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Tuesday, 6 June 2023
UNESCO welcomes Australia’s decision to implement urgent new protection measures to safeguard the Great Barrier Reef recommended by UNESCO. The measures include a ban on fishing with gillnets. The Australian government formalized its commitments in a letter addressed to Audrey Azoulay, the Director-General of UNESCO this week.
''The Great Barrier Reef is a fragile jewel of world heritage. ...
2 min read
Thursday, 25 May 2023
The Maya Site of Copán is an important archaeological site inscribed on the World Heritage List since 1980.
With the support of UNESCO, Honduras has begun a collaborative process to develop an updated management plan for the Maya Site of Copan, an important archaeological site inscribed on the World Heritage List since 1980.
This process started between May 17 and 19, 2023, through a ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 24 May 2023
UNESCO is concerned about reports of proposed legislative changes at the regional level to the Special Management Plan for the Irrigation Zones in the northern part of the Forest Crown of Doñana (the “Strawberry Plan”), which could threaten the very reasons for the recognition of Doñana National Park as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Doñana has also been a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve since ...
2 min read
Monday, 22 May 2023
Each year, between the end of May and the beginning of June, three international days serve as a reminder of three vital and interdependent issues on which the future of our planet depends: biological diversity, the environment and the ocean.
And with each year comes an even greater need to understand the urgency of coming together and tackling the immense challenge of preserving nature and ...
2 min read
Thursday, 18 May 2023
On 18 May 2023, Tuvalu became the 195th State Party to the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (1972). With this new ratification, the UNESCO World Heritage Convention nears universal recognition, as one of the most ratified legal instruments in the world.
Represented by H.E. Samuelu Laloniu, Special Envoy of the Tuvaluan Government, Tuvalu ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 16 May 2023
From 2020 through 2022, UNESCO Jakarta carried out a project “Towards a sustainable future for the Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra UNESCO World Heritage site: integrating management and reviewing boundaries for the long-term protection of the Outstanding Universal Value,” funded by the UNESCO/Netherlands Funds-in-Trust, in close coordination with the Directorate General of Natural ...
2 min read
Saturday, 13 May 2023
13 May 2023 – World Migratory Bird Day highlights the importance of water for migratory birds and calls for more action to protect water resources and aquatic ecosystems. UNESCO World Heritage sites are crucial safe havens for all 12 migratory bird species that are celebrated today.
Water is fundamental to life on our planet. Many migratory birds rely on aquatic ecosystems during their life ...
3 min read
Thursday, 11 May 2023
From June until November 2022, Member States were invited to report on the implementation of the 2011 Recommendation at the national and urban levels. Progress in the Member States’ implementation of the 2011 Recommendation since the Second Consultation in 2019 is evident and encouraging, with reports received from 69 Member States reported with 62 national reports and 125 local reports out ...
2 min read
Friday, 5 May 2023
Message from Ms Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, on the occasion of African World Heritage Day
Each year, on 5 May, UNESCO and its partners come together to celebrate African heritage.
The richness and diversity of this heritage are embodied in natural sites of breathtaking beauty, which are often home to a unique biodiversity, such as the Ivindo National Park in Gabon, listed as ...
3 min read
Wednesday, 3 May 2023
On Tuesday 2 May, the Director of UNESCO World Heritage, Lazare Eloundou Assomo, accompanied by the Director of the UNESCO Regional Office for Culture in Latin America and the Caribbean, Anne Lemaistre, visited the Convent of Santa Clara, the first women’s convent in Havana (founded in 1644), part of the World Heritage property “Old Havana and its Fortification System,” inscribed on the ...
3 min read
Wednesday, 3 May 2023
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, 3-12 September 2023Looking Ahead: The Next 50 Years of Protecting Natural and Cultural Heritage
As an integral part of the extended 45th session of the World Heritage Committee, and in the framework of the UNESCO World Heritage Education Programme, the Ministry of Culture in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia through the National Committee for Education, Culture and ...
8 min read
Thursday, 27 April 2023
The 5th edition of the World Heritage Site Managers’ Forum (WHSMF23) will be organised in conjunction with the extended 45th session of the World Heritage Committee, with the theme selected for the Forum “Managing World Heritage for the Next 50 Years.” It is hosted by the Ministry of Culture of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, represented by the National Committee and the Heritage Commission ...
