2458 news
Thursday, 9 February 2012
Panasonic Corporation held yesterday, 8 February, the award ceremony of "Eco Picture Diary Global Contest" which the company has been promoting with the aim to raise awareness of environmental issues and eco actions for the young generation, with the final nomination of national finalists attending the ceremony at UNESCO headquarters.
The "Eco-Picture Diary Contest" is a program developed ...
4 min read
Friday, 3 February 2012
The Retezat Massif has received a Rapid Response Facility (RRF) grant to undertake urgent snow-tracking surveys in response to a road-building threat through the Carpathian Mountains. This protected area is on Romania’s World Heritage tentative list, and is known for its plant diversity, endemism and rich fauna, including the Eurasian eagle-owl, the gray wolf and the brown bear.
The ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 1 February 2012
The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, launched the 40th anniversary celebration of the World Heritage Convention in a ceremony at UNESCO Headquarters on 30 January. It was the first of a series of events States Parties to the 1972 Convention are organizing around the world over the coming year, and ending with a final event in November 2012 in Kyoto, Japan.
The launch featured a ...
2 min read
Monday, 30 January 2012
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention, one of UNESCO's most successful programmes and one of the most powerful tools for heritage preservation. Almost universally adopted, with 188 signatory countries, the Convention is unique in that it combines the protection of cultural and natural heritage in one instrument. Since its adoption by the General Conference of ...
3 min read
Monday, 30 January 2012
On November 16, 1972, the international community took a historic step towards safeguarding core, irreplaceable elements of our global heritage when the General Conference of UNESCO adopted the World Heritage Convention. Since then, more than 188 countries have ratified the Convention, and more than 936 separate sites around the world have been designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. As ...
3 min read
Tuesday, 17 January 2012
From 7 to 9 November 2011, experts from the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) undertook an advisory mission to examine development projects affecting the World Heritage site "Cathedral, Alcázar and Archivo de Indias in Sevilla", inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1987.
At its three last sessions, the World Heritage Committee discussed the state of ...
1 min read
Friday, 13 January 2012
The Côte d’Ivoire component of the transboundary Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve, inscribed onto the list of World Heritage in Danger, has been awarded a Rapid Response Facility (RRF) small grant to help re-establish the presence of the protected area authority. Recent civil strife in this country had led to the abandonment of site management offices in the area. The ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 4 January 2012
The UNESCO World Heritage Centre and Panasonic have released an online version of the 2012 World Heritage Calendar in five languages. It is available as a website, or as a downloadable stand-alone application or wallpaper.
As the year 2012 is the 40th anniversary of the adoption of the World Heritage Convention, the calendar is expected to raise even more interest than the very popular 2011 ...
1 min read
Friday, 23 December 2011
Read our newsletter to learn about our major accomplishments, including new services that will help improve marine protection efforts around the globe. Additionally, this year we celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the UNESCO World Heritage Convention.
Mission of the World Heritage Marine Programme
Launched in 2005, the mission of the World Heritage Marine Programme is to establish effective ...
Friday, 23 December 2011
40 years of protection, 188 States Parties, 936 World Heritage Sites. Join us for the 40th Anniversary of the World Heritage Convention as we highlight the role of local communitites in sustainable development.
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Tuesday, 20 December 2011
Call for Projects concrete actions for the 40th Anniversary of the World Heritage Convention
The UNESCO World Heritage Education Programme in collaboration with the Coordinating Committee for International Voluntary Service (CCIVS) is pleased to announce the call for projects for the World Heritage Volunteers 2012.After 4 years of fruitful experiences with 78 successful projects at 43 sites, ...
1 min read
Thursday, 15 December 2011
Kernavė Archaeological Site (Cultural Reserve of Kernavė) World Heritage site has been given "enhanced protection" status by the Committee for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, which held its sixth meeting at UNESCO Headquarters from 14 to 16 December.
The status had also been requested for two World Heritage sites in Azerbaijan: Walled City of Baku with the ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 14 December 2011
While exact details of the route are still under cover, it has been announced that the Olympic Torch will be carried through Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage site (United Kingdom). The torch will be carried over the iron bridge which has stood for hundreds of years as a symbol of the Industrial Revolution and will then be carried along the River Severn before travelling on to Telford.
The ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 14 December 2011
The Government of Italy has granted 400,000€ to support a new UNESCO project to build capacity for safeguarding cultural heritage in Myanmar.
The contribution will allow UNESCO to mobilize international expertise to assist Myanmar in protecting important heritage sites in the country, in particular, the ancient Pyu settlements dating back almost two millennia and Bagan, one of the ...
1 min read
Monday, 12 December 2011
Since Palestine was admitted to UNESCO on 31 October, there have been several misleading media reports about the status of Palestinian cultural heritage sites. Here is how UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee works and what it has done with respect to cultural sites in Palestine.
The World Heritage Committee inscribes sites it considers to be of “outstanding universal value.” Nominations must ...
2 min read
Friday, 2 December 2011
The two-year partnership signed between Panasonic and the World Heritage Centre in June 2011 aims to promote sustainable development and increase environmental awareness. In addition to the World Heritage Eco Learning Programme dedicated to teaching the next generation about the importance of heritage preservation using 3D-related audiovisual equipment and technical support, site visits and ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 29 November 2011
Midway through a discussion on risk analysis, someone jumps to their feet and shouts “ELEPHANTS!!” and within a matter of seconds the classroom is deserted. For the next few minutes, the participants in Earthwatch’s Business Skills for World Heritage programme can be found lined up along Mpala Research Centre’s electric fence watching the herd pass on the far side of the river.
The ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 29 November 2011
UNESCO and Italy have agreed to collaborate on the restoration of the Archaeological Areas of Pompeii, Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata, inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1997. International attention turned to the World Heritage site in late 2010, when torrential rains led to the collapse of several vestiges including the Schola Armaturarum (Gladiators' House) and the equally ...
1 min read
Thursday, 24 November 2011
Leading lights in science, technology, conservation and heritage interpretation descended upon Edinburgh on 23 November 2011 for a unique conference on how new technology could help protect fragile landscapes while giving greater public access to them.
‘I Know Where I'm Going: Remote Access to World Heritage Sites from St Kilda to Uluru’ was held from 23 to 24 November, with a keynote speech ...
2 min read
Friday, 18 November 2011
To launch the 40th anniversary celebrations of the World Heritage Convention, UNESCO offered the World Heritage iPhone/iPad application (app) free for one day. On Wednesday, 16 November the app was downloaded 13,343 times from the Apple iTunes store. It proved to be most popular in France, the United States and China.
An update of the App, which now features the 25 new sites added to the ...
1 min read
Friday, 18 November 2011
On 16 November 2011, Kishore Rao, Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, presented a certificate to German Minister for Environment Norbert Röttgen and the State Ministers recognizing the inscription of the Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and the Ancient Beech Forests of Germany on the World Heritage List. The ceremony was held in Berlin, Germany and included representatives ...
1 min read
Thursday, 10 November 2011
The World Heritage Centre is pleased to announce the publication of the World Heritage Paper #30: “Adapting to Change – The State of Conservation of World Heritage Forests in 2011” as a contribution to the 2011 United Nations International Year of Forests.
There are 104 World Heritage sites that have been recognized at least in part for their forest values. These range from the 20 hectare ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 8 November 2011
In June 2011 UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre and Turismo de Portugal, the Portuguese Tourism Authority, signed an agreement engaging in a cooperation project on capacity-building for tourism management in World Heritage sites of Portuguese origin. This project is an integral part of the continuous cooperation that is being carried out by the World Heritage Centre and Portugal, ...
1 min read
Monday, 7 November 2011
A contribution of the G-77 & China in honor of the 40th Anniversary of the World Heritage Convention, in collaboration with UNESCO, the photo exhibit "The G-77 & China at UNESCO celebrates the 40th Anniversary of the World Heritage Convention" was launched at UNESCO today as the first event marking the anniversary year. It will be on display from 7 to 10 November 2011 at UNESCO ...
1 min read
Monday, 7 November 2011
The latest version of the World Heritage map, produced by the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and National Geographic Maps with the generous support of Russian Federation, can now be ordered for a modest fee from the World Heritage Centre website. The featured image on the Map presents Saint Petersburg, where the next session of the World Heritage Committee will be held (June/July 2012).
The ...
1 min read
Monday, 7 November 2011
The Director-General of UNESCO Irina Bokova today launched the 40th anniversary celebrations for the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, adopted by UNESCO's Member States on 16 November 1972.
In her address, the Director-General called for a year of renewal for World Heritage. "Heritage stands at the crossroads of climate change, social ...
2 min read
Monday, 7 November 2011
Nine new members were elected to the World Heritage Committee on the first day of the 18th General Assembly of States Parties to the World Heritage Convention, which started its meeting today at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France. The new members of the Committee are Algeria, Colombia, Germany, India, Japan, Malaysia, Qatar, Senegal and Serbia. Each country will serve a mandate of four ...
