2009 - Jan - Feb - Mar - Apr - May - Jun - Jul - Aug - Sep - Oct - Nov - Dec

2008 - Jan - Feb - Mar - Apr - May - Jun - Jul - Aug - Sep - Oct - Nov - Dec

2007 - Jan - Feb - Mar - Apr - May - Jun - Jul - Aug - Sep - Oct - Nov - Dec

28 October

• World Heritage and Peace - 1st World Forum of UNESCO Clubs in July 2009. Alexandria (Egypt) - A summary by FUUH Member Alessandro Ciambrone (Italy)
  "World Heritage and Peace" was the theme of the first international Forum of UNESCO Clubs held on 15 and 16 July 2009 in the prestigious venue of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina in the city of Alexandria (Egypt) founded by Alexander the Great. The Forum was organized by the World Federation of UNESCO Clubs, Centers and Associations (WFUCA), the Arab Federation of UNESCO Clubs and the Egyptian National Commission for UNESCO with the financial support of UNESCO. Members of the Executive Board of the World Federation of UNESCO Clubs and representatives of federations and clubs from different geographical regions participated in the event...
  More information: http://universityandheritage.net/doc/200911_ciambrone.pdf

• Director-General opens 17th General Assembly of States Parties to the 1972 World Heritage Convention
  On 23 October 2009, the Director-General of UNESCO, Mr Koïchiro Matsuura, opened the 17th session of the General Assembly of States Parties to the 1972 World Heritage Convention at the Organization’s Headquarters. In a speech looking back over his 12 years of close involvement with the Convention, which had begun with his term as Chairman of the World Heritage Committee from 1998-1999, Mr Matsuura stated that, “the Convention and its Lists [are] extremely valuable tools in UNESCO’s work to safeguard the world’s precious cultural and biodiversity. Today, with 890 properties in 148 States Parties on the prestigious World Heritage List, the Convention is universally renowned as the pre-eminent international tool for protecting tangible cultural and natural heritage.”
  More information: http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=46793&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html

• New World Heritage Committee Members
  Australia, Bahrain, Barbados, Brazil, Cambodia, China, Egypt, Estonia, Ethiopia, France, Iraq, Jordan, Mali, Mexico, Nigeria, Russian Federation, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, United Arab Emirates.
  More information: http://whc.unesco.org/en/sessions/34COM/

• 1001 panophotographies : Bakong temple (Cambodia)
  1001wonders.org (formerly world-heritage-tour.org) is listing 1001 cultural and natural sites around the world and is documenting them in panophotographies - immersive and interactive panoramic images. Today 273 sites have been visited : 260 are available on this web site, 13 are currently in post-production and will soon be uploaded. Altogether there are 2203 panophotographies. This project is building a museum atlas which is interactive, immersive, without border and for educational purposes. It is also a testimony and a documentary inventory of natural and cultural sites to future generations.
  • Bakong temple, Angkor (Cambodia)
    Angkor is one of the most important archaeological sites in South-East Asia. Stretching over some 400 km2, including forested area, Angkor Archaeological Park contains the magnificent remains of the different capitals of the Khmer Empire, from the 9th to the 15th century. They include the famous Temple of Angkor Wat and, at Angkor Thom, the Bayon Temple with its countless sculptural decorations. UNESCO has set up a wide-ranging programme to safeguard this symbolic site and its surroundings.
    More information: http://www.world-heritage-tour.org/asia/southeast-asia/khmer-empire/cambodia/angkor/bakong/map.html

23 October

• UNESCO and online travel giant TripAdvisor launch World Heritage partnership
  TripAdvisor, the world's largest on-line community of travellers, and UNESCO launched a partnership on Thursday to mobilize travellers' support to preserve natural and cultural sites inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List. At the launch of the partnership, TripAdvisor founder and Chief Executive Officer, Stephen Kaufer, pledged to donate up to US$1.5m of support over the next two years to UNESCO's World Heritage Centre. The donation will help the Centre handle the considerable task of monitoring the conservation of the 890 natural and cultural sites inscribed on the World Heritage List. The World Heritage Centre provides technical and administrative support for States that have ratified the 1972 World Heritage Convention, enabling them to translate its provisions into action.
  More information: http://whc.unesco.org/en/news/561/

