4 new African sites to be examined at WHC session, push to boost its presence on world heritage map
The spirit of the World Heritage Convention is also to reflect the "diversity and equal dignity of cultures" throughout the world. Yet, 27 States Parties still have no sites inscribed, she said in her address at the opening ceremony of the 47th session of the WHC on Monday.
"As you know, we have developed specific measures since 2021 to support African heritage by assisting States submitting their first nomination. This includes implementing programmes to strengthen expertise among a new generation of African professionals and providing online tools to support them," Azoulay said.
UNESCO is also working with five universities in Cameroon, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania to support higher education in the field of heritage, "and I'm pleased to see these efforts producing results," she added.
A senior official earlier said 32 sites from various countries are set to be examined by the WHC during its current session.
Proposals for the extension of two sites already inscribed on the World Heritage List are scheduled to be taken up for consideration during the session, the official said.
Azoulay, in her address, said in addition to the extension of a site in Africa, the current session will "propose for inscription of four African sites, including the first-ever nominations from two countries".
"Since 2018, fifteen new sites across eight countries in sub-Saharan Africa have joined the World Heritage List, and that is without including the sites that may be inscribed this year," she said.
New nominations from Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, Cameroon and Malawi will be examined at the 47th session of the World Heritage Committee, UNESCO said in a statement.
"If inscribed, these properties will lift sub-Saharan Africa's tally of World Heritage sites to 112 up from 93 in 2018. This reflects the commitment of the Director-General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, to increasing the presence of African sites on the World Heritage List," it said.
Beyond preserving sites, UNESCO also aims to build a wide network of local heritage experts to develop African nominations.
Since 2021, a pioneering mentorship programme launched with partners like the African World Heritage Fund, ICCROM, ICOMOS and IUCN has trained 60 African heritage professionals. These include 30 women and as many men from 46 countries, it said.
Azoulay also said two other countries, the Comoros and Sao Tome and Principe, have submitted their first nominations for evaluation in 2026.
In recent years, UNESCO has been part of a broader push to strengthen Africa's presence on World Heritage Lists and highlight the continent's rich history, diverse cultures and unique ecosystems, the statement said.
"Heritage weaves an essential bond between people and societies, meaning that in conflict and post-conflict settings, it also becomes a pivotal tool to re-establish a peaceful coexistence and to help restore the social fabric," she underlined.
UNESCO's efforts to protect heritage include actively monitoring damage to cultural sites in Gaza since October 2023, using satellite imagery provided by UNOSAT. And in Ukraine, as strikes continue and with over 500 cultural sites affected since 2022, "we are supporting emergency action, for example in Odesa and in Lviv," she said.
"But in Africa as well, several sites are under constant threat from a combination of factors: conflict, illegal exploitation and environmental stress like in the Kahuzi-Biega National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where we supported the closure of illegal mining sites and helped train 100 eco-guards," Azoulay said.
And in Sudan, UNESCO is taking action to protect World Heritage Sites and museum collections, she said.
In her address, she thanked the Bulgarian authorities, saying, unable to host this session in Bulgaria, they have made every effort to ensure it is held under the best possible conditions in Paris.
"As we open this session, may we be inspired by the words of another great Bulgarian thinker, Julia Kristeva: 'Each of us is unique, and it is in this unique truth that the essence of humanity lies.' Words that truly resonate here, as we come together around the uniqueness of our world heritage the essence of this Convention," the UNESCO DG said.
