2401 news
Thursday, 19 November 2015
The World Meteorological Organization is launching a series of climate change videos featuring TV weather presenters ahead of the COP21 climate conference (21st Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) to be held in France from 30 November to 11 December 2015.
If humanity’s greenhouse gas emissions continue to increase, the ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 18 November 2015
On 16 November 2015, the 38th Session of the General Conference of UNESCO adopted a resolution proclaiming May 5th as African World Heritage Day, in conjunction with the 10th anniversary of UNESCO’s decision to create the African World Heritage Fund (AWHF) (2006-2016).
This Resolution, in line with UNESCO’s Priority Africa programme, is aimed to increase international awareness of African ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 18 November 2015
On 17 November 2015, the Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Mechtild Rössler and her team met with the Haitian Minister of Culture, Ms Dithny Joan RATON. Discussions focused on strengthening cooperation in the field of World Heritage, including projects at the Citadel (of the National History Park – Citadel, Sans Souci, Ramiers World Heritage site) and the need to revise the ...
1 min read
Saturday, 14 November 2015
The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, today condemned the attacks, unprecedented in the history of France, perpetrated in Paris on 13 November.
Ms Bokova said, “On behalf of UNESCO and in my own name, I present my most heartfelt condolences to the people of France and to all the mourning families so terribly bereft by these barbaric acts. This crime affects us all. It represents an ...
1 min read
Friday, 13 November 2015
On the occasion of the 38th session of the General Conference of UNESCO, Ms. Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, Mr Stanley Mutumba Simataa, President of the 38th session of the General Conference, and His Excellency Mr. Jean-Marie Adoua, President of the African Group, hosted a side event to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the creation of the African World Heritage Fund (AWHF) and ...
1 min read
Director of UNESCO World Heritage Centre meets team from the European Bank for Reconstruction (EBRD)
Friday, 13 November 2015
The Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre has met with the team from the European Bank for Reconstruction and exchanged views on heritage impact assessments related to World Heritage properties, especially for consultations on cultural heritage within ESIA processes. Participants from the EBRD included Debbie Cousins, Team Leader for Environmental and Sustainability; Elizabeth Smith, ...
1 min read
Thursday, 12 November 2015
On 12 November 2015, H.E. Shaikha Mai Bint Mohammed Al-Khalifa, President of the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities and Chairperson of the Board of the Arab Regional Centre for World Heritage (ARC-WH), presented a contribution of $200,000 USD to Mounir Bouchenaki, Director of ARC-WH to support the implementation of the Arab States Regional Programme. Mechtild Rössler, Director of ...
1 min read
Thursday, 12 November 2015
UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre and IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature, the official advisory body on natural World Heritage, have welcomed a new commitment by British company Tullow Oil plc to stay out of World Heritage sites. The firm had received a licence to explore for oil in an area overlapping Kenya’s World Heritage-listed Lake Turkana National Parks.
The World ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 11 November 2015
On 10 November 2015, World Heritage Centre Director Mechtild Rössler, and Panama Minister of Environment Mirei Endara, met for the first time since the establishment of the new government in Panama.
The meeting focused on conservation issues in Coiba National Park and its Special Zone of Marine Protection and the forthcoming mission to the transboundary site (with Costa Rica) Talamanca ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 11 November 2015
The meeting between Mechtild Rössler, Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, and Ana Tostões on 10 November 2015 focused on conservation and documentation of Modern Heritage worldwide and allowed to strengthen the links between the World Heritage Centre and DOCOMOMO (International Committee for Documentation and Conservation of buildings, sites and neighborhoods of the modern ...
1 min read
Monday, 9 November 2015
Today Mr Mamoun Abdulkarim, Director-General of Antiquities and Museums (DGAM, Syrian Arab Republic) met with UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova, Assistant Director-General for Culture Francesco Bandarin, and Director of the World Heritage Centre Mechtild Rössler, as well as experts in the field of heritage conservation.
Discussions focused on the state of the art of cultural heritage in ...
1 min read
Monday, 9 November 2015
Pacific Region Training on HUL in Shanghai (China) 14-17 December 2015
The 2015 WHITRAP Asia-Pacific Region Training on Historic Urban Landscaoe (HUL) aims to update professionals on the what, why and how of HUL with the latest developments in the field. Furthermore, through this training course, WHITRAP seeks to strengthen and expand the specialist network for HUL in this area of the world ...
3 min read
Friday, 6 November 2015
On 22 October 2015, the UNESCO Regional Office in Dakar united 31 experts, site managers, advisory body and community representatives in Cabo Verde to update the national Tentative List of natural and cultural properties Cabo Verde is considering nominating for future UNESCO World Heritage inscription.
