World Heritage and Biodiversity
Biological diversity underpins ecosystem functioning and the provision of ecosystem services essential for human well-being. World Heritage properties are the most outstanding places on the planet and constitute a ...
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UNESCO Urban Heritage Atlas: Cultural mapping for historic cities and settlements
The Urban Heritage Atlas is an atlas and an archive that documents and explains, visually, narratively and with analytical maps, the diversity and uniqueness of the world’s historic cities and settlements. As such, ...
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World Heritage Cities Programme
The World Heritage Cities Programme is one of six thematic programmes formally approved and monitored by the World Heritage Committee. The programme concerns the development of a theoretical framework for urban ...
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Understanding, managing and conserving World Heritage properties requires up-to-date knowledge and well-honed skills. To help build the capacity of all stakeholders in World Heritage – whether they are ...
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The UNESCO Thematic Indicators for Culture in the 2030 Agenda (Culture|2030 Indicators) is a framework of thematic indicators whose purpose is to measure and monitor the progress of culture’s enabling contribution ...
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World Heritage Marine Programme
50 flagship marine protected areas of Outstanding Universal Value: Beacons of Hope In a Changing Ocean
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Corporate sector and the World Heritage ‘no-go’ commitment
Across the extractives, finance, insurance and hydropower sectors, among others, major public and private companies and industry associations have committed to protect UNESCO World Heritage sites. They have often ...
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Dive into Heritage is creating an innovative online platform that leverages digital technologies to safeguard and promote World Heritage sites and its related intangible heritage, and transmit it to future ...
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World Heritage Online Map Platform
Funded by the Flanders UNESCO Trustfund (FUT), an online geographic information system for World Heritage is being developed.
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Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape
The Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape (HUL Recommendation) is an additional tool to integrate policies and practices of conservation of the built environment into the wider goals of urban development in ...
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Central Africa World Heritage Forest Initiative (CAWHFI)
Covering an area estimated at 1.62 million km2, the forests of Central Africa are home to vital biodiversity for the planet and play a central role in climate regulation and carbon sequestration.
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50 Minds for the Next 50. Dialogue Series
UNESCO launches “50 Minds for The Next 50” to convene fifty leading, innovative, bold, respected thinkers of our times from diverse disciplines for the most interdisciplinary discussion on World Heritage ever to be ...
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Basic Texts of the 1972 World Heritage Convention, Edition December 2023
Basic Texts of the 1972 World Heritage Convention, Edition December 2023
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In recent years, the framework for training and research in the field of World Heritage has changed significantly. Among the factors that have contributed to these rapid changes, is the emerging of many new ...
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Climate Change and World Heritage
World Heritage properties are affected by the impacts of climate change at present and in the future. Their continued preservation requires understanding these impacts to their Outstanding Universal Value and ...
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There exist a great variety of Landscapes that are representative of the different regions of the world. Combined works of nature and humankind, they express a long and intimate relationship between peoples and ...
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Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessments in a World Heritage Context
UNESCO and the Advisory Bodies to the World Heritage Committee have issued new guidance for assessing impacts from projects that could potentially affect the planet’s most precious heritage places. Designed ...
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Managing Natural World Heritage
The goal of this Resource Manual is to help State Parties to manage natural values within World Heritage properties. As such it is aimed at natural and mixed World Heritage properties as well as cultural landscapes.
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The World Heritage Convention is one of the most successful international instruments to protect the most extraordinary natural places on the planet, characterized by their natural beauty or outstanding ...
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Post-Conflict and Post-Disaster Reconstruction and Recovery
Post-conflict and post-disaster reconstruction became an increasingly important issue after the destruction of cultural heritage sites in countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Mali, Nepal, Syria, and Yemen. ...
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Reducing Disasters Risks at World Heritage Properties
World Heritage properties and heritage sites in general are exposed to the impacts of natural and man-triggered catastrophic events, which threaten their integrity and may compromise their value. The loss or ...
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World Heritage and Indigenous Peoples
Many cultural and natural World Heritage sites are home to indigenous peoples. As the UNESCO policy on engaging with indigenous peoples recognizes, World Heritage sites are often located within land managed by ...
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World Heritage and Sustainable Development
Heritage was long absent from the mainstream sustainable development debate despite its crucial importance to societies and the wide acknowledgment of its great potential to contribute to social, economic and ...
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World Heritage and Sustainable Tourism Programme
The UNESCO World Heritage and Sustainable Tourism Programme represents a new approach based on dialogue and stakeholder cooperation where planning for tourism and heritage management is integrated at a destination ...
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World Heritage Education Programme
The UNESCO World Heritage Education Programme, initiated as a UNESCO special project in 1994, gives young people a chance to voice their concerns and to become involved in the protection of our common cultural and ...
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This large format full-color map features the World Heritage sites and brief explanations of the World Heritage Convention and the World Heritage conservation programmes, as well as superb photos of World Heritage ...
