News

The city of Fuzhou (China) will host the next session of the World Heritage Committee in 2020. This decision concluded the work of the 43rd session of the World Heritage Committee, meeting in Baku since 30 June. During this year’s session, the World Heritage Committee inscribed a total of 29 new sites on the World Heritage List (one in Africa, two in the Arab States, ten in the Asia Pacific ...

The World Heritage Policy Compendium - a consolidated source of policy decisions made under the Convention - is now online. The World Heritage Policy Compendium is a collection of policies that have guided the implementation of the World Heritage Convention since its adoption in 1972. It assembles the policies adopted by the World Heritage Committee and General Assembly of States Parties in ...

During its meeting in Baku this afternoon, the World Heritage Committee, inscribed two cultural sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, ending this year’s inscriptions on the List. The newly added sites, by order of inscription: Le Colline del Prosecco di Conegliano e Valdobbiadene (Italy) — Located in north-eastern Italy, the site includes part of the vinegrowing landscape of the Prosecco ...

During its meeting in Baku this morning, the World Heritage Committee inscribed six cultural sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. The newly inscribed sites are located in Azerbaijan, Portugal, the Russian Federation, Spain, and the UK. Inscriptions will continue in the afternoon. New sites, by order of inscription:  Royal Building of Mafra—Palace, Basilica, Convent, Cerco Garden and ...

During its meeting in Baku this afternoon, the World Heritage Committee inscribed seven cultural sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. The sites added this afternoon are located in Canada, Czechia, Germany, Republic of Korea, Myanmar and Poland. Inscriptions will continue tomorrow, 7 July. New sites, by order of inscription: Bagan (Myanmar) — Lying on a bend of the Ayeyarwady River in the ...

During the morning session of its current meeting, in Baku, the World Heritage Committee inscribed seven cultural sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. The sites added to the List are situated in Australia, Bahrain, China, India, Indonesia, Japan and People’s Democratic Republic of Lao. Inscriptions will continue through 7 July. New sites, by order of inscription:  Dilmun Burial Mounds ...

During its morning session, the World Heritage Committee, meeting in Baku until 10 July, inscribed two natural sites in China and in the Islamic Republic of Iran on the UNESCO’s World Heritage List: Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the Coast of Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf of China (Phase I) (China)—The site features an intertidal mudflat system considered to be the largest in the world. These ...

The World Heritage Committee inscribed five new sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage List this afternoon. Among them are two natural sites, one in France and one in Iceland, a mixed, i.e. natural and cultural, site in Brazil and two cultural sites in Burkina Faso and Iraq. The Committee also approved the extension of the transboundary natural and cultural heritage site of the Ohrid region ...

On 4 July 2019, a special event devoted to the theme "Qhapaq Ñan, Sharing experiences and good practices" brought together representatives of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru with the aim of sharing their collaborative achievements in management and conservation of this serial and transboundary World Heritage site.  Participants presented concrete and important results ...

During the 43rd session of the World Heritage Committee currently taking place until 10 July in Baku (Azerbaijan), four decisions concerning the Middle East were adopted by consensus, after constructive discussions between all delegations involved including Israel, Jordan and Palestine, and mediation by the UNESCO Secretariat. In her opening statement to the Committee, UNESCO ...

The World Heritage Committee, meeting in Baku since 30 June, has decided to inscribe the Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of California (Mexico) on the List of World Heritage in Danger due to concerns about the imminent extinction of the vaquita, an endemic porpoise in the Gulf of California. Mexico has made efforts to protect these threatened species, notably by creating a refuge for ...

The World Heritage Committee, meeting in Baku since 30 June, today decided to remove the Birthplace of Jesus: the Church of the Nativity and the Pilgrimage Route, Bethlehem (Palestine) from the List of World Heritage in Danger. The Committee said its decision was due to the high quality of work carried out on the Nativity Church, the restoration of its roof, exterior facades, mosaics and ...

The World Heritage Committee, meeting in Baku since 30 June, decided to remove the site of Humberstone and Santa Laura Saltpeter Works (Chile) from the List of World Heritage in Danger thanks to the national authorities’ measures to ensure its sustainable conservation and management. The Saltpeter Works were inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2005 and, simultaneously, on the List of ...

The opening ceremony of this year’s session of the World Heritage Committee was held on 30 June at the Heydar Aliyev Centre in Baku, marking the start of the Committee’s work, scheduled to continue until 10 July. UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay welcomed the enthusiasm for World Heritage and “its exceptional ability to bring people together.” She urged “respect for the spirit of the ...

20-22 June: African academics and heritage experts met in the city of Teramo, in the Abruzzo region of Italy, to unpack the concept of ‘prevention’ as a tool for sustainable development, emphasizing the need to place the youth in the centre of this concept by making it relevant to them. Organized under the theme “Protection of cultural and natural heritage and resources through prevention: ...

Tuesday, June 25 - Recent flooding and the security situation threaten the preservation of the Minaret and Archaeological Remains of Jam, Afghanistan. UNESCO will send a mission to the site and launch a safeguarding project, thanks to funding from the International Alliance for the Protection of Heritage in Conflict Areas (ALIPH) of USD 1.9 million. The Minaret of Jam is exposed to several ...

The World Heritage Committee will examine 36 nominations for inscription on UNESCO’s World Heritage List during its 43rd session, which will take place in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, from 30 June to 10 July under the chair of Abulfas Garayev, Minister of Culture of Azerbaijan. The Committee will furthermore examine the state of conservation of 166 sites already inscribed on the World ...

Heritage authorities from six heritage cities in Asia, Pacific and Africa gather in George Town, Penang, Malaysia, from 20 to 21 June 2019 to attend a workshop entitled “Experience Sharing Workshop on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Strategy among Heritage Cities in Southeast Asia, Pacific and Africa“ held by UNESCO Office Jakarta in collaboration with George Town World Heritage Incorporated ...

As a global report released a month ago shows, the world’s ecosystems and biodiversity are deteriorating faster than at any time in human history, undermining humanity’s well-being and future existence.  The Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, released by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) in early May, ...

The UNESCO-Africa-China Forum on World Heritage Capacity Building and Cooperation, held at UNESCO Headquarters from 3 – 4 June 2019, concluded with Recommendations and an Action Plan for joint projects supporting long-term capacity building for the safeguarding of African World Heritage properties.  It was attended by ministers, decision-makers, World Heritage site managers, academics and ...