News

The “Workshop on synergies among the biodiversity-related conventions” organized by the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity and was held from 8 to 11 February 2016 at the United Nations office in Geneva, Switzerland. All 7 secretaries of the Biodiversity-related Conventions (Convention on Biological Diversity, Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild ...

The Association of World Heritage Properties in France (ABFPM) is launching a call for candidates for the second national training session “Interpretation – World Heritage” which will be held from 7 to 9 March 2016 at the Arc-et-Senans Royal Saltworks (France). This intensive and operational training is aimed towards personnel in charged with welcoming the public to World Heritage properties ...

The Director General and the Director of the World Heritage Centre met on 5 February 2016 with a Delegation from Slovak Republic including Mr František Palko, State Secretary of the Ministry of Transport, Construction, and Regional Development of the Slovak Republic and Ms. Ivana Magátová, Director General of the Tourism Section of the Ministry of Transport, Construction, and Regional ...

The Director-General of UNESCO, Ms Irina Bokova designated the famous Slovenian sculptor Mr Marko Pogačnik as a UNESCO Artist for Peace on 5 February 2016. This title was bestowed upon Mr Pogačnik in recognition of his commitment to improving relationships between people and their environments, based on the concept of protection, education and sustainable development, to increase people’s ...

Timbuktu (Mali), February 4 - A consecration ceremony of the Timbuktu mausoleums, last held in the 11th century, was held today at the initiative of the local community. This is the final phase of the cultural rebirth of the Timbuktu mausoleums after their destruction by the armed groups who occupied the city in 2012. The ceremony, held at the Mosque of Djingareyber, began in the early ...

World Wetlands Day is celebrated every year on 2 February, marking the date in 1971 when the Convention on Wetlands, known as the Ramsar Convention, was adopted in the Iranian city of Ramsar, drawing attention to the importance of wetlands. The theme for 2016, “Wetlands for our Future: Sustainable Livelihoods” brings the focus on the vital role of wetlands for the future of humanity and their ...

The World Heritage Resource Manual Series are intended to provide knowledge and assistance to State Parties in ensuring a representative and credible World Heritage List consisting of well-protected and effectively managed properties. Published for the first time in English and French language between 2010 and 2013, the Manual Series were a joint undertaking by the three Advisory Bodies of ...

On 19 January 2016, the Governor of the Region of Saint-Louis in Senegal signed a decree forbidding all demolition projects of older buildings on the island of Saint-Louis, inscribed on the World Heritage List since 2000. This welcome decision bears witness to the years of effort and hard work put in by managers of heritage sites in Senegal, supported by the World Heritage Centre and the ...

Welcoming a growing alliance around the protection of cultural heritage under attack, UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova appealed for reinforced advocacy, strengthened legislation and measures to fight impunity for war crimes and destruction of heritage, during an event held during the World Economic Forum in Davos on 21 January 2016. Welcoming a growing alliance around the protection of ...

Dear friends and supporters of World Heritage, I would like to wish you a very Happy New Year on behalf of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre.  2015 was a year with many challenges: World Heritage sites were threatened by natural disasters, terrorist attacks and ill-advised infrastructure projects. Many sites around the world are under serious threat, and protecting our heritage is as ...

For the one-year anniversary of the IUCN World Parks Congress, UNESCO has published the proceedings of this Congress to highlight the recommendations of the global conservation community on World Heritage for the next decade. The Promise of Sydney for World Heritage sites agreed at the IUCN World Parks Congress 2014 is to secure the highest level of international protection for our most ...

Earthwatch is offering its annual opportunity for funded training and mentoring in organisational and business management practices to protected areas in Africa. The application period is now open until 26 February 2016. Earthwatch and its Earth Skills Network are looking to recruit 6 protected areas, who will each nominate 3 members of staff for a training programme. The training includes a ...

The UNESCO World Heritage Centre has learnt with deep sadness of the recent passing of Mayor Jean-Paul L’Allier, founder and dedicated supporter of the Organization of World Heritage Cities. In 1991, as Mayor of Quebec City, Mr L’Allier brought together the Mayors of 41 World Heritage Cities from around the globe to lay the foundations for the creation of the Organization of World Heritage ...

The 1st World Heritage Youth Forum (WHYF) in Asia, held from 25 November to 3 December 2015 in Siem Reap, Cambodia, successfully concluded with serious and realistic suggestions by young people to promote participation in World Heritage preservation among their peers in the Asia-Pacific region. The WHYF in Asia, organized by the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, the Cambodian National Commission ...

The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, has condemned the destruction of parts of the Ancient City of Bosra during combats in the World Heritage site on 22 December 2015, as confirmed by the Syrian Directorate of Antiquities and Museums. There is fear of further deterioration to the site due to severe damage to the western courtyard adjacent to Bosra’s 2nd century Roman theatre and to ...

Following the Fourth meeting of the Coordinating Committee on the World Heritage Serial Nomination of the Silk Roads in Almaty, Kazakhstan, 24-25 November 2015, more than 50 representatives and experts from twelve countries together with UNESCO representatives, international experts and representatives of IICC Xi’an (China), Secretariat of Silk Roads Coordination Committee,  today released a ...

The work at the World Heritage Marine Programme would not be possible without the help of its partners and donors. This month, the Marine Programme welcomes a new partnership with the French Agency for Marine Protected Areas.  France’s support will scale up our peer-to-peer learning platforms for managers and grow our on-the-ground capacity for marine conservation around the world. World ...

The World Heritage Centre organized an international meeting on natural heritage protection and management in the Arab States on 21 December at the UNESCO Headquarters.   The meeting entitled “The Management of Natural Heritage in Support of Sustainable Development: An Institutional Challenge in the Arab States” was co-chaired by Mechtild Rössler, Director of the Heritage Division and World ...

A new strategy has been devised to reduce grazing pressure on the Simien Mountains National Park (Ethiopia) (SMNP) World Heritage site and its surroundings through measures that harmonize grazing and conservation needs. SMNP in northern Ethiopia is a spectacular landscape, where massive erosion over millions of years has created jagged mountain peaks, deep valleys and sharp precipices ...

In the framework of the 21st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP21), Mechtild Rössler, Director of the World Heritage Centre, highlights the importance of understanding climate change and its impact on UNESCO World Heritage sites. “Climate change concerns all of us.  It concerns World Heritage sites, especially islands in the Pacific ...