2392 news
Monday, 4 April 2005
The State of World Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region (2003) is now available as publication number 12 in the World Heritage Paper Series. This publication is composed of: a paper version, providing an overview of the results of this first cycle of Periodic Reporting for the Asia-Pacific Region; and a CD-Rom which includes a synthesis of country and site-specific Periodic Reports of the ...
2 min read
Monday, 4 April 2005
On 16 February 2005, the Government of Trinidad and Tobago officially deposited with the Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, its instrument of ratification, becoming the 180th State Party to adopt the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage.
The World Heritage Convention will enter into force for this State Party on 16 May ...
Thursday, 17 March 2005
At the request of the Ethiopian and Italian governments, UNESCO will send an evaluation team to Aksum, in northern Ethiopia, to prepare the return of its celebrated obelisk. The obelisk has been in Rome since 1937.
UNESCO will draw up the re-installation project for the obelisk and the development of the site, which will be funded by Italy. The obelisk has been cut into three sections to ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 2 March 2005
On 7 January 2005, the Government of Sierra Leone officially deposited with the Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, its instrument of ratification, becoming the 179th State Party to adopt the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and natural Heritage.
This Convention, first adopted in November 1972, seeks to encourage the identification, protection and ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 1 March 2005
Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO, and Frederick D. Gregory, Deputy Administrator of the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), today signed a cooperation agreement at NASA Headquarters in Washington D.C.
According to the agreement, UNESCO will benefit from NASA’s expertise in the earth sciences and space technology to strengthen its work ...
2 min read
Friday, 18 February 2005
The Director-General, Mr Koïchiro Matsuura, paid his first official visit to St Lucia from 13 to 15 February 2005. It was the first official visit of a UNESCO Director-General to the country. He was accompanied by Mr Gilbert Chagoury, Permanent Delegate of St Lucia to UNESCO.
During his visit, the Director-General met with the highest authorities in the country. In particular, he held ...
2 min read
Monday, 7 February 2005
The World Heritage Centre participated in the United Nations World Conference on Disaster Reduction, held in Kobe, Japan, from the 18th to the 22nd of January, 2005. This meeting was especially timely in light of the recent earthquake and tsunami in the Indian Ocean region, and also coincided with the 10th anniversary of Kobe’s devastating 1995 earthquake. As part of the broader Kobe ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 2 February 2005
The World Heritage Centre is pleased to inform you that the Revised Operational Guidelines for the implementation of the World Heritage Convention are now available on the following Web address: https://whc.unesco.org/en/guidelines.
As decided by the Committee at its 7th Extraordinary session, the revised Operational Guidelines have entered into force on 2 February 2005, on the understanding ...
Tuesday, 1 February 2005
On 31 January 2005, the Trial Chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia sentenced retired General Pavle Strugar of the Yugoslav Peoples’ Army to eight years in prison for war crimes perpetrated in 1991. He has been found guilty of war crimes against the civilian population and, under Article 3(d) of the Tribunal’s Statute, of the destruction of and wilful ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 1 February 2005
The Curonian Spit, an elongated sand-dune peninsula straddling the border of Lithuania and the Russian Federation, will not be inscribed on UNESCO’s List of World Heritage in Danger. The decision follows an agreement between the two countries to undertake an environmental assessment of the impact of oil exploration and production in the Baltic Sea, 22 kilometres from the World Heritage site. ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 26 January 2005
UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura today opened the first meeting of a Committee of Experts on the Cultural Heritage of the Old City of Jerusalem, a site inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1981 by virtue of its outstanding cultural value. The opening session was held in the presence of the Permanent Delegates of UNESCO’s Member States and Norway’s Minister of Culture and ...
2 min read
Sunday, 23 January 2005
The decisions taken by the World Heritage Committee during its 7th Extraordinary Session, held in Paris from 6 to 11 December 2004, can now be consulted online ( whc04-7extcom-17e.pdf). During this important meeting, the Committee examined, among other things, the relations between the World Heritage Convention and other UNESCO conventions relating to heritage and considered proposals for the ...
Tuesday, 11 January 2005
The conservation community mourns the loss of several staff members of the Gunung Leuser National Park, one of the three national parks within the Tropical Rainforest of Sumatra World Heritage site.
According to most recent information, the Tropical Rainforest of Sumatra and the Ujung Kulon National Park have not sustained important damage during the recent tsunami disaster.
The ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 5 January 2005
The Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, has offered UNESCO’s support to the countries devastated by the earthquake off the coast of Sumatra and the ensuing tsunami. Mr Matsuura said that "UNESCO stands ready" to assist the national authorities within its fields of competence and "give whatever support it can to the United Nations Emergency Relief ...