22 October

• Djenne (Mali) National Geographic
  The landlocked West African country of Mali is mostly desert or semidesert. Trans-Saharan caravans once enriched Timbuktu and Gao, trading hubs on the Niger River. Descendants of the empires of Ghana, Malinke, and Songhai came under French rule in the late 19th century and gained independence in 1960. In the 1980s economic woes worsened by drought and famine led to deregulation and privatization. Desertification forces nomadic herders south to the subsistence-farming belt. With increased gold mining operations, Mali is becoming a major gold exporter.
  More information: http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/places/countries/country_mali.html

• Photographic Exhibition Visitor Center: "With Park Ranger Eyes" in the occasion of the 75 Anniversary of the Iguazu National Park, Argentina
  Images of Nature from the Iguazu National Park in its purest state, and reflects the author's love for the Atlantic Forest, this home for more than a decade.
  More information: http://universityandheritage.net/doc/Guardaparque.zip

• The Director-General appeals for renewed dialogue in the Old City of Jerusalem
  Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO, today declared that he shared the concern of Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations, about the recent tensions in the Old City of Jerusalem. In a statement dated 8 October, Robert Serry, United Nations Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, reported that the Secretary-General of the United Nations was “very concerned at the recent clashes in Jerusalem”.
  More information: http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=46690&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html

21 October

• Image bank of World Heritage Cities 2009
  With the purpose of enriching its image bank, the Organization of World Heritage Cities (OWHC) resorts to its network of members with the purpose of obtaining images of world heritage cities. These images show the peculiarities of the urban heritage of the chosen city, in detail or as a whole. The following webpage can give you an idea of the photographs already chosen: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ovpm. The selected photographs will be hosted in the site FLICKR, administered by the OWHC. These photographs will be used in our website and other promotional publications like written documents or exhibitions. They will not be used with commercial purposes. The OWHC is committed to mention the name of the author in any image used. These images will have to be free of rights and sent in hi-res (min. 1600 x 1200 dpi). Would you like to participate? Send your photographs with a short description and the name of the author to the following address: images@ovpm.org
  images@ovpm.org
  More information: http://www.ovpm.org/

• CONVENTION FRANCE-UNESCO - Meeting of the Association of French World Heritage properties (ABFPM). Reims, 1-2 October 2009
  Invited by Mrs. A. Hazan, Mayor of Reims and President of “Reims Métropole” and Mr. Yves Dauge, Senator of Indre and Loire, President of ANBFPM, the seventh meeting of the French World Heritage properties took place in Reims on 1-2 October 2009. This year the topic was “Management of properties and territory project” through two sessions - “heritage and territory” and “urban project and consideration for heritage challenges” - and a final roundtable chaired by Mr. Raphaël Gastebois, Head of the SDAP of Marne. Twenty sites already inscribed were represented, as well as nominated properties.
  More information in French: http://universityandheritage.net/doc/Newsletter_CFU_13.pdf

• CONVENTION FRANCE-UNESCO - Workshop “Historical urban landscapes”. Bordeaux, 7-8 June 2009
  Within the context of the work carried out by UNESCO on the elaboration of a new international Recommendation on urban issues, a meeting of French experts on “Historic Urban Landscapes (HUL)” was held on 8-9 June 2009. This meeting hosted by the City of Bordeaux was organized by CFU and ICOMOS France, in association with the National Association of Heritage Architects of France, the National Association of Cities and Places of Art and History and the Cities with Protected Sectors (ANVPAH/VSS), with the support of the Directorate of architecture and heritage (Ministry of Culture and Communication). The ambition of this seminar was to enrich the international discussion and build a multidisciplinary reflection and propose a French position on the concept of Historical Urban Landscape and in the scope of the urban conservation and planning …
  More information in French: http://universityandheritage.net/doc/Newsletter_CFU_13.pdf

