134 news
Year2012close
Friday, 21 December 2012
World Heritage sites cover a quater of all marine protected areas on the planet: 46 jewels of the ocean, beautiful but fragile. Lest's protect them!
Tuesday, 18 December 2012
The First Expert/Stakeholder Meeting took place in Pompei (Italy) on 17 November 2012, within the framework of the project “Towards a governance system for coordinating the updating and the implementation of the Management Plan of the Archaeological Areas of Pompei, Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata”. The meeting was funded by the Italian Government and managed by the UNESCO World ...
2 min read
Tuesday, 18 December 2012
Negotiated with the support of the World Heritage Centre, this 3 year Swiss government financed project entitled "Local Capacities for climate change adaptation and risk management: Manu National Park in Peru - World Heritage Site" was brought to a successful close earlier this month. Fully implemented by the UNESCO Lima office, the project was founded on a strategic alliance with ...
1 min read
Monday, 17 December 2012
During the recent 7th Conference of the Parties for the Nairobi Convention (December 2012, Maputo, Mozambique), dedicated to "Partnering for a Healthy Western Indian Ocean", important discussions on the potential for new Marine World Heritage sites in the region were held. On the basis of these discussions, the Parties to the Nairobi Convention encouraged its Secretariat, the World Heritage ...
2 min read
Sunday, 16 December 2012
The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, laid out a vision for the World Heritage Convention in the 21st century stunning some 200 people from the cultural preservation community attending the ICOMOS Gala celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Convention in Washington on 12 December.
"We have come together to celebrate one of the most positive and visionary ideas that emerged in the ...
3 min read
International experts meeting on earthen architecture: its preservation and potential for the future
Friday, 14 December 2012
Forty of the world’s leading experts on earthen architecture—which serves as habitat for up to one third of the world’ population—will exchange experiences about the preservation of this often remarkable and always sustainable heritage in a meeting at UNESCO Headquarters on 17 and 18 December (RoomXI).
The International Colloquium on the Conservation of World ...
2 min read
Thursday, 6 December 2012
The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, paid tribute to the great Brazilian architect, Oscar Niemeyer, who died on Wednesday, 5 December, at the age of 104.
"Oscar Niemeyer helped define the 20th century and lay the foundations for the 21st -- for all this, he deserves the title of universal artist. As a founder of modern architecture, he gave the cities he loved iconic buildings, ...
1 min read
Thursday, 6 December 2012
The UNESCO World Heritage Centre and Panasonic Corporation present the new tablet PC edition of the 2013 World Heritage calendar. Featuring stunning photographs of World Heritage sites from around the world, the tablet app joins the paper and online versions of the popular calendar.
The tablet PC app calendar also includes fun facts about World Heritage sites in English, Chinese, French, ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 5 December 2012
The World Heritage Centre, with the support from the Flanders Government, has embarked on the development a comprehensive and integrated information system on the state of conservation of World Heritage properties. This information is now public and hosted on the World Heritage Centre’s website. This public tool has a multi-criteria search form in order to extract specific data according to ...
1 min read
Friday, 30 November 2012
The latest version of the World Heritage map, produced by the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and National Geographic Maps with the generous support of Cambodia, can now be ordered for a modest fee from the World Heritage Centre website. The featured image on the Map presents Angkor in Cambodia, where the next session of the World Heritage Committee will be held (June 2013).
This poster-sized ...
1 min read
Monday, 26 November 2012
The final meeting in the Second Cycle of the Periodic Report on the State of World Heritage in Latin America and the Caribbean will take place from 3 to 5 December in Santiago, Chile. The objective of the meeting is to draw up a World Heritage Action Plan (2013-2020) for this region.
The activity is in compliance with Decision 36 COM 10C, approved by the World Heritage Committee at its 36th ...
2 min read
Saturday, 24 November 2012
25 years of Council of Europe cultural routes celebrated in Colmar, France, 21-23 November 2012
The Colmar Forum, organized by the secretariat of the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Cultural Routes and the European Institute of Cultural Routes marked 25 years of existence of the Council of Europe’s cultural routes programme. It was attended by around 130 people, representing the 24 ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 21 November 2012
The 3rd Expert Working Group Meeting for the Old City of Herat and the World Heritage property of Jam (Afghanistan), met at the Museo d’ Arte Orientale in Turin, Italy, from 4 to 6 September 2012, released a set of recommendations for future safeguarding actions for the two sites. The Meeting brought together more than 30 well-known experts and high-ranking officials from the government of ...
2 min read
Friday, 16 November 2012
The World Heritage Convention, adopted by the UNESCO General Conference on 16 November 1972, turns 40 today. The only treaty for heritage preservation that englobes both cultural and natural sites, the Convention has been almost universally ratified, with 190 States Parties. There are currently 962 sites on the World Heritage List, 745 of them cultural, 188 natural and 29 mixed (both cultural ...
1 min read
Friday, 16 November 2012
In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention, Eastern National and the National Park Service’s Office of International Affairs have produced the new booklet "World Heritage Sites in the United States". The booklet highlights the 21 sites in the United States that have been selected and inscribed on the World Heritage List for their natural or cultural ...
1 min read
Thursday, 8 November 2012
The Closing Event of the 40thAnniversary of the World Heritage Convention concluded today in Kyoto, Japan, after three days of presentations and lively panel discussions among international World Heritage experts. Held from 6 to 8 November, the occasion was the culmination of a year of celebratory activities around the world, gathering more than 500 international heritage experts from 60 ...
