritage Education Programme, the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities will host the World Heritage Young Professionals Forum 2018 under the theme of ‘Protecting Heritage in an ...
1 min read
Friday, 2 March 2018
The Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD) and UNESCO signed a new agreement this week to supplement the financing of UNESCO’s Heritage Emergency Fund (HEF) with US$2 million.
“More than ever, we need to respond quickly and efficiently to assess, secure and safeguard threatened heritage, said UNESCO’s Director-General, Audrey Azoulay “The Heritage Emergency Fund is a key tool for doing this and I ...
2 min read
Friday, 23 February 2018
In January 2018, a joint World Heritage Centre / ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring mission took place at the World Heritage property “Nan Madol: Ceremonial Centre of Eastern Micronesia” (Federated States of Micronesia).
The mission was requested by the World Heritage Committee to ‘agree on a Desired State of Conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger ...
2 min read
Thursday, 22 February 2018
Over the last six months, the World Heritage Centre (WHC) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) have received numerous reports expressing concern about the decision of the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania to move forward with the construction of a hydropower dam at Stiegler's Gorge, located within the Selous Game Reserve World Heritage property.
The ...
2 min read
Thursday, 22 February 2018
Cyclone Gita, which accelerated into a category five storm, struck the Pacific country of Tonga, battering the Parliament House and other buildings, and parts of southern Fiji. Mechtild Rössler, Director of the World Heritage Centre, would like to express her condolences to the families who have endured losses during the storm.
Two sites, Lapita Pottery Archaeological Sites and The Ancient ...
1 min read
Thursday, 22 February 2018
UNESCO will bring a preservation project focusing on research and the dissemination of knowledge, the rehabilitation of wetlands and wildlife corridors, and the promotion of sustainable income generating activities to the International Conference on Lake Chad, which will take place in Abuja (Nigeria) from 26 to 28 February.
Known as BIOPALT, the French acronym for biosphere and heritage of ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 14 February 2018
On the occasion of the International Conference on the Reconstruction of Iraq, held in Kuwait City from 12 to 14 February, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay today announced the launch of a flagship initiative to revive the spirit of Mosul. The objective, to coordinate international efforts in this direction.
A starting point for a broad strategic plan to promote the spirit of peaceful ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 13 February 2018
The World Heritage Centre has launched an online consultation with key World Heritage stakeholders on the first draft of the World Heritage Policy Compendium. The consultation, which is taking place in February and March 2018, will gather feedback and comments from key World Heritage stakeholders on the draft Policy Compendium, currently being developed by a Working Group of cultural and ...
1 min read
Thursday, 8 February 2018
In February 2018, a joint UNESCO/ICOMOS/ICOMOS reactive monitoring mission will take place to the World Heritage property “Historical Monuments of Mtskheta” (Georgia), as requested by the World Heritage Committee to assess current conditions at the property.
The World Heritage property of the Historical Monuments of Mtskheta was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1994 and on the List of ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 6 February 2018
On the heels of one of the hottest years on record, the protection of our precious ocean gems is more urgent than ever. Fortunately, we are seeing a rising tide of activism to meet the challenge. Over the past year, governments, non-profit leaders and experts from across the planet are increasingly working together to safeguard World Heritage marine sites.
Download the Report
Over the past ...
2 min read
Tuesday, 6 February 2018
The Earth Skills Network (ESN) is a unique collaboration between Earthwatch, UNESCO, IUCN and the business community. It connects leaders from the business and conservation community through mentoring and skill-sharing opportunities.
The Earth Skills Network provides funded training in:
business planning and effective management practices and,
personal development of leadership ...
1 min read
Friday, 2 February 2018
“Wetlands for a sustainable urban future”Message from Mechtild Rössler, Director of UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre, for World Wetlands Day 2018
In focusing on the theme “wetlands for a sustainable urban future”, this year’s World Wetlands Day sheds light on the importance of wetlands for cities. Today, 50% of the world’s population live in urban areas. Forecasts expect the urban population ...
2 min read
Friday, 2 February 2018
On 25 January 2018, a joint workshop between UNESCO and FAO’s Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) was organized with the World Heritage Centre at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris to share experiences and explore areas of cooperation in the field of agricultural heritage.
The workshop brought together cross-sectoral actors contributing to the safeguarding of heritage with ...
1 min read
Friday, 2 February 2018
Léon Rajaobelina is considered a pioneer in the preservation of African natural world heritage, in Madagascar and throughout the continent.
He was active in the defense of protected areas and biodiversity throughout his life and worked for International Conservation for twenty years, eventually becoming a Regional Vice-President. During this period, in 2005, he contributed to the creation ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 31 January 2018
The African World Heritage Fund is a Category 2 Centre under the auspices of UNESCO and an inter-governmental organization based in South Africa with a specific mandate of implementing the UNESCO 1972 Convention concerning the protection and promotion of world cultural and natural places in Africa. The organization seeks to appoint an Executive Director in Johannesburg, South ...
1 min read
Monday, 29 January 2018
The UNESCO World Heritage Centre and Panasonic Corporation have released the 2018 World Heritage calendar. Featuring stunning photographs of World Heritage sites from around the world, this popular calendar can be used in paper, online and tablet app versions.
UNESCO and Panasonic have been creating wall calendars since 1995 and a web version since 2010. The wall calendar includes brief ...
1 min read
Friday, 26 January 2018
The World Rowing Federation, FISA, is the first global sports body to pledge a commitment to protecting World Heritage sites.
The commitment has developed out of World Rowing’s Clean Water partnership with WWF International and is part of WWF’s global campaign to strengthen the protection of natural World Heritage sites.
World Rowing recognizes that large sporting events can have a negative ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 24 January 2018
The World Heritage Centre currently receives numerous messages from civil society concerning the state of conservation of the World Heritage property Pirin National Park. The competent authorities of the Republic of Bulgaria as well as the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Body IUCN are fully informed of the concerns raised.
At its 40th session in 2016, the World Heritage Committee ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 23 January 2018
On 21 and 22 January 2018, European Ministers of Culture met in Davos, Switzerland, to adopt a Declaration promoting the concept of a high-quality Baukultur in Europe. This step forward is congratulated by the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, particularly as urban heritage on the World Heritage List exceeds 40% of the total sites.
The adoption of the Declaration, which specifies guidelines for ...
1 min read
Thursday, 18 January 2018
In an effort to improve tourism management at World Heritage sites, the UNESCO World Heritage Centre convened an expert meeting on the development of a new and innovative tool for tourism and visitor management.