• CONVENTION FRANCE-UNESCO - International training for French-speaking heritage site managers. Cluny, 22 - 28 March 2009
  In collaboration with the World Heritage Centre, and with the participation of the France-UNESCO Convention, the ENSAM- ParisTech of Cluny hosted for the second time (after a first edition in 2007) 20 participants from all over the world, all professionals, French-speaking, heritage site managers. The training cycle on the future of heritage sites is jointly organized with the European archaeological Centre of Bibracte and in association with the University of Burgundy and the Centre of National Monuments. It is inscribed within the wider context of Heritage Courses developed at the ENSAM- ParisTech of Cluny: Section Construction and Heritage, specialized Masters “Technology, Culture and Heritage”, GUNZO Research Platform and the event “Cluny 2010”.
  More information in French: http://universityandheritage.net/doc/Newsletter_CFU_13.pdf

• CONVENTION FRANCE-UNESCO - Tourism and Heritage: French Working Group
  The France-UNESCO Convention participates in the works of the Heritage and Sustainable Tourism Initiative,implemented by the Culture Sector of UNESCO and the World Heritage Centre. In this framework, a small Working Group animated by Mr. Valery Patin, Professor of the Sorbonne and Expert in Cultural Tourism, and gathering French World Heritage site managers (Valley of the Loire, Pont du Gard, Provins, Le Havre), the Centre of National Monuments, representatives of specialized tourism operators (Arts et Vie), the Great sites of France, the Regional Committee of Tourism of Ile-de-France and the Orsay Museum, met in April for the second time at the Ministry of Culture and Communication.
  More information in French: http://universityandheritage.net/doc/Newsletter_CFU_13.pdf

• CONVENTION FRANCE-UNESCO - “Niger-Loire: Governance and Culture”. European project
  The project “Niger-Loire: Governance and Culture” continues in Mali:
  • The restoration works of the port of Mopti (restoration of the pier) were carried out in 2009 June-July, and will be inaugurated in the presence of the Minister of Environment on 12 December 2009. On 10-11 December 2009 a Workshop will take place to draft a wider project of rehabilitation of the port area.
  • Preparatory studies to the restoration of a water pumping system in Moribabougou are completed and the municipality chose the option of the perforations (instead of a water treatment plant). A subsidy request was submitted by the Municipality of Ponts de Cé (partner of Moribabougou) to the Water Loire Britain Agency for the implementation of hydrogeological studies and preparatory perforations. The project will be carried out in partnership with Angers Loire Métropole and Aquassistance…

  More information in French: http://universityandheritage.net/doc/Newsletter_CFU_13.pdf

• CONVENTION FRANCE-UNESCO - Saint Louis of Senegal: reactive monitoring mission . 14-20 February 2009
  At the request of the World Heritage Committee, the State of Senegal hosted a reactive monitoring mission from 14 - 20 February 2009. This joint mission UNESCO-ICOMOS-ICCROM was also accompanied by an expert, Mr. Alain Coulon, State architect and city planner, seconded within the framework of the CFU and who has been following up for several years the evolution of the Saint-Louis property. The mission stated that the property is deteriorating less and less; although the application of the PSMV is not completely effective, the numerous legal dispositions taken (such as the creation of a Safeguarding Committee) prove the progress in a better implementation of the rules on Saint Louis.
  More information in French: http://universityandheritage.net/doc/Newsletter_CFU_13.pdf

19 October

• OUR PLACE continues to document World Heritage sites and present them to our global audience
  • UNESCO DIARY - Stunning OUR PLACE images feature on the cover and inside pages of the new UNESCO 2010 desk diary
  • RECENT SHOOTS - OUR PLACE photographers have been busy documenting sites around the globe
  • HERITAGE MAGAZINE - Photographs of some of the many Natural sites from around the world are presented in the latest issue of World Heritage magazine
  • CAMERA PRIZE - OUR PLACE has contributed a LUMIX camera as a prize to the winner of the 'greening UNESCO' initiative

  Five diverse World Heritage sites now added to the OUR PLACE COLLECTION...