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World Heritage Programme for Small Island Developing States (SIDS)
Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are islands of the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans. They are some of the most beautiful places on Earth, with atolls of white sand beaches, mountain ...
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World Heritage Site Managers' Forum
In recent years, it has become an established practice that a forum is organised in conjunction with each World Heritage Committee session. Since the 41st session of the Committee (Krakow, 2017), site managers from ...
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World Heritage Volunteers Initiative
World HeritageVolunteers Initiative Within the framework of the UNESCO World Heritage Education Programme, the World Heritage Volunteers (WHV) Initiative was launched in 2008 in collaboration with the Coordinating ...
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Building a Global Sustainable Network of World Heritage Site Managers
The overarching vision of this World Heritage project is to establish links and channels of communication among World Heritage Site Managers around the world by providing a web and a social media platform to share ...
Educational Resource Kit ‘World Heritage in Young Hands’
Education is the key to personal fulfilment, development, conservation, peace and well-being. Through education, young people can find new ways to build commitment and strengthen action in favour of preserving our ...
UNESCO advocates the reaffirmation of identity, mutual respect, dialogue, and unity in diversity, solidarity and a positive interaction among the cultures of the world. This is valid for all areas, including for ...
Enhancing the credibility of the World Heritage List: Tentative List good practices
Tentative Lists are inventories of sites forming part of the cultural and natural heritage of a State Party, which have a strong potential to be inscribed on the World Heritage List. These national inventories are ...
Periodic Reporting Tools and Guidance for World Heritage Site Managers in Spanish Language
The World Heritage Committee at its 41st session launched the Third Cycle of Periodic Reporting and requested the World Heritage Centre ensure a holistic approach across all regions, by developing tools and guidance ...
Uplifting the perception of the List of World Heritage in Danger
Article 4 of the World Heritage Convention refers to the conservation of properties inscribed on the World Heritage List and indicates that “Each State Party to this Convention recognizes that the duty of ensuring ...
Based on a strong appeal from national and local stakeholders, the 2030 Agenda adopted by the UN General Assembly integrated, for the first time, the role of culture, through cultural heritage and creativity, as an ...
The Next 50 - 50th anniversary of World Heritage
50th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention (16 November 2022): World Heritage as a source of resilience, humanity and innovation
Environmental DNA Expeditions in UNESCO World Heritage marine sites
Environmental DNA Expeditions is a global, citizen science initiative that will help measure marine biodiversity, and the impacts climate change might have on the distribution patterns of marine life, across UNESCO ...
Facts & Figures: The Importance of UNESCO World Heritage Marine Sites for Global Biodiversity
The importance of UNESCO World Heritage Marine Sites for Global Biodiversity Facts & Figures © Adam Mitchell / Seychelles Island Foundation From the largest tropical seabird rookery to the ...
At the 43rd session in Baku (2019), the World Heritage Committee requested the State Parties “to continue reflecting on the mechanisms and tools needed to assess and guide interventions in and around urban ...
Rapid Response Facility (RRF) © Oreades The Rapid Response Facility (RRF) is a fund that provides grants to protected areas in the event of a sudden crisis. We mainly finance initiatives aimed at ...
Over the past few years, the security situation at the W-Arly-Pendjari Complex has become a major concern as several armed groups have been operating in the region, causing the evacuation of management staff in some ...
Although the overall urban fabric and townscape give Stone Town its unique character, many individual buildings of historical and architectural significance represent local architecture and building traditions. ...
UNESCO/Swiss Funds in-Trust Emergency consolidation of the monuments in Jam
Following the inscription of the Minaret and archaeological remains of Jam in the 'World Heritage List' and the 'List of the World Heritage in Danger' in 2002, the Government of Switzerland has decided to generously ...
Patrimonito Patrimonito's World Heritage Adventures © Patrimonito means 'small heritage' in Spanish and the character represents a young heritage guardian. Patrimonito has been widely adopted ...
Safeguarding of the Bamiyan Site, Phase III
Phase III of this project aims to implement activities to ensure site security; ensure the structural stability of the two standing Giant Buddha niches; ensure adequate state of conservation of archaeological ...
New and Old Towns of Edinburgh (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland)UNESCO Urban Heritage Atlas: Cultural mapping of historic cities and settlements © Chris Fleming, CC BY-SA 2.0, via ...
Founded in the 11th and 12th centuries to serve the caravans crossing the Sahara, these trading and religious centres became focal points of Islamic culture. They have managed to preserve an urban fabric that ...
Historic Centre of Cordoba (Spain) UNESCO Urban Heritage Atlas: Cultural mapping of historic cities and settlements Jocelyn Erskine-Kellie, CC BY-SA, via Flickr World Heritage Cities UNESCO ...
Renewable Energy Transition and World Heritage
Climate change is one of the defining issues of our time, and with over 30 programs in the sciences, education, culture and communication sector, UNESCO is actively contributing to create knowledge, educate and ...