2 min read
Tuesday, 4 January 2005
The Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, will name the internationally renowned painter, Countess Setsuko Klossowska de Rola, UNESCO Artist for Peace, in a ceremony at Organization Headquarters on January 7 (12.30 p.m.).
Countess Klossowska de Rola is being named Artist for Peace for her role in promoting the World Heritage Education Project", which was launched by UNESCO in ...
1 min read
Thursday, 30 December 2004
The Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, has offered UNESCO’s support to the countries devastated by the earthquake off the coast of Sumatra and the ensuing tsunami, and expressed his sorrow at the tragic loss of life in the region. Writing to the King of Thailand, and to the presidents of India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Maldives, and Sri Lanka, the Director-General voiced his ...
3 min read
Thursday, 23 December 2004
Six case studies, looking at manager experience of how World Heritage may help to build support for protected areas are now available here
Thursday, 23 December 2004
The inscription of Bam and its Cultural Landscape, the ancient Silk Road landmark, on UNESCO’s World Heritage List and on the World Heritage List in Danger will be celebrated in a ceremony on December 27, marking the first anniversary of the earthquake that destroyed much of the site and killed more than 26,000 people.
The Vice President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Hossein Marashi, ...
4 min read
Tuesday, 14 December 2004
The 2005 UNESCO World Heritage Desk Diary is now available. Discover 54 natural and cultural sites with beautiful colour photographs and informative descriptions in English, Spanish and French. Order it at https://en.dl-servi.com/ or at UNESCO Publishing - 7 place de Fontenoy, 75352 Paris 07 SP, France.
Monday, 13 December 2004
On Friday, 27 August 2004, UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura and Nippon Hoso Kyokai (NHK) President Katsuji Ebisawa held a public signing ceremony at NHK Headquarters in Tokyo, Japan to seal their new partnership agreement. Through the Heritage Images Archives Initiative, NHK is offering to contribute to the documenting and safeguarding of tangible and intangible cultural heritage, ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 7 December 2004
The opening and closure speeches as well as the PowerPoint presentations are now available on:
https://whc.unesco.org/en/events/95
Monday, 6 December 2004
The 7th Extraordinary Session of the World Heritage Committee opened on 6 December 2004 at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, under the chairmanship of Mr Themba P. Wakashe from South Africa. The session will last until 11 December 2004.
This important meeting will examine, among other items, the relations between the Convention for the protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage ...
1 min read
Thursday, 18 November 2004
You can now access a film featuring Professor Chamaeleo, Ambassador at Large for Diversity, in which he urges everyone to unite and act for the conservation of biodiversity. The film was used to open the IUCN World Conservation Congress (WCC). Prof. Chamaeleo’s compelling appeal to humanity is at http://www.diversity.info.
The production of the film was made possible with support from: ...
Friday, 22 October 2004
Within the framework of the World Heritage Central Pacific Project, a workshop was held over the previous seven days on Kiritimati (Christmas) Island, Republic of Kiribati to plan for the nomination of reef islands and atolls of Kiribati to the World Heritage List.
The World Heritage List was established by the World Heritage Convention, adopted by UNESCO in 1972 to profile and protect the ...
2 min read
Friday, 22 October 2004
There are three new publications in the World Heritage Papers Series:
No.9: Partnerships for World Heritage Cities - Culture as a Vector for Sustainable Urban Development (in English and French) provides a summary of the papers presented and the debates held at the Urbino workshop to mark the 30th anniversary of the WH Convention.
No.10: Monitoring World Heritage (in English) contains ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 20 October 2004
The Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, participated today in Nara (Japan) at the opening ceremony of the international symposium “ Safeguarding of Tangible and Intangible Cultural Heritage: Toward an Integrated Approach” organised by Bunkacho (the Japanese Cultural Agency) and UNESCO, in the presence of Mr Toshio Kojima, Senior Vice-Minister of Ministry of Education, Culture, ...
2 min read
Friday, 15 October 2004
A new partnership between UNESCO and the Japanese Television channel NHK will see the co-production and broadcast of some 200 short television programmes that will form of the core of a new Heritages Image Archives Initiative. The Initiative aims to produce quality threedimensional moving images and reconstruction images, using state-of-the-art digital visual and sound processing ...
1 min read
Thursday, 14 October 2004
A new book Les 200 plus beaux sites du monde (The 200 most beautiful sites in
the World), published by Hachette-Tourism to commemorate 10 years of the Voir collection,
was launched in Paris at UNESCO Headquarters on 11 October 2004.