2 min read
Monday, 24 April 2023
Call for nominations are open. Deadline for submission: extended until 31 May 2023.
The Prize rewards outstanding examples of action to safeguard and enhance the world’s cultural landscapes.
The Prize was established in 1995 by Greece and named after the actress and activist Melina Mercouri, a strong advocate of integrated heritage conservation and former Minister of Culture of Greece.
The ...
1 min read
Friday, 21 April 2023
Today, Belize’s Ministry of Blue Economy and Civil Aviation launched the Strategy for Reef Resilience in Belize, paving the way for concerted action across government, businesses and civil society to help safeguard the future of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System from the impacts of climate change. The strategy was released alongside initial seed funding to ...
2 min read
Thursday, 20 April 2023
Bridges: UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe's biannual newsletter, issue 2 July - December 2022 is now available online. The issue illustrates World Heritage-related activity in the region.
You can access and download the newsletter through the UNESCO Digital Library below:Bridges: UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe, issue 2, July - December 2022 - ...
Wednesday, 19 April 2023
High school children from rural villages travelled to iSimangaliso Wetland Park to sample South Africa’s unique World Heritage-listed marine area as part of the global eDNA expeditions UNESCO is currently piloting across 25 marine World Heritage sites to better understand ocean biodiversity and the effects of climate change.
In the early morning of 19 April 2023, children from three high ...
2 min read
Tuesday, 18 April 2023
Blog post by Director of World Heritage at UNESCO - Lazare Eloundou AssomoIs there a place you have never been, but always felt a special connection to? From Peru’s Machu Picchu to Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, the Temple of Angkor Wat in Cambodia to the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks, these wonders of the world are as diverse as they come. But they have one thing in common – they are part of ...
3 min read
Tuesday, 18 April 2023
The World Heritage Volunteers Initiative, one of UNESCO’s flagship activities that involves young people in the active preservation of our World Heritage is celebrating the International Day of Monuments and Sites by kick-starting its 2023 Campaign with 3 projects in Madagascar, India and China, respectively.
Young international and national volunteers will trek along the Khangchendzonga ...
1 min read
Friday, 14 April 2023
From 2020 through 2022, Colombia has undertaken a project aimed at developing a dossier in view of a future nomination of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and Tayrona National Park for the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta was declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1979. It is the world’s highest coastal mountain formation with two peaks at 5,775 metres above sea level ...
2 min read
Friday, 14 April 2023
Young Philippine volunteers journeyed overnight to Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park to take eDNA samples at the remote World Heritage site, located in the centre of the Sulu Sea. The sampling was part of the global eDNA expeditions initiative that UNESCO currently coordinates across 25 marine World Heritage sites to better understand ocean biodiversity and the effects of climate change.
On 13 ...
2 min read
Thursday, 13 April 2023
On 14 January 2023, the Forum on the 50th Anniversary of the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage was held in Beijing in a hybrid format. Under the theme of "World Heritage for the Next 50 Years", the Forum was co-hosted by the National Commission of the People's Republic of China for UNESCO, the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, the ...
4 min read
Sunday, 9 April 2023
Students from villages near the Dungonab Bay and Mukkawar Island Marine National Park sampled Sudan’s unique World Heritage listed marine area as part of the global eDNA expeditions UNESCO is currently piloting across 25 marine World Heritage sites to better understand ocean biodiversity and the effects of climate change.
On 9 and 10 April 2023, 8 students from primary and secondary schools ...
2 min read
Friday, 7 April 2023
Students from Senior High School in Miami, Florida joined scientists from Everglades National Park World Heritage site to participate in UNESCO's Environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling campaign, as part of a global effort to sample and record marine biodiversity across 25 marine World Heritage Sites.
On 7 April 2023, under a warm Florida sun and a pleasant breeze, six students aged 15-17-year-old ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 5 April 2023
From 5 to 12 April 2023, fisheries officers and community researchers defied choppy seas while collecting environmental DNA (eDNA) samples across the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System. The local sampling is part of the global eDNA expeditions initiative that UNESCO currently conducts across 25 marine World Heritage sites to better understand ocean biodiversity and the effects of climate ...