A success story
The first Cabo Verde’s Tentative List, submitted to the World Heritage ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 4 November 2015
The World Heritage Centre (WHC) is pleased to announce the Call for Projects for the World Heritage Volunteers (WHV) Campaign 2016. In the framework of the UNESCO World Heritage Education Programme, the Initiative is led by the UNESCO World Heritage Centre (WHC) in collaboration with the Co-ordinating Committee for International Voluntary Service (CCIVS), European Heritage Volunteers (as a ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 4 November 2015
The Rapid Response Facility has made an emergency grant to Garamba National Park, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to help tackle the continuing elephant poaching crisis there. Over 215 elephants have been killed in the past 18 months, and the park’s elephant population is now estimated to have fallen to between 1,100-1,400 individuals. If the poaching continues unchecked, it could lead to ...
2 min read
Tuesday, 3 November 2015
The Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture has published a positive strategic plan for the preservation of world’s heritage for the next ten years.
The publication entitled Our Common Heritage focuses mainly on the national strategy for heritage preservation, but encourages also the collaboration on Nordic and international levels, particularly with properties in the developing ...
1 min read
Monday, 2 November 2015
On 1st November 2015, the Korean National Commission for UNESCO announced a donation of 100,000 USD to the World Heritage Fund.
The announcement was made at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris by the Korean National Commission Secretary-General, Mr Dong-seok Min, in the presence of UNESCO Director-General, Ms Irina Bokova, and the Director of the World Heritage Centre, Ms Mechtild Rössler.
The ...
1 min read
Monday, 2 November 2015
Many different types of professionals respond to an unfolding crisis.This course provides strategies for interlocking culture specialists with humanitarian specialists during an emergency situation and aims to unify these sometimes conflicting perspectives. The course imparts practical skills and knowledge for taking simple measures to secure and stabilize endangered cultural heritage during ...
1 min read
Thursday, 29 October 2015
Christmas Eve 1968 might seem like a strange date to mark as a pivotal point in our understanding of Earth.
Yet it was on that date that William Anders of Apollo 8 took the first color photo of earth from afar rising above the grey surface of the moon. Now nearly five decades later we have realized we live on an ocean world and yet protection of the open ocean – the high seas - has still ...
3 min read
Monday, 26 October 2015
UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre welcomes the U.K. government's decision to reject the planning permission for the Navitus Bay Wind Park proposal offshore from the World Heritage property Dorset and East Devon Coast, often referred to as Jurassic Coast.
This decision followed a detailed application review process which took into consideration the importance of the World Heritage site inscribed ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 21 October 2015
Call for Applications for Cultural Mediterranean Projects.
The Marc de Montalembert grant - 7000 euros - helps young people from countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea and below 28 years of age to undertake a project corresponding to a personal vocation and dedicated to the cultures or arts and crafts of the Mediterranean. Since 1994 Twenty five projects have been implemented by winners ...
Thursday, 8 October 2015
The Albanian government has joined the EU in supporting UNESCO’s project aimed at the sustainable development of the Lake Ohrid region, a transboundary region in Albania and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
Two-thirds of Lake Ohrid is inscribed as a World Heritage site on the Macedonian side of the lake. The protection of this site would be further reinforced by extending World ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 6 October 2015
On September 27, six weeks after it began exploratory drilling off the Northwest Coast of Alaska, Royal Dutch Shell announced that it is abandoning its quest for Arctic oil. Shell’s decision to cease operations in the Chukchi Sea is excellent news for the Natural System of Wrangel Island Reserve nearby.
The Natural System of Wrangel Island Reserve is the only marine World Heritage site in ...
2 min read
Monday, 5 October 2015
During the eighth Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation Awards prize-giving ceremony, held in Monaco on 2 October 2015, H.S.H. Prince Albert II presented the Biodiversity Award to Emmanuel de Merode for his outstanding commitment to the preservation of the biodiversity of the Virunga National Park, one of five World Heritage sites of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Each year, the ...
1 min read
Monday, 5 October 2015
The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, strongly condemned the destruction of the Arch of Triumph in Palmyra, a civil monument two thousand years old and symbol of the city inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
"This new destruction shows how extremists are terrified by history and culture – because understanding the past undermines and delegitimizes their claims – and embodies an ...
2 min read
Monday, 5 October 2015
From 13 to 16 October 2015, Turin will host the 3rd World Forum on Local Economic Development and launch the EXTO-EXPO 2015 programme. Within this framework, the Centro Studi Silvia Santagata-Ebla (CSS-Ebla, Turin, Italy), is organising, with the support of the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe, Venice (Italy), the pilot edition of a capacity-building workshop on the ...
2 min read
Sunday, 4 October 2015
In October 2015, a joint UNESCO/ICOMOS/RAMSAR reactive monitoring mission will take place to the World Heritage site "Venice and its lagoon”(Italy), as requested by the World Heritage Committee to assess current conditions at the property.
The World Heritage property of Venice and its lagoon was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1987. The UNESCO World Heritage Centre closely follows ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 29 September 2015
Biodiversity and sustainable development are inextricably linked. Biodiversity, at the level of ecosystems, species and genes, forms the foundation of the Earth’s life support systems and provides the services that underpin human lives and prosperity. Our social and economic well-being depends on biodiversity, as does our future.
World leaders are now gathered at United Nations Headquarters ...