  • POBLET MONASTERY - Resting place of the Kings of Catalonia and Aragon, the austere and majestic Poblet Monastery, Spain
  • SUB-ANTARCTIC ISLANDS - The remote and beautiful Sub Antarctic Islands of New Zealand, home to numerous species of rare plants and seabirds
  • OPORTO - Magnificent urban monuments from the historic centre of Oporto , Portugal
  • POTSDAM & BERLIN - In Germany, the Palaces and Parks of Potsdam and Berlin form an eclectic collection of intrigue and interest
  • TELC - From the Czech Republic, the colourful stone buildings of the hillside town of Telc, rebuilt after a fire in the 14th Century

  More information: http://www.salemaker.co.nz/smaker/smmailview.asp?t=75560&b=18843

16 October

• National Park Service (NPS/USA) International Programs Quarterly Bulletin (April-September 2009)
  In this Issue:
  • Fighting Illegal Trafficking in Khmer Antiquities
  • Field Evaluations for US World Heritage Nominations
  • Assessing Haiti's World Heritage Site
  • Denali Hosts Japan-US Interpreter Training Seminar
  • Russian Imperial Gardens Festival
  • Italian Wetlands Conference
  • IUCN/UNESCO Mission to Waterton-Glacier
  • NPS-China Action Plan Signed
  • World Heritage Karst Sites Become Sister Parks
  • "Leading Strategic Change" Course To Be Offered to Park Managers
  • Norwegians Participate in Civil War Remembrance
  • Miscellaneous News

  More information: http://www.nps.gov/oia/new/quarterly_bulletin.htm

• What's New in NPS (National Parks Service) International Programs - USA
  (Before leaving office) DOI Secretary Kempthorne Announces New U.S. World Heritage Nominations
  In an event on Monday, January 12th at the historic home of America’s first President, then Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne announced that the United States is nominating President George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens in Virginia and the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument in Hawaii for inclusion on the World Heritage List. Joining the Secretary for the formal announcement was James C. Rees, Executive Director of the Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens...
  More information: http://www.nps.gov/oia/new/new.htm

• OWHC: An Exceptional World Congress in Quito
  “Exceptional” aptly describes the X World Congress of the OWHC held in Quito, Ecuador, 8-11 September 2009. The 498 participants from 85 cities and 45 countries had the opportunity to participate in the scientific sessions which focused on the theme “Revitalization of Historic Centers: How to Involve All Social Actors?” The sessions included three keynote presentations by world experts, a panel on the subject of public-private partnerships as well as small group discussions and poster presentations of case studies...
  More information: http://www.ovpm.org/index.php?module=ovpm&func=news&pid=71

13 October

• Symposium about "la gestion des sites culturels et touristiques"
  22 October 2009. Château de Langeais. Val de Loire, France
  Conference organised on Thursday 22nd October 2009 at Château de Langeais. The purpose is to give very concrete examples of the different public/private delegation possibilities for making the most of cultural and natural sites. Over recent years, legal systems have evolved: delegation of public service, third party management, leasing and so on. For each project, there is a suitable legal solution. Management delegation, in all its forms, has become more common and, in a competitive environment, the conditions of a successful marriage are more and more complex to ensure sustainability and give a sense of involvement to everyone. Contact: contact@chateau-de-langeais.com
  More information: http://www.chateau-de-langeais.com/htmfr/actualite.php

• The Modern Movement in Tel Aviv: symposium "Are we Modern?" on Tel Aviv Modern Movement in the International Architectural Context. 16 October 2009. Paris (France)
  A colloquium will be organized on the modern movement of Tel Aviv in the context of international architecture, organized by Jérémie Hoffmann, Director of the Department of conservation for the City Council of Tel Aviv, on Friday 16 October from 9.30 to 17.00, in the Auditorium Edmond Michelet of the international City of the Arts.
  More information in French: http://www.citedesartsparis.net/

• GLOBAL HERITAGE FUND - Mirador Basin and its Preclassic Maya sites, temples and pyramids in Guatemala on CNN International
  CNN International's "World’s Untold Stories" takes you on another remarkable journey, this time deep into the jungles of Guatemala. 50 kilometers from where the last road ends, near the Mexican border, we find the ruins of the incredible Mayan city of Mirador. At its height, the ancient city was home to a vast population and one of the largest pyramids in the world. Travel with CNN International as we become the first to show you the summit face of the great La Danta pyramid, explore the inside of a Mayan temple, and record the amazing discovery of a giant piece of civic art that may rewrite the history of the Mayan civilization.
  More information: http://www.globalheritagefund.org/news/GHF_in_the_news/
  ghf_mirador_on_cnni_102009.asp

