Expedition removes 25 tons of waste from remote Aldabra Atoll
http://whc.unesco.org/en/news/2136
Marine debris accumulates on the beaches of even the most remote and pristine UNESCO marine World Heritage sites, including Aldabra Atoll (Seychelles). Through action, education and research, the Seychelles Island Foundation removed 25 tons of waste, including 60,000 plastic flipflops.
Aldabra Atoll was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1982 as one of the largest raised coral atolls in the world, home to the largest giant tortoise population. Its population of endangered green ...
Euro-Mediterranean Cities in the Post-pandemic Era
http://whc.unesco.org/en/news/2135
The coronavirus has challenged the core of what makes cities vibrant and successful: busy streets full of people. Will these cities ever come back to be the same? The webinar on Euro-Mediterranean cities in the post-pandemic era, organized by the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) Secretariat in cooperation with the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, reflected on sustainable urban development in the Mediterranean region after COVID-19, climate change, cultural heritage, and on the approach of the ...
UNESCO grants emergency funds for reconstruction of infrastructure destroyed after floods and landslides in Rwenzori Mountains
http://whc.unesco.org/en/news/2134
UNESCO grants emergency funds for reconstruction of infrastructure destroyed by floods and landslides at Rwenzori Mountains National Park
At the beginning of May 2020, torrential rain occurred in and around Rwenzori Mountains National Park (Uganda), a property inscribed on the World Heritage List.
The excessive rain caused heavy flooding which destroyed wildlife habitats and essential infrastructure along theNyamwamba, Nzurangi, Mulyambuli, Rwamba, Kabamba, Mubuku, Bujuku, Nyamwaghasani, ...
Nelson Mandela International Day
http://whc.unesco.org/en/news/2132
Today is Nelson Mandela International Day. Nelson Mandela spent the greatest number of years that he was in prison - 18 out of 27 on Robben Island (South Africa) World Heritage site.
Robben Island was used at various times between the 17th and 20th centuries as a prison, a hospital for socially unacceptable groups and a military base. Its buildings, particularly those of the late 20th century such as the maximum security prison for political prisoners, witness the triumph of democracy and ...
Recommendations of the Technical Meeting on the Recovery of the World Heritage Site of Palmyra
http://whc.unesco.org/en/news/2133
The "Technical Meeting on the Recovery of the World Heritage Site of Palmyra?h took place on 18 December 2019 at UNESCO's Headquarters, with the aim of reflecting on, and discussing the recovery of Palmyra, as a World Heritage property. 
The meeting followed the latest World Heritage Committee Decisions, requesting to limit restoration works to first aid interventions until the security situation has improved, therefore allowing for detailed studies and extensive fieldwork, as ...
Monitoring World Heritage site closures
http://whc.unesco.org/en/news/2103
Monitoring World Heritage site closures
Introduction to the global map on the closure of World Heritage sites due to Covid-19 and analysis.
In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, many governments have taken measures to restrict movements of people and access to certain areas.
This includes the closure of natural and cultural World Heritage sites in the 167 countries they are located in. Please consider the following when reviewing the map:
The World Heritage Convention has been ratified ...
An oral history: interviews with the pioneers of the World Heritage Convention
http://whc.unesco.org/en/news/2127
 An international team of researchers is conducting interviews with pioneers of World Heritage to capture memories of important moments in the history of the World Heritage Convention.
Launched in 2006 under the leadership of the Canada Research Chair on Built Heritage at the University of Montreal, and developed in collaboration with UNESCO Archives, this initiative is part of the UNESCO History project that celebrated the 60th anniversary of the creation of UNESCO. The Oral ...
UNESCO's World Heritage City Lab
http://whc.unesco.org/en/news/2130
From 17 to 26 June 2020, UNESCO successfully organised its first World Heritage City Lab, an online innovation laboratory for analysis, assessment, learning, and development of strategies for the protection and management of World Heritage properties in the urban context.
Carried out in collaboration with the Advisory Bodies to the World Heritage Convention? the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the ...
UNESCO and Venezuela reaffirm their cooperation in favour of Ciudad Universitaria de Caracas
http://whc.unesco.org/en/news/2129
The Director of the World Heritage Centre held a bilateral meeting, on 1 July, with the Ambassador Permanent Delegate of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to UNESCO in order coordinate the joint actions that could be taken concerning the state of conservation of the property Ciudad Universitaria de Caracas within the framework of cooperation between UNESCO and the State Party. 
During the meeting, UNESCO was informed with regard to the important actions developed by the State Party ...
UNESCO condemns new armed attack on Virunga National Park
http://whc.unesco.org/en/news/2128
The Director-General of UNESCO, Ms Azoulay, expressed her sorrow and deep concern over the new armed attack, perpetrated in the morning of Wednesday 24 June 2020, against guards of the Congolese Institute for the Conservation of Nature (ICCN), inside the Virunga National Park, a property inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, in the Democratic Republic of Congo. After the terrible killing of four civilians and 13 staff members of Virunga National Park on 24 April, this latest ...
