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The World Heritage Centre is at the forefront of the international community’s efforts to protect and preserve.

857 Activities

Røros Mining Town and the Circumference is a clear case of a cultural landscape sustained by traditional socio-economic systems. In 2009 there were 21 active farms within the property and a number of redundant farms ...

This guide 7 will tell you how to think about developing products, services, and experiences as a key way to sustain the OUV of the site, enthuse tourists, and benefit local communities.

Wadi Al-Hitan – also known as Whale Valley – is located in the Western Desert of Egypt. It is an ‘open-air museum’ of invaluable fossil remains of the earliest, and now extinct, suborder of whales (Archaeoceti), as ...

This guide 8 will tell you how to think about developing products, services, and experiences as a key way to sustain the OUV of the site, enthuse tourists, and benefit local communities.

The Land of Frankincense (LoF) World Heritage site is composed of four archaeological sites related to the antique trade of Frankincense and other luxury items across the Dhofar province of Oman: Shisr (sometimes ...

This guide 9 will tell you some ways that you can secure investment in order to help make the aspirations developed from these guides for your site and the destination as a whole a reality.

The “Guide to Good Practices in Landscape-Residential areas 1950-75” aims to help public administrations and technical teams in improving the quality of life in residential areas as built between 1950-75. It ...

The Guidebook aims to make the urban legislation of the city of Cidade Velha more accessible and understandable to the public. This document constitutes an exemplary tool for awareness raising of local communities ...

The handbook "Cultural heritage and local development: A Guide for African local governments", co-edited by the France-UNESCO Cooperation Agreement and CRATerre-ENSAG in 2006, was designed as a tool for decision ...

Helping local homestay hosts to be more sustainable in Indonesia © Tourism constitutes one of Indonesia's priority government investment areas to boost national GDP. A programme of tourism ...

Urban heritage preservation policies, when separated from development strategies, can lead to a marginalization of the poorest populations. Constraints caused by regulations, in the absence of assistance mechanisms, ...

International Co-operation has taken decades to accept texts including notions such as “recognition” or “perception” in relation to processes of cultural determination by communities (local, peasant, of interest, ...

The local government of Puebla has developed a comprehensive Heritage Education Programme to raise awareness about the city’s cultural heritage and aid its conservation. The programme includes educational events, ...

Heritage impact assessments (HIAs) and Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) are increasingly required to analyze possible effects and consequences of development on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of World ...

The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented health crisis that has affected each one of us, and we still cannot predict its long-term effects. Inevitably, our World Heritage sites suffered too: the abrupt halt in ...

The issues of identification and preservation of the heritage of science and technology have been discussed at a number of international meetings organized within the framework of the UNESCO Thematic Initiative ...

A new city branding strategy based on cultural values and community participation aims to enhance Trogir’s attractiveness as a destination for cultural tourism.

A new initiative aims to implement the approach of the 2011 UNESCO Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape in the Indian cities of Gwalior and Orchha. The project is born out of a collaboration between the ...

Human Evolution related properties represent a process of evolutionary accretion that took place over a vast period of time, offering vital insight to scientific, cultural, ethological and historical dimensions of ...

The Muslim heritage of Central Europe is very rich. It is a synthesis of Eastern and European cultural elements, embodied in the values of tangible and intangible culture. This are primarily mosques and mizars ...

The digital aspects of heritage are growing enormously, ranging from creating virtual visits and online exhibitions to cataloguing inventory of heritage objects and creating 3D models of archaeological sites. ...

This publication examines the impacts of tourism in the World heritage site of the Hoi An Ancient Town, an exceptionally well preserved example of a traditional Asian trading port and an outstanding material ...

The first in a series of studies examining the impact of tourism on culture and the environment in selected sites in the Asia-Pacific region, this IMPACT publication: Tourism and Heritage Site Management in the ...

This publication focuses on the impacts of tourism on the Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras, an outstanding model of sustainable use of limited land resources, using traditional knowledge-based technology ...

This part of the Guidance provides heritage and impact assessment practitioners, site managers and heritage institutions an overview of the process for assessing the impacts of wind energy projects associated with ...