Experts participating in the meeting hosted at the UNESCO HQ in Paris 15-16 January 2018 included representatives from UNESCO, the Advisory Bodies (IUCN, ICOMOS, ICCROM), site ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 9 January 2018
In a historic decision for marine conservation efforts, the Government of Belize has adopted a full oil moratorium for all Belize offshore waters, including the entire Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System World Heritage site. The Belize reef system is the second largest reef system in the world, with approximately 200,000 Belizeans dependent on the reef for their livelihood.
“The World ...
2 min read
Friday, 22 December 2017
In addition to its generous annual contributions under the Programme Cooperation Agreement (2014-2017), the Government of Sweden decided in November 2017 to provide additional financial support to UNESCO in the amount of SEK 3,200,000 (around USD 400,000) to strengthen the protection of heritage, as well as to promote independent, free and pluralistic media.
The contribution will ...
2 min read
Thursday, 21 December 2017
The ‘Delhi Declaration on Heritage and Democracy’ was adopted at the closing session of the ICOMOS 19th General Assembly in New Delhi, India, on 15th December 2017, at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium-Auditorium in New Delhi, India. The Delhi Declaration emphasized the understanding that people's perspective is central to heritage, and the General Assembly declared that ethical principles have to ...
2 min read
Tuesday, 19 December 2017
The first meeting of the World Heritage Policy Compendium Working Group took place at UNESCO Headquarters from 6 to 7 December 2017. The Policy Compendium initiative, which will see the development of a consolidated source of World Heritage policies for use by the World Heritage Committee, States Parties and other stakeholders, is being implemented through financial support received from the ...
1 min read
Monday, 18 December 2017
An inter-regional workshop entitled “World Heritage and Sustainable Development: the Role of Local Communities” was organized at the National Museum in Karachi, Pakistan (23-24 November 2017) by the World Heritage Centre in close co-operation with the UNESCO office in Islamabad and the Department of Archaeology of the Government of Sindh Province, Pakistan.
The Workshop, opened by the ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 13 December 2017
Culture, in all of its wondrous expressions, inspires more than 1.2 billion tourists to pack a bag and cross international borders each year. It is an important means to promote inter-cultural dialogue, create employment opportunities, curb rural migration, and nurture a sense of pride among host communities. Yet unmanaged, it can also harm the very heritage cultural tourism relies ...
3 min read
Tuesday, 12 December 2017
The triennial meeting of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), taking place in New Delhi, India from 11-15 December 2017, began with the Scientific Council Meeting on 11 December in the India International Centre, New Delhi. The Opening Ceremony of the ICOMOS General Assembly was held on 12 December 2017 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium-Auditorium in New Delhi.
The ...
2 min read
Monday, 11 December 2017
International Mountain Day, designated by the United Nations General Assembly in 2003 and celebrated on 11 December, highlights the importance of mountains to life on Earth. The theme for 2017, “Mountains under Pressure: climate, hunger, migration”, draws our attention to some of the most critical challenges that mountains and people living in mountain areas are currently facing. It also ...
2 min read
Friday, 8 December 2017
The UNESCO World Heritage Centre is participating in the Annual Meeting of the International Scientific Committee on Cultural Landscapes in New Delhi, India, on 7–8 December 2017, ahead of the 19th ICOMOS General Assembly (11–15 December 2017).
Organized by the International Scientific Committee on Cultural Landscapes ICOMOS-IFLA (ISCCL) and ICOMOS India, this two-day ISCCL Annual Meeting ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 6 December 2017
The first joint STAB/ICOMOS Advisory Mission to a World Heritage property was carried out within the framework of the World Heritage Convention and the Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage.
The World Heritage property "Ancient City of Nessebar" (Bulgaria) hosted an Advisory Mission invited by the Bulgarian authorities and carried out jointly by experts of the ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 5 December 2017
Five years ago, on 5 December 2012, the World Heritage State of Conservation Information System was publicly launched. This database offers a trove of reliable information on the state of conservation of natural and cultural World Heritage properties since 1979 and the threats they have faced in the past, or are currently facing.
The State of Conservation Information System currently ...
2 min read
Tuesday, 5 December 2017
On 5 December 2017, the World Heritage Centre, Europe and North-America Unit organized a meeting on Heritage and Environmental Impact Assessment (HIA/EIA) at UNESCO Headquarters, with the support of the French Ministry of Ecology. It was a follow up to Decision 39 COM 7.11 on HIA and EIAs adopted by the World Heritage Committee at its 39th session (Bonn, 2015) and to the side events organized ...
1 min read
Thursday, 30 November 2017
At the request of the Kingdom of Cambodia, the Committee for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, meeting at UNESCO Headquarters, Paris from 29 to 30 November 2017, granted “enhanced protection” status to Angkor, a cultural World Heritage site. Enhanced protection is a mechanism established by the 1999 Second Protocol to the 1954 Hague Convention for the ...
3 min read
Tuesday, 28 November 2017
Mechtild Rössler, Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, welcomes the initiative by the Government of Mexico to create a vast ocean reserve spanning 150,000 sq km around the Revillagigedo islands, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2016.
The establishment of the reserve follows the request of the World Heritage Committee when inscribing the Archipiélago de Revillagigedo on ...
1 min read
Monday, 27 November 2017
Just a month after the submission of South Sudan’s first ever Tentative List of potential UNESCO World Heritage sites, UNESCO hosted a workshop on 23 November 2017 in Juba in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, the Ministry of Wildlife Conservation and Tourism, and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) in order to guide the State Party in the preparation of a ...
3 min read
Friday, 24 November 2017
22nd November – 24th NovemberOrganized by the State Nature Conservancy, Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic, Slovak Commission for UNESCO and Carpathian Biodiversity Conservation Foundation, this three day workshop focused on the development of sustainable tourism for the UNESCO World Heritage Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the ...
1 min read
Thursday, 16 November 2017
On 16 November 2017, we celebrate the 45th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention, one of the most powerful international tools for heritage preservation and one of UNESCO's most successful programmes. Almost universally adopted, with 193 signatory countries, the Convention is unique in combining the protection of cultural and natural heritage in one legal instrument. Since its adoption ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 15 November 2017
The Government of Bahrain, newly elected member of the World Heritage Committee, will host the 42nd session of the World Heritage Committee from 24 June to 4 July 2018, in Manama, Bahrain.