4 min read
Thursday, 8 November 2012
In the framework of Document WHC-12/36.COM/10C and Decision 36 COM 10C adopted by the World Heritage Committee at its 36th session (Saint Petersburg, 2012), the final meeting of the Second Cycle of the Periodic Reporting Exercise for Latin America and the Caribbean will take place in Santiago de Chile, Chile from 3-5 December 2012.
As the final meeting for the Region, it will involve the ...
1 min read
Thursday, 8 November 2012
Preparations are being completed in Chile, where almost everything is ready, for the final meeting of the Second Cycle of the Periodic Reporting Exercise for Latin America and the Caribbean that will take place in Santiago de Chile from 2 to 5 December 2012.
The primary objectives of this meeting will be the development of the 2013-2020 Regional Action Plan and also the preparation of a ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 6 November 2012
The Cuban National Cultural Heritage Council (CNPC) and the Cuban National Ballet (BNC) offered last October 30 a gala performance on the 40th anniversary of the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, parallel to the 33rd International Havana Ballet Festival. This major cultural event was attended by BNC director Alicia Alonso, His Excellency Mr. ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 6 November 2012
The opening ceremony of the Closing Event taking place in Kyoto from 6 to 8 November featured a performance by UNESCO Artist for Peace Sarah Brightman, and a traditional drum performance by the Japanese group Hi Ryu (Flying Dragon).
The Chairperson of the event, Ambassador Masuo Nishibayashi, and UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova opened the celebration, along with Kazuyuki Hamada, ...
4 min read
Monday, 5 November 2012
A three-day event in Kyoto, Japan, will mark the end of a year-long worldwide celebration of the 40th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention from 6 to 8 November. The Convention, which was adopted by UNESCO’s General Conference on 16 November 1972, is the most widely accepted treaty for cultural and natural heritage preservation in the world with 190 States Parties, and 962 ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 31 October 2012
On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, over 300 delegates, including 16 African Ministers of Culture, Tourism, Environment and Home Affairs as well as representatives from the African Union, the African World Heritage Fund and experts in cultural and natural heritage from across the continent and around the world actively participated in a high-level ...
3 min read
Thursday, 25 October 2012
The Historic Town of Vigan (Philippines), inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1999, has been recognized as a model of best practices in World Heritage site management, at the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention. The distinction will be officially announced and a certificate presented to the Mayor of Vigan, Ms Eva Marie S. Medina, during the closing event of ...
1 min read
Friday, 19 October 2012
Thirty-four young messengers (participants) from over 20 different marine World Heritage sites around the world gathered in Hyderabad from 6 to 15 October as part of the International Youth Forum Go4BioDiv. The Forum is the largest youth initiative for both IUCN and the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and gives young adults between the ages of 18 and 29 the possibility to ...
2 min read
Friday, 19 October 2012
Irina Bokova, the Director-General of UNESCO today denounced the renewed destruction of mausoleums in northern Mali, near the World Heritage city of Timbuktu.
“This new act of destruction marks an escalation of violence and testifies of the deliberate will to erase symbols of a tolerant and open Islam, deeply enshrined in this region of Sahel. This is an inacceptable attack against the ...
1 min read
Thursday, 11 October 2012
UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova today expressed utmost concern over the escalation of violence in Syria, in particular in the vicinity of several World Heritage sites. The Director-General reiterates her appeal of 30 March 2012 to the parties involved in the conflict to protect all Syrian cultural heritage.
The Director-General’s comments follow reports about damage to the Umayyad ...
1 min read
Monday, 8 October 2012
On 1 and 2 October 2012, a workshop took place in Nairobi, Kenya to launch the UNESCO Africa Nature Programme, which was developed following the results of the second cycle of Periodic Reporting in Africa (2010-2011).
The Africa Nature programme aims to improve the management effectiveness of the natural World Heritage sites in Africa through targeted capacity building and knowledge sharing. ...
2 min read
Monday, 1 October 2012
This year, two Marine World Heritage sites won the Future Policy Award, which celebrates policies that create better living conditions for current and future generations. Both Rock Islands Southern Lagoon (Palau) and Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park (Philippines) won a Future Policy Award 2012 in recognition of their marine policies.
Palau was given the Gold Award 2012 for its Protected ...
1 min read
Sunday, 30 September 2012
UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova today expressed distress and dismay over the fire that severely damaged the ancient markets in the old city of Aleppo, a World Heritage site, over the weekend. She also reminded all parties of the country’s obligations under the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, to which Syria is a ...
2 min read
Friday, 21 September 2012
The International Protection of Landscapes meeting was organized by UNESCO and the International Traditional Knowledge Institute and held in Florence, Italy from 19 to 21 September to mark the 40th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention. The Florence Declaration on Landscape 2012 was produced during the session.
Cultural heritage is an evolving historical category subject to ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 19 September 2012
On 19 June 2012, the Government of Singapore officially deposited with the Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, its instrument of ratification, becoming the 190th State Party to accept the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. The World Heritage Convention has entered into force for this State Party on 19 September 2012.
Wednesday, 19 September 2012
It was with great sadness that the Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, learned of the passing of Russell E. Train, former President of the World Wildlife Fund, who died on 17 September at the age of 92.