5 min read
Monday, 28 September 2015
Sustainable planning and management of tourism is one of the most pressing challenges facing the World Heritage Convention today and is the focus of the UNESCO World Heritage and Sustainable Tourism Programme. The workshop on “Protecting World Heritage: Disaster Risk Management and Sustainable Tourism Planning” in Romania will set the basis for the development of a value-based management ...
2 min read
Sunday, 27 September 2015
The UNESCO Heritage Division and its World Heritage Centre is very pleased to participate in World Tourism Day, especially given the collaboration of the World Heritage Convention with the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), in efforts to develop sustainable tourism.
World Heritage sites are the most outstanding cultural and natural places in the world, so they are often among the most ...
3 min read
Saturday, 26 September 2015
New York, 26 September — The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, today welcomed transfer of an alleged extremist to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague to be tried for destroying religious and historical monuments in Mali.
"I commend Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda and the authorities of Mali and Niger for transferring the first suspect to the ICC accused of the war crime of ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 23 September 2015
The second Transboundary Platform Meeting of the project “Towards strengthened governance of the shared transboundary natural and cultural heritage of the Lake Ohrid region” will take place on 2 October 2015 in Ohrid, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. This initiative is part of a total of six meetings that aim to support the Albanian and Macedonian governments in their efforts to ...
2 min read
Tuesday, 22 September 2015
Mechtild Rössler has been appointed Director of the Division for Heritage and the UNESCO World Heritage Centre.
An expert in both cultural and natural heritage and the history of planning, Ms Rössler was appointed in 2013 to the post of Deputy Director of the World Heritage Centre. Since 2014, as Deputy Director of the Division for Heritage, her tasks included overseeing teams of the ...
1 min read
Monday, 21 September 2015
Last month, the Marine World Heritage Programme traveled to Norway to facilitate an exchange between the West Norwegian Fjords - Geirangerfjord and Nærøyfjord and Glacier Bay National Park.
These two marine World Heritage sites share a challenge and an opportunity: both are popular cruise ship destinations and are threatened by pollution from tourism traffic. In Glacier Bay, a competitive ...
3 min read
Monday, 21 September 2015
Illegal fishing threatens 30% of Marine World Heritage sites, and resources for monitoring and enforcement are always a challenge. Thanks to long-time World Heritage partner Jaeger-LeCoultre, Cocos Island National Park’s efforts to fight illegal fishing recently got a major boost. The Swiss watch manufacture donated 30,000 euros, raised through the auction of diving watches inspired by World ...
2 min read
Thursday, 17 September 2015
Following the 39th session of the World Heritage Committee and in view of the 10th anniversary of UNESCO/African Union launching of the African World Heritage Fund (AWHF), the World Heritage Centre brought together African heritage experts to reflect on the implementation of the World Heritage Convention in the Africa region at a two and half day workshop held at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris ...
3 min read
Monday, 14 September 2015
The UNESCO World Heritage Centre is pleased to announce the Call for Participants for the First Youth Regional Forum for the World Heritage in Asia.
The UNESCO World Heritage Centre and Cambodian National Commission for UNESCO will organize the forum from 25 November to 3 December 2015 in Siem Reap, Cambodia. We welcome the participation of all interested young future experts.
The forum ...
2 min read
Sunday, 13 September 2015
The thirteenth Episode of the Patrimonito cartoon films on the theme of World Heritage and Biodiversity is now available.
The plot is set in the World Heritage site of the Sundarbans National Park located in India. The Sundarbans contains the world’s largest area of mangrove forests and is home to numerous rare and endangered species, including tigers, mammals, birds and reptiles.
In this ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 8 September 2015
The World Heritage Centre congratulates the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) for the establishment of a Corps with the aim of securing national parks. On 15 June 2015 the DRC published decree n° 15/012 on the establishment of a Corps in charge of securing national parks (Corps en charge de la sécurisation des Parcs Nationaux, or CorPPN) and related nature reserves.
The CorPPN will ...
2 min read
Tuesday, 8 September 2015
The City of Brussels recently hosted a workshop entitled "Inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List: New perspectives for local development", which took place on 8 September 2015 at Brussels City Hall in the World Heritage site of La Grand-Place, Brussels (Belgium).
The workshop focused on issues specific to site management for properties inscribed on the World Heritage List. Expert ...
1 min read
Monday, 7 September 2015
UNESCO World Heritage Centre and UNESCO New Delhi Office, in close collaboration with the Department of Culture of the Royal Government of Bhutan, held the 2015 Bhutan Workshop and Forum on Cultural Landscape and Sustaining its Significance (22 July to 7 August 2015). This activity was financially supported by the NGO Oriental Cultural Heritage Sites Protection Alliance (Paris, France) and ...
3 min read
Tuesday, 1 September 2015
The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, expressed profound dismay as she condemned the destruction of the Temple of Bel in Palmyra, one of the most important 1st century CE religious monuments in the Middle East, a construction unique in its design.
“The destruction of Palmyra constitutes an intolerable crime against civilization but 4,500 years of history will never be erased,” the ...