1 min read
Thursday, 3 November 2011
One of the largest restoration projects in the history of the United States is underway at Olympic National Park World Heritage site in Washington. Begun in September 2010, the removal of the Elwha and Glines Canyon dams on the Elwha River will result in salmon populations swelling from 3,000 to more than 300,000 as all five species of Pacific salmon return to more than 70 ...
1 min read
Fires at the World Heritage site of Pitons, cirques and remparts of Reunion Island (Réunion, France)
Wednesday, 2 November 2011
UNESCO is monitoring with concern the situation in the Pitons, cirques and remparts of Reunion Island, World Heritage site where fires have been raging since 25 October.
According to early reports from the French Indian Ocean island of Reunion, at least 3,000 ha of the 100,000 ha property have been destroyed by the fires. Twenty-six endemic rare plant species are already known to have been ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 1 November 2011
On 10 August 2011 the Japanese Government approved the programme proposal "Capacity Building to Support the Conservation of World Heritage Sites and Enhance Sustainable Development of Local Communities in Small island Developing States (SIDS)", with a total budget of USD 1 million.
The overall objective of the project proposal is to develop regional capacity building programmes for Pacific ...
1 min read
Monday, 31 October 2011
The UNESCO World Heritage Centre would like to express its condolences for the lives lost in northern Italy last week in the floods and mudslides resulting from torrential rains.
Villages as well as road and railway communication lines of the Cinque Terre World Heritage site have been severely affected by the rains, and the Centre is working with the national and local authorities to ...
Friday, 21 October 2011
UNESCO has invited experts from both inside and outside of Libya to urgently examine the preservation of cultural heritage in the country, notably measures to safeguard cultural sites; prevent illicit trafficking, protect museums and strengthen cultural institutions in the wake of civil strife and the overthrow of the Gaddafi regime. The meeting - the first on protecting Libyan cultural ...
2 min read
Friday, 21 October 2011
The UNESCO World Heritage Centre participated in a round table on “Attractiveness of regional assets: The creation and regionalization of added value” at the world’s first international forum of Purple Economy held in Paris, France, 11-13 October 2011 together with Carlo Petrini (Founder and President of Slow Food) and Daniel Maximin (Commissioner of the French Year on ...
1 min read
Friday, 14 October 2011
Severe flooding in Thailand since mid July has this week inundated the World Heritage property of the Historic City of Ayutthaya, founded in ca. 1350 as the second capital of the Kingdom of Siam after Sukhothai. Located on an island on the Chao Praya river, the protective embankments could no longer withstand the increasing height of the floods.
UNESCO Bangkok Office and the World Heritage ...
Friday, 14 October 2011
Fauna and Flora International (FFI) a longtime partner of UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre, launched a global appeal this week with the objective of helping protect over 50,000 hectares of the globally unique “fynbos” ecosystem in the Cape Floral region of South Africa.The targeted lands are in the World Heritage site’s buffer areas, contributing to the long term ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 12 October 2011
Whale Sanctuary of El Vizcaino and Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of California(both located in Baja California, Mexico).
The Whale Sanctuary of El Vizcaino site has been inscribed on the World Heritage List since 1993. It is the only calving and nursery area for the Eastern Pacific gray whale population, which traditionally travels there each season from the Bering and Chukchi seas ...
2 min read
Tuesday, 11 October 2011
Born after 31 December 1975 you will be under 30 years of age in 2012. You are a native of a Mediterranean country. You wish to develop a project furthering the knowledge and understanding of Mediterranean cultures.
Every year the Marc de Montalembert Foundation offers a grant of 7000 euro to enable the implementation of such projects.
To apply for the 2005 Marc de Montalembert grant ...
1 min read
Monday, 3 October 2011
The Northern Luzon of the Philippines was severely affected by Typhoon Pedrin (International Name: Nesat) which crossed the region on Tuesday 27 September. Its trajectory passed across the Ifugao Province and has, according to preliminary reports, caused major mud and landslides within the area of the World Heritage property of the Rice Terraces in the Philippine Cordilleras. A second typhoon ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 27 September 2011
Financed by the Flemish Government and organized by UNESCO and its space partners, in particular Planet Action, this exhibition uses a series of remarkable examples to demonstrate the use of satellite Earth observation to assess the effects of climate change on selected World Heritage sites.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) states that ‘global warming is ...
2 min read
Friday, 16 September 2011
UNESCO's World Heritage Centre and HISTORY® are partnering to increase awareness about heritage preservation worldwide. As part of the three-year alliance, HISTORY provides a monetary donation along with production services and marketing support to UNESCO's World Heritage Centre for a three year period. The announcement was made on Monday 12 September at the Tower of London (a ...
2 min read
Friday, 9 September 2011
UNESCO's Commitment to Action for the cultural recovery of Jacmel (Haiti) has been accepted by the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI). The project was seeking USD 500,000 matching funds to an initiative of USD 1,000,000 to support the culture sector in Jacmel, which was badly affected by the earthquake of January 2010.
In a project building on various assets of the culture sector, UNESCO ...
1 min read
Monday, 22 August 2011
Mr John Zulu, site manager of Zambia's Mosi-oa-Tunya / Victoria Falls National Park and World Heritage site arrived in the U.S. August 5th to spend six weeks immersed in the details of people, park and resource management at Grand Canyon National Park as the latest "U.S. World Heritage Fellow" sponsored by the National Park Service with support from the United Nations Foundation and the ...
1 min read
Friday, 19 August 2011
UNESCO Headquarters, Rooms XII, 7 to 9 November 2011
The General Assembly of States Parties to the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage will hold its 18th session during the 36th session of the General Conference of UNESCO, from 7 to 8 November 2011 all day and 9 November only in the afternoon, at UNESCO Headquarters, Room XII.
The General Assembly ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 10 August 2011
Informatics Forum, 10 Crichton Street, Edinburgh, EH8 9AB (Scotland, UK)
At a time of economic crisis and environmental threat, countries everywhere have to address the dual challenge of protecting and preserving their natural and cultural heritage while maximizing their economic value.
This two-day international conference on 23 and 24 November 2011 will focus on ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 2 August 2011
[in French only] Vie de la CFU
Réunion du Comite mixte de coordination, 26 avril 2011, UNESCO, Paris.
Comite du patrimoine mondial, Paris, 19-29 juin 2011.
Participation aux 9èmes Rencontres de l'Association des biens français du patrimoine mondial (ANBPM), Besançon, 8-10 juin 2011.
Actualités sur l'avancement des projets CFU
Le projet ...
17th ICOMOS General Assembly and Scientific Symposium on the theme “Heritage: Driver of Development”
Tuesday, 2 August 2011
The most important triennial gathering of ICOMOS will take place from 27 November to 2 December 2011 for the first time in Paris at UNESCO Headquarters.
The General Assembly is accompanied by a Scientific Symposium on the theme "Heritage: Driver of Development". Both events are open to ICOMOS members and non-members alike.
Visit the special website www.icomos-paris2011.com to consult the ...
1 min read
Friday, 22 July 2011
UNESCO Havana, Regional Office for Culture in Latin America and the Caribbean, is pleased to introduce module 6 of the Caribbean Capacity Building Programme (CCBP) for World Heritage, Natural Heritage Management.
The CCBP Training Modules is composed of a core and mandatory training module on the Application of the World Heritage Conventio n and a series of other modules focusing on the ...
1 min read
Friday, 15 July 2011
The final version of the Decisions adopted at the 35th session of the World Heritage Committee, which was held at UNESCO Headquarters from 19 to 29 June 2011, is also available in English and French at the following Web address: whc.unesco.org/en/sessions/35COM
Thursday, 7 July 2011
In February, the United Republic of Tanzania submitted a request for a minor modification to the boundaries of the Selous Game Reserve. The 50000 km2 Selous Game Reserve is one of the largest remaining wilderness areas in Africa, harboring the largest remaining elephant population of Africa and has been inscribed on the World Heritage List since 1982. The request for modification of ...
2 min read
Thursday, 7 July 2011
Eighteen hours after the March 11 tsunami wreaked devastation in Japan, it hit the Galápagos Islands. Luckily, by then the energy of the waves had dissipated somewhat, and the people there had received advanced warning and took to higher ground. The waves hit later in the afternoon, local time, and caused significant damage only to some buildings located near the ...
2 min read
Friday, 1 July 2011
After a rigorous selection process, a total of 18 managers from five World Heritage sites in Africa were recently selected for admission into the World Heritage Centre / Earthwatch / Shell 2011 "Business Planning for natural World Heritage site managers" programme. First offered in South East Asia in 2009 and 2010, this year's programme will focus on Africa. The programme ...
