Preparing the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework
http://whc.unesco.org/en/news/2252
After closing the UN Decade on Biodiversity, countries are this year negotiating a new 10 year agenda to halt the accelerating loss of biodiversity. This new and overarching global biodiversity framework, dubbed the Post 2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, is to be adopted at the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP 15), planned later in 2021 in Kunming, China.
A Consultation Workshop of Biodiversity-Related Conventions on the ...
UNESCO statement on a reported construction project near the World Heritage site of Angkor in Cambodia
http://whc.unesco.org/en/news/2251
UNESCO is closely following plans for a 75-hectare amusement park under discussion near the World Heritage site of Angkor in Cambodia.
The UNESCO World Heritage Centre has also received numerous appeals from third parties expressing their concern.
The plenary session of the International Coordinating Committee for Angkor (ICC), held virtually on 26 and 27 January, addressed this project with particular attention, and the technical opinions of experts in the fields of conservation and ...
Ecomuseum of the Ecosystem and Relict Cultural Landscape of Lope-Okanda reopens (Gabon)
http://whc.unesco.org/en/news/2250
After a closure of more than ten years, the Lopé National Park Ecomuseum reopened its doors on 5 February 2021 with an official ceremony attended by the Executive Secretary and staff of the National Parks Agency (ANPN), local authorities and the head of culture from the UNESCO office in Libreville.
This important building is of great pedagogical interest for learning about conservation through the valorization of history and the close relationship maintained by local communities with ...
Information and consultation meeting on the avian influenza epidemic in Senegal and Mauritania
http://whc.unesco.org/en/news/2249
Following the outbreak of avian influenza currently raging in Senegal and Mauritania, UNESCO organized on February 11, 2021, a virtual information and consultation meeting with the Senegalese and Mauritanian authorities in charge of the management of the Djoudj National Bird Park (PNOD), the Diawling National Park (PND) and the Banc d'Arguin National Park (PNBA) as well as representatives of FAO, the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), the CMS ...
African Protected Areas & Conservation (IUCN-Papaco) Programme offers new online courses
http://whc.unesco.org/en/news/2248
The Programme on African Protected Areas & Conservation (IUCN-Papaco) offers a brand new series of online learning courses adapted to different profiles of professionals working in protected areas. Each course is built on 50 videos (from our MOOCs) followed by quizzes to enable protected area actors to develop the skills that are essential for their profession.
The RANGER Essential is meant for guards and field rangers working mainly on data collection, anti-poaching, guiding etc. ...
3D Data Collection underway for Safeguarding the House of Wonders in the Stone Town of Zanzibar World Heritage site
http://whc.unesco.org/en/news/2247
UNESCO, in partnership with World Monuments Fund (WMF), sent a team of experts from the University of Cape Town led by Prof. Heinz Rüther to the Stone Town of Zanzibar World Heritage property from 28 January to 2 February 2021. They  are undertaking 3D data collection at the historic House of Wonders building, which partially collapsed on 25 December 2020, as part of an in-depth survey and condition assessment.
The mission team has captured metrically accurate spatial data using ...
2021 Call for nominations UNESCO-Greece Melina Mercouri International Prize for the Safeguarding and Management of Cultural Landscapes
http://whc.unesco.org/en/news/2239
Nominations are now open. Deadline for submission: 30 April 2021
The Prize rewards outstanding actions to safeguard and enhance the world's outstanding cultural landscapes which contribute directly and significantly to the goals set out in the United Nations' 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The Prize winner, who may be an individual, an institution or a non-governmental organization, receives an award of 30,000 USD.
The Prize was created in 1995 by Greece and named ...
World Wetlands Day, 2 February 2021
http://whc.unesco.org/en/news/2245
This year's theme for World Wetlands Day ?eWetlands and Water,' highlights the importance of wetlands as a source of freshwater and encourages action to restore them and stop their loss. 
The UNESCO World Heritage Convention works continuously with other entities to protect the most important wetland systems in the world. Wetlands are currently protected under different designations, including the Ramsar Convention on wetlands, the UNESCO Man and Biosphere Programme and ...
UNESCO supports Ghana for Forts and Castles management plan
http://whc.unesco.org/en/news/2244
On 19 January 2021, UNESCO and the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board (GMMB) launched the development of the Conservation and Management Plan for the Forts and Castles, Volta, Greater Accra, Central and Western Regions of Ghana, during a hybrid (physical and online) four-day capacity-building workshop and marked a major step in the implementation of the International Assistance, under the World Heritage Fund.
"This workshop is crucial, as the new Management Plan will introduce priority ...
The Sultanate of Oman supports capacity-building for nomination and promotion of World Heritage sites in five Eastern African countries
http://whc.unesco.org/en/news/2243
On 22 January 2021, the Sultanate of Oman signed an agreement with UNESCO in the amount of Euros 583,566 to provide support for capacity-building of nomination projects and promotion of World Heritage sites in five Eastern African countries: Comoros, Kenya, Madagascar, Somalia and United Republic of Tanzania. The three-year capacity-building programme will support the updating of the Tentative Lists of these countries, assist in the preparation of robust nomination files, and strengthen ...