Russell E. Train was a renowned US conservationist who played a central role in creating groundbreaking laws in response to rising concerns about environmental protection in America and ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 18 September 2012
A study commissioned by the World Heritage Centre reviews the total carbon stored in trees, leaves forest litter and soil for all 106 World Heritage forest sites. Carried out by Mr. Devendra Pandey, the former Director General of the Indian Forest Survey, the study is the first to look specifically at World Heritage forests sites, combining information from different sources, to obtain ...
2 min read
Tuesday, 18 September 2012
On Saturday 15 September, the IUCN World Conservation Congress ended on the Island of Jeju, Republic of Korea, which harbors the “Jeju Volcanos Island and Lava Tubes” World Heritage site. Held every four years, the congress is the world’s largest and most important conservation event and the current edition was attended by 10,000 people, including 5,000 conservation experts ...
3 min read
Monday, 17 September 2012
InterContinental Hotels & Resorts Responsible Business Week to run from 17-23 September 2012
InterContinental Hotels & Resorts today embarks on a week-long programme of activities around the world to help protect and preserve unique cultural heritage sites as part of Responsible Business Week 2012. This marks the third year of InterContinental’s Responsible Business Week in ...
1 min read
Saturday, 15 September 2012
UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova traveled to Colonia del Sacramento today, and visited the old city, which became the first World Heritage site of Uruguay in 1995.
She was accompanied by the Minister of Culture and Education, Mr. Ricardo Erlich and by the Permanent Delegate of Uruguay to UNESCO, Ambassador Omar Mesa Gonzalez.
During her visit, she met with local officials and discussed ...
1 min read
Saturday, 15 September 2012
The Jurassic Coast Earth Festival 2012 was a celebration of England’s only natural World Heritage Site – the Dorset and EastDevonCoast, commonly known as the JurassicCoast. The 95 miles of coastline from Exmouth to StudlandBay tells the story of 185 million years of the earth’s history through its geological exposures and landforms, and is inscribed on the list under ...
2 min read
Friday, 7 September 2012
The IUCN World Conservation Congress, the world’s largest and most important conservation event, began 6 September on the Island of Jeju, Republic of Korea. Held every four years, the Congress aims to improve how we manage our natural environment for human, social and economic development.
The Island of Jeju harbors one of Korea’s natural World Heritage sites (Jeju Volcanic ...
2 min read
Thursday, 6 September 2012
The recently established Arab Regional Centre for World Heritage (ARC-WH) in Manama, Bahrain, is currently recruiting a Culture Heritage Specialist. The incumbent will be responsible for the implementation of Cultural Heritage Programme for the Arab Region in ARCWH.
The Arab Regional Centre for World Heritage was established as a Category 2 Centre under the auspices of UNESCO to ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 5 September 2012
Featuring a useful week-at-a-glance design, the Desk Diary is illustrated with 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 implementation, as well as the list of States Parties ...
Monday, 3 September 2012
During her visit to Naples on the occasion of the World Urban Forum organized by UN-HABITAT, the Director-General, Irina Bokova, commended the Italian authorities, and in particular the Municipal authorities and Superintendency of Region for the positive emergency conservation achievements at the World Heritage archaeological complex of Pompei, following the collapse of walls in 2010 and ...
3 min read
Thursday, 23 August 2012
The government of Argentina has designated its 21st Wetland of International Importance, called the Humedales de Península Valdés (42,695 hectares), comprising two coastal sub-sites along the gulfs on either side of the Valdés peninsula in Patagonia, within the much larger Península Valdés World Heritage property that was inscribed in the UNESCO World ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 21 August 2012
In June 2012, the World Heritage Education Center for Youth (Beijing, China) and the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (WHC) launched the Patrimonito National Storyboard Competition, China.
Of the 103 student submissions, 15 of the storyboards were selected by the Chinese World Heritage Education Center for Youth of Beijing and sent to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre. The medals ...
3 min read
Friday, 17 August 2012
UNESCO is monitoring closely the impact of wildfires in Southern Europe and the southernmost portion of the European Union. The Organization has been in constant contact with the local authorities in affected areas. These devastating fires have not only touched World Heritage sites and Biosphere Reserves, but have also irreversibly changed the lives of many. People have been forced to abandon ...
1 min read
Friday, 17 August 2012
ICOMOS-ICORP recently launched its new website and Facebook page. ICOMOS- ICORP is the International Scientific Committee on Risk Preparedness of the International Council on Monuments and Sites ICOMOS; an International NGO dedicated towards the protection and management of cultural heritage.
The goals of the International Scientific Committee on Risk ...
1 min read
Friday, 10 August 2012
Panasonic Vietnam, in cooperation with UNESCO’s Office in Hanoi, organized the Eco Learning program on UNESCO World Heritage for students of secondary schools in Hanoi, on 9 and 10 August at the Central Sector of the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long – Hanoi (Thang Long Imperial Citadel). Representatives from the Ministry of Education and Training participated in the ...
2 min read
Friday, 10 August 2012
"Regardless of political positioning, the public is deeply concerned about the security situation in Aleppo and the safety of its citizens during the civil conflict. Aleppo, the Milennial City of Art and History, Is now in Danger, and its Cultural heritage of outstanding universal value is now under threat.
On behalf of the World Heritage Committee, while expressing our solidarity with ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 8 August 2012
Close to one thousand years ago, Anawrahta, king of the first Myanmar Empire and a staunch advocate of Theravada Buddhism, embarked on one of the most ambitious religious construction programs in history in his kingdom’s capital city, Bagan.
Today, over 3,000 temples and pagodas – the largest concentration in the world - stretch as far as the eye can see across the plains to the ...