1 min read
Friday, 1 July 2011
Memorandum of Understanding Outlines Concrete Joint Initiatives
UNESCO and the World Bank have cooperated informally over the past decades, in particular on conservation efforts in the World Heritage sites. Today the two organizations signed a Memorandum of Understanding formalizing that on-going collaboration and expanding it to encompass a larger strategic scope.
Thanks to this Memorandum ...
3 min read
Thursday, 30 June 2011
In June 2011, Jaeger-LeCoultre, the International Herald Tribune and UNESCO's World Heritage Centre agreed to renew their longstanding 'Tides of Time' partnership in support of the World Heritage Marine Programme until 2014.
The partnership began in 2008 as an international communication campaign in the online and print editions of the International Herald Tribune. Each year, eight marine ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 28 June 2011
The Residence of Bukovinian and Dalmatian Metropolitans (Ukraine), the Petroglyphs Complexes of the Mongolian Altai (Mongolia), The Causses and the Cévennes, Mediterranean Agro-pastoral Cultural Landscape (France) and León Cathedral (Nicaragua) - have been added to UNESCO's World Heritage List. The full list of new inscriptions which is now complete will be given out ...
2 min read
Tuesday, 28 June 2011
The World Heritage Committee has inscribed a total of 25 sites on UNESCO's World Heritage List, including three natural properties, 21 cultural and one mixed site. Two properties were added to the World Heritage List in Danger and one was removed from that list. The World Heritage List now numbers 936 properties: 183 natural sites; 725 cultural; and 28 mixed.
Natural properties:
Ningaloo ...
1 min read
Monday, 27 June 2011
Konso Cultural Landscape (Ethiopia) , Fort Jesus, Mombasa (Kenya) and Citadel of the Ho Dynasty (Viet Nam), have been added to UNESCO's World Heritage List. Inscriptions are to continue this afternoon.
Konso Cultural Landscape (Ethiopia), is a 55km2 arid property of stone walled terraces and fortified settlements in the Konso highlands of Ethiopia. It constitutes a spectacular example of ...
2 min read
Monday, 27 June 2011
The Ancient villages of Northern Syria (Syrian Arab Republic), The Cultural Sites of Al Ain (Hafit, Hili, Bidaa Bint Saud and Oases Areas), (United Arab Emirates), and the Persian Garden (Iran), the Cultural Landscape of the Serra de Tramuntana (Spain), Pile Dwellings around the Alps (Switzerland, Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Slovenia) and Selimiye Mosque and its Social Complex (Turkey), ...
3 min read
Sunday, 26 June 2011
The Director-General of UNESCO Irina Bokova has expressed her deep regret following the declaration of the Thai Minister Suwit Khunkitti during the 35th session of the World Heritage Committee being held at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris from 19 to 29 June 2011, on the intention of Thailand to denounce the 1972 World Heritage Convention.
Irina Bokova reiterated that "The World ...
2 min read
Saturday, 25 June 2011
The World Heritage Committee has inscribed three new sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage List so far today: the Ancient Beech Forests of Germany as an extension to the World Heritage site of Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians (Slovakia, Ukraine), Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison, the first heritage site of Barbados to enter the World Heritage List; and Hiraizumi – Temples, ...
2 min read
Saturday, 25 June 2011
The Coffee Cultural Landscape of Colombia (Colombia), the Archaeological Sites of the Island of Meroe (Sudan), Wadi Rum Protected Area (Jordan) and The Longobards in Italy, Places of Power , 568 – 774 A.D. (Italy), and the Fagus Factory in Alfeld (Germany), have been added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List. Inscriptions will continue on Monday.
The Coffee Cultural Landscape of ...
3 min read
Friday, 24 June 2011
The World Heritage Committee has inscribed the West Lake Cultural Landscape of Hangzhou, comprising the West Lake and the hills surrounding its three sides, on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.The inscribed landscape has inspired famous poets, scholars and artists since the 9th century. It comprises numerous temples, pagodas, pavilions, gardens and ornamental trees, as well as causeways and ...
1 min read
Friday, 24 June 2011
The World Heritage Committee has inscribed Ogasawara Islands, the Japanese islands situated some 1,000 km south of the country's main archipelago, on UNESCO's World Heritage List for the wealth of their ecosystems which reflect a wide range of evolutionary processes.
The property numbers more than 30 islands clustered in three groups and covers surface area of 7,939 hectares. The islands ...
1 min read
Friday, 24 June 2011
The World Heritage Committee has inscribed the Kenya Lake System in the Great Rift Valley (Kenya) and Australia's Ningaloo Coast on UNESCO's World Heritage List.
The Kenya Lake System in the Great Rift Valley (Kenya), a natural property of outstanding beauty was the first to be added to UNESCO's World Heritage List during the current Committee session. It comprises three inter-linked ...
1 min read
Friday, 24 June 2011
The World Heritage Committee has inscribed Saloum Delta (Senegal) and its vestiges of more than two millennia of human occupation on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. Fishing and shellfish gathering have sustained human life in the 5,000 km2 property, which is formed by the arms of three rivers. The site comprises brackish channels encompassing over 200 islands and islets, mangrove forest, ...
1 min read
Friday, 24 June 2011
In an important decision taken at the current session of the World Heritage Committee at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France, the United Republic of Tanzania has stated it will reconsider its North Road project, which would have split the northern part of the Serengeti wilderness and seriously disturbed the migration patterns of animals there. The alternative is to maintain the 53 km stretch ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 22 June 2011
The need to mobilize support and raise awareness to overcome threats facing the 2.5 million hectare Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra has led the World Heritage Committee to place the property on the List of World Heritage in Danger.
The Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra , inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 2004 for its biodiversity, has been placed on the Danger ...
Wednesday, 22 June 2011
The Honduran World Heritage site of Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve , one of the few tropical rainforest remains in Central America, has been inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List in Danger to mobilize support for its preservation.
The government of Honduras requested the World Heritage Committee to place the property on the List in Danger in view of the combined threats of ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 21 June 2011
Significant improvements in the preservation of Manas Wildlife Sanctuary have allowed for its withdrawal from the List of World Heritage List Danger.
Situated on the foothills of the Himalayas the Manas sanctuary, home to a great variety of wildlife, including many endangered species, such as the tiger, pygmy hog, Indian rhinoceros and Indian elephant, was inscribed on the List in Danger in ...
1 min read
Monday, 20 June 2011
The future of the World Heritage Convention ahead of its 40th anniversary next year and the growing challenges of heritage preservation were the key themes of the opening addresses of the 35th session of the World Heritage Committee at UNESCO in Paris today. The session will end on 29 June.
The Chairperson of 35th session, Shaikha Mai bint Muhammad Al Khalifa, Minister of Culture of the ...
4 min read
Monday, 20 June 2011
A selection of 50 photographs of World Heritage sites are on display during the 35th session of the World Heritage Committee held from 19 to 29 June at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France. 'Our Place' has been an official partner of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre since 2006, compiling a large database of images by professional photographers from around the world to draw attention to World ...
Tuesday, 14 June 2011
The MEA Information and Knowledge Management (IKM) Initiative brings together the UN, UNESCO, FAO and UNEP, and 12 global UN Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEA) to develop harmonized and interoperable information systems in support of knowledge management activities among MEAs for the benefit of Parties and the environment community at large. The Initiative is facilitated and ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 7 June 2011
Since the early 1980s, forty-three marine sites have been inscribed on the World Heritage List, covering about 1.4 million km2 of ocean surface - an area about the size of the Gulf of Mexico. Each of these forty-three sites represents exceptional features in the ocean - features that are recognized by the international community for their outstanding natural beauty, exceptional ...
1 min read
Friday, 3 June 2011
UNESCO's World Heritage Centre and Panasonic Corporation on 3 June announced a strategic partnership agreement to promote sustainable development through World Heritage conservation and environmental education for the next generation.
"This new partnership with Panasonic will strengthen our ability to accomplish our mission," said Irina Bokova, UNESCO Director General. "It's an excellent ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 25 May 2011
The First South-East Europe World Heritage Youth Forum is currently underway with the theme 'World Heritage education: Networking for a Better Common Future'.
It was opened on Sunday 22 May in Porec, Croatia by UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova with the Croatian Minister of Culture, Jasen Mesić and the State Secretary of the Ministry of Culture of Slovenia, Stojan Pelko.
Ms ...
1 min read
Friday, 20 May 2011
The UNESCO World Heritage Centre would like to congratulate Parks Canada on its 100th anniversary, and for receiving the Gift to the Earth award from WWF.
The Gift to the Earth is WWF's highest accolade to applaud conservation work of outstanding merit. In recognizing a conservation action as a Gift to the Earth, WWF highlights both environmental leadership and inspiring conservation ...
1 min read
Friday, 20 May 2011
[in French only] « Construire ensemble l'avenir des sites patrimoniaux : élaborer et mettre en œuvre une gestion durable pour un site patrimonial ».