2 min read
Monday, 24 August 2015
The Director-General of UNESCO firmly condemns the destruction of the ancient temple of Baalshamin, an iconic part of the Syrian site of Palmyra, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
“The systematic destruction of cultural symbols embodying Syrian cultural diversity reveals the true intent of such attacks, which is to deprive the Syrian people of its knowledge, its identity and history. One week ...
2 min read
Friday, 21 August 2015
The Syrian cultural heritage community suffered two immense blows within one week with the murder of archaeologist Khaled Assad in Palmyra and the killing of the Assistant Director of laboratories at the Directorate General of Antiquities and Museums Qasem Abdullah Yehiya.
“I am both saddened and outraged to learn of the brutal murder of Khaled Asaad, who oversaw antiquities at the UNESCO ...
2 min read
Friday, 21 August 2015
The Director-General of UNESCO strongly condemns the destruction of the Mar Elian monastery located in the Syrian town of al-Qaryatayn. The monastery is a major pilgrimage site for Syria’s Christian community, with yearly festivities in honor of Saint Elian drawing thousands of visitors.
“The intentional targeting and systematic destruction of the cultural heritage of Syria is reaching ...
1 min read
Friday, 14 August 2015
World Heritage marine sites are only as effective as their compliance programs, and marine protected areas around the world struggle to combat illegal fishing. With limited resources available for surveillance and compliance, it is vital to have good systems in place to identify hotspots and track violations.
In the four Marine World Heritage sites that make up Eastern Tropical Pacific ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 11 August 2015
On the occasion of International Youth Day, over ten Action Camps will be carried on in the framework of the World Heritage Volunteers 2015 campaign. Most of these Action Camps are led youth from all around the world. This year, the theme of International Youth Day is Youth Civic Engagement.
World Heritage Volunteers (WHV) campaign for 2015 seeks to mobilize and involve young people and ...
2 min read
Friday, 7 August 2015
Job Vacancy: Deputy Director of the World Heritage Institute of Training and Research for the Asia and the Pacific Region under the auspices of UNESCO, Shanghai Center
The World Heritage Institute of Training and Research for the Asia and the Pacific Region under the auspices of UNESCO, Shanghai Center (WHITRAP Shanghai) announces the vacancy of the position of Deputy Director, from 1 August ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 4 August 2015
Over the last several months,the World Heritage Centre has been receiving numerous messages from citizens and NGOs expressing their concern regarding the A303 tunnel project, located within the boundaries of the World Heritage property “Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites”, and the adverse impact it may have on the landscape, archaeological remains, and hydrogeology and ecology of the ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 29 July 2015
UNESCO and Iraq today signed an agreement for the Conservation and Management of the World Heritage site of Samarra Archaeological City, which will start with the restauration of the Great Mosque and Al-Malwiyah Minaret. The site has been on UNESCO’s List of World Heritage in Danger since 2007.
The agreement was signed at UNESCO’s Headquarters in Paris by Ahmed Abdullah Abed Abed, Iraqi ...
3 min read
Tuesday, 28 July 2015
European Union and UNESCO initiative: "Towards strengthened governance of the shared transboundary natural and cultural heritage of the Lake Ohrid Region"
IUCN Regional Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia (ECARO) is seeking to contract a consultant to develop and implement an integrated capacity-building programme with particular emphasis on management effectiveness, transboundary ...
1 min read
Monday, 20 July 2015
From 3 to 4 July 2015, almost 120 people that are involved in the management of the World Heritage site Lagoons of New Caledonia: Reef Diversity and Associated Ecosystems (France) met on the island of Ouvéa (Gossanah tribe) to share best practices.
Unique management system
Today, 13 management committees are set up across New Caledonia. They regularly exchange views, opinions and proposals ...
3 min read
Sunday, 19 July 2015
Timbuktu, Mali, 19 July—The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova yesterday visited Timbuktu whose mausoleums have been rebuilt three years after they were destroyed by armed groups. During her visit, Ms Bokova paid tribute to the local communities without whom the reconstruction could not have been carried out.
The Mayor of the city and the Imam of the Great Mosque of Djingareyber met ...
3 min read
Friday, 17 July 2015
Aggtelek National Park (ANP) was established in 1985 to protect the uniquely rich natural and cultural heritage in the region, and in particular the Gömör-Torna karst aquifer and geologic formations. The first of Hungary's national parks, it later added equestrian tourism and environmental education programmes to its already popular cave tours and surface tours. In 2007, the ANP Directorate ...
1 min read
Thursday, 16 July 2015
The call for applications for the new edition of the Masters in "World Heritage and Cultural Projects for Development", offered by the University of Turin, the Polytechnic of Turin, (University of Barcelona for the Spanish edition) and the International Training Centre of ILO, in collaboration with the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and ICCROM, is now open.
The programme is intended for ...
3 min read
Thursday, 16 July 2015
Director-General Irina Bokova presented the President of Mexico, HE Enrique Peña Nieto, the certificate of inscription to UNESCO’s World Heritage List of the Aqueduct of Padre Tembleque Hydraulic System during his official visit to UNESCO Headquarters today. The presentation of the certificate took place in the context of an official ceremony in the presence of the Chairperson of the ...