The Chair of the Committee, Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa, is an international lawyer who served as Bahrain’s first female ambassador when she became Ambassador to France (1999 to 2004) and was the third ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 14 November 2017
On 6 November 2017, The Church of England National Investing Bodies announced the launch of its new policy on investing in extractive industries: “Extractive Industries: Ethical Investment Policy”. The policy acknowledges the positive contribution that mining can make to development but also highlights the ethical importance of protected areas such as World Heritage sites and the threats that ...
2 min read
Tuesday, 14 November 2017
The 21st General Assembly of the States Parties to the World Heritage Convention is meeting on 14 and15 November 2017 at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France, convening the 193 States Parties to the World Heritage Convention, under the chairmanship of H.E. Mr Adrian Cioroianu, Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of Romania to UNESCO.
During the session, the General Assembly elected twelve new ...
1 min read
Saturday, 11 November 2017
The UNESCO World Heritage Centre is pleased to announce the Call for Projects for the World Heritage Volunteers (WHV) Campaign 2018. This Call welcomes the participation of all interested organisations and institutions. In addition, it offers a new opportunity to apply for not only one-year cycle, but also two-year cycle process, with the aim to foster and encourage the commitment to World ...
2 min read
Monday, 6 November 2017
Recognizing the importance of protecting cultural heritage from attack in times of conflict, Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, and Fatou Bensouda, Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), today signed a Letter of Intent formalizing and further enhancing their collaboration.
The signing of the Letter of Intent took place in the margins of an international high-level panel ...
2 min read
Monday, 6 November 2017
On the occasion of UNESCO’s General Conference, an international high-level panel on 6 November 2017, brought together Ministers from Iraq and Mali, the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and international experts to strengthen cooperation in response to cultural cleansing and violent extremism.
Opening the panel, UNESCO Director-General, Irina Bokova, highlighted the ...
2 min read
Friday, 3 November 2017
In a recent publication on the SDG, the International Petroleum Industry Environmental Conservation Association (IPIECA) recognizes that many World Heritage sites are impacted by industrial activities and operations, including oil and gas exploration and extraction. The report on Mapping the oil and gas industry to the Sustainable Development Goals: an Atlas was co-authored with the United ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 1 November 2017
Paris, 1 November 2017 – The Principality of Monaco announced the signature of a strategic partnership aimed at strengthening the activities of the World Heritage Marine Programme. The announcement follows an initial cooperation earlier this year that led to the identification of potential new World Heritage marine sites in the Arctic region.
The UNESCO World Heritage List currently includes ...
2 min read
Friday, 27 October 2017
An international expert workshop took place from 16 to 20 October 2017 at the International Academy for Nature Conservation in the Baltic Sea island of Vilm, in Germany, to discuss the challenges posed by climate change to the conservation and management of World Heritage sites. The meeting was funded by the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation and organized in cooperation with IUCN, ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 24 October 2017
On 10 July 2017, during its 41st session in Krakow, Poland, the World Heritage Committee officially launched the Third Cycle of Periodic Reporting while also adopting the revised format of the Periodic Reporting questionnaire and endorsing the recommendations of the Periodic Reporting Reflection Expert Group.
The decision taken by the Committee sets out the timetable for reporting in each ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 18 October 2017
On 28-29 September 2017, the Heads of eight bio-diversity-related Conventions, known as the Liaison Group of Biodiversity-related Conventions (BLG), met at FAO Headquarters to discuss ways to join forces in support of global biodiversity and sustainable development agendas.
“We all recognize that the loss of biodiversity has clear ramifications for global food security and nutrition,” said ...
2 min read
Monday, 16 October 2017
Paris - The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM) signed a landmark agreement on Friday 13 October in a new effort to address mounting threats to cultural properties worldwide.
Under the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed at UNESCO’s Paris ...
2 min read
Sunday, 15 October 2017
On 3 October 2017, the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports of the Republic of South Sudan submitted three heritage sites to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre to be included on its first ever Tentative List of potential World Heritage sites: Sudd Wetlands (Mixed Natural/Cultural site); Boma-Badingilo Migratory Landscape (Natural site); and DeimZubier Slave Route Site (Cultural ...
4 min read
Wednesday, 11 October 2017
On 27-30 September 2017, UNESCO, together with the Government of Afghanistan and Tokyo University of the Arts, convened a three-day closed technical meeting followed by a public Symposium in Tokyo, Japan, entitled “The Future of the Bamiyan Buddha Statues: Technical Considerations and Potential Effects on Authenticity and Outstanding Universal Value”. Funded by the Government of Japan within ...
2 min read
Tuesday, 10 October 2017
On 9 October, Ms Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, and Prof. Mikhail Borisovich Piotrovskiy, General Director of the State Hermitage Museum of Saint Petersburg (Russian Federation), signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the protection and restoration of cultural property in conflict areas, notably in the Middle East.
Under this agreement, the State Hermitage Museum will provide ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 10 October 2017
The Marc de Montalembert grant - 7000 euros - helps young people from countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea and below 28 years of age to undertake a project corresponding to a personal vocation and dedicated to the cultures or arts and crafts of the Mediterranean. Since 1994 the Foundation has provided financial support to 27 projects undertaken by young grant winners from 8 Mediterranean ...
Friday, 6 October 2017
From 17 to 23 September 2017, UNESCO welcomed representatives from Georgia to discuss protection of World Heritage properties. The tour was part of a Technical Assistance project by UNESCO to Georgia within the framework of the Agreement signed between UNESCO and Georgia in 2015. This Cultural heritage advisory service by UNESCO is implemented with financial support from the World Bank.
The ...
2 min read
Thursday, 5 October 2017
Gland, Switzerland – Conservation of cultural and natural values can highly benefit from dual designations under the Ramsar and World Heritage conventions, finds a new report released today. “Ramsar and World Heritage Conventions converging towards success” illustrates through six case studies the benefits and challenges of managing wetland ecosystems and gives examples on how community ...
2 min read
Thursday, 5 October 2017
The 2000-year old statue Lion of Al-lāt, that once watched over the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria, stands proudly once again, thanks to UNESCO’s Emergency Safeguarding of the Syrian Cultural Heritage project.
The limestone lion, also known as the Lion Statue of Athena, measuring 345 centimetres and weighing 15 tons, once marked and protected the entrance to the temple of Al-lāt. Since its ...
