News

On 18 December 2008, the European Commission and UNESCO signed an agreement in Libreville, Gabon for a contribution of €2.5 million to the Central Africa World Heritage Forest Initiative (CAWFHI). Since 2004, the UNESCO World Heritage Centre has been coordinating the Initiative for a total amount of about $10 million, with $3.3 million financed by the United Nations Foundation, $3.3 by ...

Brochures on the World Heritage Convention and World Heritage in Young Hands programme are available in Bulgarian. "Our World Heritage" and "Today and tomorrow with young people" were originally published by UNESCO in English, French and Spanish. The brochures were translated into Bulgarian thanks to the financial contribution of the Regional Inspectorate of Environment and ...

The Australian Funds-in-Trust, established in August 2008 between the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and the Australian Government, has been increased. A sum of $AUS830,000 has been added to the Australian Government's first generous contribution of $AUS2.5 million. From the Funds-in-Trust, $AUS1.13 million will be used to support the development of a conservation and management ...

Béthanie - the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts Landmark Heritage Campus has been awarded an Honourable Mention at the 2008 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Cultural Heritage Awards. An award presentation ceremony will take place on 9 December 2008 at the Béthanie campus. Officiating guests include Ms Béatrice Kaldun, UNESCO's China representative for Culture and Heritage; Mrs ...

Dr. Keiji Tachikawa, President of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO, on 2 December signed a cooperation agreement through which JAXA will assist UNESCO by bringing the benefits of space technology to the monitoring of World Heritage sites. With this agreement JAXA joins a group of more than 50 partners, including 25 space ...

Experts from UNESCO's World Heritage Centre and from the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) undertook a reactive monitoring mission to examine development projects affecting the Old and New Towns of Edinburgh (United Kingdom), inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1995. Undertaken at the request of the World Heritage Committee during its most recent session (Quebec ...

The devastating fires that raged across Greece in the summer of 2007 seriously affected the World Heritage site of Olympia, stopping short of destroying its Museum and archaeological area, which could only be saved thanks to the strenuous efforts of the responsible authorities.  Disasters such as the one that threatened Olympia are in fact increasing, including as a result of climate change, ...

[in French only] Actualités sur l'avancement des projets CFU : « Niger - Loire : gouvernance et culture ». Projet européen. Coopération décentralisée Riga, Lyon et Bordeaux : voyage d'étude sur la conservation des centres historiques. 21-25 septembre 2008. Réseau des villes indiennes de culture ...

A Memorandum of Understanding is to be signed today, 30 October 2008, between UNESCO and the International Astronomical Union (IAU). The IAU will be integrally involved in the process of developing UNESCO's Astronomy and World Heritage Initiative, helping to promote astronomical sites of "Outstanding Universal Value".

The Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, said today he was alarmed by the violent incidents taking place in the province of North Kivu in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Mr Matsuura voice his support to the statement made earlier by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-Moon, calling on "all parties to immediately cease hostilities and pursue in good ...

Five young heritage professionals from Canada, Egypt, Hungary, Peru, and Zimbabwe, received UNESCO-Vocations Patrimoine fellowships to pursue post graduate research at University College Dublin (Ireland) and at the Brandenburg Technical University of Cottbus (Germany) in a ceremony at UNESCO Headquarters on the evening of 22 October. The fellowships were awarded by the Organization's ...

World Heritage is a quarterly magazine featuring in-depth articles on World Heritage sites around the world written by experts and illustrated with spectacular photographs. Published by UNESCO in English, French and Spanish since 1996, this is a wonderful source if you’d like to learn more about World Heritage sites, get the latest news on sites in danger, and discover new books and ...

The UNESCO World Heritage Desk Diary 2009 has just been published. Featuring a useful week-at-a-glance design, it is illustrated with 79 colour photos of World Heritage sites, each accompanied with a short caption. It also introduces the Convention Concerning the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage; its objectives, the selection criteria, the institutions which ensure its ...

The first book published by Our Place, is now available. The first in a series of ten books produced in collaboration with the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, this edition includes 350 original photographs of 50 World Heritage sites in 35 countries. Through a partnership with UNESCO, Our Place and its international network of professional photographers is developing the first collection of ...

The World Heritage Centre has been awarded the 2008 World Tourism Award in recognition of its ‘outstanding guidance, support and encouragement to 185 countries around the world by establishing and monitoring 878 World Heritage sites’ and its ‘outstanding accomplishments in the travel industry.’ Dr Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of Egypt’s Supreme Council on ...

A Funds-in-Trust Agreement to support World Heritage activities was established in August 2008 between UNESCO and the Australian Government, thanks to the latter’s generous contribution of 2.5 million Australian Dollars. The objective of this Fund-in-Trust is to support, through UNESCO, activities related to the World Heritage Convention in the Asia-Pacific region. These include the ...

With a view to enhancing the capacity of the Indonesian national and local authorities to improve the state of conservation at Borobudur Temple Compound World Heritage property, the World Heritage Centre developed a technical cooperation project under the Netherlands Funds-In-Trust with UNESCO. The project aims to enhance the management effectiveness at Borobudur Temple Compound World ...

On the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the ‘Association of World Heritage Cities of Spain’, celebrated in the city of Avila on 17 September, the World Heritage Centre was awarded Spain’s first ever ‘Patrimonio’ prize for its ‘exemplary efforts in safeguarding the world’s cultural and natural heritage.’  Her Majesty Infanta Cristina ...

Over the last few days, Virunga National Park has been the scene of violent fighting between the Congolese Army and Congrès National pour la Défense du Peuple (CNDP) rebels. On Thursday 9 October, the Managing Director of the Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (or ICCN, the body in charge of the Democratic Republic of the Congo protected areas management), Mr. Cosma ...

The World Heritage Centre and the World Air League, a U.S.-based nongovernmental organization, will present an ambitious new partnership at UNESCO Headquarters on 24 September aiming to promote environmental protection and the use of lighter-than-air skyships as a means to reduce pollution and pressures caused by transportation. Tomorrow’s announcement will showcase the World Sky Race, ...