Following the collapse of several Sikien during the rain season in 2018, an on-site emergency mission was carried out by UNESCO from 19-24 October 2018 to assess the extent of the damages caused. The mission ...

Following the collapse of several Takienta during the rainy season in 2018, an on-site emergency mission was carried out by UNESCO from 19-24 October 2018 to assess the extent of the damages caused. The mission ...

An ongoing programme in a remote Algerian town aims to connect the local community with the archaeological site through workshops and activities for young residents.

The Reactive Monitoring process established under the World Heritage Convention is one of the most comprehensive systems of monitoring ever developed under an international legal instrument in conservation. However, ...

Through a series of strategic actions, Urbino has sought to improve its environmental sustainability and promote climate change mitigation and adaptation. An update of the management plan is currently under way in ...

Improving visitor infrastructure in Angkor, Cambodia © The Angkor World Heritage site has long attracted visitors to Cambodia, providing a major driver for the country’s economy with a steady ...

The Million wells for Bengaluru campaign is an initiative to build one million shallow wells using traditional well-digging techniques. The initiative for the revival of traditional water systems integrates ...

One type of scientific heritage under-represented on the World Heritage List concerns sites connected with natural sciences and the development of their application through engineering and technology.

There exist a great variety of religious and sacred sites that are representative of the different cultures and traditions of the world. Approximately 20 percent of the properties inscribed on the World Heritage ...

The 2019 urban plan aims to protect cultural and natural heritage values and their attributes through specific planning tools, such as green and blue infrastructure planning and the development of heritage ...

Funded by the Government of Japan through the UNESCO/Japanese Funds-in-Trust, implementation from 2022 to 2024. Four World Heritage sites from Asia, Africa, the Arab region and Latin America and the Caribbean work ...

The “International Conference on the Seismic Performance of Traditional Buildings” was held in Istanbul, Turkey from 16 to 18 November 2000, under the patronage of UNESCO, ICOMOS and Turkey’s Ministry of Culture. It ...

Gabon currently has two properties inscribed on the World Heritage List, the Ecosystem and Relict Cultural Landscape Lopé - Okanda and the Ivindo National Park, inscribed in 2021 at the 44th enlarged session of the ...

Action Plans Latin America and the Caribbean As follow up of Decision 37 COM 10A adopted by the World Heritage Committee at its 37th session (Phnom Penh, 2013) and based on the results of the 2nd cycle of the ...

Located at the southern end of the great expanse of Lake Malawi, with its deep, clear waters and mountain backdrop, the national park is home to many hundreds of fish species, nearly all endemic. Its importance for ...

A project to create a digital map of places associated with literature aims to promote sustainable cultural tourism, relieving tourism pressures in the historic areas and encouraging visitors to explore other parts ...

The system includes a new local coordination office dedicated to the conservation and sustainable development of the historic centre.

Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru share a common cultural heritage of outstanding value: the Qhapaq Ñan, or Main Andean Road. For the past three years the World Heritage Centre has been ...

UNESCO seeks to encourage the identification, protection, preservation and conservation of cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be of outstanding value to humanity. This is embodied in the ...

This manual provides guidance for States Parties and all those involved in the care of World Heritage cultural properties on how to comply with the requirements of the World Heritage Convention.

This first Manual within the series concerns the management of disaster risks for World Heritage properties. It focuses on one approach to the principles, methodology and process for managing disaster risks at ...

Within the framework of the France-UNESCO Cooperation Agreement, the French Ministry of Culture and the Director General of heritage for several African countries organized a week of meetings for directors of the ...

The sites of Meroe, Naqa and Musawwarat es-Sufra, located in the Nile province of Sudan were the heartland of the Kush Kingdom from the 8th Century B.C to the 4th Century AD. Otherwise known as ‘The Island of Meroe’ ...

Zimbabwe has benefited from several initiatives in the field of Rock Art conservation. These initiatives mainly consisted of participation in training programmes with sub-regional scope that took place about a ...

At the start of 2001 the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites) and DOCOMOMO (Working Party for the Documentation and Conservation of buildings, sites and neighbourhoods ...

An innovative initiative employs the Sustainable Development Goals as monitoring tools to track the contribution of heritage-related initiatives towards sustainable development. 