3 min read
Thursday, 16 July 2015
UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova today announced an Emergency Action Plan for the Safeguarding of Yemen’s Cultural Heritage upon the conclusion of a two-day expert meeting held at UNESCO. The plan responds to the continued threat the ongoing conflict poses to the country’s tangible and intangible cultural heritage.
“It is evident that the destruction of their culture directly affects the ...
3 min read
Thursday, 9 July 2015
A World Heritage partners’ event and panel discussion took place on 2nd July hosted by the German Television Deutsche Welle in Bonn, on the occasion of the 39th session of the World Heritage Committee.
The Partners' event, following a successful first edition in Doha in 2015, provided a platform for discussing private sector partners’ contributions to World Heritage conservation and ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 8 July 2015
The World Heritage Committee ended its meeting today announcing it will hold its next session in Istanbul, Turkey, from 10 to 20 July 2016. During this year’s session the Committee, which was chaired by Maria Böhmer, Minister of State at the German Federal Foreign Office and member of the Bundestag, inscribed 24 new sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage List and approved extensions to three ...
2 min read
Tuesday, 7 July 2015
From July 1 to 3, 2015, University of Zimbabwe hosted the Biennial Conference of the Association of Southern African Professional Archaeologists (ASAPA). With the financial support of UNESCO Office for Southern Africa (ROSA) and other partners, UZ successfully met the challenge of gathering a large number (approximately 250) of professionals and students from Southern African Region and ...
1 min read
Sunday, 5 July 2015
The World Heritage Committee this afternoon approved the inscription of four cultural sites on the World Heritage List: Sites of Japan’s Meiji Industrial Revolution: Iron and Steel, Shipbuilding and Coal Mining in Japan, Ephesus in Turkey, Aqueduct of Padre Tembleque Hydraulic System in Mexico, and Fray Bentos Cultural-Industrial Landscape in Uruguay.
The Committee also approved the ...
4 min read
Sunday, 5 July 2015
The World Heritage Committee this morning approved the inscription of five cultural sites on World Heritage List: Rjukan-Notodden Industrial Heritage Site in Norway, Speicherstadt and Kontorhaus District with Chilehaus in Germany, Necropolis of Beth She’arim—a Landmark of Jewish Revival in Israel, The Forth Bridge in Scotland (United Kingdom) and San Antonio Missions in the United States of ...
3 min read
Saturday, 4 July 2015
The World Heritage Committee this afternoon approved the inscription of five cultural sites on World Heritage List. Two Danish sites were added to the List: Christiansfeld, a Moravian Church Settlement and The Par Force Hunting Landscape in North Zealand. The Climats, terroirs of Burgundy and Champagne Hillsides, Houses and Cellars, both in France, were also inscribed alongside the Diyarbakir ...
3 min read
Saturday, 4 July 2015
The World Heritage Committee this morning approved the inscription of six cultural sites on World Heritage List: Tusi Sites (China), Susa, Cultural Landscape of Maymand (both in the Islamic Republic of Iran), Singapore Botanic Gardens (Singapore), Baekje Historic Areas (Republic of Korea), Great Burkhan Khaldun Mountain and its surrounding sacred landscape (Mongolia).
Tusi sites (China) — ...
4 min read
Friday, 3 July 2015
The World Heritage Committee inscribed three new cultural sites on the World Heritage List this afternoon: Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalú and Monreale in Italy; Baptism Site “Bethany Beyond the Jordan” (Al-Maghtas) in Jordan and Rock Art in the Hail Region of Saudi Arabia.
Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefalú and Monreale (Italy)—Located on the ...
2 min read
Friday, 3 July 2015
The Director-General of UNESCO firmly condemned the destruction of cultural property at Palmyra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, particularly damage to funerary busts and the famous Lion Statue of Athena, located at the entrance of the museum of Palmyra.
"These new destructions of cultural goods of the site of Palmyra reflect the brutality and ignorance of extremist groups and their disregard ...
2 min read
Friday, 3 July 2015
The World Heritage Committee this morning approved the extension of two natural sites inscribed on the World Heritage List: Cape Floral Region Protected Areas in South Africa and Ke Bang National Park in Viet Nam. The Committee also inscribed Blue and John Crow Mountains in Jamaica, a mixed site, i.e. one that is both cultural and natural. With this inscription Jamaica enters the World ...
2 min read
Thursday, 2 July 2015
The World Heritage Committee today inscribed two sites in Yemen on the List of World Heritage in Danger: the Old City of Sana’a and the Old Walled City of Shibam.
The Old City of Sana’a sustained serious damage due to armed conflict in the country. The neighbourhood of al Qasimi near the famous urban garden of Miqshamat al Qasimi sustained particularly serious damage. The 12th century ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 1 July 2015
The World Heritage site of Hatra in Iraq has been inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger due to damage inflicted to the property by armed groups.
During debates today, many World Heritage Committee members voiced concern about the state of Iraqi heritage following acts of intentional destruction. They also declared their willingness to help Iraq as soon as the situation on the ...