The 47th session of the WHC is being hosted in the French capital from July 6-16. Its 46th session was held in New Delhi the first time India hosted the crucial meeting.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
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Business Standard
9 hours ago
- Business Standard
Three African sites removed from the Unesco world heritage 'in danger' list
The sites taken off the danger list are the Rainforests of the Atsinanana in Madagascar, Abu Mena in Egypt, and the Old Town of Ghadams in Libya Press Trust of India New Delhi The World Heritage Committee has removed three African heritage sites -- in Madagascar, Egypt and Libya -- from UNESCO's list of endangered sites, acknowledging successful efforts to mitigate threats and restore their cultural and ecological integrity. The decision was taken on July 9 during the ongoing 47th session of the World Heritage Committee (WHC) in Paris, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) said in a statement on Wednesday. It said these removals are the result of extensive efforts by states parties, with UNESCO's support, to significantly reduce threats to these sites. The sites taken off the danger list are the Rainforests of the Atsinanana in Madagascar, Abu Mena in Egypt, and the Old Town of Ghadams in Libya. "When sites are removed from the List of World Heritage in Danger, it is a great victory for all. For the countries and communities directly concerned, for UNESCO and, more broadly, for the shared heritage of humanity," Director General of UNESCO Audrey Azoulay said according to the statement. "We are pursuing a special effort for Africa, both to train experts and facilitate new inscriptions and to support strategies to bring some sites out of danger. These efforts are paying off today", she said. In recent years, UNESCO has made "considerable and targeted efforts" to support its African Member States. Since 2021, three sites in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and Senegal have also been removed from the List of World Heritage in Danger, it added. According to information shared by the UNESCO, the Rainforests of the Atsinanana were inscribed on its World Heritage List in 2007 for its important biodiversity. The rainforests and the species they support have faced a "series of threats" in recent years including illegal logging, trafficking of precious woods and deforestation negatively affecting the status of important key species such as Lemurs leading to its inclusion on the List of World Heritage in Danger in 2010, it said. In Egypt, Abu Mena was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979 serving as an outstanding example of a pilgrimage site, cradle of Christian monasticism. "The site was placed on the List of World Heritage in Danger in 2001 following concerns due to alarming rise in the water table caused by irrigation methods of surrounding farms and the collapse of several overlying structures," the statement further said. It said Libya's Old Town of Ghadams, recognised in 1986 for its cultural links across Africa and the Mediterranean, was placed on the danger list in 2016 amid conflict, wildfires and flooding. The purpose of the danger list is to provide information on the threats to the very values that led to the inclusion of a property on the World Heritage List, and to mobilise the international community to preserve the site. It also enables the site to benefit from the right to increased technical and financial support from UNESCO. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Hindustan Times
4 new African sites to be examined at WHC session, push to boost its presence on world heritage map
New Delhi, Since 2018, 15 sites across eight countries in sub-Saharan Africa have earned a UNESCO tag, and four new nominations from African countries will be examined at the ongoing session of the World Heritage Committee in Paris, Director General of the UN organisation, Audrey Azoulay, said. 4 new African sites to be examined at WHC session, push to boost its presence on world heritage map The spirit of the World Heritage Convention is also to reflect the "diversity and equal dignity of cultures" throughout the world. Yet, 27 States Parties still have no sites inscribed, she said in her address at the opening ceremony of the 47th session of the WHC on Monday. "As you know, we have developed specific measures since 2021 to support African heritage by assisting States submitting their first nomination. This includes implementing programmes to strengthen expertise among a new generation of African professionals and providing online tools to support them," Azoulay said. UNESCO is also working with five universities in Cameroon, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania to support higher education in the field of heritage, "and I'm pleased to see these efforts producing results," she added. A senior official earlier said 32 sites from various countries are set to be examined by the WHC during its current session. Proposals for the extension of two sites already inscribed on the World Heritage List are scheduled to be taken up for consideration during the session, the official said. Azoulay, in her address, said in addition to the extension of a site in Africa, the current session will "propose for inscription of four African sites, including the first-ever nominations from two countries". "Since 2018, fifteen new sites across eight countries in sub-Saharan Africa have joined the World Heritage List, and that is without including the sites that may be inscribed this year," she said. New nominations from Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, Cameroon and Malawi will be examined at the 47th session of the World Heritage Committee, UNESCO said in a statement. "If inscribed, these properties will lift sub-Saharan Africa's tally of World Heritage sites to 112 up from 93 in 2018. This reflects the commitment of the Director-General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, to increasing the presence of African sites on the World Heritage List," it said. Beyond preserving sites, UNESCO also aims to build a wide network of local heritage experts to develop African nominations. Since 2021, a pioneering mentorship programme launched with partners