2384 news
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
