The 47th session of the World Heritage Committee came to a close in Paris with the inscription of 26 new cultural and natural properties on UNESCO's World Heritage List.
Once again this year, the spotlight was on African heritage, with the inclusion of four new sites from the continent and the removal of three others from the List of World Heritage in Danger.
“With 196 States Parties, the World Heritage Convention is one of the most universally ratified in the world - proof of its influence and popularity in every corner of the globe,” says Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO Director-General.
“For the new sites inscribed this year, this notoriety comes with a great responsibility: that of keeping alive, protecting and promoting this exceptional heritage.”
The committee inscribed 26 new properties on UNESCO's World Heritage List and approved the extension of two existing sites on the list, enabling the creation of transboundary natural parks. These heritage properties now benefit from the highest level of protection in the world.
The African continent once again in the spotlight
UNESCO has made considerable efforts to support its African Member States.
From the training of local experts to support for the preparation of candidatures, via the funding of safeguarding projects, more than $34 million has been mobilized by UNESCO since 2020 in favour of African heritage.
"Making Africa a priority is not a symbolic gesture. It's a concrete, day-to-day and long-term commitment, driven by the idea that the continent must be recognized for its historical, cultural and natural importance," says the UNESCO Director-General.
“With 19 new sites inscribed and six jewels saved from danger since my arrival at UNESCO, I am proud to see this continent take its rightful place among the world's heritage.”
Growing recognition of remembrance sites
Following the inscription of Auschwitz-Birkenau in 1979, UNESCO's World Heritage List has been enriched since 2023 with new sites of memory linked to recent atrocities.
Honouring the memory of the millions of victims of the Khmer Rouge regime, the World Heritage Committee this year inscribed the Cambodian Memorial Sites: From centres of repression to places of peace and reflection.
Today, these sites are places of transmission, commemoration and learning. Their inscription illustrates the essential role of heritage in the work of remembrance, and of UNESCO in peacebuilding.
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These inscriptions bring the total number of sites on UNESCO's World Heritage List to 1248, in 170 countries.
