Launch of the "Supporting capacity-building of World Heritage sites in East Africa?h project
http://whc.unesco.org/en/news/2269
On 26 March 2021, the Ambassadors of the Sultanate of Oman, Comoros, Kenya, Madagascar, United Republic of Tanzania and representative from Somalia joined the UNESCO World Heritage Centre to launch the three-year project  entitled: "Supporting capacity-building of World Heritage sites in East Africa?h financed by the Sultanate of Oman.
In her welcoming remarks, Ms Mechtild Rössler, Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre stressed the importance of this project that is ...
UNESCO provides crucial support to biodiversity in emergency situations
http://whc.unesco.org/en/news/2270
In 2020 many natural World Heritage sites and other important sites faced serious challenges and emergencies such as threats related to COVID-19, poaching spikes, conflicts, and unprecedent climate-related disasters (e.g. cyclones, wildfires, ?c). Precious time is often lost in organizing an intervention, while during this time, the world's natural heritage can be irreparably damaged.
The Rapid Response Facility (RRF), a UNESCO World Heritage Centre and Fauna and Flora ...
Mali and UNESCO receive symbolic reparation on behalf of international community for destruction of Timbuktu's mausoleums
http://whc.unesco.org/en/news/2268
Almost a decade after the destruction of the mausoleums at Timbuktu, a UNESCO World Heritage site, the International Criminal Court (ICC) has awarded a symbolic one euro to the Government of Mali and UNESCO for the damage suffered by the Malian people and the international community as a whole as a result of the destruction of Timbuktu's cultural property in 2012.
This gesture follows the ICC's conviction of Ahmad Al Faqi Al Mahdi for his responsibility in the destruction of ...
Call for case studies, deadline 30 April 2021: UNESCO World Heritage Cities Forum
http://whc.unesco.org/en/news/2266
The World Heritage Cities Programme is calling for case studies of Innovative Actions implementing the approach of the 2011 UNESCO Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape (HUL Recommendation) , integrating heritage conservation with sustainable urban development, in World Heritage cities. The selected case studies will be presented during the World Heritage Cities Forum 2021, which will take place online this summer (dates will be announced shortly), and will serve to prompt a ...
The Republic of Korea Pledges 6 million USD for World Heritage-related activities in Asia and the Pacific
http://whc.unesco.org/en/news/2263
On 17 March 2021, the Director-General of UNESCO received, via the Permanent Delegation of the Republic of Korea to UNESCO, a letter from Mr KIM Hyun-mo, Administrator of the Cultural Heritage Administration of the Republic of Korea, announcing the creation of a new Framework Agreement to support extra-budgetary projects related to World Heritage in the Asia and the Pacific region.
UNESCO and its World Heritage Centre enjoys a very fruitful cooperation with the Government of the Republic of ...
World Heritage Volunteers Design Competition Results
http://whc.unesco.org/en/news/2265
We are pleased to present the visual identity of the World Heritage Volunteers 2020-2021 Campaign.
The World Heritage Volunteers Initiative launched a Banner and T-Shirt design competition in 2020 for the World Heritage Volunteers 2020-2021 campaign, with the aim to have a global shared identity for the campaign, while celebrating the creativity of the participating organizations that enable the success of the Initiative, year after year.
This year, we are pleased to announce the winning ...
Call for applications for the 3rd Edition of the Mediterranean Climate Change Adaptation Awards
http://whc.unesco.org/en/news/2264
The call for applications for the 3rd Edition of the Mediterranean Climate Change Adaptation Awards is now open until 15 April 2021.
This call was launched by the French Agency for Ecological Transition (ADEME), in partnership with the Union for the Mediterranean and UNEP MAP Plan Bleu, in the frame of the 5th Anniversary of the Paris Climate Agreement last 20th January. The award ceremony is scheduled to take place in June 2021 during the European Climate Change Adaptation ...
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 ...
Commemorating 20 years since the destruction of two Buddhas of Bamiyan, Afghanistan
http://whc.unesco.org/en/news/2253
The tragic destruction of the Buddhas of Bamiyan in March 2001, which was broadcast across the globe, led to a global recognition of the need to protect cultural heritage at risk.
The empty niches of the giant Buddhas in the Bamiyan Valley of Afghanistan are a perpetual reminder of our duty to protect cultural heritage, and what future generations stand to lose if we do not. Today, these niches are inscribed on the World Heritage List as part of the "Cultural Landscape and ...
UNESCO and German Ministry support tourism recovery from COVID-19
http://whc.unesco.org/en/news/2262
The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) has provided UNESCO with 2 million euros to address some of the immediate socio-economic impacts of COVID-19 on tourism and heritage. The project aims to support UNESCO's efforts to accelerate the recovery, to protect livelihoods and to transform the sectors to become more inclusive and sustainable.
Working in collaboration with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, the project ...
