News

Thee World Heritage Committee at its 43rd session (Baku,  2019) confirms start of the Third Cycle of Periodic Reporting exercise in the Africa region.The Third Cycle of Periodic Reporting ( a global World Heritage conservation monitoring exercise carried out in six-year cycles, shall begin in this second half of September 2019. 46 African States Parties with 96 World Heritage properties (53 ...

On 16 July 2019, US$ 2.9 million (NOK 25 million) were received from Norway as part of a partnership agreement signed last month supporting UNESCO's work in various fields, including heritage preservation. These funds will be dedicated to the preservation of natural World Heritage sites in Africa. The significant increase in Norway’s contribution vividly demonstrates its commitment to the ...

Mangroves are rare, spectacular and prolific ecosystems on the boundary between land and sea. These extra ordinary ecosystems contribute to the wellbeing, food security, and protection of coastal communities worldwide. They support a rich biodiversity and provide a valuable nursery habitat for fish and crustaceans. Mangroves also act as a form of natural coastal defense against storm surges, ...

As a side event of the meeting of the World Heritage Committee (Baku from 1 to 10 July), UNESCO and its partners met on 5 July to take stock of the initiative launched in October 2018 to strengthen coral reef adaptation to climate change. The initiative aims to establish an effective strategy for climate change resilience in five coral reefs inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List: the ...

On 3 July 2019, during its 43rd session in Baku, Azerbaijan, the World Heritage Committee inscribed the Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of California in Mexico on the List of World Heritage in Danger. One of the main reasons for this decision is the current vulnerable situation of the vaquita species, whose population, according to the most recent scientific evidence, has drastically ...

The 2019 edition of the World Heritage Young Professionals Forum gathered 30 participants from 30 countries to address the global challenge of heritage protection and conservation in the 21st century. Following the case studies of the World Heritage proprieties in Azerbaijan, the theme of this year’s Forum was chosen as “World Heritage: Local Insights for Global Challenges”. During the ...

For the first time, indigenous peoples from across the globe gathered during the 43rd session of the World Heritage Committee in Baku, Azerbaijan, to highlight the importance of indigenous languages for safeguarding World Heritage properties. In an event marking the International Year of Indigenous Languages 2019, the indigenous panelists stressed that without language, there can be no ...

The city of Fuzhou (China) will host the next session of the World Heritage Committee in 2020. This decision concluded the work of the 43rd session of the World Heritage Committee, meeting in Baku since 30 June. During this year’s session, the World Heritage Committee inscribed a total of 29 new sites on the World Heritage List (one in Africa, two in the Arab States, ten in the Asia Pacific ...

The World Heritage Policy Compendium - a consolidated source of policy decisions made under the Convention - is now online. The World Heritage Policy Compendium is a collection of policies that have guided the implementation of the World Heritage Convention since its adoption in 1972. It assembles the policies adopted by the World Heritage Committee and General Assembly of States Parties in ...

During its meeting in Baku this afternoon, the World Heritage Committee, inscribed two cultural sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, ending this year’s inscriptions on the List. The newly added sites, by order of inscription: Le Colline del Prosecco di Conegliano e Valdobbiadene (Italy) — Located in north-eastern Italy, the site includes part of the vinegrowing landscape of the Prosecco ...

During its meeting in Baku this morning, the World Heritage Committee inscribed six cultural sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. The newly inscribed sites are located in Azerbaijan, Portugal, the Russian Federation, Spain, and the UK. Inscriptions will continue in the afternoon. New sites, by order of inscription:  Royal Building of Mafra—Palace, Basilica, Convent, Cerco Garden and ...

During its meeting in Baku this afternoon, the World Heritage Committee inscribed seven cultural sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. The sites added this afternoon are located in Canada, Czechia, Germany, Republic of Korea, Myanmar and Poland. Inscriptions will continue tomorrow, 7 July. New sites, by order of inscription: Bagan (Myanmar) — Lying on a bend of the Ayeyarwady River in the ...

During the morning session of its current meeting, in Baku, the World Heritage Committee inscribed seven cultural sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. The sites added to the List are situated in Australia, Bahrain, China, India, Indonesia, Japan and People’s Democratic Republic of Lao. Inscriptions will continue through 7 July. New sites, by order of inscription:  Dilmun Burial Mounds ...

During its morning session, the World Heritage Committee, meeting in Baku until 10 July, inscribed two natural sites in China and in the Islamic Republic of Iran on the UNESCO’s World Heritage List: Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the Coast of Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf of China (Phase I) (China)—The site features an intertidal mudflat system considered to be the largest in the world. These ...

The World Heritage Committee inscribed five new sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage List this afternoon. Among them are two natural sites, one in France and one in Iceland, a mixed, i.e. natural and cultural, site in Brazil and two cultural sites in Burkina Faso and Iraq. The Committee also approved the extension of the transboundary natural and cultural heritage site of the Ohrid region ...

On 4 July 2019, a special event devoted to the theme "Qhapaq Ñan, Sharing experiences and good practices" brought together representatives of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru with the aim of sharing their collaborative achievements in management and conservation of this serial and transboundary World Heritage site.  Participants presented concrete and important results ...

During the 43rd session of the World Heritage Committee currently taking place until 10 July in Baku (Azerbaijan), four decisions concerning the Middle East were adopted by consensus, after constructive discussions between all delegations involved including Israel, Jordan and Palestine, and mediation by the UNESCO Secretariat. In her opening statement to the Committee, UNESCO ...

The World Heritage Committee, meeting in Baku since 30 June, has decided to inscribe the Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of California (Mexico) on the List of World Heritage in Danger due to concerns about the imminent extinction of the vaquita, an endemic porpoise in the Gulf of California. Mexico has made efforts to protect these threatened species, notably by creating a refuge for ...

The World Heritage Committee, meeting in Baku since 30 June, today decided to remove the Birthplace of Jesus: the Church of the Nativity and the Pilgrimage Route, Bethlehem (Palestine) from the List of World Heritage in Danger. The Committee said its decision was due to the high quality of work carried out on the Nativity Church, the restoration of its roof, exterior facades, mosaics and ...

The World Heritage Committee, meeting in Baku since 30 June, decided to remove the site of Humberstone and Santa Laura Saltpeter Works (Chile) from the List of World Heritage in Danger thanks to the national authorities’ measures to ensure its sustainable conservation and management. The Saltpeter Works were inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2005 and, simultaneously, on the List of ...