Towards strengthened governanceof the shared transboundary natural and cultural heritage of the Lake Ohrid region © This European Union funded project aims to improve transboundary cooperation ...

This booklet calls to involve more people in preservation efforts, raise levels of awareness, and seek innovative schemes. By actively engaging public, private and civic sectors the city, historic and contemporary, ...

Note 1 Identifying and mapping attributes that convey the Outstanding Universal Value of a World Heritage property © UNESCO About Purpose and Scope Context Notes Case Studies ...

Note 2 Identifying sensitive areas and preparing vulnerability assessment related to wind energy projects © UNESCO About Purpose and Scope Context Notes Case Studies ...

Identifying rights-holders and other stakeholders is a key activity to better understand the relationship between communities and individuals with a property. The identification of rights-holders and other ...

The following table may assist also in the preparation of the scoping report

A Visual Impact Assessment (VIA) is a specific study that focuses on assessing the visual and aesthetic impacts of a proposed project. This type of assessment is not a stand-alone study but should be part of the ...

Cumulative impacts can be defined as a result of several additional, often individually insignificant changes or effects. They are often neither measured nor accounted for before their effect grows progressively ...

Online Training for the Periodic Reporting Exercise in Asia and the Pacific

At its 19th session (UNESCO, 2013), the General Assembly of States Parties to the World Heritage Convention decided (Resolution 19 GA 4) to fully apply Article 8, paragraph 2, of the World Heritage Convention which ...

Oral Archives of the World Heritage Convention Canada Research Chair on Built Heritage --> Under the leadership of the Canada Research Chair on Built Heritage at the University of Montreal, ...

The participatory budgeting and decision-making model enables local residents to decide on the application of part of the city’s budget and the practical initiatives to be carried out in their city.  

This project aims to strengthen the management capacity between the authorities responsible for cultural heritage management in Bolivia, and ensure the active participation of departmental, regional and local ...

As part of a wider effort to create a pedestrian-only zone in the historic centre, the city of Graz carried an ambitious programme to re-design its historic streets and public spaces through high-quality design ...

Conclusions and recommendations of the synthesis Report on the state of conservation of the World Heritage in Africa, submitted in accordance with the strategic approach approved by the World Heritage Committee at ...

Final report of the synthesis of the periodic reports for the Arab Region submitted in accordance with the strategy approved by the 23rd session of the World Heritage Committee in December 1999 in Marrakesh ...

Between 1997 and 2003, the 39 States Parties (27 Asian & 12 Pacific) of the Asia and Pacific Region prepared National Periodic Reports, both reporting on the administrative and legal action taken at the national ...

The First Cycle of the Periodic Reporting exercise was carried out from 2001 to 2006 for Europe and from 2001 to 2005 for North America. The exercise provided an opportunity for States Parties to highlight a number ...

The UNESCO World Heritage Centre, through the Adviser for World Heritage in Latin America and the Caribbean based at the UNESCO Office in Montevideo, coordinated the periodic reporting process, providing assistance ...

The preliminary process was implemented in cooperation with some Regional Offices (Lima, Quito, Montevideo, Guatemala, Costa Rica and Havana), and some of the Category 2 Centres approved by the General Conference in ...

This report presents the results of the Second Cycle of Periodic Reporting in the Africa region. The exercise involved the 44 States Parties which had ratified the 1972 Convention Concerning the Protection of the ...

At its 32nd session, the World Heritage Committee decided on the preparation of the Second Cycle of Periodic Reporting (Decision 32 COM 11E) and on the launching of the exercise with the Arab States (document ...

The second cycle of Periodic Reporting for the Asia and Pacific was launched by the World Heritage Committee at its 34th session in Brasilia, Brazil in August 2010. All 41 State Parties to the Convention in Asia and ...

In Europe, 49 States Parties and 432 World Heritage properties (382 cultural, 41 natural, 9 mixed) participated in the Second Cycle of the Periodic Reporting Exercise (2012-2015). The exercise was coordinated by ...

The model of the Polo del 900 proposes collaboration as a solution for institutional and cultural fragmentation which forms the core of a new ecology of creative cultural systems and puts community at the core of ...