3 min read
Tuesday, 3 October 2017
3 October 2017 – A stunning exhibit of the world’s most iconic coral reef systems opened today at the Aquarium of Paris. The display sheds light on the condition of these coral reef systems inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. Through a series of photos, virtual reality experiences, films and educational activities for children, the exhibit will raise awareness of the unique diversity ...
2 min read
Tuesday, 3 October 2017
Fourteen young people, with common interests in marine biodiversity and climate change, developed two tourist guides for the Coiba National Park in Panama, in the framework of the World Heritage Youth Project on Marine Biodiversity and Climate Change that was organized in January 2016 by the World Heritage Centre in cooperation with MarViva Foundation.
The creation of tourist guides was ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 3 October 2017
[in French only] Le Centre du patrimoine mondial de l’UNESCO, et l’Organisation arabe pour l’éducation, la culture et les sciences (ALECSO), ont organisé un atelier de formation pour les pays du Maghreb sur le processus de préparation de proposition d’inscription sur la Liste du patrimoine mondial, à Djerba en Tunisie du 11 au 15 septembre 2017.
Cet atelier régional a été rendu possible ...
Wednesday, 27 September 2017
World Tourism Day is an opportunity to recognize the importance of sustainable tourism as a tool for intercultural dialogue, peace building and economic development. The United Nations’ International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development 2017 has focused its efforts on promoting tourism as a catalyst for positive change.
For UNESCO, tourism presents both opportunities and challenges. ...
2 min read
Tuesday, 26 September 2017
The World Heritage Centre has received numerous messages from citizens and NGOs expressing their concerns regarding the announcement by the United Kingdom’s government of the preferred route and tunnel, to widen the highway A303 between Amesbury and Berwick Down that runs across the World Heritage property “Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites”.
The World Heritage Centre is fully ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 26 September 2017
For decades, UNESCO has worked to protect cultural and natural treasures on land and sea by facilitating cooperation across borders. World Heritage is built on the premise that some places are so special that all of humankind should work together to protect them.
This spirit of international cooperation has been evident among World Heritage marine sites in the Eastern Tropical Pacific for ...
2 min read
Tuesday, 26 September 2017
From 16 to 18 August 2017, about 80 people met in Honiara, Solomon Islands, to discuss the future of the East Rennell World Heritage site. The Government, together with the customary owners, is currently striving toward the removal of the site from the List of World Heritage in Danger by 2021. This meeting was a first step to discuss the future work plan with heads of Ministries, local ...
2 min read
Monday, 25 September 2017
Another earthquake struck the region of Oaxaca, Mexico on Saturday 23 September, further devastating a region where more than 400 people have been killed by two other powerful earthquakes this month.
The Mexican authorities are carrying out coordinated actions at the federal, state and municipal levels and with the inhabitants of the affected regions to prepare a comprehensive and precise ...
1 min read
Friday, 22 September 2017
On 21 September, UNESCO was informed by several sources that military action is intensifying within and around the Archaeological Site of Sabratha in Libya, inscribed on the World Heritage List since 1982. According to reports, military action is growing within and around the property.
In view of this situation, the Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, calls on all parties to cease ...
1 min read
Friday, 22 September 2017
On 27-29 September 2017, UNESCO will convene a three-day technical symposium in Tokyo, Japan, entitled “The Future of the Bamiyan Buddha Statues: Technical Considerations and Potential Effects on Authentic and Outstanding Universal Value”. This meeting will provide an opportunity to discuss the potential reconstruction of the Buddha statues in the Bamiyan Valley (Afghanistan), which were ...
2 min read
Friday, 15 September 2017
Since 1984, the European Heritage Days have provided an open access to cultural heritage, allowing anyone and everyone to get involved with the continent’s rich past - from chateaux to archives, 17,000 monuments and sites will open their doors, with 25,000 different events happening. The European Heritage Days are the most widely celebrated participatory cultural events shared by the citizens ...
1 min read
Friday, 15 September 2017
The UNESCO Heritage division extends its condolences to the residents of the Caribbean islands struck by hurricane Irma between 5 and 11 September 2017, for the loss of human lives and the hardship resulting from the devastation.
The first priority after such a disaster is always rescuing people and providing humanitarian aid. Following that, UNESCO is in close contact with local ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 12 September 2017
About 60 participants from China, Nepal, ICOMOS and the UNESCO World Heritage Centre participated in a Workshop on the South Asian Silk Roads Serial Transnational World Heritage Nomination Process, Xi’an, China, 5-7 September 2017 organised by the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, State Administration of Cultural Heritage (SACH) of China, Xi’an Municipal People’s Government and the ICOMOS ...
2 min read
Monday, 11 September 2017
Following its ratification of the UNESCO World Heritage Convention in 2016, South Sudan is now preparing its Tentative List of World Heritage sites, which includes Boma National Park.
The Netherlands Funds-in-Trust to UNESCO has granted USD 32,000 to the Republic of South Sudan to support the development and finalisation of a conservation and management plan for Boma National Park in view of ...
2 min read
Monday, 11 September 2017
Following the fire that ravaged the Tombs of Buganda Kings at Kasubi World Heritage property in 2010, the site was added to the UNESCO List of World Heritage in Danger.
The local community of the Buganda Kingdom have been working hand-in-hand with the Uganda Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities with support from UNESCO to rebuild the Muzibu-Azaala-Mpanga building, which houses the ...
2 min read
Thursday, 7 September 2017
In the framework of the 2nd phase of the UNESCO/Japanese Funds-in-Trust project on “Support for Documentation Standards and Procedures of the Silk Roads World Heritage Serial and Transnational Nomination in Central Asia”, the World Heritage Centre and the UNESCO Office in Tashkent in cooperation with the Principal Department for the Preservation and Utilization of Cultural Objects of the ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 5 September 2017
During the night of 28 to 29 August, a fire broke out in the crafts centre of the historical Museum of Abomey, located within the Royal Palaces of Abomey’s court, destroying numerous stands of craftsmen.
The fire was caused by a short circuit around 1:30 am in the crafts centre of the historical Museum of Abomey. It destroyed thirteen of the twenty-eight stands intended for the exhibition ...
1 min read
Thursday, 31 August 2017
Within the framework of the project “Support to the reinforcement of the participative management structure of the Qhapaq Ñan, Andean Road System”, a workshop entitled “Heritage Impact Assessments International Workshop” took place in Santiago de Chile from 7 to 10 August 2017. This meeting organized by the National Center of World Heritage Sites of the National Subdivision of Heritage ...