2 min read
Monday, 6 August 2012
At its tenth session, the UN Permanent Forum on indigenous issues (UNPFII) made several recommendations relating to UNESCO, its World Heritage Committee and the advisory bodies ICOMOS, ICCROM and IUCN.
At the 34th (Brasilia, 2010), 35th (UNESCO, 2011) and 36th (St Petersburg, 2012) sessions of the World Heritage Committee, representatives of the UN Permanent Forum were present as observers ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 31 July 2012
The project ‘Protection, Preservation and Prosperity: Stories of World Heritage,’ is being launched today by UNESCO and the Smithsonian Institution to celebrate the World Heritage Convention. Using mobile phone technology to reach the wider public, the project focuses on 10 World Heritage sites which embody, in particular, the role of local communities in World Heritage ...
2 min read
Friday, 27 July 2012
In light of escalated violence in the vicinity of several historic urban areas in Syria, the Director-General reiterates her appeal of 30 March 2012, to all parties involved in the conflict to protect all Syrian cultural heritage.
UNESCO is particularly alarmed over reports of heavy fighting in Aleppo, which ancient city is a World Heritage site. Strategically positioned on historic trade ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 25 July 2012
Echoing the call of UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova, the World Heritage Committee has established a Special Fund to support Mali’s efforts to safeguard the World Heritage properties affected by the armed conflict in the north of the country, notably the sites of Timbuktu and the Tomb of Askia in Gao.
The Fund will support the Government of Mali in assessing damage at the sites, ...
1 min read
Friday, 20 July 2012
On June 24, a group of armed rebels attacked the headquarters of the Okapi Wildlife Reserve, situated in the north-east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, killing seven park staff- and their family members. Others were taken hostage or are unaccounted for. The entire Reserve infrastructure was destroyed and the 15 okapi of the Epulu Breeding and Research Station were all killed. Epulu plays ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 18 July 2012
The record of the "International Expert Meeting on the 40th Anniversary" which was held on 16 February 2012 is now available on the Japan ICOMOS website in English and Japanese.
http://www.japan-icomos.org/news.html
World Heritage Centre signs Memorandum of Understanding with the French Marine Protected Area Agency
Friday, 6 July 2012
The World Heritage Centre and the French Marine Protected Area Agency (AAMP) signed a Memorandum of Understanding in support of the conservation of marine World Heritage sites. The World Heritage Centre and AAMP have cooperated informally over the past years, in particular on efforts for the conservation marine World Heritage in the Indian Ocean and strengthening the World Heritage ...
1 min read
Friday, 6 July 2012
The World Heritage Committee Friday closed its 36th session after almost two weeks of work under the chair of Eleonora Mitrofanova, the Ambassador of Russia to UNESCO.
The Committee added 26 new sites to UNESCO’s World Heritage List during the session. It marked the 40th anniversary of the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage.
The new ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 4 July 2012
UNESCO and the nongovernmental organization Fauna and Flora International are launching an emergency appeal to support the staff and rebuild the headquarters of the Okapi Wildlife Reserve in Epulu, a small village in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. On 24 June, poachers armed with AK47 rifles attacked the facility and killed seven people, including two ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 4 July 2012
The World Heritage Thematic Programme, Human Evolution: Adaptations, Dispersals and Social Developments (HEADS) https://whc.unesco.org/en/heads/, collaborated with the UNESCO Science Sector in the organization of the 21st International Radiocarbon Conference, held from 9 to 13 July 2012, at UNESCO Headquarters.
Nuria Sanz, General Coordinator of the HEADS Programme at the World Heritage ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 3 July 2012
After a three-day expert meeting held in Italy and ending on 20 June 2012, participants concluded that there is further potential for European beech forests as World Natural Heritage. The workshop was held in the context of the existing site “Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and The Ancient Beech Forests of Germany”, and demonstrated how World Heritage was ...
2 min read
Tuesday, 3 July 2012
The World Heritage Committee on 2 July condemned the destruction of World Heritage sites in Mali and decided on measures to help the country protect its heritage.
In its decision, the 21-member Committee responsible for implementing the World Heritage Convention, called on the Director-General of UNESCO to create a special fund to help Mali in the conservation of its cultural heritage.
The ...
1 min read
Monday, 2 July 2012
The World Heritage Committee on Monday morning inscribed Lena Pillars Nature Park of the Russian Federation, the last site to be added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List during this year’s session. Chad, Congo, Palau and Palestine had World Heritage sites inscribed on the List for the first time.
Lena Pillars Nature Park is marked by spectacular rock pillars that reach a height of approximately ...
3 min read
Sunday, 1 July 2012
The World Heritage Committee on Sunday inscribed eight new sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, including Chad’s first World Heritage property. Inscriptions will continue tomorrow Monday. The new sites are:
Major Mining Sites of Walonia (Belgium): The four sites of the property form a strip that is 170km long by 3 to 15 km, crossing Belgium from east to west. It consists of the ...
5 min read
Saturday, 30 June 2012
Pearling, testimony of an island economy (Bahrain) and the Masjed-e Jāmé of Isfahan (Iran) were inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, Saturday morning.
The World Heritage Committee, the independent 21-member responsible for the World Heritage Convention, will continue examining sites nominated for inscriptions during its afternoon session and tomorrow.
Pearling, testimony ...