Among the 200 sites selected by the editors, 125 are inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage
List. Published in large format, two full pages of the book ...
1 min read
Thursday, 14 October 2004
The World Heritage Centre deeply regrets to announce the passing away, in Paris on Monday 27 September, of Michel Batisse (1923-2004), UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Science from 1972 to1984 and one of the founding fathers of the 1972 World Heritage Convention.
He played a critical role in the preparation and negotiation of this Convention, by guaranteeing the rightful place of ...
1 min read
Monday, 11 October 2004
Every Sunday, listeners of the French radio station France Info can learn more about UNESCO's World Heritage sites, by listening to a new chronicle entitled “Treasures of Humanity” .
Olivier Emond, a 31 years old journalist and History graduate, explains in short chronicles the history of World Heritage sites selected among the 788 that are inscribed on the World Heritage List today. The ...
1 min read
Thursday, 7 October 2004
B orn after 31 December 1975 you will be under 30 years of age in 2005.
You are a native of a Mediterranean country.
You wish to develop a project furthering the knowledge and understanding of Mediterranean cultures.
Every year the Marc de Montalembert Foundation offers a grant of 7000 euro to enable the implementation of such projects.
To apply for the 2005 Marc de Montalembert ...
1 min read
Thursday, 7 October 2004
On 6 October, the Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, opened an exhibition on "World Heritage Sites in Croatia" in the presence of Mr Krešimir Filipec, Assistant Minister of Culture; Ambassador Ritz, Permanent Delegate of Croatia to UNESCO; the Mayors of Dubrovnik, Split and Togir, as well as the Deputy Mayor of Poreć and the Director of Plitvice Lakes National Park ...
2 min read
Friday, 10 September 2004
On Thursday 9 September, the Director-General of UNESCO together with H.R.H. Prince Philippe of Belgium, Mr Z’Ahidi Ngoma, Vice-President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Mr De Decker, Belgian Minister for Co-operation and Development, inaugurated the exhibition "CONGO - Nature and Culture in the Democratic Republic of Congo". Curated by the Royal Museum for Central Africa (Tervuren, ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 8 September 2004
UNESCO is organizing, with the United Nations Foundation (UNF) the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and several conservation organizations, the first international event to support the DRC’s heritage in danger. The event, “Congo – Heritage in Danger” aims to contribute to the long-term survival of this unique natural heritage.
Placed under the high patronage of Mr Jacques ...
2 min read
Friday, 27 August 2004
On Friday, 27 August 2004, UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura and Nippon Hoso Kyokai (NHK) President Katsuji Ebisawa held a public signing ceremony at NHK Headquarters in Tokyo, Japan to seal their new partnership agreement. Through the Heritage Images Archives Initiative, NHK is offering to contribute to the documenting and safeguarding of tangible and intangible cultural heritage, ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 28 July 2004
The 28th session of the World Heritage Committee was held in Sushou, China, under the chairmanship of Zhang Xinsheng, Vice Minister of Education of China and Chairperson of China’s National Commission for UNESCO, from 28 June to 7 July 2004. Over 700 delegates from States Parties, Advisory Bodies and non-governmental organizations participated. 29 cultural sites and 5 natural sites were ...
4 min read
Monday, 26 July 2004
This document was prepared by the Arab States Unit of the World Heritage Centre, following the request of the World Heritage Committee that an analytical summary of the Periodic Reporting exercise be prepared for the Arab Region in view of its publication. This report aims at evaluating the implementation of the World Heritage Convention in the Arab Region, on the basis of the Periodic ...
1 min read
Friday, 16 July 2004
A new Chinese edition of UNESCO’s World Heritage Review is being launched by the publishing house World Affairs Press of the People’s Republic of China, UNESCO and Ediciones San Marcos (Madrid). The Chinese edition will be launched at the 28th session of the World Heritage Committee in Suzhou on 28 June 2004.
UNESCO’s World Heritage Review has been published in English, French and Spanish ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 7 July 2004
The ruins of the great sea-ports of Kilwa Kisiwani and of Songo Mnara situated off the coast of the United Republic of Tanzania were inscribed yesterday on the List of World Heritage in Danger by the 21-member World Heritage Committee, which is holding its annual meeting in Suzhou until July 7.
The Committee took this decision in response to threats to the integrity of the site, which was ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 6 July 2004
One of Europe’s masterpieces of Gothic architecture, was inscribed today on the List of World Heritage in Danger by the 21-member World Heritage Committee, which is holding its annual meeting in Suzhou until July 7.