UNESCO Portugal and the City of Elvas Project Page © Limes.Media/Tim Schnarr Partners Implementation of the UNESCO Culture|2030 Indicators in Portugal and the city of Elvas is with the ...

The “Historical Atlas of Kyoto: Spatial Analysis of the Memory Systems of a City, its Architecture and Urban Landscape” (In French: « Atlas historique de Kyoto: Analyse spatiale des systèmes de mémoire d’une ville, ...

Founded in the ninth century, the Agadez, Niger, occupies a prominent position on the crossroads of the principal commercial routes of the Sahara, which allowed it to play an important role in the region until the ...

As part of the Indian Heritage Cities Network project, and in link with the “Rivers and heritage” initiative, a seminar was held in February 2007 in Varanasi, India. The objective was the enhancement of this ...

The France-UNESCO Cooperation Agreement, similar to the technical cooperation provided to the Town of Luang Prabang in the Lao People's Democratic Republic, has provided technical and financial support to national ...

Ethiopia has numerous megalithic sites. The most important of them is Tiya, which was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1980. It has thirty-six monuments, including thirty-two stelae inscribed with sometimes ...

The Rainforests of the Atsinanana are predominantly old-growth forests, and, as such, are critically important for the maintenance of ecological processes and the survival of Madagascar’s unique biodiversity. The ...

Located 200km from Brazzaville, Congo, the Royal Domain of the Mbé was inscribed on the Tentative Lists in 2008. The property, which is also of significant historical value, is made up of a group of areas linked to ...

The Royal Hill of Ambohimanga in Madagascar consists of a royal city and burial site, and an ensemble of sacred places. It is associated with strong feelings of national identity, and has maintained its spiritual ...

The Ehotilé Islands National Park is a group of six islands situated along the eastern shoreline of the Côte d’Ivoire that shelters a complex and diverse flora and fauna. It was listed as a Ramsar Site (see the ...

The Kingdom of Wu and Six Canal Towns of the Lower Yangtze River, China, are located to the south of the Yangtze River, near Lake Tai, approximately 60 km east of Shanghai, in a landscape shaped by crisscrossing ...

North of the Tian Shan Mountains, 1608 m above sea level, is the Issyk Kul Lake, Kyrgyzstan, a natural reservoir of warm water contained in a region famous for its natural resources. In the Soviet era, the lake was ...

The Koutammakou landscape in north-eastern Togo, which extends into neighboring Benin, is home to the Batammariba people whose remarkable mud tower-houses have become a symbol of Togo. In this landscape, nature is ...

Africa is underrepresented on the World Heritage List, particularly concerning archaeological sites. This is why it is important to assist countries in the preparation of nominations. In a territory approximately ...

The Ancient Villages of Northern Syria constitute one of the most extraordinary archeological ensembles in the world. There are more than 700 sites from the Roman and Byzantine eras located in a vast region. They ...

The Aka Pygmies are considered the very first inhabitants of the Central African Republic. They live in the Mongoumba Forest, of Lobaye. A preparatory assistance mission, under the framework of the France-UNESCO ...

In the 19th century, the riches of Chile aroused the greed of European and American powers, resulting in the establishment of large industrial plants, including intensive saltpetre mining companies. The production ...

At the initiative of the Permanent Delegation of Morocco and the “Agence pour la promotion et le développement économique culturel et social des provinces du Sud du Royaume du Maroc” (agency for the economic, ...

Le Corbusier is one of the greatest architects of the 20th century, and his work both built and written have had a huge impact on the world, and demonstrate major technical and conceptual changes of the Modern ...

Wishing to submit the Slave Route (running from Djougou in the north of Benin to Ouidah, and passing through the Royal Palaces of Abomey) for inscription on the World Heritage List, the Benin authorities submitted a ...

In order to identify and protect its heritage, Cameroon launched a national inventory of cultural heritage in 2001. The French Embassy in Cameroon passed on the request for technical assistance to the French ...

The aim of this Resource Manual (Second Edition 2011) is to help States Parties to achieve good quality World Heritage nominations.

Following the October 2019 floods that had invaded the main arteries of the Historic Town (residential, administrative and commercial areas) as well as the N'zima village which suffered the heaviest toll, an ...