2 min read
Tuesday, 22 August 2017
The 3rd Meeting of European World Heritage Associations will take place in the Hanseatic City of Lübeck from 5 to 6 October 2017. It is being organized by the German World Heritage Sites Association, the German Commission for UNESCO and Lübeck & Travemünde Marketing GmbH, and features as its theme “Sharing World Heritage”.
Following the launch of the initiative in Strasbourg in 2015 and ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 22 August 2017
The World Heritage Centre has learned with great sadness of the recent passing of Wayne Lotter, courageous defender of natural heritage and wildlife, who was attacked by a gunman in Dar-es-Salaam (Tanzania) on 16 August 2017. The Director of UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Dr. Mechtild Rössler, presents her sincere condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of the renowned elephant ...
2 min read
Friday, 18 August 2017
On 12 August 2017, a joint World Heritage Centre/IUCN Reactive Monitoring mission arrived on Wrangel Island (Russian Federation). Together with Herald Island and a vast ocean territory, Wrangel Island forms part of the World Heritage property “Natural System of Wrangel Island Reserve”, which is the northernmost site inscribed on the World Heritage List.
Francesco Bandarin, Assistant ...
1 min read
Saturday, 12 August 2017
Youth Building Peace
The world has never been so young and it is getting younger every day. The development of any society depends on how well it nurtures its young women and men, how well they are supported.
In 2015, there were 1.2 billion young people in the world, and more than 600 million lived in fragile and conflict-affected contexts. Young people carry the heaviest burdens of ...
1 min read
Thursday, 10 August 2017
The Director of the World Heritage Centre expresses her deep condolences at the loss of lives and destructions caused by the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck China’s southwestern province of Sichuan on Tuesday 8 August.
According to initial reports, the epicentre of the earthquake in southwestern Sichuan province was in the mountainous Jiuzhaigou County, which includes the Jiuzhaigou ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 9 August 2017
This year, we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the landmark UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People. This is an opportunity to honour the rights of indigenous peoples and their unique contribution to achieving mutual understanding, peace and sustainable development. Indigenous peoples are custodians and practitioners of unique cultures and relationships with the natural ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 25 July 2017
The Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park (Philippines) has been officially designated as a Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA)—and an “area to be avoided”—by the International Maritime Organization. The endorsement is a major breakthrough, as it will require international vessels to avoid the World Heritage site, reducing the impact of noise and pollution, and decreasing the risk of future ship ...
3 min read
Thursday, 20 July 2017
Over the last several months, the World Heritage Centre has received numerous messages from citizens and NGOs expressing their concerns regarding logging activities within the Polish part of the transboundary World Heritage property “Białowieża Forest” (Belarus/Poland).
The competent authorities of the State Party of Poland as well as the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Body IUCN are ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 12 July 2017
Krakow, Poland, 12 July—The World Heritage Committee, meeting in Krakow since 2 July, closed its annual session today. During the session, the Committee inscribed 21 new sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. It also extended or modified the boundaries of five sites already on the List.
The new inscriptions bring to 1,073 the total number of sites on the World Heritage List. Angola and ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 12 July 2017
A World Heritage partners event and panel discussion, sponsored by the Korean National Commission for UNESCO, took place on the 7th of July in Krakow on the occasion of the 41st session of the World Heritage Committee.
The Partners' event, for the fourth consecutive year, provided a platform for discussing private sector partners’ contributions to World Heritage conservation and promotion ...
2 min read
Monday, 10 July 2017
Krakow, Poland, 10 July—The World Heritage Committee, meeting in Krakow since 2 July, has decided to remove Georgia’s Gelati Monastery from the List of World Heritage in Danger.
A decision adopted on Sunday, introduced a major reduction in the boundaries of the Georgian site of f Bagrati Cathedral and Gelati Monastery, inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1994 and on the List in Danger in ...
1 min read
Sunday, 9 July 2017
Krakow, Poland, 9 July—The World Heritage Committee, meeting in Krakow since 2 July, this afternoon ended the inscription of sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage List with the final addition of three cultural sites in Brazil, Turkey and the United Kingdom, and the approval of the extensions of Strasbourg: from Grande-île to Neustadt, a European urban scene (France) and The Bauhaus and its Sites ...
3 min read
Sunday, 9 July 2017
The World Heritage Committee meeting in Krakow since 2 July today inscribed cultural sites in Denmark, France, Germany, Iran, Poland, and the Russian Federation, along with one that spans Croatia, Italy and Montenegro.
The sites added, in order of inscription are:
Historic City of Yazd (Islamic Republic of Iran)
The City of Yazd is located in the middle of the Iranian plateau, 270 ...
5 min read
Sunday, 9 July 2017
On 7 July, the new donor platform Marketplace for World Heritage went live on the World Heritage Centre website. The webpage was launched at an event held during the 41st World Heritage Committee, which is currently taking place in Krakow, Poland.
Participants attending the World Heritage Committee were invited to explore this innovative new platform, which showcases global priority projects ...
1 min read
Saturday, 8 July 2017
Krakow, Poland, 8 July—The World Heritage Committee this afternoon inscribed three cultural sites in Cambodia, China and India.
The sites added, in order of inscription are:
Temple Zone of Sambor Prei Kuk, Archaeological Site of Ancient Ishanapura (Cambodia)
The archaeological site of Sambor Prei Kuk, “the temple in the richness of the forest” in the Khmer language, has been identified as ...
2 min read
Saturday, 8 July 2017
The World Heritage Committee this morning inscribed three cultural sites in Angola, Eritrea and South Africa. With these inscriptions, Angola and Eritrea make their first entries to the World Heritage List.
The sites added, in order of inscription are:
Mbanza Kongo, vestiges of the capital of the former Kingdom of Kongo (Angola)
The town of Mbanza Kongo, located on a plateau at an altitude ...
2 min read
Friday, 7 July 2017
Krakow, Poland, 7 July—The World Heritage Committee, in this afternoon’s session, inscribed natural sites in Argentina and China on UNESCO’s World Heritage List as well as a transboundary site in Mongolia and the Russian Federation. It also approved the extension of the World Heritage site of the Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and the Ancient Beech Forests of Germany, which now ...
3 min read
Friday, 7 July 2017
The World Heritage Committee meeting in Krakow has inscribed Hebron / Al Khalil Old town (Palestine) and W-Arly-Pendjari Complex (Benin, Burkina Faso) on the World Heritage List during its morning session. The Committee simultaneously added the site of Hebron / Al Khalil to the List of World Heritage in Danger.
The new sites in order of inscription are:
Hebron / Al Khalil Old ...