Abbaye de Cluny - Bourgogne, France, du 4 au 10 décembre 2011 et immersion du 12 au 14 décembre 2011 dans un site partenaire.
Thème : Construire et mettre en œuvre un plan de ...
Thursday, 19 May 2011
In celebration of the World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development
On the 19th and 20th May 2011, the World Heritage Centre of UNESCO and the Community of Cergy-Pontoise will organise an international conference bringing together renowned architects and artists such as Otto Piene, Daniel Buren, Dani Karavan, Rem Koolhaas, Peter Eisenman as well as key decision-makers to ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 18 May 2011
Niokolo Koba National Park in Senegal was inscribed onto the List of World Heritage sites In Danger in 2007 due in large part to intensive poaching pressures. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) had been supporting anti-poaching patrols for several months in the park, but financing is expected to run out at the end of May. The government of ...
3 min read
Wednesday, 18 May 2011
Some fifty potential Silk Roads Heritage Corridors have been identified, with twenty corridors being considered as a medium priority, while three corridors within the five Central Asian countries and China are recommended as a top priority for the first phase of the serial and trans-boundary World Heritage Nomination of the Silk Roads at the 2nd meeting of the Coordinating Committee of ...
3 min read
Monday, 16 May 2011
UNESCO and HarperCollins Publishers are pleased to announce the release of the world's first fully comprehensive World Heritage sites application (app) for iPhone and iPad.
This UNESCO-authorised app provides a guide to all 911 UNESCO World Heritage sites, incorporating the 21 newly-inscribed sites announced in July 2010, including the Rainforests of Atsinanana in Madagascar and ...
1 min read
Friday, 13 May 2011
The theme for World Migratory Bird Day 2011, celebrated around the world on 14-15 May, is ' Land use changes from a bird's-eye view ' and it highlights the negative effects human activities are having on migratory birds, their habitats and the planet's natural environment. World Migratory Bird Day is being organized by the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) and the African-Eurasian ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 11 May 2011
The UNESCO World Heritage Centre and IUCN are deeply saddened by the loss of one of nature conservation’s leading lights. Dr Kenton R. Miller, a former IUCN Director General and globally-recognized leader in protected area management, has passed away.
Kenton Miller served as IUCN Director General from 1983 to 1988 and recently finished a third term as Chair of IUCN’s World Commission on ...
2 min read
Tuesday, 10 May 2011
The UNESCO - FFI - UNF Rapid Response Facility awarded an emergency grant to the Wildlife Conservation Society of Tanzania this week in response to its request for assistance in dealing with a sudden rise in the killing of elephants linked to an increase in Human / Elephant Conflicts on the border of Udzungwa Mountains National Park. The park is part of the Eastern Arc Mountains ...
2 min read
Thursday, 5 May 2011
Remarkable natural and cultural properties from 40 countries will be considered for inscription on UNESCO’s World Heritage List during the meeting of the World Heritage Committee in Paris (19 – 29 June).
Six of these countries stand to have properties inscribed on the World Heritage List for the first time during the forthcoming session: Barbados, Jamaica, Micronesia, Palau, ...
3 min read
Wednesday, 4 May 2011
From 18-22 April 2011, the Swiss watch manufacturer Jaeger-LeCoultre organized its third online auction for the benefit of World Heritage marine sites. This year, the manufacture auctioned a limited series watch in tribute to the legend of divers' watches: the Prototype N°1 of the Memovox Tribute to Deep Sea, "LeCoultre Spécial Amérique 1959" commemorative ...
1 min read
Friday, 29 April 2011
World Heritage Memory Net (WHMNet) is a model global digital library of cultural, historical, and moveable heritage collections related to the current 911 World Heritage Sites of 151 countries inscribed by the World Heritage Committee. WHMNet is a fast, efficient, cutting-edge, online knowledge base which provides universal access to multilingual, multimedia and multiformat resources on ...
3 min read
Thursday, 28 April 2011
The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has released the results of its rhinoceros census in Nepal, reporting a reported 23% increase in rhino numbers in this World Heritage site since the last census taken in 2008. Numbers increased from 408 to 503. WWF reports that these numbers reflect the success of conservation efforts for this species and are a result of improved rhino ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 27 April 2011
Following their meeting in UNESCO Headquarters, Paris 3-4 March 2011, a group of Afghan and international experts working on the safeguarding of Bamiyan (Afghanistan), as well as representatives of the Afghan and Japanese governments and UNESCO, released a list of recommendations for further activities to preserve the Bamiyan site. Bamiyan remains one of the most important examples of ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 20 April 2011
This conference was held in Rome December 3-5, 2008. The conclusions outlined below were reached thanks to contributions from ICCROM, UNESCO-WHC, UN-WTO, HERITY INTERNATIONAL
Conclusions by the First HERITY Conference (December 5-9, 2006) highlighted that "from the point of view of culture, no poor Countries exist around the World: every territory has a significant and priceless Heritage ...
2 min read
Tuesday, 19 April 2011
UNESCO invites Member States, Intergovernemental Organizations, NGOs, the Private Sector and Civil Society to a Conference designed to demonstrate the importance of culture as a motor for reconstruction in Haiti. The main objective of this conference is to inform the international community about the role of Culture in the Reconstruction of Haiti, the projects undertaken, the needs and ...
1 min read
Thursday, 7 April 2011
The call for applications for the IV° edition of the Master in "World Heritage at Work", offered by the University of Turin, the Polytechnic of Turin and the International Training Centre of ILO, in collaboration with the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, is now open. The programme is intended for professionals involved in the management of World Heritage properties and/or ...
2 min read
Tuesday, 5 April 2011
The devastating March 11th earthquake that struck the coast of Japan created a powerful tsunami that ravaged the coastline and brought tragedy to thousands of people. No World Heritage sites were affected in Japan and the tsunami spread rapidly across the Pacific during the course of the day. Properly warned, the people of Galápagos (13,000 km from Japan) ...
1 min read
Monday, 4 April 2011
The latest version of the World Heritage Map, produced by the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and National Geographic Maps with support from Ministry of Culture of the Kingdom of Bahrain and the United Nations Foundation, can now be ordered for a modest fee from the World Heritage Centre website to recover mailing costs.
The Map is an extremely valuable learning and awareness-raising tool ...
1 min read
Thursday, 31 March 2011
Since the Kingdom of Bahrain became for the first time a member of the prestigious World Heritage Committee in 2007, one of the objectives has been to welcome the distinguished delegates of the States Parties to the Convention in our country. For the last four years, all the Bahraini authorities have been working on the preparation of this exceptional event and ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 30 March 2011
Kishore Rao has been appointed Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre.
An expert in forestry and natural resources policy and planning, Mr Rao has been Deputy Director of the World Heritage Centre since 2005, and has, in addition to overall management and programme coordination responsibilities, led the Centre's work on natural heritage protection. Mr Rao has Master's Degrees in ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 23 March 2011
The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, today called on both Libya and the coalition of States implementing a no-fly zone over the country to respect the Hague Convention on the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict (1954) and its two (1954 and 1999) Protocols, as appropriate, and keep military operations away from cultural sites.
Of the ten states that make up ...
3 min read
Tuesday, 22 March 2011
In view of the forthcoming 11th World Congress of the Organization of World Heritage Cities in Sintra (Portugal), 22 to 25 November 2011, the OWHC has launched a Call for Posters on the congress theme World Heritage Cities and Climate Change.
This Call addresses all those who are engaged in the conservation and management of a World Heritage City - public servants and administrators, ...
1 min read
Monday, 21 March 2011
Following the kind invitation of the World Heritage Centre, I had the great pleasure to attend the meeting entitled "Follow-up to the Second Cycle of Periodic Reporting in the Arab States: Regional Meting for the Elaboration of the Regional Programme", held in Rabat (Kingdom of Morocco), from 7 to 9 March 2011.
This meeting was a unique opportunity for me, as Chairperson of the World ...
2 min read
Friday, 18 March 2011
From 2008 to 2010, the Arab States Parties to the World Heritage Convention undertook the Periodic Reporting exercise, consisting in assessing the implementation of the Convention in their countries and in each of their sites inscribed on the World Heritage List. The Periodic Report was presented to the 34th session of the World Heritage Committee in Brasilia, in July 2010, and was warmly ...
1 min read
Friday, 18 March 2011
The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, has welcomed the announcement by the Minister for Environment, Nature Conservation and Tourism of the Democratic Republic of the Congo that the government of the DRC has suspended prospection for oil at Virunga National Park , inscribed as on UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1979.
"I welcome the suspension of exploration activities. This ...
1 min read
Friday, 18 March 2011
Due to the prevailing situation in the Kingdom of Bahrain and following consultations with Bahraini authorities, the Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, has decided to change the venue of the forthcoming 35th session of the World Heritage Committee from its initially planned location in Bahrain's capital Manama, to UNESCO Headquarters in Paris.
