United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural OrganizationThe Royal Palaces of Abomey represent Benin on the World Heritage List.
This site, which is associated with slavery, has been removed from the List of World Heritage in Danger thanks to the rehabilitation plan financed in part by the World Heritage Fund. The country also drew up its Tentative List containing several sites to be proposed for inscription.
Benin participates in the joint UNESCO/WTO programme of cultural tourism on the Slave Route in Africa.
In the field of intangible heritage, Benin is making efforts with UNESCO and NORAD (The Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation) to collect, preserve and develop aspects of the oral tradition linked to the slave trade. The Gelede oral tradition, as performed both in Nigeria and Togo, was proclaimed a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2001 and has been awarded funding to encourage and promote it.
The School of African Heritage, developed in Benin with the assistance of UNESCO, is a vital tool for conservation of the African cultural heritage.