The Committee sounded the alarm for the integrity of the urban landscape around the Cathedral after hearing of the construction of several high-rise buildings on the bank ...
1 min read
Sunday, 4 July 2004
Cambodia’s celebrated temples and palaces at Angkor were removed from UNESCO's List of World Heritage in Danger today, as were the Bahla Fort (Oman) and Rwenzori Mountains National Park (Uganda).
As it reviewed the state of conservation of World Heritage sites whose outstanding universal value is severely threatened, the 21-member World Heritage Committee meeting in Suzhou until July 7 ...
2 min read
Saturday, 3 July 2004
The rich archaeological remains of the Iranian city of Bam, where 26,000 lost their lives in the earthquake of December 26, 2003, was inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, alongside 12 other new cultural sites listed today by the World Heritage Committee holding its 28th session in Suzhou. This brings to 788 the number of cultural, natural and mixed sites now on the List.
Bam Cultural ...
10 min read
Friday, 2 July 2004
The Democratic People's Republic of Korea had its first site inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List today with the addition of a complex of Koguryo tombs. Andorra also entered the List with the cultural landscape of Madriu-Claror-Perafita Valley. They were among 13 cultural sites listed in Suzhou today.
Below are the new sites inscribed on July 1 at the World Heritage Committee meeting ...
11 min read
Thursday, 1 July 2004
A glacier-fjord in Greenland, the Ilulissat Icefjord, is among the five new natural sites inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List, while the extraordinary earthen architecture of Koutammakou, the Land of the Batammariba, in Togo, is one of three new cultural sites inscribed by the World Heritage Committee in Suzhou today.
The ongoing 28th session of the Committee, chaired by Zhang ...
7 min read
Tuesday, 22 June 2004
Forty-eight sites will be considered for inscription on UNESCO’s World Heritage List of outstanding cultural and natural sites during the 28th session of UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee, which will meet at the Urban Planning Convention Center in Suzhou (China) from June 28 to July 7.
UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura will address the inaugural session of the meeting, which will be ...
3 min read
Friday, 11 June 2004
The Fifth International Volunteer Khami Restoration Camp (3-26 June) near Bulawayo is now in progress, to be followed by a “1972 World Heritage Workshop” for Zimbabwean journalists. Operating on an annual basis since its inception in 2000, this year’s camp groups a total of 20 students from Botswana, Cameroon, Germany, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Reunion, South Africa, Zambia and ...
1 min read
Friday, 11 June 2004
The web site for one of the World Heritage Advisory Bodies, the World Conservation Union (IUCN), regularly updates news on IUCN's work on protected areas.
Recent features include:
Guidelines for Planning and Managing Mountain Protected Areas;
A mission to the Volcanoes of Kamchatka World Heritage Site in the Russian Federation;
Establishment of a Global network on Transboundary ...
Friday, 4 June 2004
Tripoli-Kufra-Jebel Ouenat, 27 March - 5 April 2004Jebel Ouenat (in Arabic "Mountain of the springs") is a natural and cultural heritage site located at the border among Egypt, Libya and Sudan, which was discovered by the Egyptian explorer Ahmed Hassanein Bey only in 1923. This spectacular mountain, together with the neighbouring Jebel Arkenu, in Libya, and Jebel Kissu in Sudan, is the result ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 26 May 2004
The workshop focused on the redefinition of the boundaries, the preparation of an Action Plan addressing conservation challenges and the discussion of mechanisms to assist the Nepalese Government in soliciting international cooperation.
Various stakeholders including national and local authorities, Nepalese and international experts, members from Universities and INGOs, actively ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 19 May 2004
UNESCO Conference 16-17 September at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris to evaluate the current status and future needs of the World Heritage Centre / UNF project: "Biodiversity Conservation in Regions of Armed Conflict: Protecting World Heritage in the Democratic Republic of the Congo".
Co-sponsored by the Government of Belgium and the Government of Japan, this conference aims to raise global ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 18 May 2004
The 2nd workshop obtained excellent feedback from the fifteen Arab trainees nominated by their governments. Experts were again brought in from leading international institutions, including:
Department of Geography, University of Ghent
R. Lemaire International Centre for Conservation, University of Leuven
WCMC, the World Conservation Monitoring Centre
University of California, ...
Monday, 3 May 2004
Presentations will be made everyday at 10am, 1pm and 3pm on issues such as World Heritage destinations, sustainable tourism at World Heritage sites, the effects of tourism on the conservation of World Heritage sites, individual conservation efforts, the trade's role in site conservation, and World Heritage tours as new markets. World Heritage Site Managers will be on hand to present ...
2 min read
