Discover the World Heritage Volunteers Initiative and join the 2024 campaign!
When the World Heritage Volunteers Initiative was launched jointly with the Coordinating Committee for International Voluntary Service in 2008, 12 projects involving 153 volunteers were selected. Since then, more than 10,000 volunteers have taken part in over 600 action camps in more than 80 countries around the world, on almost 300 World Heritage sites. This work is conducted in partnership with Better World, which is in charge of the global coordination of this Initiative.
Volunteering not only serves to protect our heritage, it also forges bonds that unite communities and strengthen societies. It brings people together around common values and creates a sense of shared responsibility for the global challenges facing the planet. It promotes sustainable development, enhances cultural diversity, improves the wellbeing of local communities, and above all is a source of inspiration for young people.
I would like to thank all the organizations in charge of the action camps and all the volunteers who have taken part and will take part in their implementation. These activities to protect, preserve and promote our shared heritage are essential and could not be carried out without the contribution of all these people. Once again, I would like to congratulate and encourage the organizations and volunteers in their efforts to protect our heritage: you represent the future, we need you.
To highlight the work that has been accomplished since the launch of this Initiative, a photo exhibition has been set up around the UNESCO gates. This series of photographs reveals the extraordinary work of protecting and preserving World Heritage sites whose universal and exceptional value is recognized by all, such as Angkor in Cambodia, the Sukur Cultural Landscape in Nigeria, the Madriu-Perafita-Claror Valley in Andorra, and so on.
Every year, the World Heritage Volunteers Initiative generates growing interest, and the recently launched 2024 campaign is no exception: this year, 90 projects have been selected, linked to 85 heritage sites in 41 countries.
31 of these projets will be implemented in Africa, with the participation of many young people from the continent. This will be the case in Madagascar's Atsinanana Rainforests, with activities supporting local communities.
To find out more about the selected projects and become a volunteer: https://whc.unesco.org/en/volunteers2024/
To find out more about the World Heritage Volunteers Initiative: https://whc.unesco.org/en/whvolunteers/