2 min read
Thursday, 6 July 2017
Krakow, Poland, 6 July—The World Heritage Committee has inscribed the Historic Centre of Vienna on List of World Heritage in Danger due to high-rise projects in the middle of the Austrian capital.
In its decision, the Committee regrets that the Vienna Ice-Skating Club—Intercontinental Hotel project fails to comply fully with previous Committee decisions, notably concerning the height of new ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 4 July 2017
Krakow, Poland, 4 July—The World Heritage Committee meeting in Krakow has decided to remove Simien National Park from the List of World Heritage in Danger in recognition of improvements in its management and of measures taken to reduce overgrazing and visitor impact.
The World Heritage Committee welcomed Ethiopia’s commitment in building an alternative road to alleviate the disturbance of ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 4 July 2017
Krakow, Poland, 4 July—The World Heritage Committee meeting in Krakow since 2 July has decided to take Comoé National Park, the Ivorian World Heritage site, off the List of World Heritage in Danger following improvements in the conservation of its fauna and habitat.
In its decision, the World Heritage Committee congratulated Côte d’Ivoire for its work to fight poaching. It noted that ...
1 min read
Monday, 3 July 2017
The opening ceremony of the 41st session of the World Heritage Committee took place on 2 July at the Royal Palace of Wawel in Krakow, Poland, in the presence of nearly 1,000 people, among them the President of Poland, Andrzej Duda, and other leading personalities. The Committee will be in session until 12 July.
Notable speakers at the opening included the Director-General of UNESCO, Irina ...
3 min read
Friday, 30 June 2017
The Central Asian Silk Roads sub-regional meeting “Reinforcement of Sub-Regional Management Coordination and Knowledge: Sustainable Tourism and Development Initiatives”, was held in Almaty on 24 May 2017 and fifty participants attended.
The participants came from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, and included experts, representatives and officers in the field of heritage ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 28 June 2017
“The application of the Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape in Cuenca, Ecuador - A New Approach to Cultural and Natural heritage” collects the research project “Reassessment of the cultural and natural heritage of the city of Cuenca departing from sustainable development strategies supported by the Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape” (PUH_C project). This project ...
1 min read
Monday, 26 June 2017
Under the theme <Memory: Lost and Recovered Heritage>, the World Heritage Young Professional Forum 2017 was launched in Royal Castle in Warsaw, Poland on 25 June. 32 selected participants from 32 different countries will take the opportunity to visit Warsaw and Krakow during 25 June to 4 July 2017, to exchange ideas, contribute to the discussions and immerse themselves in topics within ...
1 min read
Friday, 23 June 2017
The international workshop “Strengthening of the capacities of national and local teams in the preservation of the stone structures of Qhapaq Ñan” was held from 21 to 23 June 2017 in the municipality of Alausí, Ecuador. The workshop was the second activity conducted within the framework of the project “Support of the strengthening of the participatory management system of the Qhapaq Ñan, ...
1 min read
Friday, 23 June 2017
Today, UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre released the first global scientific assessment of climate change impacts on World Heritage coral reefs. Soaring ocean temperatures in the past three years have subjected 21 of 29 World Heritage reefs to severe and/or repeated heat stress, and caused some of the worst bleaching ever observed at iconic sites like the Great Barrier Reef (Australia), ...
3 min read
Thursday, 22 June 2017
The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, deplores the destruction of the Al Nuree Mosque and Al Hadba Minaret in Mosul.
“The Al Hadba Minaret and Al Nuree Mosque in Mosul were among the most iconic sites in the city, and stood as a symbol of identity, resilience and belonging. When Daesh targeted the mosque and minaret a few month ago, the people of Mosul formed a human chain to protect ...
2 min read
Friday, 16 June 2017
The World Heritage Committee will assess the nomination of 34 sites for inscription on UNESCO’s World Heritage List during its 41st session, which will be chaired by Jacek Purchla, founder and director of the International Cultural Centre in Krakow, the Polish city that will host the session from 2 to 12 July.
This year’s nominations for inscription on the World Heritage List number seven ...
4 min read
Monday, 12 June 2017
At its 41st session to be held in Krakow, Poland, from 2 to 12 July 2017, the World Heritage Committee will examine the state of conservation of 154 World Heritage properties. The full reports on these properties are now publicly available through the World Heritage Centre’ State of conservation Information System at the following Web address: https://whc.unesco.org/en/soc
As part of the ...
1 min read
Friday, 9 June 2017
From 17 to 19 May 2017, thanks to the support of the Thai Government, the International Consultation Workshop on World Heritage of Religious Interest focused on Asia-Pacific Region was organized within the framework of the UNESCO Initiative on Heritage of Religious Interest.
The meeting was attended by the States Parties’ representatives from Kingdom of Bhutan, People’s Republic of China, ...
1 min read
Thursday, 8 June 2017
New York, NY – 8 June. HSH Prince Albert of Monaco II was the first to sign The Ocean Pledge launched by youth from UNESCO World Heritage Marine sites at the United Nations. He was joined by, Ms Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO as well as Adrian Grenier United Nations Goodwill Ambassador for the Environment.
The pledge, which reads ‘I pledge to protect the ocean for future ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 7 June 2017
The World Heritage Centre has taken due note of the concerns expressed by various stakeholders concerning the Western Sydney Airport project, located in the vicinity of the World Heritage property ‘Greater Blue Mountains Area (Australia) and appreciates their commitment to the safeguarding of World Heritage.
In the framework of the 1972 World Heritage Convention, and in line with its ...
2 min read
Monday, 5 June 2017
Connecting People with Nature
It may seem hard to believe now, but, fifty years ago, it was thought the best way to protect nature was to make it off-limits to the human population…
Today, we know better.
We now know that the closer the relationship between people and their natural environment the more likely people are to appreciate the importance of nature and its biodiversity, heritage ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 31 May 2017
From 29 to 31 May 2017, the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport (MCGES) of Jamaica, in cooperation with UNESCO Kingston and the Jamaica National Commission for UNESCO, hosted a three-day Symposium and workshop on the impacts of climate change on World Heritage in the Caribbean under the theme "Rallying for the protection of culture and heritage in SIDS under a sustainable ...
1 min read
Sunday, 28 May 2017
From April to May 2017, the World Heritage Centre carried out a Testing Phase of the revised format of the Periodic Reporting questionnaire. Over 40 State Parties volunteered to test the revised questionnaire for content and usability. Feedback collected during this exercise is being used in the finalization of the revised questionnaire, prior to the presentation of its format to the World ...