This decision was reached following the ...
Wednesday, 16 March 2011
The UNESCO World Heritage Centre would like to express its condolences for the loss of lives due to the devastating earthquake and tsunami which occurred near Japan on 11 March.
Immediately following the events, Francesco Bandarin, interim Director of the World Heritage Centre and UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Culture, contacted Mr Isao Kiso, Ambassador of Japan to UNESCO, expressing ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 16 March 2011
Minor damage has been reported at Galápagos Islands World Heritage site following the earthquake and tsunami that occurred off the coast of Japan on 11 March. The tsunami struck at high tide, and manifested itself as a series of marine surges, rising over 1.7 metres above the normal high water mark, flooding coastal buildings. Residents of Galapagos had been warned and had taken ...
2 min read
Friday, 11 March 2011
[in French only] Vie de la CFU * Réunion de bilan technique, 3 Février 2011, UNESCO, Paris* Rapport sur les possibilités de financement européen pour les projets cultureles et développement Actualités sur l'avancement des projets cfu : * Le projet « NIGER - LOIRE : Gouvernance et Culture » se poursuit au Mali* ...
Thursday, 10 March 2011
The second title within the World Heritage Resource Manuals Preparing World Heritage Nominations (First Edition, 2010) series has just been published. It is a joint undertaking by the three Advisory Bodies of the World Heritage Convention (ICCROM, ICOMOS and IUCN) and the UNESCO World Heritage Centre. The aim of this Resource Manual is to help States Parties to achieve good quality World ...
Monday, 7 March 2011
Afghan officials and international experts outlined plans for the future safeguarding of the Cultural Landscape and Archaeological Remains of Bamiyan Valley (Afghanistan) at the end of two meetings at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris from 2 to 4 of March. The meetings were held on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the tragic destruction of the giant Buddha statues of Bamiyan.
The ...
2 min read
Thursday, 3 March 2011
UNESCO will commemorate the 10th anniversary of the tragic destruction of the giant Buddha statues of Bamiyan with a forum on the event and a two-day experts' meeting which will examine ways to preserve and present to the public the Cultural Landscape and Archaeological Remains of the Bamiyan Valley.
Ahead of the 10th anniversary, the Director-General, who will open the commemoration at ...
3 min read
Wednesday, 23 February 2011
On behalf of the World Heritage Committee, I was deeply saddened by the news of the earthquake that has caused loss of life and the destruction of the beautiful city of Christchurch. I send my sincere condolences and sympathy to the people of New Zealand.
To many of us who were present at the 31st session of the World Heritage Committee in June 2007, we fondly remember the warm welcome of ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 23 February 2011
A mission was organized from the 30th January - 5th February 2010 in view of strengthening Spanish Funds-in-Trust technical cooperation, focusing on the Spanish Funds-in-Trust programme for indicators of sustainable development at World Heritage Historic Centres. The objectives of the mission were:
Guide the roadmap to finalize the management plan of the city, as requested by the World ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 22 February 2011
The International Meeting "The Chinchorro Culture from a Comparative Perspective ", took place in Arica, Chile, 5-8 January, 2010.
As a result of this meeting the World Heritage Centre is preparing a publication that will work in tandem in support of the process of the preparation of the nomination file of the Archaeological sites of the Chinchorro culture, Chile, focusing on ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 22 February 2011
UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova's Special Envoy on the Preah Vihear Temple, Koïchiro Matsuura, will travel to Bangkok and Phnom Penh between 25 February and 1 March to discuss the safeguarding of the World Heritage site with the Thai and Cambodian prime ministers.
Mr Matsuura, a former Director-General of UNESCO (1999-2009) and a former Chair of the World Heritage Committee (1999), ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 16 February 2011
Pratapur Temple in the Swayambhu Monument Zone of the Kathmandu Valley World Heritage site, Nepal suffered damage from a lightning strike at around 5 a.m. on 14 February, during a sudden thunderstorm.
A team of engineers from the Department of Archaeology of Nepal inspected the temple the following day, and the preliminary report will be available shortly thereafter. Experts from the UNESCO ...
1 min read
Thursday, 10 February 2011
UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova regretted the continuing tension between Cambodia and Thailand over the issue of the Temple of Preah Vihear. "The world's cultural heritage should never be a cause for conflict," she said.
She announced that she would shortly send a Special Envoy on a mission of good offices to Bangkok and Phnom Penh, following appropriate consultations with both ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 8 February 2011
The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, today reiterated her call for calm and restraint around the Temple of Preah Vihear, inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2008. A border dispute between Cambodia and Thailand caused several deaths and damage to the site in recent days.
"I intend to send a mission to the area as soon as possible to assess the state of the temple," she said. ...
1 min read
Sunday, 6 February 2011
UNESCO Director- General Irina Bokova expressed her deep concern at the sudden escalation of tensions between Cambodia and Thailand on the issue of the Temple of Preah Vihear, inscribed on the World Heritage List.
Reports indicate that troops on either side have exchanged fire resulting in the loss of life and also some damage to the temple.
The Director-General expresses her distress at ...
Thursday, 3 February 2011
UNESCO's Director-General Irina Bokova today received assurances from Egypt's new minister for antiquities Zahi Hawass that every possible measure was being taken to protect Egyptian cultural heritage.
In a telephone conversation, the minister informed Irina Bokova that the Egyptian Museum in Cairo is safe and that the army and firefighters have established a cordon around the ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 2 February 2011
The UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Secretariat to the World Heritage Convention, wishes to extend its best wishes to the Secretariat for the Ramsar Convention (Convention on Wetlands of International Importance) on World Wetlands Day, celebrating the 40th anniversary of its adoption. Like the World Heritage Convention, the Ramsar Convention is a site-based intergovernmental treaty ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 1 February 2011
The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, today launched an appeal to protect cultural heritage and to respect freedom of expression in Egypt.
"My compassion goes first to the victims of the civil unrest and their families," said Irina Bokova, deploring the deaths of 190 people during the protests.
The Director-General called on all parties to protect Egyptian cultural heritage, symbol ...
2 min read
Friday, 28 January 2011
On 24 January 2011, three park guards and five soldiers were killed in a violent attack against one of the patrol vehicles of the Congolese Wildlife Authority (ICCN) in Virunga National Park. The park is one of five World Heritage sites in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
According to ICCN, the ambush took place around 10:00 am in Rutshuru in the region of North Kivu, about 100 km north ...
2 min read
Tuesday, 25 January 2011
The University of the Netherlands Antilles is organizing a course on Caribbean Heritage in Curaçao from 21 to 25 March 2011 for Module 1 (Application of the World Heritage Convention) and from 28 March to 1 April for Module 5 (Management of Historic Cities).
This course is for heritage professionals but also students, researchers, decision makers from the Caribbean ...
1 min read
Monday, 17 January 2011
Applications Open for the Colorado State University Spanish Language Short Course on Protected Area Management. 6 July – 6 August 2011
Mayor información en español: http://warnercnr.colostate.edu/cpam-course-sp/
More information in English: http://warnercnr.colostate.edu/cpam-course/
Application deadline: February 18, 2011 For over 20 years, CSU has ...
1 min read
Friday, 14 January 2011
At the invitation of the Congolese Government, the high-level meeting requested by the World Heritage Committee in 2007 (Christchurch 2007) was held with UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova and Congolese Prime Minister Mr Adophe Muzito in attendance.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is home to exceptional biodiversity and five World Heritage sites: the Garamba, Kahuzi-Biega, Salonga and ...
2 min read
Friday, 7 January 2011
A high-level meeting between authorities from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and UNESCO will take place in Kinshasa on 14 January to discuss ways of strengthening protection of the five DRC sites inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger. The meeting, organized by the Democratic Republic of Congo and UNESCO, will be chaired by the Prime Minister of DRC Adolphe Muzito ...
2 min read
Tuesday, 4 January 2011
Two rhinos, a mother and a female calf, were translocated on 29 December from the Pobitora wildlife sanctuary to Manas wildlife sanctuary in western Assam, India under the Indian Rhino Vision (IRV) 2020 programme, along with WWF-India and the Assam Forest Department.
With this, the rhino population in Manas, a site inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1985, has gone up to seven. The rhino ...
1 min read
Monday, 3 January 2011
The World Heritage Centre welcomes the International Year of Forests. With 104 WH sites recognized wholly, or in part, for their rich forest biodiversity, the WH Convention is the most effective intergovernmental convention for the in-situ conservation of forest biodiversity. Today, over 760,000 square kilometres (nearly 300,000 square miles), or 1.5 times the surface area of ...
2 min read
Monday, 3 January 2011
The UNESCO World Heritage Centre and Panasonic have released an online version of the World Heritage Calendar in five languages. It is available as a website, or as a downloadable stand-alone application or wallpaper.
