Following the regional strategy approved by the World Heritage Committee in Decision 38 COM 10B.4 (Doha, 2014), and contained in the regional Action Plan for World Heritage in Latin America and the Caribbean (PARALC), 2014-2024, a sub-regional meeting with the participation of Mexico and the countries of Central America was held in Zacatecas, Mexico. The objectives of the meeting were to ...

The Norwegian Parliament has adopted a resolution to halt emissions from cruise ships and ferries in the West Norwegian Fjords – Geirangerfjord and Nærøyfjord World Heritage site by 2026 at the latest. This will make the fjords among the world’s first zero emission zones at sea. The decision is expected to have a positive impact on the local population, transport and tourism, climate and ...

An exceptional photo of the Namib Sand Sea presented by Mrinal Mohit won the first prize in the photo contest organized on Instagram by the World Heritage Centre (WHC) and the African World Heritage Fund (AWHF) on the occasion of the third edition of the African World Heritage Day (5 May). The contest closed on Monday 30 April 2018 after three weeks of competition, and with the submission of ...

May 31, 1945 – May 5, 2018. Architect Augusto F. Villalon, one of Asia’s most renowned experts in heritage conservation, recently passed away in Manila, Philippines. During his long career, Arch. Augusto F. Villalon made an outstanding contribution to heritage conservation and to the World Heritage Convention in particular. A former President of ICOMOS Philippines, he was practically a lone ...

The “Warsaw Recommendation on Recovery and Reconstruction of Cultural Heritage” was developed at the ‘International conference on reconstruction: The challenges of World Heritage recovery’ held in Warsaw, Poland, from 6 to 8 May. The purpose of the international conference was to summarize previous discussions and experiences regarding the recovery and reconstruction of UNESCO World Heritage ...

This year’s World Migratory Bird Day is dedicated to the world’s major bird flyways—the flight paths of migratory birds that span continents and oceans. These flyways include World Heritage sites that are key stopover sites for birds, so the effective conservation of these sites are crucial for migratory bird conservation on a global scale. The three major flyways, shown below, contain ...

Today, for the third time, we celebrate African World Heritage Day. The Day was established to raise awareness of the immense potential of the African cultural and natural heritage. It also aims to alert the world to the vulnerability of this heritage: there are 21 African sites on the List of World Heritage in Danger. The preservation and enhancement of this heritage are essential factors ...

In keeping with UNESCO’s mandate to promote culture and education in Africa, the World Heritage Centre, in close collaboration with the African World Heritage Fund and the UNESCO Regional Office for Southern Africa in Harare, organized a regional workshop entitled “World Heritage and Education Institutions in Africa” at the Great Zimbabwe, Masvingo (Zimbabwe) from 26 to 28 April 2018.  This ...

Barclays has announced their first public policy that will prevent the bank from financing projects in World Heritage sites and Ramsar Wetlands, following WWF’s call for the world’s banks to stop financing damaging activities in the planet’s most precious places. Despite being awarded the highest levels of protection by the United Nations, almost half of all natural and mixed World Heritage ...