United States planning to rejoin UNESCO organisation – announcement
Paris, FranceReuters The United States plans to rejoin the UNESCO organisation from this July onwards, UNESCO announced on Monday. The United States withdrew from the UN cultural agency in December, 2018, under President Donald Trump over accusations of anti-Israel bias and mismanagement. The UNESCO logo is seen during the opening of the 39th session of […]
Heritage “disaster”: Restoration lags for Syria’s famed Roman ruins at Palmyra and other war-battered historic sites
ABBY SEWELL and ALBERT AJI, of Associated Press, report on the issues facing the preservation and restoration of Syria’s ancient heritage sites…
Lebanon hopes UNESCO danger listing could save crumbling modernist fairground
Tripoli, Lebanon Reuters Its arch is cracking and its vast pavilions lie empty, but the crumbling Rachid Karami International Fair in Lebanon’s port city Tripoli now has hope of revival, having been added to the United Nations’ list of world heritage sites in danger. Designed by Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer in 1962, the collection of […]
UNESCO grants Odesa’s historic centre World Heritage in Danger status
Paris, France Reuters The United Nations’ cultural agency, UNESCO, said on Wednesday that it had designated the historic centre of Odesa, a strategic port city on Ukraine’s Black Sea coast, a World Heritage in Danger site. The status, awarded by a UNESCO panel meeting in Paris, is designed to help protect Odesa’s cultural heritage, which […]
Jordan unveils $US100 million master plan for the second millennium of Jesus’ baptism
Amman, Jordan RNS Jordan has launched a $US100 million master plan aimed at attracting one million Christian pilgrims to celebrations of the second millennium of the baptism of Jesus in 2030. The ambitious plan was unveiled by a not-for-profit foundation created by the Jordanian government to develop the “Bethany beyond the Jordan” area, on the […]
Great Barrier Reef should be put on “in danger” list, UN panel says
Sydney, Australia Reuters Australia’s Great Barrier Reef should be listed as a world heritage site that is “in danger”, a UN panel recommended on Tuesday, saying the world’s biggest coral reef ecosystem was significantly impacted by climate change and warming of oceans. Frequent bleaching events are threatening the reef, including four over the last seven […]
Major glaciers, including Dolomites and Yosemite, to disappear by 2050 – UN report
Paris, France Reuters Some of the world’s most famous glaciers, including in the Dolomites in Italy, the Yosemite and Yellowstone parks in the United States and Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania will disappear by 2050 due to global warming, whatever the temperature rise scenario, according to a UNESCO report. The United Nations cultural agency UNESCO monitors […]
Baghdad’s historic homes crumble as real estate booms
Baghdad, IraqReuters Overlooking the Tigris river in Baghdad, a 100-year-old Iraqi mansion stands dilapidated and neglected. Visitors hoping to catch a glimpse of its faded glory are warned off by a sign near the door saying: “Danger of collapse”. The 16-room building once boasted latticed windows, delicate carvings, a balcony and an inner courtyard dotted […]
Cultural ministers pledge more action to return priceless artifacts
Mexico City, Mexico Reuters Cultural ministers and representatives from 150 countries committed to expanding efforts to return historical artifacts to their countries of origin, according to a declaration released on Friday, following a UNESCO conference in Mexico City. Major museums, auction houses and private collectors have faced growing pressure in recent years to repatriate priceless […]
UNESCO supports Ukraine bid to put Odesa on World Heritage list
Paris, FranceReuters United Nations cultural agency UNESCO said on Tuesday it supported a bid by Ukraine to put its port city of Odesa on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Following a meeting of Ukraine Culture Minister Oleksandr Tkachenko with UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay at the agency’s Paris headquarters, UNESCO said it had mobilised experts to […]