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 ...
Funded by the Flanders UNESCO Trustfund (FUT), an online geographic information system for World Heritage is being developed.
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 ...
The Retrospective Inventory is a project aiming at the identification and collection of baseline data (such as boundaries, geographical coordinates, serial components, area of properties in hectares, etc.) for ...
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 ...
Inhabited since 250 B.C., Djenné became a market centre and an important link in the trans-Saharan gold trade. In the 15th and 16th centuries, it was one of the centres for the propagation of Islam. Its traditional ...
The UNESCO-Greece Melina Mercouri International Prize for the Safeguarding and Management of Cultural Landscapes was created in 1995 to reward outstanding examples of action to safeguard and enhance the world’s ...
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 ...
The World Heritage Centre has developed a project with the objective to conduct an overall reflection and study on the image/perception of the List of World Heritage in Danger and to propose approches aiming at ...
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 ...
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, ...
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. ...
Houses in the historical centre of Samarkand are rarely more than 100 years old but follow centuries-old traditions in their sitting and typological organisation, use of interior spaces and construction practices. ...
Historic Monuments Zone of Querétaro (Mexico) UNESCO Urban Heritage Atlas: Cultural mapping of historic cities and settlements Plaza de Armas © Roberto Galán / Shutterstock.com* World ...
Under the Almohads and the Hafsids, from the 12th to the 16th century, Tunis was considered one of the greatest and wealthiest cities in the Islamic world. Some 700 monuments, including palaces, mosques, mausoleums, ...
Historic City of Ahmedabad (India) UNESCO Urban Heritage Atlas: Cultural mapping of historic cities and settlements Teen Darwaza, gate of the historic city walls © AnilD / ...
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 ...
"Located at over 2,000 m above sea level, the capital of Eritrea developed from the 1890s onwards as a military outpost for the Italian colonial power. It is an exceptional example of early modernist urbanism at the ...
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 ...
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 ...
A research project tests tools such as photogrammetry, laser scanning and community mapping, to record the interaction between tangible and intangible layers of traditional settlements in China and India.
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 ...
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 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 ...
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 ...
50 flagship marine protected areas of Outstanding Universal Value: Beacons of Hope In a Changing Ocean
World Heritage Marine Managers A flagship network empowered to transform how we protect Watch © The World Heritage List includes 50 marine sites across 37 nations. Local managers at these sites ...
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 ...
Created in 1954, the park was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1981 under criterion (x) for its rich fauna, its unique ecosystems, and its remarkable diversity of wildlife. However, in 2007, various ...
Created in 1970, the park is the second largest forest park in the world in terms of size. It boasts an extraordinary biological richness, with diverse vegetation that constitutes important habitats for species. ...
Over the last decades, Garamba National Park has been a major target of militant ivory and bushmeat poachers, which threatens the site drastically. Therefore, an effective law enforcement strategy and ecological ...
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 ...
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, ...
In 1992, one year after its inscription, the Air and Ténéré Natural Reserves were placed on the List of World Heritage in Danger due to the deterioration of the state of conservation of the property, caused by ...
Highly pathogenic avian influenza, known as bird flu, is causing significant mortality of wild birds and mammals worldwide, requiring authorities to take action to curb its spread. Previously affecting mostly ...
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 ...
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 ...
The UNESCO World Heritage Centre is pleased to announce the selected projects of the World Heritage Volunteers (WHV) 2024 Campaign, under the theme of ‘World Heritage Volunteers 2024 - Working on the Future’.
The Expert Facility is an international pool of recognized experts that have relevant experience to support countries and cities in implementing the UNESCO Culture|2030 Indicators
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 ...
Synergies to protect Global Heritage Cooperation with other Conventions and programmes © The World Heritage Committee recognises the benefits of closer coordination and synergies between global ...
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 ...
The UNESCO-Greece Melina Mercouri International Prize for the Safeguarding and Management of Cultural Landscapes has been awarded for 2001 jointly to Murjadjo Djebel, Planters' Wood and Old Town of Sid Hourari ...
The Park of Koga (Japan) was awarded the Melina Mercouri International Prize for the Safeguarding and Management of Cultural Landscapes for its 2003 edition. Park of KogaJapan Park of Koga (Japan) © ...
The historical village of Maymand in southern Iran has been awarded the UNESCO-Greece Melina Mercouri International Prize for the Safeguarding and Management of Cultural Landscapes for its 2005 edition. The prize ...
The Borodino Battlefield in the Russian Federation was awarded the Melina Mercouri International Prize for the Safeguarding and Management of Cultural Landscapes.
The Gunditjmara community was awarded the 2023 edition of the UNESCO-Greece Melina Mercouri International Prize for the Safeguarding and Management of Cultural Landscapes in recognition of its outstanding efforts to ...
The Public Institute of Kozjansko Park in Podsreda (Slovenia) was awarded the 2021 edition of the UNESCO-Greece Melina Mercouri International Prize or the Safeguarding and Management of Cultural Landscapes.
The 2019 UNESCO-Greece Melina Mercouri International Prize for the Safeguarding and Management of Cultural Landscapes was awarded on 18 November to Instituto do Património Cultural in Cabo Verde for its outstanding ...