1 min read
Wednesday, 1 July 2015
UNESCO and UNITAR (the UN Institute for Training and Research) have signed an agreement to protect cultural and natural heritage sites with the latest geo-spatial technologies. It was signed at the annual meeting of the World Heritage Committee in Bonn, Germany, and will be delivered through UNITAR’s Operational Satellite Applications Programme (UNOSAT).
The strategic partnership will ...
2 min read
Tuesday, 30 June 2015
Significant improvements in the management of Los Katíos National Park in Colombia have allowed for the site to be removed from the List of World Heritage in Danger. The World Heritage Committee decided to lift danger listing for the property in recognition of steps taken by the national authorities to reduce illegal extraction of timber and overfishing.
The site was placed on the List of ...
1 min read
Tuesday, 30 June 2015
Three years after their destruction by extremists, the Timbuktu mausoleums are nearly restored through the extraordinary work carried out by local craftsmen and with international support. The announcement came at an event held in Bonn as part of the World Heritage Committee session taking place in the German city.
“The reconstruction of the mausoleums in Timbuktu is a fine example of the ...
2 min read
Tuesday, 30 June 2015
Iraq, a country in turmoil within a very unstable region, is fighting a cultural battle in the real sense of the word.
This special issue of World Heritage magazine presents the key heritage sites of Iraq, reflecting on their historical significance and importance for the Iraqi people and the world, as well as efforts by UNESCO and other stakeholders to protect these sites from destruction, ...
Tuesday, 30 June 2015
On 29 June, during the 39th session of the World Heritage Committee in Bonn, Germany, the Chairs of the six UNESCO culture conventions* met for the first time to discuss ways to work together more effectively.
In the context of the 70th anniversary of UNESCO, this provides a unique opportunity to reflect on the future of the Organization’s standard-setting action in the face of contemporary ...
2 min read
Monday, 29 June 2015
Bonn, 29 June—The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, today launched the Global Coalition, Unite for Heritage, during the 39th session of the World Heritage Committee meeting in Bonn, Germany. The campaign is designed to strengthen the mobilization of governments and all heritage stakeholders in the face of deliberate damage to cultural heritage, particularly in the Middle East.
“The ...
3 min read
Sunday, 28 June 2015
Bonn (Germany) - An appeal for the international community to counter the new threat of violent extremism and cultural cleansing was issued at the opening of the World Heritage Committee, which opened its session in Bonn, Germany, today. The Committee will remain in session until 8 July under the chair of Maria Böhmer, Minister of State at the German Federal Foreign Office and member of the ...
4 min read
Thursday, 25 June 2015
The publication launched today, “Managing effectively the world’s most iconic Marine Protected Areas. A Best Practice Guide” lays the groundwork for a common approach to a more pro-active, future-oriented management of marine protected areas (MPAs) around the world.
The step-by-step guidance shows how defining a clearer vision of what MPAs can and should look like in another 10 to 20 years ...
2 min read
Thursday, 25 June 2015
Chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans are essential to the visibility and viability of many biosphere reserves across Africa and Asia, according to an infographic release today by the Great Apes Survival Partnership (GRASP) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Man and the Biosphere (MAB) programme.
Great apes are found in 21 Biosphere Reserve, ...
2 min read
Wednesday, 24 June 2015
The World Heritage Centre and the History and Memory for Dialogue Section of UNESCO have learned with deep sadness of the recent passing of Professor Chahryar Adle, a long-time collaborator of UNESCO. Chahryar Adle (1943-2015) was an archaeologist and Iranologist, and a member of the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS). He was also President of the International Scientific ...
2 min read
Tuesday, 23 June 2015
Kulturweit, a volunteer organization of the German Commission for UNESCO and the German Federal Foreign Office, has designed a card game called “World Heritage in Germany-Memory”.
The inspiration came from Kulturweit members who were delegates to the 2014 World Heritage Youth Forum held in Qatar.
The goal of the game is to teach young people about German World Heritage sites.
The German ...
Thursday, 18 June 2015
[in French only] Du 29 juin au 10 juillet 2015, 13 gestionnaires de sites patrimoniaux issus de 11 pays (Burkina Faso, Colombie, Comores, Côte d’Ivoire, France, Irak, RDP Lao, Mali, Moldavie, Sénégal, Togo) participeront à la 5ème édition de la formation internationale intensive "Construire ensemble l'avenir des sites patrimoniaux. Élaborer et mettre en œuvre une gestion durable" organisée ...
Wednesday, 17 June 2015
UNEP has published a Sourcebook of Opportunities for Enhancing Cooperation among the Biodiversity-related Conventions at National and Regional Levels, available for download at wcmc.io/Sourcebook.
The aim of the UNEP Sourcebook is to provide national focal points of the biodiversity-related conventions and other stakeholders with options to achieve enhanced implementation of the conventions ...
1 min read
Monday, 15 June 2015
The World Heritage Centre is pleased to announce the Call for Participants for the World Heritage Volunteers 2015 and #Unite4Heritage common action.