Natural World Heritage in the Congo Basin
UNESCO has been taking action in the Congo Basin since 2000 in order to improve the conservation and the management of natural World Heritage sites, those already inscribed as well as those which have the potential ...
Preparatory assistance for the inscription of the Temple of Preah Vihear, Cambodia
The Temple of Preah Vihear, which is dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva, is situated on Cambodia’s northern border with Thailand. The property consists of a series of sanctuaries which are linked by a network of paths ...
The Second SEE World Heritage Youth Forum for peace and sustainable development was held from 6th until 11th April 2013 in Zajecar, Eastern Serbia, where the World Heritage site Gamzigrad – Felix Romuliana / Palace ...
CAWHFI component funded by the European Commission (2016-2020)
CAWHFI component financed by the European Commission (2016-2020) Between 2016 and 2020, funding from the European Commission enabled CAWHFI to strengthen the monitoring of the TRIDOM and TNS landscapes, an area of ...
Conflict mitigation in Okapi Wildlife Reserve
With 13,720 km², the Okapi Wildlife Reserve has rich biodiversity and a forest ecosystem with cultural and economic importance for the traditional nomadic pygmy hunters Mbuti and Efe who it is believed, have been ...
Securing Manovo-Gounda St. Floris National Park
play_arrow The Manovo-Gounda St Floris National Park (PNMGSF) is the largest park in the Central African savannas. Inscribed on UNESCO World Heritage List in 1988, the park is a unique refuge of biodiversity, ...
“Humanize Bangkok” project, Thailand
Bangkok, in Thailand, is one of the most populated cities in the world, a symbol of uncontrolled urban growth, marked by heavy pollution and huge traffic problems. In 1998, a project entitled "Humanise Bangkok" was ...
“Public works and heritage”. International seminar in Paris, (France) on bridges
Connecting river banks and cultures, bridge are a work which has, today, acquired great symbolic value, whether as historical testimony or contemporary creation. Reconstruction of the Mostar Bridge (which is part of ...
“Qhapaq Ñan, Andean Road System: New steps towards its sustainable conservation”
The 2021 publication compiles good practices and expert perspectives on the conservation and sustainable management of this serial property, including regarding tangible and intangible heritage conservation, ...
Instagram Video ContestOpen to 18 - 32 years old Post your video about an African World Heritage site using the hashtag #MyAfricanHeritage and stand the chance to win one of our prizes. Top ...
#OurLakeOhrid Photo & Story Contest
#OurLakeOhrid Photo & Story Contest © UNESCO The Photo Contest was organized in the framework of the Project: "Towards strengthened governance of the shared transboundary natural and ...
#OurLakeOhrid Photo & Story Contest 2017
The second Photo & Story Contest for the Lake Ohrid region and its natural and cultural heritage is organized within the framework of the project "Towards strengthened governance of the shared transboundary ...
#OurWorldHeritage Share your World Heritage story with the rest of the World © UNESCO #OurWorldHeritage is a social media campaign where people are invited to share their unique World Heritage ...
1976-1995 UNDP/UNESCO Latin American Regional Project Archives
During the years 1976 – 1995 Unesco in collaboration with UNDP and the World Heritage Centre assisted Latin American governments in the establishment and execution of a regional project of cultural/urban and ...
2010 International Year of Biodiversity
The United Nations has declared 2010 the International Year of Biodiversity (IYB). The term biodiversity describes the variety of all life and natural processes on Earth, including all living things from microscopic ...
30th Anniversary of the World Heritage Convention Virtual Congress
World Heritage in the Digital Age. Conferences, workshops and special events (China, Egypt, France, Mexico, Senegal) On the occasion of the 30th Anniversary of the World Heritage Convention, conferences and ...
The Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage was signed on 16 November 1972. The 30th Anniversary celebrations included the organization of the international conference “World ...
Accessible cultural tourism in the old city of Luxembourg (Luxembourg)
On the 25th Anniversary of the site's inscription on the World Heritage List, new tours aim to open the World Heritage site to everyone, including citizens with special needs. By partnering with relevant community ...
Adapting the approach of the HUL Recommendation for Indonesian universities
The 2021 publication Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) Quick Scan Method. Handbook for Indonesian University Lecturers aims to adapt the HUL Approach to the Indonesian context and promote interdisciplinary learning in ...
Afghanistan’s cultural heritage: Safeguarding Campaign
The focus of this Campaign is the safeguarding of all aspects of Afghan cultural heritage, both tangible and intangible, including museums, monuments, archaeological sites, music, art, traditional crafts ...
Africa nature: a capacity building program for natural World Heritage in Africa The Africa Nature capacity building program was launched in 2011 to improve management effectiveness at natural World Heritage sites ...
Analytical summary of the state of conservation of World Heritage properties (2008)
At its 32nd session (Quebec City, 2008), the World Heritage Committee discussed at length the issues related to the state of conservation of World Heritage properties. With Decision 32 COM 7B.129 (see Annex 1), it ...