Featuring stunning photographs of 12 World Heritage sites, the calendar includes informative texts and interesting facts in English, Japanese, French, Chinese and Spanish. ...
1 min read
Saturday, 1 January 2011
Best Wishes from the World Heritage Centre 2011
Monday, 20 December 2010
Faced with the growing threat of industrialization of the oceans and the persistent rush for marine resources, managers from the 43 marine sites on UNESCO's World Heritage List met from 1 to 3 December in Honolulu, Hawaii to explore ways of strengthening conservation of the "crown jewels of the ocean".
This first ever meeting of marine World Heritage managers charted the way for a stronger ...
3 min read
Monday, 20 December 2010
In 2008, Jaeger-LeCoultre signed a long-term 'Tides of Time' partnership with the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and the International New York Times, comprising a 3-year international communication campaign in the pages of the International New York Times and online, promoting a number of marine World Heritage sites and issues affecting them. The goal of the partnership is to help defend and ...
Wednesday, 15 December 2010
The United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the US Geological Survey have released a first ever satellite analysis of global mangrove forest coverage. The analysis reveals a total area of 137,760 square kilometers, 12.3% lower than had previously been estimated, and shrinking. For more information, click here.
Mangrove forests grow along tropical ...
2 min read
Thursday, 9 December 2010
[in French only] Vie de la CFU
* Signature d'un accord entre l'UNESCO et l'AFD, 9 novembre 2010, Paris.
* Réunion de bilan technique, 3 février 2011, UNESCO, Paris.
Actualités sur l'avancement des projets cfu :
* Le projet « Niger - Loire : gouvernance et culture » se poursuit au Mali.
* Syrie : Villages antiques du nord. ...
Tuesday, 7 December 2010
Experts from UNESCO's World Heritage Centre and the International Council of Monuments and Sites will arrive in Pompei on 2 December to examine the state of conservation of the World Heritage site. The mission follows the destruction in early November of the Schola Armaturarum and further collapses yesterday and today, including that of a wall at the House of the Moralist.
This advisory ...
1 min read
Monday, 29 November 2010
Three World Heritage sites in Cyprus and a fourth in Italy have been given "enhanced protection" status by the Committee for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, which held its fifth meeting at UNESCO Headquarters from 22-24 November. The sites, which are the first to be granted this status, are Choirokoitia, Paphos (sites I and II) and the Painted Churches of ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 24 November 2010
The UNESCO World Heritage Centre, in cooperation with the University of Witwatersrand, South Africa, organized the international meeting, International Rock Art Archive Working Group, on 17 to 19 November 2010 at the Rock Art Research Institute, Johannesburg, South Africa. The meeting was jointly financed by the University of Witwatersrand and the Spanish Funds-in-Trust.
Twelve international ...
1 min read
Monday, 22 November 2010
In partnership with the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, La Monnaie de Paris is offering a 100,000€ coin set with diamonds in the image of the Taj Mahal, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Part of the proceeds will support the work of the World Heritage Centre.
La Monnaie de Paris has received authorization to sell 29 of them, each weighing one kilogram (2.2 lbs). Designed in partnership with ...
1 min read
Friday, 19 November 2010
The Rapid Response Facility is an emergency small grant programme that provides rapid assistance to counter major threats to wildlife conservation, primarily in UNESCO designated natural World Heritage sites. In the month of November, the Rapid Response Facility awarded grants to stop elephant poaching in stunning Zakouma National Park in Chad, and support petroleum clean-up in the Nile ...
3 min read
Friday, 19 November 2010
The University of the Netherlands Antilles is organizing a course on Caribbean Heritage in Curaçao from 21 to 25 March 2011 for Module 1 and from 28 March to 1 April for Module 2.
This course is for heritage professionals but also students, researchers, decision makers from the Caribbean region.
Participants must be able to operate on an academic level and be working in the area of ...
Tuesday, 9 November 2010
The UNESCO World Heritage Centre would like to express its sincere condolences on the death of Andrzej Tomaszewski, renowned professor of built heritage conservation and former Director of ICCROM. His passing comes as a great loss to the cultural heritage preservation field.
Born in Warsaw, Poland, Prof Tomaszewski graduated from the Warsaw University of Technology with degrees in Art ...
1 min read
Monday, 8 November 2010
With over 250 properties inscribed on the World Heritage List, cities are one of the most abundant and diverse categories of heritage.
This quantity and diversity add to the dynamics of urban heritage conservation, where concepts and approaches are constantly changing and evolving. To stay in the forefront of international views and trends and to contribute to ongoing debates involving ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 2 November 2010
On 2 November 2010, the Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, and Kris Peeters, Minister - President of the Government of Flanders (Kingdom of Belgium), signed an agreement establishing a Trust Fund that will support UNESCO's activities in the field of heritage.
This is the third Trust Fund signed between UNESCO and the Government of Flanders. It bears witness to the trust and interest ...
1 min read
Thursday, 28 October 2010
The Go4BioDiv International Youth Forum for Natural World Heritage Sites took place from 16-29 October in Mt Fuji and Nagoya, Japan, in parallel to the 10th Conference of the Parties (COP) of the Convention on Biological Diversity.
The theme of the forum was "Our Treasures at Risk - World Heritage Sites in Times of Climate Change". Thirty-four young participants represented 23 World Heritage ...
2 min read
Friday, 22 October 2010
From 18 to 29 October, the 10th Conference of the Parties (COP) of the Convention on Biological Diversity is taking place in Nagoya, Japan. The COP marks the 20th anniversary of the Convention and is one of the highlights of the 2010 International Year of Biodiversity. An important objective of the meeting is to adopt a revised and updated Strategic Plan including new biodiversity ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 20 October 2010
A fire that broke out on 11 October 2010 in the Maïdo forest at La Reunion National Park on Réunion Island was the worst the area has seen in twenty years, with roughly 1,000 hectares of the Park affected. Key areas of endemic plants seem to be seriously affected as well as other key micro-habitats for biodiversity. Among wildlife, several rare species are under threat, according to a ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 20 October 2010
The state of conservation of Serengeti National Park was examined at the 34th Session of the World Heritage Committee meeting in Brasilia, in July 2010, and the Committee expressed its utmost concern about a proposed highway in the northern wilderness area of the Serengeti National Park. This proposed highway is a part of Tanzania's Transport Sector Improvement Program (2002-2012). The North ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 20 October 2010
In an effort to involve the young generation in the decision-making process and present their experience in biodiversity conservation, young adults representing natural World Heritage sites around the world have joined the Go4BioDiv International Youth Forum. The Forum is held from 16-29 October at Mt Fuji and Nagoya, Japan, parallel to the Convention on Biological Diversity's 10th Conference ...
2 min read
Tuesday, 19 October 2010
On 14 October 2010, UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova convened Israeli, Jordanian and Palestinian experts for a 'brainstorming meeting' to reactivate the UNESCO Action Plan for the safeguarding of the cultural heritage of the Old City of Jerusalem and its Wall, building on the constructive decision taken at the 34th session of the World Heritage Committee in Brasilia last August.
In her ...
3 min read
Tuesday, 19 October 2010
You wish to undertake a project related to Mediterranean cultures or art and crafts ?Are you a national from a Mediterranean country ?Born after 31 December 1981, you will be under 30 years of age in 2011.The Marc de Montalembert Foundation offers a 7000 euros grant for qualifying projects.The grant aims to encourage better knowledge and appreciation of the cultural diversity ...
1 min read
Friday, 8 October 2010
The news of a massive toxic spill that occurred 4 October 2010 at an aluminum plant in Hungary has caused great concern in the international community. We deeply deplore the impact of this disaster, especially the loss of lives.
The flood reached the Danube River from the Raab River on 7 October 2010, and while pH levels are diminishing, heavy metals and other substances could have a ...
1 min read
Thursday, 7 October 2010
Promotion of the World Sky Race, an unprecedented race among skyships, blimps and zeppelins to begin in September 2011, was launched on two giant screens in Times Square, New York City on September 30 and October 1, 2010. Scheduled to begin next year in London, the race involves competing teams that will fly around the world in 180 days and return to London. The team with the best ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 5 October 2010
The German Minister of the Environment Hans-Heinrich Sander (Lower Saxony) and the Minister of Fishery Dr Juliane Rumpf (Schleswig-Holstein) received the UNESCO certificate for the transboundary World Heritage site of the Wadden Sea during the inscription ceremony on 2 October 2010 on a boat off the town of Büsum in the Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park. While the World ...
1 min read
Monday, 4 October 2010
In an effort to involve young people in the decision-making process and present their experience in biodiversity conservation, young conservationists representing natural World Heritage sites are invited to an International Youth Forum from 16-29 October at Mt Fuji and Nagoya, Japan. Held in parallel to the Convention for Biological Diversity's 10th Conference of Parties (COP10) in Japan, the ...