This common action aims to encourage young people from the Arab States[1] countries to take part in one of ten selected World Heritage Volunteers Action Camps 2015, at locations around the world.
The aim of this action is to respond to the ...
2 min read
Friday, 12 June 2015
In the early hours of 12 June 2015, the Old City of Sana’a, a UNESCO World Heritage site, was hit by a bombing raid. Several houses and historic buildings were destroyed, causing human casualties. Among the buildings destroyed was the magnificent complex of traditional houses in the Al-Qasimi neighborhood, bordering an urban garden (Miqshama), near the Sailah water channel.
“I am profoundly ...
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Thursday, 11 June 2015
The Second Cycle of the Periodic Reporting Exercise in the Europe and North America region was launched at the 36th session of the World Heritage Committee (Saint Petersburg, 2012).
In Europe, 49 States Parties and 432 World Heritage properties (382 cultural, 41 natural, 9 mixed) participated in the Second Cycle of the Periodic Reporting Exercise (2012-2015). The exercise was coordinated by ...
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Thursday, 11 June 2015
The World Heritage Centre is receiving correspondence from many NGOs and concerned citizens regarding a proposed high-rise project, and other matters, within the boundaries of the World Heritage property “Historic Centre of Vienna”.
The World Heritage Centre is aware of this situation and is following the issue closely with the State Party, as well as the Advisory Bodies to the World ...
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Thursday, 11 June 2015
The devastating earthquakes of 25 April and the aftershocks that followed have heavily damaged the monuments and sites within the Kathmandu Valley World Heritage property, as well as an enormous amount of other cultural sites in the northwestern area of Nepal.
Currently closed to tourists and the general public, the three monument zones - Hanumandhoka (Kathmandu) Durbar Square, Swayambhu and ...
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Monday, 8 June 2015
As the world’s population grows, demand for fresh seafood is rising, and stocks are being stretched to the limit. Climate change impacts further stress the food chain. Marine World Heritage sites can provide a buffer against this pressure. They allow fish to grow and multiply safe from major disturbance, and boost the resilience of the oceans unique ecosystem.
Today, many of the world's ...
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Friday, 5 June 2015
The World Heritage Committee will examine proposals to inscribe 37 properties on UNESCO’s World Heritage List when it meets at the international conference centre of Bonn (Germany) from 28 June to 8 July. The upcoming 39th session of the World Heritage Committee will be chaired by Maria Böhmer, Minister of State at Germany’s Federal Foreign Office, and member of the Bundestag.
Nominations ...
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Tuesday, 2 June 2015
A three-day meeting in Berlin brought together experts from around the world to discuss the current practices for mural painting conservation and led to the adoption of new Guidelines.
Within the framework of the UNESCO/Republic of Korea Funds-in-Trust Project for the Preservation of the Koguryo Tombs and Mural Paintings in the DPRK, the UNESCO Expert Workshop: Conservation of Mural ...
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Tuesday, 2 June 2015
The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, has condemned the airstrikes on the ancient city of Marib in Yemen and is calling on all parties involved in the conflict to refrain from targeting the country’s unique cultural heritage.
UNESCO has received information on damage caused to the Great Dam of Marib by an airstrike during the night of 31 May. According to reports received, the ...
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Thursday, 28 May 2015
UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova addressed today’s Plenary Meeting of the UN General Assembly, which adopted unanimously a resolution on “Saving the cultural heritage of Iraq”.
The resolution, presented jointly by Germany and Iraq, was cosponsored by a total of 91 Member States, focuses on the fight against the destruction of cultural heritage and attacks against the cultural diversity ...
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Wednesday, 27 May 2015
The 1st Management Planning Workshop to protect the transboundary Lake Ohrid region took place on 25-26 March in Korça, Albania.
The workshop is part of the project “Towards strengthened governance of the shared transboundary natural and cultural heritage of the Lake Ohrid region”, a UNESCO initiative funded by the European Union and the Ministry of Environment of Albania to safeguard the ...
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Friday, 22 May 2015
The Vice Premier of the People’s Republic of China, Ms Liu Yandong, pledged her country’s ambition to push her Government’s broad collaboration with UNESCO “to new heights” during a meeting with Director-General Irina Bokova in Qingdao on 23 May, on the eve of the International Conference on ICTs and post-2015 Education.
On behalf of the Chinese Government, Ms Yandong congratulated UNESCO on ...
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Thursday, 21 May 2015
Worldwide shipping traffic has increased 300% since 1992, and this growing industry does not leave World Heritage marine sites immune to its impact.
The International Maritime Organization (IMO)—the United Nations specialized agency with responsibility for the safety and security of shipping and the prevention of marine pollution by ships—can provide special protections for particularly ...
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Wednesday, 20 May 2015
The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, has called for an immediate end to hostilities in Palmyra (Syria) following reports from several sources that armed extremist groups have infiltrated the World Heritage site, where fighting is now ongoing.
“I am deeply concerned by the situation at the site of Palmyra. The fighting is putting at risk one of the most significant sites in the ...
