News

It is with deep sadness that UNESCO has learned of the passing of Professor Christophe Mbida Mindzié. He passed away on January 15, 2025.  Professor Christophe Mbida Mindzié was an eminent researcher and an ardent defender of Africa's tangible and intangible heritage. Professor Christophe Mbida Mindzié was a key figure in heritage preservation and a leader in cultural management in ...

Recent archaeological breakthroughs in Pompeii, home to the UNESCO World Heritage property ‘Archaeological Areas of Pompei, Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata’ continue to unveil astonishing new insights into Roman civilization. This World Heritage property, inscribed in 1997, includes the ancient towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum, along with notable villas such as the Villa of the Mysteries, ...

Celebrated annually on 2 February, World Wetlands Day aims to raise global awareness of the vital role of wetlands for people, nature and culture. This year’s theme, ‘Protecting Wetlands for Our Common Future’, reminds us of the benefits wetlands provide for biodiversity and human wellbeing. Wetlands are among the world’s most productive ecosystems and critical for wildlife preservation. ...

From Borneo to Tikal, from Longyearbyen to Puerto Toro, UNESCO is calling on communities around the world to celebrate and protect some of the planet’s most stunning cultural landscapes. Nominations are now open for the UNESCO-Greece Melina Mercouri International Prize for the Safeguarding and Management of Cultural Landscapes. This prestigious award honours the deep connections communities ...

In response to the deteriorating security situation at the W-Arly-Pendjari Complex, World Heritage Property, the States Parties of Benin, Burkina Faso and Niger have agreed to strengthen their cooperation to improve the management and protection of the property through an “Initiative to support the sustainable management of the W-Arly-Pendjari Complex”. Financed by the Norwegian government’s ...

In response to the deteriorating security situation at the W-Arly-Pendjari Complex, World Heritage Property, the States Parties of Benin, Burkina Faso and Niger have agreed to strengthen their cooperation to improve the management and protection of the property through an “Initiative to support the sustainable management of the W-Arly-Pendjari Complex”. Financed by the Norwegian government’s ...

In the framework of the project "Creating a Sustainable Heritage Ecosystem for Socio-Economic Development in Africa", UNESCO supports local communities around two World Heritage sites in Gabon to develop a sustainable project that highlights heritage and ecotourism. Between 11 and 15 December 2024, UNESCO conducted a consultation mission with local communities living in and around Gabon’s ...

Disaster and risk are threats to World Heritage sites. The increasing impact of disasters in Africa and their growing complexity is a great concern for site managers, heritage professionals, and decision-makers. According to the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), millions of people worldwide are affected annually by disasters arising from extreme natural phenomena such ...

The Centre for World Natural Heritage Management and Training for the Asia and Pacific Region, a UNESCO Category 2 Centre, at the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), in Dehradun, India, will organize two training courses on natural heritage management in Dehradun, India in 2025. This course is directed at professionals, researchers and individuals working in the wildlife conservation/ heritage ...

The World Heritage Scholarship, an international residency, is now open. The scholarship is aimed for people who have a cultural idea, such as art, music, research etc, related to the UNESCO World Heritage list and are interested to connect the World Heritage site Decorated Farmhouses of Hälsingland with one or more sites around the World in a cultural or artistic way. The award consists of ...

World Heritage Regional Action Plan for Europe and North America (2024-2031) Download UNESCO World Heritage Centre is pleased to announce that the user-friendly version of the World Heritage Regional Action Plan for Europe and North America (2024-2031), endorsed by the World Heritage Committee during its 46th session in New Delhi (2024), is now available and ready to use! This ...

Working On The Future After seventeen years of grassroots youth activities and international cooperation, the World Heritage Volunteers (WHV) Initiative continue to involve young people, communities and site managers in building together new, inclusive societies where World Heritage is a source of resilience, humanity and innovation, beyond the challenges that faces the World. In this ...

On 13 November 2024, the UNESCO World Heritage Centre hosted the online launch of Phase 3 of the Mentorship Programme for African Heritage Professionals. The event was opened by Mr Lazare Eloundou-Assomo, Director of World Heritage, who announced the engagement of a further 20 mentees as part of Phase 3 and invited the new generation of African heritage experts to World Heritage system by ...

[in French only] À Sambava, Madagascar, le projet BIOCOM de l’UNESCO transforme des vies en alliant conservation de la biodiversité et développement communautaire. Grâce à cette initiative, les bénéficiaires acquièrent des compétences techniques tout en adoptant une nouvelle vision des activités professionnelles et de la préservation de l’environnement. Animés par une détermination ...

On 5 December 2024, managers from the 51 UNESCO World Heritage marine sites convened online with experts from UNESCO and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to share best practices in managing tourism sustainably across the globe. Tourism and UNESCO World Heritage marine sites are deeply interconnected, as these flagship marine protected areas (MPAs) often become ...

UNESCO participated actively in the 12th edition of the World Urban Forum (WUF12) in Cairo. Convened by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), the WUF12 focused on the theme of “It All Starts at Home.” The meeting was attended by 25,000 from 182 countries. A UNESCO delegation led by the Deputy Director of the World Heritage Centre, Ms Jyoti Hosabrahar,  highlighted the ...

The Community Management of Protected Areas Conservation (COMPACT) programme provides conservation grants to civil society organisations for activities that improve biodiversity conservation and promote sustainable livelihoods in UNESCO World Heritage sites. The programme is run by UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre and the UNDP-led Global Environment Facility (GEF) Small Grants Programme, and it ...

From 2 to 8 November 2024, UNESCO organized the 2nd Capacity Building workshop on Digital documentation of World Heritage Sites in the Arab States in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This workshop was organized in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and the Saudi National Commission for Education, Culture and Science and the Heritage Commission in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. 'Dive into ...

[in French only] Jean Didier Nonta, 55 ans, père de quatre enfants, vit dans le fokontany d’Ambodivohitra, district d’Andapa, région SAVA. Comme beaucoup de membres de sa communauté, pour subvenir aux besoins de sa famille, il dépendait autrefois de l’exploitation des ressources forestières.Ceci inclue la coupe d’arbres pour la fabrication de planches et d’autres ressources forestières non ...

[in French only] Dans la région SAVA à Madagascar, Estonie, 28 ans, est agriculteur et enseignant FRAM résidant dans le Fokontany d’Andranomifotitra. Il incarne la réussite dans les pratiques rizicoles durables et la préservation des ressources naturelles. Grâce à l’adoption des techniques du Système de Riziculture Améliorée (SRA) apprises par sa propre observation, il a transformé ses ...