2 min read
Sunday, 28 May 2017
From 24 to 26 May 2017, in La Paz, Bolivia, in the framework of the project “Support to the reinforcement of the participative management structure of the Qhapaq Ñan, Andean Road System” and with the financial support of UNESCO/ Japanese Funds-in-Trust for the Preservation of the World Cultural Heritage, the Ministry of Cultures and Tourism of Bolivia, organized the international workshop for ...
2 min read
Monday, 22 May 2017
Biodiversity and Sustainable Tourism
For more than 70 years, UNESCO has been working to foster scientific knowledge and cooperation on biodiversity and ecosystems, such as tropical forests, oceans, mountains. In recent years, the effect of human activities -- magnified by population growth and global climate change -- has reduced deeply biodiversity in ecosystems around the world. We need to ...
2 min read
Sunday, 21 May 2017
Just as natural diversity is vital to sustain ecosystems, cultural diversity is the lifeblood of vibrant societies. Cultural diversity provides fresh ideas and perspectives that enrich our lives in countless ways, allowing us all to grow and thrive together. A culturally diverse classroom is not only more inclusive, it boosts student learning and achievement. A culturally diverse workplace is ...
2 min read
Thursday, 18 May 2017
Celebrated each May, this year’s International Museum Day theme, “Museums and contested histories: Saying the unspeakable in museums”, highlights the essential role of museums as promotors of the free flow of ideas and knowledge, contributing to a more informed society.
As part of its International Museum Day celebrations, UNESCO is hosting a roundtable on the Reproduction of Art and ...
2 min read
Thursday, 18 May 2017
In the framework of the implementation of Decision 40 COM 7A.1 adopted by the World Heritage Committee at its 40th session (Istanbul, 2016), a Technical Advisory Mission was conducted by UNESCO World Heritage Centre and ICOMOS International, in support of the Plurinational State of Bolivia, from the 8 to the 11 May 2017.
The World Heritage Committee inscribed the City of Potosí on the World ...
2 min read
Friday, 12 May 2017
In the framework of the “UNESCO Documentation and Advisory Services” (UDAS) project, UNESCO Beirut launched on 8 May 2017 a Third Consultation Workshop for “Baalbek and Tyre Archaeological Project” (BTAP). The workshop was organized under the patronage of the Ministry of Culture and in collaboration with the Directorate General of Antiquities (DGA) and the Council for Development and ...
2 min read
Tuesday, 9 May 2017
With the slogan “Their Future is Our Future – A Healthy Planet for Migratory Birds and People”, the World Migratory Bird Day 2017 on 10 May aims to highlight the interdependence of people and nature, and more specifically people and migratory birds, as they share the same planet and the same limited resources.
For more than ten years now, World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) has raised awareness ...
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Thursday, 4 May 2017
The CEO of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority, the environmentalist Andrew Zaloumis, has been awarded the prestigious 2017 KfW-Bernhard-Grzimek-Preis for his outstanding commitment and visionary management of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park World Heritage site in South Africa. The award is presented every two years to honour individuals and organizations for their commitment to protecting ...
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Tuesday, 2 May 2017
“On this International Day, I call upon all African stakeholders, States, civil society and local communities to assume the protection of the unparalleled richness of Africa’s heritage.”
“Supporting local communities – and especially young people – to promote and develop the abundant cultural and natural resources means paving the way for long-term, inclusive and socially cohesive ...
5 min read
Friday, 28 April 2017
Following several reports and discussions with the Iraqi authorities, UNESCO has confirmed the liberation of the archeological site of Hatra, located in the Governorate of Nineveh in Iraq. The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, has reiterated her support to the government and people of Iraq and expressed the readiness of UNESCO to help protect and promote Iraqi heritage as a force for ...
3 min read
Tuesday, 25 April 2017
Over 80 young people from 65 countries have adopted an international Declaration affirming their desire to promote peaceful coexistence and sustainable development through recognition and celebration of the Silk Roads.
At an International Youth Forum held in Changsha and Quanzhou, China, from 17 to 22 April 2017, participants agreed to expand their engagement in protecting and preserving ...
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Friday, 21 April 2017
International Earth Day is celebrated every year on 22 April to remind each of us that the Earth and its ecosystems provide us with life and sustenance. It also recognizes a collective responsibility, as called for by the 1992 Rio Declaration, to promote harmony with nature and the Earth to achieve a just balance among the economic, social and environmental needs of present and future ...
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Tuesday, 18 April 2017
The 2017 International Day for Monuments and Sites is dedicated to the theme “Cultural Heritage & Sustainable Tourism”, chosen in relation to the United Nations International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development and in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals.
In designating 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable ...
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Monday, 10 April 2017
At their best, World Heritage marine sites are like time capsules that provide a glimpse into the oceans of our parents and grandparents. Thanks to the expert care of managers and support from the global community, we can still experience the prehistoric Komodo Dragon, the dugongs of Dungonab Bay, or the pristine volcanic island of Surtsey. Our partners at The Polynesian Voyaging Society ...
4 min read
Saturday, 8 April 2017
An Expert Meeting on ‘Outstanding Universal Value of Auschwitz – Historical Identity of Europe and Pars Pro Toto Borders’ was held at the House of the Wannsee Conference (Berlin) on 7 April 2017. Organized by the Polish National Commission, the National Heritage Board of Poland and the Auschwitz Birkenau State Museum, the meeting brought together some 30 experts from around the ...
Friday, 7 April 2017
The World Heritage Volunteers (WHV) 2017 campaign: Heritage in our hands will take stock of the progress made over the past ten years to mobilize youth to preserve and promote World Heritage by reaching out to their peers and their communities.
Over the past ten years, the World Heritage Volunteers (WHV) Initiative has tremendously grown due to the increasing interest and appreciation for ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 4 April 2017
4 April 2017, Monaco -- The Arctic Ocean urgently needs protection as melting sea ice is opening up previously inaccessible areas to activities such as shipping, bottom trawl fishing and oil exploration, according to a scientific report launched today by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), in partnership with the US-based Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and ...
3 min read
Wednesday, 29 March 2017
Sixth Iberian Meeting of Site Managers, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
The 6th Iberian Meeting of Site Managers took place in Santiago de Compostela (Spain) from 29 to 31 March 2017 at the Museo das Peregrinacións e de Santiago. The meeting was organized by the Spanish Secretariat of State for Culture, through its General Division for the Protection of Historic Heritage, with the Xunta de ...