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Tuesday, 19 May 2015
The UNESCO World Heritage Centre is receiving messages expressing concern about the state of conservation of the World Heritage property "Venice and its lagoon” (Italy), inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1987.
The UNESCO World Heritage Centre closely follows the state of conservation of the property with the Italian authorities.
The World Heritage Committee, at its 38th session in ...
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Thursday, 14 May 2015
The Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, today expressed her deep concern over reports of fighting near Palmyra, endangering the local population and posing an imminent threat to the site, inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage list. Irina Bokova called for the immediate cessation of fighting.
According to several sources, armed extremist groups raided the city of Tadmur, home to the ...
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Wednesday, 13 May 2015
Amid reports of several cultural heritage sites being damaged across Yemen, UNESCO Office for the GCC and Yemen has developed a series of emergency response activities aimed at safeguarding Yemeni cultural sites and monuments of universal values from the ongoing conflict in the country.
Over the past few days, UNESCO received reports from cultural institutions and experts in Yemen of severe ...
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Tuesday, 12 May 2015
Amid alarming reports about bombing of the World Heritage Site of the Old City of Sana’a, UNESCO’s Director-General calls on all parties to protect Yemen’s unique cultural heritage.
Over the past few days, UNESCO received reports of severe damage to significant cultural heritage sites in Yemen. According to several media reports and official sources, the old city of Sana’a, Yemen’s capital, ...
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Thursday, 7 May 2015
On 6 May, the Director-General expressed her sincere condolences to the Government and people of Nepal in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake that struck the country on 25 April by signing a message in the condolences book opened at the Embassy, in the presence of the Ambassador and Permanent Delegate to UNESCO, Ms Ambika Devi Luintel.
“I wish to say how deeply aggrieved I am by the ...
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Wednesday, 6 May 2015
The United Nations University (UNU) and UNESCO today brought together scholars, archeologists, historians and writers to discuss ways of opposing the widespread destruction of cultural heritage in Iraq, Syria and other countries in conflict. The symposium, entitled "Mobilization for heritage: Iraq, Syria and other countries in conflict," took place at the Organization’s Paris ...
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Wednesday, 6 May 2015
The UNESCO World Heritage Centre is receiving petitions expressing concern about the state of conservation of the World Heritage property Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve (Mexico), inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2008.
The World Heritage Committee, at its next session (Bonn, Germany, 28 June - 8 July 2015), will examine the state of conservation of the property. The draft decision ...
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Tuesday, 5 May 2015
On 4 May, during her official visit to Estonia, the Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia, Ms Keit Pentus-Rosimannus.
The Minister congratulated the Organisation on the occasion of its 70th anniversary and noted strong satisfaction with the reform led by the Director-General, to increase efficiency. The Minister highlighted the Estonian ...
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Monday, 4 May 2015
On 4 May, on the occasion of her official visit to Estonia, the Director General, Ms Irina Bokova, gave a lecture at the Estonian Academy of Arts on “Attacks against Cultural Heritage – What can UNESCO do?”, in the presence of the Rector of the Academy Professor Signe Kivi, and the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Republic of Estonia to UNESCO, H.E. Mr Marten Kokk.
The lecture ...
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Monday, 4 May 2015
On 4 May, the Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, met with the Minister of Culture, Mr Indrek Saar.
The Minister congratulated UNESCO on the 70th anniversary of its creation, underlining the enduring importance of the Organisation today. He also thanked the Director-General for her leadership, also in reforming the Organisation, and in the strong cooperation with Estonia.
The ...
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Monday, 4 May 2015
From 4 to 5 May, UNESCO Director-General, Irina Bokova, is travelling to Estonia for an official visit, where she is expected to meet with a number of high level government officials including, the Minister of Foreign Affairs , Ms Keit Pentus-Rosimannus, the Deputy Secretary-General for Planning, Ministry for Education and Research, Ms Kadri Maasik, the Minister for Culture, Mr Indrek Saar, ...
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Thursday, 30 April 2015
Following an AWF-led great apes conservation workshop in Yaoundé scheduled from April 22nd to 23rd, the AWF will lead a trek initiative from April 25th to May 1st through the center of the Dja Faunal Reserve.
One team of rangers from Cameroon and other great apes sites in Central/West Africa will use this opportunity as a field training exercise. At the same time a second team will trek ...
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Tuesday, 28 April 2015
The World Heritage Centre announces with profound sadness the passing on 28 April 2015 of Dr Ronald Van Oers, Vice Director of the World Heritage Institute of Training and Research for Asia and the Pacific Region, a UNESCO Category 2 Centre based in Shanghai, and a colleague of the World Heritage Centre since 2000.
Ron was a brilliant professional in the field of heritage. He had a wealth of ...
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Monday, 27 April 2015
“As we are receiving more information from the ground, I am deeply aggrieved by the magnitude of human loss caused by the earthquake in Nepal. I am also shocked by its devastating impact on the unique cultural heritage in the country, in particular extensive and irreversible damage at the World Heritage site of Kathmandu Valley”, declared Irina Bokova, the Director-General of ...
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