2 min read
Saturday, 30 June 2012
The World Heritage Committee on Saturday afternoon added the following sites to UNESCO’s World Heritage List: Gonbad-e Qābus (Iran), Archaelogical Heritage of the Lenggong Valley (Malaysia), The Landscape of Grand Pré (Canada); Heritage of Mercury (Almadén and Idrija (Slovenia/Spain); Margravial Opera House Bayreuth (Germany); Garrison Border Town of Elvas and its ...
5 min read
Saturday, 30 June 2012
UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova today expressed her distress and dismay over the destruction of three sacred tombs that are part of a World Heritage site in Timbuktu, Mali. Ms Bokova called on the belligerents to cease the destruction immediately.
“Reports that the Mausoleums of Sidi Mahmoud, Sidi Moctar and Alpha Moya have been destroyed is extremely distressing,” the ...
1 min read
Saturday, 30 June 2012
The World Heritage Centre received a letter today from the Government of Mexico’s National Commission for Natural Protected Areas formally advising it that the government had withdrawn all approvals for the development of a very large tourism development application located near Cabo Pulmo National Marine Park (CPNP). CPNP is a component of the large Islands and Protected Areas of ...
1 min read
Friday, 29 June 2012
New sites have been inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List: Birthplace of Jesus: the Church of the Nativity and the Pilgrimage Route, Bethlehem (Palestine); Site of Human Evolution at Mount Carmel: The Nahal Me’arot/Wadi el-Mughara Caves (Israel), Rock Islands Southern Lagoon (Palau), and The Cultural Landscape of Bali: the Subak System as a Manifestation of the Tri Hita Karana ...
4 min read
Friday, 29 June 2012
The Site of Xanadu (China), the Bassari Country: Bassari and Bedik Cultural Landscapes (Senegal) and the Historic Town Grand Bassam, the first capital of Côte d’Ivoire have been added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
North of the Great Wall, the Site of Xanadu encompasses the remains of Kublai Khan’s legendary capital city, designed by the Mongol ...
2 min read
Friday, 29 June 2012
The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, expressed her utmost concern with the recent fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, which is affecting several World Heritage sites. On Sunday June 24, a group of armed rebels attacked the headquarters of the Okapi Wildlife Reserve, killing at least 7 park staff. Others were taken hostage by the rebels or are still unaccounted for. All ...
2 min read
Thursday, 28 June 2012
The World Heritage Committee on Thursday accepted the request of the government of Mali to place Timbuktu and the Tomb of Askia on UNESCO’s List of World Heritage in Danger. The decision aims to raise cooperation and support for the sites threatened by the armed conflict in the region.
The Committee, meeting in St Petersburg until 6 July, also asked Mali’s neighbours to do all in ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 27 June 2012
The World Heritage Committee on Tuesday morning recognized the success of two countries, Pakistan and the Philippines, in improving the conservation of sites that had been inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger: Fort and Shalamar Gardens in Lahore (Pakistan) and the Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras (Philippines).
Successful measures have been taken to remove the threat ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 27 June 2012
Environmental factors, lack of maintenance and uncontrollable urban developments have been cited as reasons to inscribe the Fortifications on the Caribbean Side of Panama: Portobelo-San Lorenzo on UNESCO’s List of World Heritage in Danger.
The site, comprising a group of fortifications, is a magnificent example of 17th- and 18th-century military architecture built on Panama’s ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 26 June 2012
The World Heritage Committee has placed Liverpool Maritime Mercantile City on the List of World Heritage in Danger due to the proposed construction of Liverpool Waters, a massive redevelopment of the historic docklands north of the city centre.
The Committee contended that the development will extend the city centre significantly and alter the skyline and profile of the site inscribed on the ...
1 min read
Monday, 25 June 2012
Of the 33 sites nominated this year, which ones will make the cut to achieve UNESCO World Heritage status? The first day of the World Heritage Committee session began this morning, from the historic 18th century Tauride Palace (also known as “Tavrichesky” Palace) in St Petersburg, Russia. Delegations from the 21 States Parties will decide, by July 6, which sites will be added to ...
2 min read
Sunday, 24 June 2012
The challenges facing heritage preservation as UNESCO celebrates the 40th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention were the focus of the opening of the 36th session of the World Heritage Committee. The session started Sunday in St Petersburg and will continue until 6 July.
The Chairperson of the World Heritage Committee, Eleonora Valentinovna Mitrofanova, welcomed the participants ...
2 min read
36th Session of World Heritage Committee Youth Forum: Kazan (Republic of Tatarstan) 1 - 9 July, 2012
Sunday, 24 June 2012
The Youth Model of the World Heritage Committee, to be held in Kazan from 1 to 9 July, is designed to attract the attention of young people of the States Parties to the World Heritage Convention to the problem of preservating natural and cultural heritage and to raise awareness of youth activities related to the Convention, its role and its international importance as well as procedures ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 20 June 2012
On 11 June, a protocol agreement for a preservation and management project for Historic Cairo (Egypt) was signed by Mr. Samir Gharib, Head of the National Organization for Urban Harmony (NOUH), and Dr. Tarek Shawky, Head of the UNESCO Cairo office, on behalf of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre.
Attendees included H.E Mohammed Ibrahim, Minister of State for Antiquities, H.E Mohammed Saber ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 19 June 2012
Participants to the 4th annual World Heritage Centre / Earthwatch / Shell "Business Planning for natural World Heritage site managers" year long training programme have just been informed of their successful candidacies. In October 2012, 18 World Heritage site staff from 6 sites in Africa will travel to the Mpala Research Centre in the shadow of Mount Kenya World ...