2 min read
Monday, 3 April 2023
The Arab Regional Centre for World Heritage (ARC-WH), in collaboration with the Heritage Commission in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, announces the open call for the second edition of the short film competition "My Heritage" as part of the "Arab Youth for Heritage" initiative.
Get a chance to win a trip to Saudi Arabia to screen the winning films at the side events of the 45th World Heritage ...
Thursday, 30 March 2023
Earlier this month, Ningaloo Coast UNESCO World Heritage site in Australia released a pioneering resilient reefs strategy that is aimed at securing the long-term conservation of the coral reef and its communities in a rapidly changing climate. The strategy takes a uniquely holistic view of the threats facing Ningaloo Reef together with the needs of local communities and businesses and ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 29 March 2023
Deadline: 23 April 2023, midnight (Paris time)
UNESCO launches a call to renew and expand the two existing Expert Facilities for the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (hereafter “the 2005 Convention”), and the UNESCO Culture|2030 Indicators under a new EU/UNESCO Expert Facility Programme for a 4-year mandate (2023-2026).
The Expert ...
4 min read
Wednesday, 22 March 2023
UNESCO has launched a new guidance tool to enhance mutual understanding and achieve improved and constructive cooperation between the deployment of wind energy projects and the conservation of the world’s most precious heritage places.
With climate change being a defining issue of our time, the transition to renewable energy sources and sustainable energy production to replace fossil fuels ...
2 min read
Monday, 20 March 2023
Forests are some of the most biodiversity-rich habitats on Earth and contain 60,000 different tree species and more than 70% of all animal terrestrial species. Forests also play a crucial role in climate regulation and their protection is among the most cost-effective ways to push climate action. Forests fuel our economies and provide invaluable ecosystem services, being vitally important for ...
3 min read
Friday, 17 March 2023
The Joint Research Centre through the BIOPAMA program launched a Massive Online Open Course (MOOC) focused on ‘Assessing tourism services in protected areas: value chain and economic analyses’. The course is based on Opportunity Study Guidelines produced by The International Trade Centre, and Visitors Count! published by UNESCO and the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation BfN, and written ...
1 min read
Friday, 17 March 2023
On 17 March 2023, schoolchildren aged 8-10 from the Gulf of Porto: Calanche of Piana, Gulf of Girolata, Scandola Reserve UNESCO World Heritage site took part in UNESCO's Environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling campaign, as part of a global effort to better understand how climate change affects marine biodiversity.
Under the spring sun and in the company of dolphins, thirteen young students from ...
2 min read
Thursday, 16 March 2023
Are you a heritage expert interested in learning more about World Heritage management in Latin America and the Caribbean?
We are calling for applications to this online flagship foundational course.
Participants will learn how effective management can give heritage places a dynamic and mutually beneficial role in society today and long into the future, reflecting the vast array of people ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 15 March 2023
A dynamic team of Bangladeshi primary school and university students, along with local experts, joined UNESCO’s environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling campaign at the Sundarbans to help increase scientific understanding of the unparalleled biodiversity of the world’s largest unbroken mangrove forest.
Embracing the heavy chill of January, the eDNA expedition team from Bangladesh set foot on the ...
3 min read
Monday, 13 March 2023
From 11 to 17 March 2023, UNESCO is organising the First Workshop on Digital Documentation for World Heritage in the Arab region for 'Dive into Heritage.'
'Dive into Heritage' is a project supported by the Ministry of Culture in Saudi Arabia that aims at creating an innovative online platform to present digital data of UNESCO World Heritage sites in the Arab region and its related intangible ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 8 March 2023
On International Women’s Day, we celebrate girls and women across the globe – and we remember that women’s rights must never be taken for granted.
Indeed, the path towards a gender-equal world is an uncertain one: gradual progress, made over generations, can be wiped out in one fell swoop. The women and girls of Afghanistan know this well. In a few short months, they have lost their most ...
3 min read
Wednesday, 1 March 2023
Throughout March 2023, members of New Caledonia's World Heritage site associations and management committees joined the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development (IRD) and the New Caledonian Biodiversity Agency (ANCB) to take part in UNESCO's environmental DNA sampling campaign, as part of a global effort to sample and reference marine biodiversity in 25 marine World ...