A farming cooperative system conserves the agricultural landscape around the historic town of Røros and promotes sustainable tourism.

After Chan Chan was placed on the List of World Heritage in Danger, a disaster risk reduction plan was developed and integrated with heritage management mechanisms. The plan provided valuable strategies for ...

The transfer of responsibility from private ownership to local and territorial governments poses new management problems in the centres of European countries in transition. France, which has a long tradition in this ...

The World Heritage properties of Africa face a variety of threats from armed conflict to development pressures, rapid urbanisation, growth and climate change. Several of these properties are located in conflict and ...

Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve (RNIMN) (Côte d'Ivoire/Guinea) was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1981. Thereafter, the property has been inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger for 29 years due ...

Lamu Old Town faces multiple threats from climate change, energy needs and rapid social and economic transformation. The Lamu Old town management plan and the Lamu Municipality Waste Management Policy focused on ...

In early 2020, the University of Pennsylvania carried out a field research seminar in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia. The educational exercise was used as an opportunity to study the city’s cultural heritage in more ...

An online platform connects and supports small- and medium-sized enterprises located in World Heritage Cities in Mexico, promoting national tourism and increasing local businesses' digital presence.

After the World Heritage Committee warned in 2016 that the poor state of conservation of the property could lead to its inscription on the List of World Heritage in Danger, a number of local, national and ...

Many of the world’s World Heritage sites are dependent upon tourism to maintain their economic, environmental, social and cultural well-being. However, the impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic has hit World ...

The traditional settlements of the M’Zab valley were adapted to their environment and climate. Floodable areas were occupied only by temporary structures and not by dwellings. Water infrastructure was a core ...

« Promouvoir le Patrimoine Mondial à Madagascar » est un programme du Centre du patrimoine mondial de l’UNESCO qui a pour finalité la mise en œuvre de la Convention du patrimoine mondial comme outil de conservation ...

The issue of the protection and management of properties of religious interest is increasingly prominent in contemporary conservation debates. In today’s interconnected world grappling with serious socio-economic ...

National strategies and policies for the transition to renewable energy and initiatives for decarbonization are often based on the strategic principles and guidelines set in international agreements and directives. ...

Lately, the Djoudj National Park is subject to discharges of agricultural effluents and proliferation of invasive plants that threaten its natural balance. This situation is notably due to the installation of rice ...

The World Heritage Youth Forum is a flagship activity carried out under the World Heritage Education Programme since 1995. The forum serves as a platform by bringing young people, educators and heritage experts ...

Natural World Heritage sites face many challenges that threaten their existence. They represent a global heritage recognized as being of outstanding universal value, unique and irreplaceable. As the rate of global ...

After armed conflict resulted in the destruction of several historical mausoleums, these were reconstructed using traditional knowledge systems as part of an international cooperation campaign. The reconstruction of ...

Reducing waste and improving visitor experience in Viet Nam © The long closure of the sites led to reduced income, disruption of community life and reduced maintenance. Viet Nam’s international ...

At its 13th session (UNESCO, 2001), the General Assembly of States Parties to the World Heritage Convention adopted Resolution 13 GA 9 for an equitable representation within the World Heritage Committee. This ...

The Second Cycle of Periodic Reporting came to a close at the 39th session of the World Heritage Committee (Bonn, 2015). It has brought to light important efforts underway to improve the protection, conservation and ...

The completion of the first Cycle of Periodic Reporting has generated important information regarding the state of implementation of the World Heritage Convention, as well as about the state of conservation of ...

The World Heritage Committee at its 35th session (UNESCO, 2011) requested the World Heritage Centre, in collaboration with the Advisory Bodies, to elaborate a thematic paper proposing to States Parties general ...

The installation of a new water turbine at the site of the former water mills in the Town of Bamberg follows traditional water practices while respecting the Outstanding Universal Value of the property. The new ...

Le but de ce projet est de financer des ateliers de formation au profit des gestionnaires du patrimoine mondial en Egypte en vue de leur permettre de maîtriser les techniques de réalisation des études d’impacts de ...

Elaboration of a thematic paper proposing to the States Parties to the World Heritage Convention general guidance regarding the management of their cultural and natural heritage of religious interest. This could be ...

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