1 min read
Friday, 15 June 2012
Since its inception in 2001, the Netherlands Funds-in-Trust (NFiT) at the World Heritage Centre has served the international heritage community as well as local communities in practically all regions of the world in pursuing the safeguarding and sustainable development of the World Heritage, both natural and cultural.
The agreement between the Dutch Government and UNESCO has enabled a ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 12 June 2012
Following the earthquakes that struck the region of Emilia in northern Italy, notably since May 20, the UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova dispatched an urgent technical mission with the objective of assessing the overall situation at the affected World Heritage properties. The mission also aimed to evaluate the current risks related to the evolution of the seismic phenomenon ...
2 min read
Saturday, 9 June 2012
The Consultative Meeting on World Heritage and Sustainable Development, held in Ouro Preto, Brazil from 5 to 8 February, was a contribution to the celebration the 40th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention. In the first session, all speakers stressed the need to redefine the paradigm of this important topic in the face of growing inequalities and global challenges.
This ...
1 min read
Friday, 8 June 2012
In celebration of World Oceans Day, the World Heritage Centre is launching an iPhone app. This years’ Oceans Day theme “Youth: the Next Wave for Change” inspired the World Heritage Centre to go mobile. Of the 6,000 marine protected areas on the planet, only 45 are inscribed on the World Heritage List, the highest internationally recognized status for conservation. The ...
1 min read
Friday, 8 June 2012
The UNESCO World Heritage Centre would like to express its sincere condolences to the friends and family of Professor Philip Vallentine Tobias, who passed away on Thursday, 7 June 2012 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Professor Tobias, born on 14 October 1925, was an exceptional paleoanthropologist and an inspiration to generations of students. He was internationally renowned for his commitment ...
1 min read
Thursday, 7 June 2012
As requested by Director-General Irina Bokova, a team of experts has traveled to northern Italy to assess damage to World Heritage sites following recent earthquakes.
On 20 May 2012 a powerful earthquake hit the region of Emilia Romagna, in the north of Italy, followed by numerous aftershocks. This caused considerable damage to several important historic buildings. The three World Heritage ...
1 min read
Friday, 1 June 2012
The World Heritage Committee will consider the inscription of 36 sites on the World Heritage List during its next meeting from 24 June to 6 July, in Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation.
The forthcoming 36 th session of the Committee , an independent body of 21 States Parties to the 1972 World Heritage Convention , will be chaired by. Eleonora Mitrofanova, Ambassador Permanent Delegate ...
4 min read
Wednesday, 30 May 2012
The World Heritage Inventory of Earthen Architecture is now available in English and French online: https://whc.unesco.org/en/earthen-architecture/ (see documents 2 and 3).
In 2008, the World Heritage Programme on Earthen architecture (WHEAP) was launched as an initiative to address pressing concerns through the development of policies for the conservation, revitalisation and ...
1 min read
Government of Mali and UNESCO move to protect Timbuktu and other heritage sites in the north of Mali
Thursday, 24 May 2012
The Government of Mali and UNESCO have defined measures to safeguard World Heritage Properties in the north of Mali, including the fabled city of Timbuktu, following reports of wilful damage to mausoleums in the World Heritage site.
UNESCO’s Assistant Director-General for Africa, Lalla Aicha Ben Barka, travelled to Bamako (18 – 20 May) and met senior government officials ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 23 May 2012
The Rivers and Heritage website was officially launched on 15 March 2012 at the World Water Forum in Marseille (France), during the session “Water Culture in local governance” organized by the AIMF in partnership with l'Académie de l'Eau and UNESCO in the framework of the France-UNESCO Convention. The site lies within the framework of the Rivers and Heritage, conducted ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 22 May 2012
The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, today called for the protection of Libya’s Old City of Ghadamès inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1986.
“I am deeply concerned by information that the Libyan city of Ghadamès has been the target of rocket attacks,” the Director-General said. “I call upon all those involved to refrain from ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 22 May 2012
The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, today extended her condolences to the inhabitants of northern Italy for the loss of human life and suffering caused by the earthquake that shook the region on May 20.
The Director-General also said that UNESCO is sending a mission to assess damage to World Heritage sites and other cultural heritage in northern Italy.
“While initial reports from ...
1 min read
Thursday, 17 May 2012
The conference Living with World Heritage, held in Røros, Norway from 13 to 16 May 2012, was part of Norway`s official contribution to the celebration of the World Heritage Convention`s 40th anniversary. Almost 140 persons from 28 countries participated.
The themes of the conference were sustainable development and the role of local communities, with a primary ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 9 May 2012
On 7 May 2012, UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova and H.E. Ms Katalin Bogyay, Ambassador of Hungary and President of UNESCO's General Conference, signed the new Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape adopted by the General conference on 10 November 2011. The Recommendation was adopted by acclamation, the first such instrument on the historic environment issued by UNESCO in 35 ...
1 min read
Friday, 4 May 2012
UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova expressed her great concern following the desecration of the graves of Sidi Mahmoud in Mali by the Ansar Dine group on 4 May 2012. According to information UNESCO received, the front door of the mausoleum and its protective curtain have been burned and the people of Timbuktu who gather there every Friday for prayer were prevented from accessing it.
"This ...
1 min read
Friday, 20 April 2012
The World Heritage property “Frontiers of the Roman Empire” has received £537,185 (US$ 850,406) in funding from SITA Trust to underwrite a conservation project that will restore dilapidated portions of the site located in the United Kingdom. The project will be administered by Hadrian’s Wall Heritage.
