News

“I am sincerely distressed by the recent attacks against cultural heritage in Yemen. These attacks increase the human suffering and deprive the people of Yemen of their culture, which is an essential element of their identity, a source of fulfillent and a major asset for the future recovery and development of the country” declared the Director General of UNESCO, Ms. Irina Bokova. According ...

World Heritage attracts and fascinates: media around the world publish thousands of articles about it every year and countries invest a great deal of work and money to get sites inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. Yet not enough is known about the conservation and management efforts that go into protecting the Outstanding Universal Value of the 1000+ sites that are currently on the ...

Geneva, 18 February 2016 - Official Representatives of the Parties to seven global biodiversity-related conventions[1] met at the United Nations Office in Geneva from 8 to 11 February 2016 to explore ways to strengthen synergies and improve efficiency among the conventions with a view to enhancing their implementation at all levels. Assisted in their work by the heads and staff of the ...

As part of the 40th session of the World Heritage Committee and in the framework of the UNESCO World Heritage Education Programme, the Turkish National Commission for UNESCO and the Istanbul Site Management Directorate are organizing the World Heritage Youth Forum 2016: “At the Crossroads of Multi-Layered Heritage” from 29 June to 12 July 2016. Young representatives, aged from 22 to 28, from ...

Paris, 16 February, 2016 - UNESCO Director-General, Ms Irina Bokova, expressed her deep sadness at the passing today of Mr Boutros Boutros-Ghali, former Secretary-General of the United Nations, the first Secretary-General of La Francophonie. “Boutros Boutros-Ghali devoted his life to promoting the ideals of a more just, peaceful and equitable world, the importance of democratizing ...

The draft Baseline Assessment report prepared under the coordination of ICOMOS and IUCN ECARO has been published for comments as part of the project ““Towards strengthened governance of the shared transboundary natural and cultural heritage of the Lake Ohrid region” funded by the European Union and the Ministry of Environment of Albania. The Baseline Assessment report provides crucial ...

Procurement notice: consultancy contract to lead the drafting of a Local Plan for Integrated Solid Waste Management in Pogradec Municipality, Lake Ohrid region, Albania As a partner in the implementation of the project “Towards strengthened governance of the shared transboundary natural and cultural heritage of the Lake Ohrid region”, the IUCN Regional Office for Eastern Europe and Central ...

Paris, 15 February—UNESCO’s Director-General, Irina Bokova, and the Italian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Paolo Gentiloni, will sign an agreement on the establishment of a Task Force of cultural heritage experts in the framework of UNESCO’s global coalition Unite for Heritage on 16 February in Rome. Under the agreement, UNESCO will be able to ask the Italian Government to make experts of the ...

The international dialogue on "Understanding rights practices in the World Heritage system: lessons from the Asia-Pacific and the global area" took place in Caux, Switzerland from 18 to 19 January 2016. The meeting was organized by the University of Lucerne in cooperation with ICOMOS and IUCN, with support from the Swiss Network for International Studies, ICOMOS Norway and the Swiss National ...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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