1 min read
Friday, 24 March 2017
New York, 24 March 2017 - UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova addressed today’s public briefing of the United Nations Security Council on “Maintenance of international peace and security: destruction and trafficking of cultural heritage by terrorist groups and in situations of armed conflict,” where the UN Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 2347 for the protection of ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 22 March 2017
Water is one of the key resources required to sustain life. It has led to the development and generation of significant material culture in the form of objects, technology and places. How to obtain it, how to store it, how to harness its power and conserve it has motivated human endeavor in a myriad of ways. It has also been the catalyst for the development of significant cultural practices ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 22 March 2017
On 21 and 22 March 2017, the Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL Institute for Sustainable Heritage, under the patronage of UNESCO, organised the Historic Urban Landscape Forum (HUL Forum). "The HUL Forum is a networking initiative generously supported by the Bartlett Faculty for the Built Environment that aims to foster constructive dialogue between academic researchers and practitioners ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 21 March 2017
Post Title: Cultural Heritage Specialist
Organisation: Arab Regional Centre for World Heritage (ARC-WH)
Location: Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain
Closing Date: 18 April, 2017
Applications: All interested applicants should submit their CV to info@arcwh.org
Background of ARC-WH:The Arab Regional Centre for World Heritage was established as a Category 2 Centre under the auspices of UNESCO to ...
2 min read
Tuesday, 21 March 2017
Forests play a critical role in the balance of world climate as well as in vital carbon capture and retention. Forests cover 30 per cent of the Earth’s surface and in addition to providing food security and shelter, forests are key to combating climate change, protecting biodiversity and are homes of indigenous peoples. While forests contribute to many Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), ...
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Thursday, 16 March 2017
The World Heritage Centre expresses its condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Sylvio Mutal, who passed away on 18 February 2017.
Mr Mutal had a full and rich career spanning more than 40 years as a Practitioner and Executive Manager of the International Development Cooperation. After an education in Istanbul (Turkey), London (UK), Leiden (Holland) and Santiago de Chile ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 15 March 2017
Cultural heritage has been targeted in attacks or suffered collateral damage in armed conflict. Recent destruction in World Heritage sites such as Aleppo, Syria or Hatra, Iraq brought this this into the background and alerted the international community. One way to mitigate damage is for armed forces to be aware fully of cultural heritage sites and monuments, archaeological sites, and ...
2 min read
Sunday, 12 March 2017
For the third year running, the Wadden Sea World Heritage organized a stand on sustainable tourism at ITB Berlin, the world’s leading travel trade show. Partnering with the UNESCO World Heritage and Sustainable Tourism Programme, the Wadden Sea World Heritage offered a rich and diverse programme around the motto “People Protecting Places” at the fair grounds from 8 to 12 March 2017. The ...
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Thursday, 9 March 2017
UNESCO brought together Syrian stakeholders and international experts to evaluate damage to historic monuments including the citadel, madrasa al-sultaniya, grand serail, and souk of the Ancient City of Aleppo, a World Heritage site, and to strategize Aleppo’s recovery during a Technical and Coordination Meeting convened by UNESCO in Beirut, Lebanon from 2-3 March, 2017.
The meeting also ...
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Wednesday, 8 March 2017
Members of the Lumbini International Scientific Committee (ISC) gathered at Lumbini, Birthplace of the Lord Buddha (Nepal), a World Heritage site, from 17 to 19 February 2017, to review project activities and coordinate initiatives carried out by the Government of Nepal, development partners, and donors.
International and national experts in archaeology, conservation, urban planning, the ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 8 March 2017
This year’s theme for International Women’s Day highlights women in the changing world of work, and sets our collective sights on the objective of making gender equality a reality by 2030.
Gender equality is an important priority for UNESCO’s work on heritage, creativity and cultural diversity. The equal participation, access and contribution to cultural life of women and men are human ...
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Friday, 3 March 2017
The stakes are higher every day.
Crimes against wildlife have been increasing over the past years, fuelled by conflicts and the trafficking of wildlife and wildlife products. The impact is devastating on the populations of both iconic and lesser-known species. Despite a range of decisions and actions, UNESCO Biosphere Reserves and Natural World Heritage sites have not been safe from these ...
1 min read
Friday, 3 March 2017
While several sources confirm the recapture of the ancient city of Palmyra from violent extremists, the Director-General of UNESCO calls for securing the archaeological site over the long term and redoubling efforts to protect Syrian heritage as a whole.
"The protection of the archaeological site of Palmyra is both a major cultural issue and an imperative for security, peace and the recovery ...
1 min read
Thursday, 2 March 2017
In collaboration with ICCROM, ICOMOS, AWHF and EPA, the Africa Unit of the World Heritage Centre organized a meeting of exchange and reflection on ways to strengthen involvement of local communities in the management of cultural heritage properties through concrete actions. The meeting took place at the Royal Palaces of Abomey World Heritage site in Benin on 2 and 3 March 2017. This ...
2 min read
Friday, 24 February 2017
A two-day International Coordination Conference on the Safeguarding of Cultural Heritage in Liberated Areas of Iraq ended at UNESCO’s Headquarters on Friday, laying the ground for an emergency, medium and long term action plan to preserve the country’s rich, diverse millennial archaeological sites, its museums, religious heritage, and historic cities.
The Iraqi government officials and some ...
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Wednesday, 22 February 2017
The Republic of Mauritius received International Assistance from the World Heritage Fund to elaborate a Local Economic Development Plan for Aapravasi Ghat World Heritage property.
The grant followed a request from the UNESCO World Heritage Committee for the State Party of Mauritius to take necessary action to prevent the demolition of historical buildings in the Buffer Zone of the ...
2 min read
Friday, 17 February 2017
Over the last 16 years between 2001 and 2016, the Netherlands supported the World Heritage activities through the Funds-in-Trust agreement. In January 2017, the agreement was extended for another 4 years, which will enter its 5th cycle of the Netherlands Funds-in-Trust. A total amount of € 1.5 million (€375,000 annually) will be contributed for the 2017-2020 cycle.
The Netherlands ...
1 min read
Friday, 10 February 2017
The latest version of the World Heritage map, produced by the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and National Geographic Maps with the generous support of Poland, can now be ordered from the World Heritage Centre website.
The featured image on the Map presents the Historic Centre of Kraków in Poland, country hosting the next session of the World Heritage Committee in July 2017.
This ...
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