2 min read
Thursday, 30 September 2010
The proceedings of the special session "Heritage and Development: diversity as an alternative" held on 18 December 2009 in the framework of the Africités V Summit in Marrakesh, have just been published.
Organized by UNESCO with the support of the France-UNESCO Convention and in collaboration with the International Association of Francophone Mayors (AIMF), the session was opened by Mr ...
1 min read
Thursday, 30 September 2010
UNESCO, in cooperation with the Egyptian Ministry of Culture and the Governorate of Luxor, will organize the first Scientific Committee meeting on the safeguarding project of New Gourna Village in Luxor, Egypt. The UNESCO initiative aims to assist the Government of Egypt in its efforts to preserve this precious heritage situated within the World Heritage property of Ancient Thebes. New Gourna ...
1 min read
Friday, 24 September 2010
One of America's most renowned photographers, Tom Till's work has appeared in magazines such as Time, Life, National Geographic and The New Yorker, as well as in numerous books. Along with his World Heritage collection, Mr. Till has photographed the landscapes, nature and history of more than 60 countries worldwide. The World Heritage exhibit includes photos of 32 sites, taken in 23 ...
Tuesday, 21 September 2010
On 20 September Mr Frédéric Mitterrand, Minister of Culture and Communication, Ms Chantal Jouanno, Secretary of State for Ecology and Mr Yves Dauge, President of the Association of French World Heritage Sites signed a Charter of Commitment for the Management of World Heritage sites in France.
The ceremony took place at the Ministry of Culture and Communication with Dr Mechtild ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 21 September 2010
On 17 September, UNESCO Assistant Director General for Culture Mr Francesco Bandarin signed a three-year Memorandum of Understanding with Ms Francine C. Berkowitz, Director of International Relations of the Smithsonian Institution, creating an unprecedented agreement between the two institutions for cooperation on cultural and natural heritage programmes. Ms Berkowitz signed on ...
1 min read
Thursday, 16 September 2010
According to reports from the Secretary of the Civil Defense of Mexico, the heavy rains and the downpour of the past few weeks have generated severe flooding in the country, including seriously affecting the Tlacotalpan World Heritage site. The storms have also resulted in the forced relocation of almost 8500 people from the city, and at least five persons have been reported killed over the ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 15 September 2010
The Panamanian non-governmental organization FUNDICCEP (Fundación de Desarrollo Integral, Comunitario y Conservación de los Ecosistemas en Panamá), in coordination with the national authorities, has applied to the Rapid Response Facility (RRF) for funding for urgent analysis into the capacity of Río Chiriquí Viejo watershed, near La Amistad Biosphere ...
2 min read
Friday, 10 September 2010
[in French only] Besançon, Chinon, Lorient, Rennes et Strasbourg accueilleront, du 28 septembre au 5 octobre 2010, des représentants de villes et d'Etats indiens afin d'échanger sur les bonnes pratiques en matière de développement urbain global et durable à partir de la prise en compte des centres historiques.
Ce voyage d'études et de visites, ...
Thursday, 9 September 2010
Finland has taken the lead in applying the Enhancing our Heritage (EoH) management effectiveness assessment toolkit to cultural World Heritage sites. Finnish representatives participated in a World Heritage Nordic Foundation regional workshop on management planning for Nordic countries in 2009 in which the EoH toolkit had been presented. They were impressed by the toolkit's ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 8 September 2010
The first preparatory meeting for the Second Cycle of the Periodic Reporting exercise for World Heritage in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) for the Mexico and Central America sub region was held from 6 to 8 September 2010 at the Antiguo Convento Franciscano de Propaganda FIDE, currently the Guadalupe Museum in Zacatecas (Mexico). The meeting coincided with the inauguration of the World ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 1 September 2010
[in French only] * Réunion du Comité Mixte de Coordination de la CFU, 11 mai 2010.
* Départ d'Isabelle Longuet du secretariat de la CFU.
* Valorisation du partenariat avec le Ministère de l'écologique, de l'énergie, du développement durable et de la mer (MEEDDM). Ingénierie de projet en vue de la soumission de projets au Fonds ...
Monday, 30 August 2010
The second phase of the Business Skills for World Heritage programme, designed to develop the business management skills of UNESCO World Heritage site staff, is about to start. The participants of the first team met on 27 August in Borneo (Malaysia), where the training will take place.
Teams from six World Heritage sites will be partnered with business mentors from global energy company ...
1 min read
Monday, 23 August 2010
A new website about Ireland's World Heritage properties and Ireland's Tentative List sites has just been launched.
This website contains information about Brú na Bóinne and Skellig Michael, the two Irish World Heritage sites, and the seven properties inscribed on Ireland's Tentative List. The website also includes galleries of stunning photographs of the properties. ...
Thursday, 12 August 2010
In addition to their dramatic consequences for the affected people, to which the World Heritage Centre expresses its sincere sympathy, the massive floods which have recently struck Pakistan are causing great concern for the state of conservation of the World Heritage property of Mohenjodaro. The Archaeological Ruins at Moenjodaro display the remains of one of the most important urban centre ...
1 min read
Monday, 9 August 2010
For the second time during 2010, news of massive floods across Central Europe is causing great concern to the World Heritage community, for their impacts on the border region between the Czech Republic, Germany and Poland.
In particular, the flooding has affected the castles and gardens of the transboundary World Heritage site of the Muskauer Park / Park Mużakowski (Germany/Poland), a ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 3 August 2010
The Minister of Culture of the Kingdom of Bahrain, Shaikha Mai bint Mohammad Al Khalifa, has been named new Chairperson of the World Heritage Committee. She replaces the Minister of Culture of Brazil, João Luiz da Silva Ferreira, who has chaired the Committee for the past 12 months.
The Committee nominated Shaikha Mai bint Mohammad Al Khalifa by acclamation on the last day of their ...
1 min read
Monday, 2 August 2010
The UNESCO World Heritage Committee meeting in Brasilia today inscribed a natural site in the Russian Federation on the World Heritage List and has approved the Italian extension of a natural site in Switzerland.
The two sites concerned (in order of inscription)
Monte San Giorgio (Italy) (Extension of «Monte San Giorgio », Switzerland)
Monte San Giorgio is a pyramid-shaped, ...
2 min read
Monday, 2 August 2010
The 34th session of the World Heritage Committee meeting in Brasilia since 25 July today finished its consideration of nominations for the World Heritage List and the List of World Heritage in Danger.
Meeting under the Chairmanship of the Minister of Culture of Brazil, João Luiz da Silva Ferreira, the Committee inscribed 21 new sites, including 15 cultural, 5 natural and 1 mixed ...
2 min read
Sunday, 1 August 2010
The World Heritage Committee meeting in Brasilia has today approved extensions to three cultural sites in Austria, Romania and Spain.
The approved extensions include (in order of inscription):
City of Graz - Historic Centre and Schloss Eggenberg (Austria) (extension of "City of Graz - Historic Centre")
Graz is an exemplary model of the living heritage of a central European urban complex ...
2 min read
Sunday, 1 August 2010
The World Heritage Committee meeting in Brasilia has today has inscribed three new cultural sites, including two in Mexico and one in Brazil. It also inscribed three natural sites in China, Kiribati, Reunion Island (France) and extended a site already on the World Heritage List in Bulgaria.
The cultural sites are (in order of inscription):
Camino Real de Tierra Adentro (Mexico)
Camino Real ...
5 min read
Saturday, 31 July 2010
The World Heritage Committee meeting in Brasilia today inscribed the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (Tanzania) as a cultural property on the World Heritage List. The Committee made its decision because of the extraordinary record of human evolution at the site, which spans a vast area of land from the Serengeti National Park in the north-west of Tanzania to the eastern arm of the Great Rift ...
1 min read
Saturday, 31 July 2010
The World Heritage Committee meeting in Brasilia has inscribed sites in Saudi Arabia, Australia, India, Islamic Republic of Iran and, for the first time, a site in the Marshall Islands, as well as the Republic of Korea on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The latest sites inscribed include (in order of inscription):
At Turaif District in ad-Dir'iyah (Saudi Arabia)
This property was the ...
5 min read
Saturday, 31 July 2010
Imperial Citadel of Thang Long-Hanoi (Viet Nam) becomes 900th site on UNESCO World Heritage List
The World Heritage Committee meeting in Brasilia has inscribed new cultural sites in Viet Nam, China, Tajikistan, France, the Netherlands, on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The Committee also agreed to the extension of two cultural properties in Germany, Norway.
The latest cultural sites ...
5 min read
Friday, 30 July 2010
The World Heritage Committee, holding its 34th session chaired by João Luiz da Silva Ferreira, the Minister of Culture of Brazil, inscribed the Everglades National Park (United States) on the List of World Heritage in Danger, because of serious and continuing degradation of its aquatic ecosystem.