Originally inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1987 as ...
1 min read
Friday, 20 April 2012
Members of the Coordinating Committee on the Serial World Heritage Nomination of the Silk Roads release recommendations for two priority transnational heritage corridors of Silk Roads Serial and Transnational Nomination
Following their meeting in Tashkent, a group of 30 experts from 5 Central Asian countries and China as well as international experts from UK, Japan and Belgium, today ...
2 min read
Monday, 2 April 2012
Sydney Opera House was among the World Heritage sites around the globe participating in Earth Hour 2012, the environmental campaign to draw attention to the effects of climate change through turning off the lights for one hour, from 8.30 to 9.30pm on 31 March 2012.
To see a list of the participating ...
Monday, 2 April 2012
In reaction to recent events in Northern Mali, UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova expresses her deep concern about the possible consequences of the ongoing armed conflict on the invaluable cultural World Heritage property located in Timbuktu and Gao. The recent takeover of these cities by the Tuareg rebels could have damaging effects on the management and conservation of the three mosques ...
1 min read
Friday, 30 March 2012
The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, today called for the protection of the cultural heritage of Syria.
‘Following a number of media reports that Syria’s cultural heritage is threatened by the current conflict, I wish to express my grave concern about possible damage to precious sites and to call upon all those involved in the conflict to ensure the protection of ...
2 min read
Friday, 30 March 2012
In the sacred place of Tenochtitlan, archaeologists from INAH-Conaculta (The Mexican National Institute of Anthropology and History and the Mexican National Council for Culture and the Arts), have found 23 tombstones over 550 years old, with etched images of snakes, prisoners, ornaments and warriors, which, as a whole, appears to depict the story alluding to the birth of Huitzilopochtli and ...
3 min read
Friday, 30 March 2012
The International World Heritage Expert Meeting on Criterion (vi) and associative values which took place in Warsaw, Poland, 28-30 March 2012, adopted its recommendations at a closing session today. The conclusions and recommendations will be presented to the 36th session of the World Heritage Committee in Saint Petersburg June 2012.
The meeting appreciated the support of the ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 28 March 2012
UNESCO Director-General, Irina Bokova underlined the importance of better integrating cultural heritage preservation and sustainable tourism during the Roundtable on World Heritage and Sustainable Tourism, held in Miami on 19 March. She highlighted that cultural heritage is a powerful driver of social and economic development for local communities.
Also participating in this Roundtable were ...
3 min read
Wednesday, 28 March 2012
World Heritage and literacy were bookends to a day where Philadelphia opened its arms to UNESCO, during the second day of Director-General Irina Bokova’s visit to the United States on Thursday.Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar joined the Director-General to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the World Heritage Convention at morning ceremonies held at Independence Hall, where in 1776 ...
3 min read
Wednesday, 28 March 2012
With a stunning visit to the Everglades the day before serving as a strong reminder, Director-General Irina Bokova turned her attention to a private-public sector roundtable on World Heritage and Sustainable Tourism in Miami on Monday. Joining a panel of local leaders in the tourism industry and conservation, the Director-General highlighted the importance of better integrating cultural ...
3 min read
Wednesday, 28 March 2012
UNESCO will partner with World Wildlife Fund (WWF) for Earth Hour, one of the world's largest and most well-known environmental campaigns in the world. UNESCO has invited World Heritage sites to participate in this initiative by switching off the lights on the night of Earth Hour: Saturday, 31 March 2012, from 8:30 to 9:30pm local time. The lights will also be switched off at UNESCO ...
1 min read
Thursday, 22 March 2012
IUCN and UNEP-WCMC have compiled a KML layer with key information on the natural and mixed World Heritage sites inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as of 1 January 2012. The information comes from the latest version of the World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA). The WDPA is a joint project of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and IUCN, maintained at the UNEP World ...
1 min read
Thursday, 22 March 2012
From 12-15 March 2012, the Swiss luxury watch manufacturer Jaeger-LeCoultre, partner of UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre since 2008, organized its fourth online auction for the benefit of World Heritage marine sites. This year, the Manufacture auctioned a new water-resistant watch inspired by the Memovox Deep Sea: Prototype N° 1 of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Deep Sea Vintage ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 21 March 2012
On January 15th, forest fires were spotted on the slopes of Mount Kenya, the highest mountain in Africa. Inscribed onto the World Heritage list in 1997, Mount Kenya is a critical refuge for a host of iconic species, ranging from the African elephant, the leopard, and a variety of antelopes and rare birds. The mountain is also referred to as Kenya’s water tower, as it captures high altitude ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 20 March 2012
The World Heritage Centre took part in a Conference organized by the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN-ISDR) and the Municipality of Venice on "Building Cities Resilience to Disasters in Europe: Protecting Cultural Heritage and Adapting to Climate Change" (Venice, 19-20 March 2012).
Part of the international campaign called "Making my City Resilient - My City is Getting ...
2 min read
Friday, 16 March 2012
To contribute to the 2012 celebration of the 40th Anniversary of the World Heritage Convention, the Cultural Heritage Administration of the Republic of Korea (CHA) and the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (WHC) recently launched the World Heritage Youth Storyboard Competition at the national level. Adapting the theme of the 40th anniversary on the role of local ...
2 min read
Thursday, 15 March 2012
Professor Herb Stovel, one of the world’s most renowned experts in heritage conservation, recently passed away in Ottawa, Canada.
