A Short note on UNESCO – World Heritage Site

A place or landmark that is given the protection of the law thanks to an international convention that is managed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization is referred to as a World Heritage Site (UNESCO). UNESCO bestows the title of “World Heritage Site” upon locations that hold significant cultural, historical, scientific, or other types of significance. The cultural and natural heritage around the world that is considered to be of outstanding value to humanity is believed to be contained within the sites.

In order to be considered for inclusion on the World Heritage List, a potential site must be distinctive in some way, as well as easily recognisable geographically and historically, and it must also hold some kind of unique cultural or physical significance. For instance, ancient ruins or historical structures, buildings, cities, deserts, forests, islands, lakes, monuments, mountains, or wilderness areas could all qualify as World Heritage Sites. Other possible locations include wilderness areas. It is possible for a site to be designated as a World Heritage Site for one of two reasons: either it is a location that possesses outstanding natural beauty or it is the location of an outstanding human achievement that serves as evidence of our intellectual history on the planet. There are a total of 1,154 World Heritage Sites spread out across 167 countries as of the month of July 2021. There are 897 cultural sites, 218 natural sites, and 39 mixed properties. Italy is the country that has the most sites on the list, with 58 different areas chosen for preservation.

Origin

The Egyptian government made the decision in 1954 to construct the new Aswan High Dam. The reservoir that would eventually be created as a result of this dam’s construction would eventually flood a large stretch of the Nile valley that contained cultural treasures from ancient Egypt and ancient Nubia. In 1959, the governments of Egypt and Sudan asked UNESCO for assistance so that they could protect and rescue the monuments and sites that were in danger of being destroyed. The Director-General of UNESCO began the International Campaign to Save the Monuments of Nubia in the year 1960. The response to this appeal resulted in the discovery and documentation of hundreds of sites, the recovery of thousands of objects, and the rescue and relocation to higher ground of several significant temples. The temple complexes at Abu Simbel and Philae are among the most well-known examples of this type. 1980 marked the end of the campaign, which was deemed a success overall. Egypt gave away four temples as a gesture of gratitude to nations that played an especially important role in the success of the campaign. The Temple of Dendur was relocated to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, the Temple of Debod was relocated to the Parque del Oeste in Madrid, the Temple of Taffeh was relocated to the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden in Leiden, and the Temple of Ellesyia was relocated to the Museo Egizio in Tur.

Objectives and positive results

UNESCO’s goal in designating certain locations as World Heritage Sites is to ensure that they are preserved for future generations. The idea behind it is that “heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live with today,” and that both cultural and natural heritage are “irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration.” This idea is what drives the movement. When it comes to World Heritage, UNESCO’s mission is broken down into eight separate subtargets. These include providing emergency assistance for sites that are in danger, providing both technical assistance and professional training, encouraging countries and local populations to become more committed to the preservation of World Heritage sites in a variety of different ways, and providing support for the activities that States Parties engage in to raise public awareness.

The site, its surrounding environment, and the ways in which those two things interact can all benefit from being designated as a World Heritage Site. A site that is included on the list receives both international recognition and legal protection, and under certain circumstances it may be eligible to receive funding for its preservation from organisations such as the World Heritage Fund. Angkor in Cambodia, the Old City of Dubrovnik in Croatia, the Wieliczka Salt Mine near Kraków in Poland, and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area in Tanzania are the four sites that UNESCO considers to be among its most successful restoration projects.

Nomination process

Before submitting a Tentative List, a nation must first compile a list of the significant cultural and natural sites located within its borders. Next, it is possible for it to place sites that have been selected from that list into a Nomination File, which is then evaluated by the World Conservation Union and the International Council on Monuments and Sites. It is forbidden for a nation to submit nominations for sites that have not first been included on its Tentative List. Both of these international organisations make suggestions for new UNESCO World Heritage Site designations to the World Heritage Committee. The Committee gets together once a year to discuss which of the nominated properties should be added to the World Heritage List. Sometimes, the Committee decides to postpone its decision or asks the nation that submitted the nomination for more information about the site. There are ten criteria for selection, and in order to be included on the list, a location must fulfil at least one of them.

Conclusion

A place or landmark that is given the protection of the law thanks to an international convention that is managed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation is referred to as a World Heritage Site (UNESCO).In order to be considered for inclusion on the World Heritage List, a potential site must be distinctive in some way, as well as easily recognisable geographically and historically, and it must also hold some kind of unique cultural or physical significance. For instance, ancient ruins or historical structures, buildings, cities, deserts, forests, islands, lakes, monuments, mountains, or wilderness areas could all qualify as World Heritage Sites. The Egyptian government made the decision in 1954 to construct the new Aswan High Dam. The reservoir that would eventually be created as a result of this dam’s construction would eventually flood a large stretch of the Nile valley that contained cultural treasures from Ancient Egypt and ancient Nubia.