World Cities Day 2020, 31 October
https://whc.unesco.org/en/news/2191
This World Cities Day is the seventh global celebration since the day was launched in 2014 in Shanghai, China. The 2020 World Cities Day themed ?eValuing our communities and cities' underlines the importance of the local communities who are at the heart of building sustainable cities.
By 2050, nearly 7 out of 10 people in the world will live in cities. Cities have become the point of confluence where, economic, social, cultural and environmental factors converge and interact not just to ...
Monitoring World Heritage site closures
https://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 ...
Videos: Site managers report on Covid-19
https://whc.unesco.org/en/news/2101
Site managers report on Covid-19
World Heritage sites are also affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, and the managers of World Heritage sites tell us how they are coping with the crisis.
The UNESCO World Heritage Centre would like to warmly thank the site managers and staff who made the effort to update us during this particularly difficult time.This page will continue to be updated.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park(Uganda)
Imperial Palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties ...
"Housing For All: A better Urban Future?h Conference held for UN World Habitat Day
https://whc.unesco.org/en/news/2189
As part of the celebration of UN World Habitat Day, a high-level conference under the theme "Housing For All: A better Urban Future?h was held online on 5 October 2020, at the initiative of the Ministry of National Territory Development, Urban Planning, Habitat and Urban Policy of Morocco. The event brought together several ministers and senior officials in charge of Housing, as well as representatives from international organisations and civil society.
It offered an opportunity for a ...
Local action for global impact: Scientific research at UNESCO Marine World Heritage sites
https://whc.unesco.org/en/news/2185
From 7 to 30 October 2020, the photo exhibition "Protecting UNESCO Marine World Heritage through scientific research" features 21 photographs at UNESCO Headquarters, Paris, as well as a digital edition.
Exceptional photographs highlight how innovative marine experts and scientists take the pulse of the ocean by exploring ecosystems, studying the movement of species, or revealing the hidden biodiversity of coral reefs. Scientific discoveries are more important than ever for ...
UNESCO World Heritage Fund supports two new projects in Tanzania
https://whc.unesco.org/en/news/2188
Following requests from the United Republic of Tanzania, the World Heritage Fund has granted a total of USD 59,836 in International Financial Assistance for two new projects to address conservation and management needs at two World Heritage sites: the Ruins of Kilwa Kisiwani and Ruins of Songo Mnara and Kondoa Rock-Art Sites.
A project signing ceremony convened by the Tanzania National Commission for UNESCO was organized in October 2020 in Dar es Salaam for the signature of contracts ...
Five Eastern African countries receive #SOSAfricanHeritage grants to promote COVID-19 resilience
https://whc.unesco.org/en/news/2187
With support from the German Commission for UNESCO's #SOSAfricanHeritage Fund, seven World Heritage sites from five Eastern African countries have received grants to help overcome impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on management and conservation.
The recipients include: Simien National Park in Ethiopia; Sacred Mijikenda Kaya Forests and Mount Kenya National Park/Natural Forest in Kenya; Tsingy de Bemaraha Strict Nature Reserve and Bélo sur Mer Kirindy-Mite Biosphere Reserve in ...
UNESCO expresses concern after fire in Kilimanjaro National Park
https://whc.unesco.org/en/news/2186
The Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Mechtild Rössler, expressed concern after the fire that, on the afternoon of 11 October, broke out in Kilimanjaro National Park (United Republic of Tanzania), a property inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1987.
"We are in contact with the Tanzania National Park Authority (TANAPA) which is currently carrying out an initial assessment of the damage caused by the fire," said Ms Rössler. "We are confident that the ...
Director of UNESCO World Heritage Centre welcomes Gabonese Government decision?to alter highway route near Lope-Okanda
https://whc.unesco.org/en/news/2183
Altering the route of the Transgabonese highway near the Ecosystem and Relict Cultural Landscape of Lopé-Okanda will better protect the World Heritage site.
The Transgabonese highway project, which is to cross five provinces of Gabon to link Libreville (West) and Franceville (East) by expressway, foresees the rehabilitation and upgrading of various roads. The World Heritage Committee had expressed its concern regarding the potential impact of this project on the Ecosystem and Relict ...
Online Training supports African countries to develop nomination dossiers
https://whc.unesco.org/en/news/2181
On the 1st of October, the second online World Heritage Nomination workshop, for Anglophone and Francophone countries, was officially closed by the Director of the World Heritage Centre. The training examined the challenges and strengths of nomination dossiers for 12 countries from the African Region, namely Benin, Cameroon, Côte-d'Ivoire, Gabon, Mali, Malawi, Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Considering the context of COVID-19 pandemic, the African World Heritage Fund ...