In 2011, the UNESCO-Greece Melina Mercouri International Prize for the Safeguarding and Management of Cultural Landscapes has been awarded jointly to Battir Cultural Landscape (Palestine) and the Museum-Reservation ...
The UNESCO-Greece Melina Mercouri International Prize for the Safeguarding and Management of Cultural Landscapes has been awarded for its first edition in 1999 jointly to Valle de Viñales (Cuba), the Elishia's Park ...
UNESCO Kenya and the City of Nakuru Project Page © IUCN Partners Implementation of the UNESCO Culture|2030 Indicators in Kenya and the city of Nakuru is with the support and partnership of ...
The UNESCO Mentorship Programme was developed in 2020, in collaboration with the African World Heritage Fund (AWHF) and the three Advisory Bodies (ICOMOS, ICCROM and IUCN) to create opportunities for African ...
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 ...
The following audio excerpts are from an interview with Francesco Francioni by Christina Cameron and Mechtild Rössler the 10 May 2010 in Rome. He offers an interesting overview of the Convention's mechanisms from a ...
The following audio excerpts are from an interview with Jim Thorsell by Christina Cameron the 11 August 2010 in Banff, Canada. Thorsell explains the prominent role he played in IUCN's World Heritage activities for ...
The audio excerpts are from an interview with David Sheppard by Christina Cameron and Mechtild Rössler in Kyoto, Japan the 8 November 2012. He discusses various World Heritage issues such as the length of the List, ...
Interview Jim Collinson 1939-2024 Oral Archives of the World Heritage Convention After studying Agricultural Economics at the University of Manitoba, Jim Collinson completed a ...
The audio excerpts are from an interview with Dawson Munjeri by Christina Cameron the 3 August 2010 in Brasilia, Brazil. He draws on his rich experience with the World Heritage Convention to comment on the ...
The following audio extracts are taken from a virtual interview conducted with Souayibou Varissou by Christina Cameron and Mechtild Rössler in December 2022. Mr. Varissou shares his extensive experience in the ...
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, ...
Designer, engraver and graphic artist, Michel Olyff created dozens of logos, emblems, posters, lithographs, stamps and other arts.
World Heritage is a building block for peace and sustainable development. It is a source of identity and dignity for local communities, a wellspring of knowledge and strength to be shared. In 2012, as we celebrate ...
In conjunction with the 33rd session of the World Heritage Committee, sixty-eight participants, of which, thirty-nine secondary school students from 10 countries learned new skills to preserve and conserve the ...
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 ...
As an integral part of the 46th session of the World Heritage Committee and in the framework of the UNESCO World Heritage Education Programme, the Ministry of Culture through the Archaeological Survey of India, will ...
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 ...
Climate change is today the biggest threat to coral reefs. Under a business-as-usual scenario, nearly 90% of the 29 World Heritage-listed coral reefs are expected to severely bleach twice-per-decade by 2040.
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 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 ...
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 ...
Natural World Heritage sites are the planet’s most precious gifts to humanity. But our work across these 257 sites is not simply about protecting and preserving some of the world’s most beautiful locations, ...
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 ...
The World Heritage Young Professionals Fora are among the flagship activities of the World Heritage Education Programme, designed to foster learning and exchange by bringing together young people and heritage ...
Authors of thesis are encouraged to send an abstract of their work and their personal data by filling the attached form. This will allow academics and researchers to know about their domain of research and to ...
Sustainable planning and management of tourism is one of the most pressing challenges concerning the future of the World Heritage Convention today and is the focus of the UNESCO World Heritage and Sustainable ...
Continuing the 50th anniversary celebrations of the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, the 2023 edition of the World Heritage Young Professionals Forum was implemented in Riyadh in September 2023, reiterating the ...
This guide 4 will tell you how to reach out and engage with local businesses and the community in a dialogue explaining the mutual benefit that comes with making tourism more sustainable.
This guide 3 will tell you why good destination management and governance matters, and how you can start to develop it in your World Heritage destination.
This guide 2 will tell you how to develop a strategy for your destination that complements both the sensitive nature of a heritage site, as well as the task of sustainable and profitable tourism.
This guide will help you understand why tourism matters, some key questions you may need to ask and answer, and some ways to fill evidence gaps, such as utilising other partner's resources. Continue reading below to ...
This guide 10 will tell you why benchmarking matters and suggest some ideas on how you can develop site and destination specific benchmarks.
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.
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.
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.
This guide 6 will tell you why infrastructure is vital to sustainable tourism and how to begin the process of developing appropriate infrastructure.
This guide 5 will tell you why communicating with visitors matters, and how you can do it effectively, in a culturally appropriate manner.
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 ...
In 2009, on the occasion of the 10th Anniversary of the France-UNESCO Cooperation Agreement, a booklet describing the heritage safeguarding and valorisation activities implemented in the first 10 years (1999-2009), ...
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 ...
The multi-cultural historic city of George Town developed a strategy to build on its rich and diverse cultural heritage as a resource for local development and livelihoods after its free trade port status was ...