The inscription was made at the request of the United States. It's the second ...
1 min read
Friday, 30 July 2010
The World Heritage Committee holding its 34th session chaired by João Luiz da Silva Ferreira, the Minister of Culture of Brazil, has inscribed the Rainforests of the Atsinanana (Madagascar) on the List of World Heritage in Danger because of illegal logging and hunting of endangered lemurs on the site.
The Committee noted that despite a decree outlawing the exploitation and export of ...
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Friday, 30 July 2010
The World Heritage Committee holding its 34th session in Brasilia under the chairmanship of João Luiz da Silva Ferreira, today inscribed two new sites on the World Heritage List.
The new sites include 1 natural property and 1 mixed (natural and cultural) property.
The natural site is:
The Central Highlands of Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka's highlands are situated in the south-central ...
1 min read
Thursday, 29 July 2010
The World Heritage Committee holding its 34th session chaired by João Luiz da Silva Ferreira, the Minister of Culture of Brazil, has inscribed the Tombs of Buganda Kings at Kasubi (Uganda) on the List of World Heritage in Danger. The Committee also decided to remove the Galapagos Islands (Ecuador) from this List.
In March 2010, fire almost completely destroyed the Muzibu Azaala Mpanga ...
1 min read
Thursday, 29 July 2010
The World Heritage Committee, holding its 34th session chaired by João Luiz da Silva Ferreira, the Minister of Culture of Brazil, has inscribed the site of Bagrati Cathedral and Gelati Monastery (Georgia) on the List of World Heritage in Danger.
The Committee expressed its serious concern about irreversible interventions carried out on the site as part of a major reconstruction ...
1 min read
Monday, 26 July 2010
Thirty-nine nominations from 33 countries will be considered for inscription on UNESCO's World Heritage List during the meeting of the World Heritage Committee underway in Brasilia. Three of the countries - Marshall Islands, Kiribati and Tajikistan - have no properties inscribed on the World Heritage List to date.
The Director-General of UNESCO Irina Bokova and Brazil's Minister of Culture ...
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Monday, 26 July 2010
UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova and the Minister of Culture of Brazil, João Luiz da Silva Ferreira today signed an agreement establishing a regional heritage management training centre in Rio de Janeiro. The new centre will help Portuguese and Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America, Africa and Asia to implement the the World Heritage Convention.
This is the sixth such ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 20 July 2010
Within the framework of the Emergency International Request submitted by Haiti after the devastating 12 January 2010 earthquake, the World Heritage Centre - Latin America and the Caribbean Unit (WHC/LAC) organized a Technical Mission from 11-18 July 2010 in close cooperation with the Institut de Sauvegarde du Patrimoine National (ISPAN) and the UNESCO Haiti Office. The Mission's objectives ...
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Tuesday, 20 July 2010
A new project for the conservation and management of Lumbini, the Birthplace of Lord Buddha, one of the UNESCO World Heritage properties in Nepal has been launched on 16 July 2010 in Kathmandu with the signing of the Plan of Operation by the Government of Nepal and UNESCO. The project will be coordinated by the UNESCO Kathmandu office in close collaboration with the World Heritage Centre and ...
2 min read
Tuesday, 13 July 2010
The UNESCO World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies to the World Heritage Committee, ICCROM, ICOMOS and IUCN are launching the first title within the World Heritage Resource Manuals series.
It focuses on one specific approach to the principles, methodology and process for managing disaster risks at cultural and natural World Heritage properties.
So far, this manual, which has been ...
Friday, 9 July 2010
The Operational Guidelines for the implementation of the World Heritage Convention are now available in Portuguese.
The Operational Guidelines define specific criteria for the inscription of sites on the World Heritage List as well as for the provision of international assistance under the World Heritage Fund. They were revised in 2007 by the World Heritage Committee at its 31st Session in ...
Wednesday, 7 July 2010
The United Nations Development Programme has launched the new edition of "Picture this", an international photo contest.
Through the photo contest this year, UNDP hopes to bring much needed attention to the quickly approaching deadline for achieving the Millennium Development Goals in order to motivate people and governments in developed and developing countries to redouble their ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 6 July 2010
On 10 March 2010, the Government of Equatorial Guinea officially deposited with the Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, its instrument of ratification, becoming the 187th State Party to adopt the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage.
The World Heritage Convention entered into force for this State Party on 10 June ...
Tuesday, 6 July 2010
From 30 June to 4 July 2010, the International Academy for Nature Conservation, Isle of Vilm, Germany, hosted an expert workshop that set the basis for scaling-up Marine World Heritage. The workshop was jointly organized by the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN), the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the IUCN-World Commission on Protected Areas and ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 6 July 2010
The World Heritage Committee will consider requests for the inscription of new sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage List when it meets for its 34th session in Brasilia (Brazil), from 25 July to 3 August.
During this year’s session - to be chaired by João Luiz Ferreira, the Brazilian Minister of Culture and President of the World Heritage Committee - 35 States Parties to the ...
5 min read
Monday, 5 July 2010
Comoé National Park in Côte d'Ivoire lies in a region particularly affected by the Ivorian civil war, which lasted for five years until 2007. A World Heritage site since 1983, it was added to the In Danger list in 2003.
During the conflict, park management authorities in Comoé were effectively forced to abandon their operations, so there were few, if any, deterrents to ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 30 June 2010
UNESCO today received a petition of signed by 125,000 people around the world protesting against the re-opening of a paper and pulp mill on the shores of Lake Baikal, a World Heritage site in the Russian Federation.
The petition was presented to UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Culture, Francesco Bandarin, by Greenpeace and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), who agreed to bring it to ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 23 June 2010
The World Heritage Centre has recently published a new booklet entitled "World Heritage in the Congo Basin".
This publication is intended for both biodiversity specialists and the general public. It provides detailed information on two important initiatives undertaken by the World Heritage Centre for the preservation of natural heritage in Central Africa. The first initiative, ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 23 June 2010
A new website launched by Wetlands International, BirdLife International and the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) reveals major gaps in the protection of many critical sites used by migratory waterbirds across Africa, the Middle East, Europe and Central Asia.
The new 'Critical Site Network (CSN)' Tool (www.wingsoverwetlands.org/csntool) provides comprehensive ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 23 June 2010
Aranjuez, the only Spanish site declared a Cultural Landscape in UNESCO´s World Heritage List, is hosting the 2nd World Heritage Ibero-American Youth Forum from 20 to June 30, 2010. The event comes in the wake of the 1st Ibero-American Youth Forum on World Heritage, held in Seville in June 2009, during the 33rd session of the World Heritage Committee.
This event gathers together young ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 22 June 2010
World Heritage site managers of 22 States Parties have been meeting in Yaoundé, Cameroon, since 21 June, 2010, to advance in the preparation of periodic reports in French and Portuguese-speaking African countries.The three-day sub-regional meeting, organized by the World Heritage Centre and the UNESCO Office in Yaoundé, was inaugurated on Monday 21 June 2010 by the Minister of ...
1 min read
Monday, 21 June 2010
The UNESCO World Heritage Centre has launched an international storyboard competition for the creation of the next episode of the animated series Patrimonito's World Heritage Adventures.
The competition invites young people to express their ideas in the form of a storyboard for the Patrimonito's World Heritage Adventures animated series. In the coming days, 187 National Commissions - every ...
1 min read
Monday, 21 June 2010
The African World Heritage Fund (AWHF) strives towards the effective conservation and protection of Africa's natural and cultural heritage. AWHF is for all African Member states who have signed the 1972 UNESCO World Heritage Convention in support of these goals. The AWHF is the first regional funding initiative within the framework of the UNESCO World Heritage Convention.
The AWHF was ...
2 min read
Friday, 18 June 2010
Since the 33rd session of the World Heritage Committee (Seville, 2009), the World Heritage Centre and IUCN have received a large number of letters from individuals who are concerned about the state of conservation of the the World Heritage property Lake Baikal (Russian Federation), and in particular about the re-opening of the Baikalsk Paper and Pulp Mill (BPPM) and its likely impacts on the ...
1 min read
Thursday, 3 June 2010
The World Heritage Centre of UNESCO has welcomed the support given by the President of the Russian Federation, Dmitry Medvedev, to the World Heritage Committee's decision regarding "The Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and the Related Group of Monuments" which requested that work on the construction of the Okhta Centre Tower be suspended and that new designs reducing the building's ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 2 June 2010
Severe torrential rain has resulted in flooding and mudslides across much of Guatemala, causing some communities to be entirely cut off and requiring the evacuation of thousands of people. Tropical Storm Agatha, the first named storm of the Pacific hurricane season, made landfall on 29 May 2010 in Guatemala and left a trail of destruction across much of Central America. The World Heritage ...
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