like the African World Heritage Fund, ICCROM, ICOMOS and IUCN has trained 60 African heritage professionals. These include 30 women and as many men from 46 countries, it said. Azoulay also said two other countries, the Comoros and Sao Tome and Principe, have submitted their first nominations for evaluation in 2026. In recent years, UNESCO has been part of a broader push to strengthen Africa's presence on World Heritage Lists and highlight the continent's rich history, diverse cultures and unique ecosystems, the statement said. "Heritage weaves an essential bond between people and societies, meaning that in conflict and post-conflict settings, it also becomes a pivotal tool to re-establish a peaceful coexistence and to help restore the social fabric," she underlined. UNESCO's efforts to protect heritage include actively monitoring damage to cultural sites in Gaza since October 2023, using satellite imagery provided by UNOSAT. And in Ukraine, as strikes continue and with over 500 cultural sites affected since 2022, "we are supporting emergency action, for example in Odesa and in Lviv," she said. "But in Africa as well, several sites are under constant threat from a combination of factors: conflict, illegal exploitation and environmental stress like in the Kahuzi-Biega National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where we supported the closure of illegal mining sites and helped train 100 eco-guards," Azoulay said. And in Sudan, UNESCO is taking action to protect World Heritage Sites and museum collections, she said. In her address, she thanked the Bulgarian authorities, saying, unable to host this session in Bulgaria, they have made every effort to ensure it is held under the best possible conditions in Paris. "As we open this session, may we be inspired by the words of another great Bulgarian thinker, Julia Kristeva: 'Each of us is unique, and it is in this unique truth that the essence of humanity lies.' Words that truly resonate here, as we come together around the uniqueness of our world heritage the essence of this Convention," the UNESCO DG said. The 47th session of the WHC is being hosted in the French capital from July 6-16. Its 46th session was held in New Delhi the first time India hosted the crucial meeting. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Time of India
India's education faces challenges in SDG-4 targets despite gains in access, gender parity
AI-generated image NEW DELHI: India's education system continues to struggle with critical gaps in foundational literacy and numeracy, teacher training and financing, even as it shows consistent gains in gender parity, school completion rates and digital infrastructure. As per the 2025 Unesco SDG 4 scorecard, the country remains off-track in upper secondary and tertiary participation, lags behind global spending benchmarks, and has significant shortfalls in training qualified pre-primary teachers, though it has nearly universalised primary and lower secondary education and is improving internet connectivity in schools. India's performance on foundational learning is a key area of concern, with the report saying that countries, including India, are "off track by 11 percentage points" from the benchmark for achieving minimum reading proficiency by the end of primary education. India's benchmark for this indicator is 56%, but the actual achievement is substantially lower. In contrast, high-income countries reported reading proficiency levels nearing 99%, while South Asia's regional average stood at 49%. "The large likely result of limited experience in setting realistic targets on learning outcomes, which reflects low data availability," it said. Gender parity is one area where India has made notable progress. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 아픈 사람의 99%는 목이 뭉쳐있습니다. 더 알아보기 Undo 아픈 사람의 99%는 목이 뭉쳐있습니다. 더 알아보기 Undo 아픈 사람의 99%는 목이 뭉쳐있습니다. 더 알아보기 Undo 아픈 사람의 99%는 목이 뭉쳐있습니다. 더 알아보기 Undo The report classifies India among countries that have shown "fast progress" in narrowing the gender gap in upper secondary completion. India's 2025 benchmark reflects a gap of 2.3 percentage points, compared to a regional average of 3.4. "Countries which started with a disadvantage at the expense of girls are moving towards parity," the report said, adding that India is aligned with this trend. Upper secondary and tertiary participation remains a serious concern. India's 2025 benchmark for upper secondary completion is 67%, but the projected out-of-school rate for youth in the 15-17 age group is still 21%. South Asia performs slightly better with a projected 13% out-of-school rate, while high-income countries have nearly achieved universal participation with rates under 2%. The report observed that "already by 2025, it is projected that countries were off track by. ..six percentage points for upper secondary school age youth". India's public expenditure on education was 3.1% of GDP in 2023, below the SDG benchmark of 4% and far from the National Education Policy's aspirational target of 6%. This places India below the South Asian average of 3.4% and significantly behind high-income countries, which spend between 4.8% and 5.5% of GDP. The scorecard showed, "Countries are moving backwards in terms of public education spending, which was further away from the twin thresholds of 4% of GDP and 15% of total public expenditure in 2023 than in 2015. " India has also not met its target for trained pre-primary teachers. The 2025 benchmark is set at 88%, but progress is slow and data limited. The report said, "Countries are furthest behind from their 2025 national targets in training pre-primary school teachers", with a global shortfall of seven percentage points. However, India's primary and lower secondary completion rates remain strong. The 2025 benchmarks for completion are 92% and 84%, respectively, placing India above the South Asia average of 91% for primary and 88% for lower secondary, though trailing high-income countries where completion is near-universal. While many low- and lower-middle-income countries struggle with data and implementation, India has submitted benchmarks for net connectivity in schools and is moving forward through programmes aligned with NEP. As 2030 SDG deadline approaches, the report urged countries to accelerate action.