The Tubbataha Reef Marine Park covers 96.828 ha, including the North and South Atolls. It is a unique example of an atoll reef with a very high density of marine species; the North Islet serving as a nesting site ...
The KIT: World Heritage in Young Hands Developed in 1998, the World Heritage in Young Hands Educational Resource Kit for secondary school teachers is one of the main tools of the World Heritage Education Programme. ...
The Working Group on the Representativity of the World Heritage List was decided by the 23rd Session of the World Heritage Committee as a follow up to the 12th General Assembly of States Parties of the World ...
The objective of the Guidance is to provide easy-to-understand and user-friendly information on wind energy projects and World Heritage protection and management, and to highlight processes and tools for overcoming ...
Patrimonito Storyboard Competition 2012 Episodes 11 and 12 © Within the framework of the 40th anniversary celebrations, the Patrimonito National Storyboard Competition was launched by the two ...
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 ...
This competition aims to provide young people with an opportunity to use their creative and problem-solving skills to raise awareness about World Heritage sites.
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 ...
National Culture Profile of Romania Roșia Montană |© Daniel Vrabioiu Sommaire Introduction Initiative Implementation Results snapshot Key ...
The following audio excerpts are taken from a virtual interview conducted with Themba Wakashe by Christina Cameron and Mechtild Rössler in May 2023. Mr. Wakashe recounts his experience as Chair of the Committee in ...
The following audio excerpts are from an interview with Federico Mayor by Christina Cameron and Carmen Anon Feliu the 18 June 2009 in Madrid in Spain. He highlights the human dimension of World Heritage, which he ...
Basic Texts of the 1972 World Heritage Convention, Edition December 2023
National Culture Profile of Morocco Historic City of Meknes (Morocco)|© UNESCO Sommaire Introduction Initiative Implementation Results snapshot Key ...
Urban Culture Profile of Essaouira Medina of Essaouira (formerly Mogador) (Morocco)|© OUR PLACE The World Heritage ...
National Culture Profile of Alajuela Alajuela Province, Alajuela, Costa Rica |© Fco.Daniel Ramírez Sommaire Introduction Initiative Implementation Results ...
National Culture Profile of Hue Complex of Hué Monuments|© Bruno Doucin Sommaire Introduction Initiative Implementation Results snapshot Key ...
The Enhancing Our Heritage Toolkit 2.0 (EoH 2.0) provides a globally tested self-assessment methodology to support World Heritage managers and actors to evaluate management effectiveness in a World Heritage property ...
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 ...
A new city branding strategy based on cultural values and community participation aims to enhance Trogir’s attractiveness as a destination for cultural tourism.
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 ...
The following audio excerpts are from an interview with Jukka Jokilehto by Christina Cameron and Mechtild Rössler the 5 May 2010 in Rome, Italy. They reveal his expertise and deep understanding of World Heritage ...
Interview Peter Fowler Oral Archives of the World Heritage Convention Peter Fowler is a British archaeologist and landscape specialist. A graduate of Oxford University, he served as secretary ...
Interview Jad Tabet Oral Archives of the World Heritage Convention Jad Tabet is a Franco-Lebanese architect and urban planner. A graduate in architecture from the American University of ...
The following audio excerpts are from an interview with Gérard Bolla by Christina Cameron and Mechtild Rössler in October 2007 at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France. These capsules reveal, thanks to Gérard Bolla's ...
Interview Irina Bokova Oral Archives of the World Heritage Convention Irina Bokova is a Bulgarian politician and diplomat. She served as Director General of UNESCO from 2009 to 2017. She ...
The following audio excerpts are from an interview with Azedine Beschaouch by Christina Cameron and Mechtild Rössler in July 2010 in Brasilia, Brazil. Through his many recollections, he recounts the first years of ...
The following audio excerpts are from an interview with Françoise Bercé by Christina Cameron the 28 March 2019 in Paris, France. She shares with us her reminiscences of key issues in the implementation of the ...
The audio clips are from an interview with Francesco Bandarin by Christina Cameron the 14 May 2018 at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France. They cover the period from 2015 to 2018 when he returned as Assistant ...
The audio clips are from two interviews with Francesco Bandarin by Christina Cameron and Mechtild Rössler in June 2014 in Doha, Qatar. They retrace his main challenges and achievements during his years at the World ...
Carmen Añón Feliú is a landscape architect by training. As a specialist in historic gardens, she has overseen conservation projects at the Royal Botanical Garden of Madrid for twenty-five years, as well as teaching ...
Sommaire Introduction Four Thematic Dimension Mapped to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Four Thematic Dimension Mapped to UNESCO Culture Conventions UNESCO Culture ...
The Arctic Ocean urgently needs protection as melting sea ice is opening up previously inaccessible areas to activities such as shipping, bottom trawl fishing and oil exploration, according to a scientific report ...
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 ...
UNESCO Burkina Faso and the City of Ouagadougou Project Page © Shutterstock Partners Implementation of the UNESCO Culture|2030 Indicators in Burkina Faso and the city of Ouagadougou is with ...