3 min read
Tuesday, 28 February 2023
Over time, rainforest communities in Africa have developed a close relationship with their neighbours, the so-called 'umbrella species' such as great apes and elephants. Umbrella species are often either iconic or threatened, or both. These species are called 'umbrella species' because their protection also entails the protection of a wide range of fauna and flora that share their habitat. ...
5 min read
Friday, 17 February 2023
In line with UNESCO’s efforts since 1988 to encourage research on the Silk Roads as routes of interchange and dialogue of cultures, the UNESCO/Republic of Korea Funds-in-Trust (FiT) project “Support for the Asian Silk Roads World Heritage Serial and Transnational Nomination(s) (Phase II)” was launched in November 2018 and completed in November 2022.
Upon completion of this project, the final ...
1 min read
Thursday, 16 February 2023
Through innovative national debt restructuring and blue bond arrangements, both Aldabra Atoll in the Seychelles and the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System in Belize are securing sustainable finance to help conserve their marine World Heritage sites over the next decades.
On 19 January 2022, global marine protected area practitioners met online with World Heritage managers from the Seychelles ...
3 min read
Thursday, 16 February 2023
The UNESCO World Heritage Centre held two workshops with World Heritage site managers and national Focal Points in Latin America and the Caribbean to prepare a Regional Action Plan for the Third Cycle of Periodic Reporting.
Periodic Reporting is one of the core conservation and monitoring mechanisms of the Lazare Eloundou Assomo, Director of UNESCO World Heritage, praised the commitment of ...
2 min read
Tuesday, 14 February 2023
On 14 February 2023, 20 students aged 8 to 11 years old from Lord Howe Island Group became marine scientists for the day. In doing so, they joined UNESCO’s global environmental DNA research initiative that is being rolled out across 25 marine World Heritage sites to better understand ocean biodiversity and the impacts of climate change.
The day commenced with classroom activities, where ...
2 min read
Tuesday, 14 February 2023
On 14 February 2023, the UNESCO World Heritage Centre organized the second Coordination Group meeting on ‘Post COVID-19 World Heritage Site Management: Integration of Conservation, Tourism and Local Livelihood Strategies at World Heritage Sites’, a project funded by the government of Japan through the UNESCO/Japanese Funds-in-Trust.
Subsequent to the project’s launch in June 2022 (see Post ...
2 min read
Monday, 13 February 2023
UNESCO is delighted to announce that submissions are now being accepted for the 2023 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation.
The UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation (‘Awards’) recognizes exemplary efforts by individuals and organizations to restore or conserve structures, places and properties of heritage value in the region. It encourages ...
3 min read
Thursday, 9 February 2023
World Heritage Volunteers 2023 - Working on the Future
The UNESCO World Heritage Centre is pleased to announce the selected projects of the World Heritage Volunteers 2023 Campaign.
Under the theme World Heritage Volunteers 2023 - Working on the Future, and on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, 76 action camp projects will be implemented from April ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 7 February 2023
UNESCO on Monday expressed its support for Syria and Türkiye following the devastating earthquakes that struck the two countries. “My condolences go out to the families and loved ones of those who died. My thoughts are also with the injured and all those affected. Our Organization will provide assistance within its mandate,” said Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO.
The Organization ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 7 February 2023
Panamanian children from Santa Catalina and nearby communities ventured out to Coiba National Park to sample the World Heritage area’s rich marine waters as part of the global eDNA expeditions that UNESCO is currently piloting across 25 marine World Heritage sites to better understand ocean biodiversity and the effects of climate change thereupon.
On 7 February 2023, amidst a beautiful sunny ...
3 min read
Monday, 6 February 2023
On 24 January 2023, UNESCO and the Foundation for the Safeguarding of the Cultural Heritage of Rabat signed a five-year agreement to jointly develop actions for the protection of World Heritage and intangible cultural heritage in Morocco and throughout the African continent. It marks the beginning of a long-term strategic and operational collaboration.
UNESCO and the Foundation for the ...
1 min read
Friday, 3 February 2023
Celebrated annually on 2 February, World Wetlands Day aims to raise global awareness about the vital role of wetlands for people and the planet. This year’s theme: ‘It is time for Wetland Restoration’ - is in alignment with the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.
Ecosystems support all life on earth. The healthier our ecosystems are, the healthier the planet - and its people. Taking this ...