During his long career, Professor Stovel made an outstanding contribution to heritage conservation and to the World Heritage Convention in particular. As a scholar and a teacher of exceptional intellectual curiosity and rigour, he has had a huge impact on the ...
1 min read
Thursday, 15 March 2012
The National Park Service of the United States of America is celebrating the World Heritage Convention with events throughout the year. For more information, there is an interactive website:
http://www.nps.gov/oia/topics/worldheritage/World_Heritage_Anniversary.htm
Tuesday, 13 March 2012
The World Heritage Centre has just been informed that a Ministerial Order, signed on 1 September 2011, delivers to SOCO (South Africa Congo Oil) a Certificate of Environmental Acceptability in order to exercise an oil exploration campaign by the acquisition of aeromagnetic and aerogravimetric data in block V of the Albertine Rift (Virunga National Park), Democratic Republic of Congo ...
2 min read
Monday, 12 March 2012
Dr. Sami El-Masri, Deputy Director General for Arts, Culture and Heritage, Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority, with the Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Mr Kishore Rao, opened today the International Expert Meeting on Integrity for Cultural Heritage. The meeting is held from 12 to 14 March 2012, in Al Ain and is hosted by the United Arab Emirates in collaboration with the ...
1 min read
Thursday, 8 March 2012
Aztec Ruins, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1987 as part of the Chaco Culture designation, celebrated the 25th anniversary of its inscription on February 24 2012, joining the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention.
More information about the event, organized in collaboration with the National Parks Service (NPS), can be found in the ...
Thursday, 8 March 2012
On 6 March 2012, Liverpool City Council’s Planning Committee granted outline planning permission for the Peel Holdings £5.5bn Liverpool Waters scheme. The permission is subject to the signing of a legal agreement and has to be referred to the Government which will decide whether a public inquiry will be held.
Experts from UNESCO's World Heritage Centre and from the International ...
1 min read
Thursday, 8 March 2012
On 12 August 2011, the Government of Brunei Darassalam and on 8 December 2011, the Government of Palestine officially deposited with the Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, their instruments of ratification, becoming the 188th and 189th State Parties to adopt the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage.
The World Heritage Convention entered into ...
Wednesday, 7 March 2012
Women in Mali have developed over the last decades specific skills in terms of textile dyeing. This activity provides many employment opportunities for women, as their production is being exported all throughout the sub-region. However, since chemical dyeing products are being used and polluted waste water released in water drainage canals or in the Niger River, this activity entails water ...
1 min read
Saturday, 3 March 2012
In March 2012, the Cultural Heritage Administration of the Republic of Korea (CHA) and the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (WHC) launched the Patrimonito National Storyboard Competition, Republic of Korea.
Of the 143 student submissions, 10 of the storyboards were selected by the Korean Cultural Heritage Administration and were then sent to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, ...
2 min read
Friday, 2 March 2012
Thanks to Quindío being declared as part of the UNESCO World Heritage property, Coffee Cultural Landscape (Colombia), the exploration of hydrocarbons in this area has been stopped by order of the Council of State. The decree was issued less than eight days ago and demands the suspension of all exploration by the National Agency of Hydrocarbons and the Drilling 2010 consortium in the ...
1 min read
Friday, 2 March 2012
Takuya Okada, Chairman of the AEON Environmental Foundation and Honorary Chairman of AEON Co., Ltd., announced today the opening of nominations for the MIDORI Prize for Biodiversity.
The MIDORI Prize is a biennial international prize, established by the AEON Environmental Foundation, in 2010, during the International Year of Biodiversity, that honours individuals who have made outstanding ...
2 min read
Friday, 2 March 2012
A joint international expert mission to the World Heritage property of Great Barrier Reef by the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (WHC), and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is taking place from 5 to 14 March 2012.
The World Heritage Committee, at its 35th session in June 2011 (Paris) examined the state of conservation of Great Barrier Reef (Australia), inscribed on the ...
2 min read
Friday, 2 March 2012
To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, two young Indian men, Aniketh MJ and Sulesh Kumar, are planning to visit India’s 28 World Heritage sites over a span of 3 months starting March 5th, 2012, travelling mainly by bus and train.
With this trip they would like to create a bond between the current generation of Indians and the wonderful ...
1 min read
Thursday, 1 March 2012
UNESCO and Collins are delighted to announce the publication of The World’s Heritage (2nd Edition) – the definitive, best-selling guide to all 936 UNESCO World Heritage sites. This is the first book to describe all the sites on the List fully, including the most recent additions to the List in 2011.
Only the world's most spectacular and extraordinary sites make it onto UNESCO's ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 29 February 2012
To mark the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the UNESCOWorld Heritage Convention, Dentsu, EVERGREEN Digital Contents and NTT DOCOMO, in collaboration with the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, have launched a special cartoon film featuring the friendship between “Patrimonito”, the mascot of the World Heritage Education programme, and “Docomodake”, the mascot of NTT ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 14 February 2012
Expert Working Group meeting held in Tokyo, releases recommendations for Safeguarding World Heritage property of the Bamiyan Valley, Afghanistan
Following their meeting in UNESCO Headquarters in 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, have ...
2 min read
Monday, 13 February 2012
It is rare for a Director-General to present a certificate of World Heritage in person, but the temples, gardens and archaeological site of Hiraizumi, inscribed on the List in 2011, marked an exception.
Located in north-east Japan, the 12th-century site, representing the Buddhist Pure Land gained its world heritage status three months after the earthquake and tsunami devastated the ...
2 min read
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