3 min read
Wednesday, 25 January 2023
The World Heritage Committee on Wednesday decided to inscribe the Historic Centre of Odesa (Ukraine) on the World Heritage List. This decision recognizes the outstanding universal value of the site and the duty of all humanity to protect it.
"Odesa, a free city, a world city, a legendary port that has left its mark on cinema, literature and the arts, is thus placed under the reinforced ...
2 min read
The Rachid Karameh International Fair of Tripoli (Lebanon) inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List
Wednesday, 25 January 2023
The World Heritage Committee meeting in an extraordinary session decided on Thursday to inscribe the Rachid Karameh International Fair of Tripoli (Lebanon) on the List of World Heritage in Danger.
Located in northern Lebanon, the Rachid Karameh International Fair of Tripoli was designed in 1962 by the Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer on a 70-hectare site located between the historic centre ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 25 January 2023
The World Heritage Committee meeting in an extraordinary session on Thursday inscribed the Landmarks of the Ancient Kingdom of Saba, Marib (Yemen) on the List of World Heritage in Danger.
The Landmarks of the Ancient Kingdom of Saba, Marib, is a serial property comprising seven archaeological sites that bear witness to the rich Kingdom of Saba and its architectural, aesthetic and ...
1 min read
Monday, 23 January 2023
The State Party of Djibouti ratified the World Heritage Convention in 2007 and established its first Tentative List in 2015 with 10 sites. However, Djibouti remains one of the twelve African countries without property inscribed on the World Heritage List.
In the framework of Priority Africa and under the “Capacity-building programme for the nomination of World Heritage sites in the Africa ...
1 min read
Monday, 23 January 2023
The Kingdom of Eswatini ratified the World Heritage Convention in 2005 and established its first Tentative List in 2008. However, Eswatini remains one of the 12 African countries without property inscribed on the World Heritage List.
In line with UNESCO’s Priority Africa, Eswatini has been benefiting from the “Capacity-building programme for the nomination of World Heritage sites in the ...
1 min read
Sunday, 22 January 2023
[in French only] Le 19 mai 1982, l’État partie du Burundi a ratifié la Convention de 1972, ou Convention concernant la protection du patrimoine mondial, culturel et naturel. Cependant, à ce jour, le Burundi fait partie de 10 pays en Afrique qui n’ont pasencore de biens inscrit sur la Liste du patrimoine mondial, en dépit des richesses culturelles et naturelles du pays.
Dans le cadre de la ...
Friday, 20 January 2023
South Sudan ratified the World Heritage Convention in 2016 and established its first Tentative List in 2017 with three sites (one natural site, one cultural site and one mixed site). Since 2017, several capacity-building initiatives have been organized by UNESCO to support the State Party in developing its first World Heritage nomination despite the unstable political situation and security ...
1 min read
Friday, 20 January 2023
Sao Tome and Principe remains one of the three African countries without any sites on its Tentative List. In the framework of Priority Africa, UNESCO supports Sao Tome and Principles through the “Capacity-building programme for the nomination of World Heritage sites in the Africa Region”, funded by the Government of Japan, targeting 10 African countries without inscribed World Heritage ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 18 January 2023
The UNESCO World Heritage Centre has learned with great sadness of the passing of Vivian Ramnarace, the National Focal Point for the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System World Heritage site (Belize). A marine scientist, Ms Ramnarace was the Fisheries Officer at the Belize Fisheries Department for the last 15 years.
The passing of Vivian Ramnarace is a significant loss for the conservation ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 17 January 2023
In the Framework of Priority Africa, UNESCO intends to empower African institutions and professionals to safeguard better and promote UNESCO World Heritage properties on the Continent.
Capacity development is, therefore, one of the hallmarks of the new Strategy for World Heritage in Africa. For that, the World Heritage Centre (WHC), in close collaboration with the African World Heritage Fund ...
2 min read
Tuesday, 3 January 2023
On 18 October 2022, schoolchildren aged 10 to 15 years old and Traditional Owners* at the Shark Bay, Western Australia World Heritage site joined the UNESCO environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling campaign as part of a global effort to better understand ocean biodiversity and the effects of climate change thereupon.
Amidst clear blue waters teeming with marine life, schoolchildren and Traditional ...
3 min read