• Loire Fleet and Ports: a strong commitment to redevelop the river
  At the Regional Conference of 29th September 2009, the Val de Loire Mission presented a report on the implementation of the “Loire Fleet and Ports” plan (study began in 2004 and was published in 2007), assessing the extent of efforts undertaken to develop the river within the area listed as a UNESCO World Heritage.
  More information: http://www.valdeloire.org/front.aspx?SectionId=304&CHANGELANG=en&publiid=5855

9 October

• Exhibition “The White City, the Modern Movement in Tel Aviv” INTERNATIONAL CITY OF THE ARTS - 16 October to 15 November 2009. Paris (France)
  The “White City” of Tel Aviv presents all aspects of architecture of the Modern Movement. This is marked and enriched by the multidisciplinary education of the local architects whose main sources of inspiration came from the Bauhaus School, from Le Corbusier who trained several Israelian architects in his workshop in Paris, from Erich Mendelsohn 's expressive architecture as well as from the academies of architecture of Ghent and Brussels. The local architectonic language is the result of the fusion of these different influences adapted to the Oriental architectonic tradition and the local climatic conditions.
  More information in French: http://www.citedesartsparis.net/

• Statement by UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre on mission to study conservation and infrastructure development in Ibiza
  Representatives from the national, regional and local authorities led by Spain's Permanent Delegate to UNESCO, Ambassador María Jesús San Segundo, met Francesco Bandarin, Director of the World Heritage Centre, on 8 October to discuss the conservation of the World Heritage property of "Ibiza, Biodiversity and Culture". The meeting focused on preparations of a joint expert mission to the Spanish site by the World Heritage Centre, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS). The mission is scheduled to take place in November.
  More information: http://whc.unesco.org/en/news/559

7 October

• 1001 panophotographies : Harar (Ethiopia) + Ta Phrom (Cambodia)
  1001wonders.org (formerly world-heritage-tour.org) is listing 1001 cultural and natural sites around the world and is documenting them in panophotographies - immersive and interactive panoramic images. Today 273 sites have been visited : 260 are available on this web site, 13 are currently in post-production and will soon be uploaded. Altogether there are 2203 panophotographies. This project is building a museum atlas which is interactive, immersive, without border and for educational purposes. It is also a testimony and a documentary inventory of natural and cultural sites to future generations.
  • Harar (Ethiopia)
    The fortified historic town of Harar is located in the eastern part of the country on a plateau with deep gorges surrounded by deserts and savannah. The walls surrounding this sacred Muslim city were built between the 13th and 16th centuries. Harar Jugol, said to be the fourth holiest city of Islam, numbers 82 mosques, three of which date from the 10th century, and 102 shrines, but the townhouses with their exceptional interior design constitute the most spectacular part of Harar's cultural heritage. The impact of African and Islamic traditions on the development of the town's building types and urban layout make for its particular character and uniqueness.
    More information: http://www.world-heritage-tour.org/africa/east-africa/ethiopia/harar/map.html
  • Ta Phrom, a major temple in Angkor, Cambodia
    Angkor is one of the most important archaeological sites in South-East Asia. Stretching over some 400 km2, including forested area, Angkor Archaeological Park contains the magnificent remains of the different capitals of the Khmer Empire, from the 9th to the 15th century. They include the famous Temple of Angkor Wat and, at Angkor Thom, the Bayon Temple with its countless sculptural decorations. UNESCO has set up a wide-ranging programme to safeguard this symbolic site and its surroundings.
    More information: http://www.world-heritage-tour.org/asia/southeast-asia/khmer-empire/cambodia/angkor/ta-phrom/map.html

5 October

• OWHC: An updated database to keep you informed
  Thanks to your collaboration, the Organization of World heritage Cities (OWHC) can keep you informed with respect to the latest news regarding its activities and world heritage. Help us to have your data updated and those of other pertinent contacts in your city or institution. It is very simple, simply click on the button “Modify”, “Delete” or “Add a contact” to access your update. Your help is appreciated!
  More information: http://www.ovpm.org

2 October

• Kortrijk’s Beguinage: Towards the interpretation of a UNESCO World Heritage Site
  Kortrijk’s Beguinage (beguine convent) was added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List on 2 December 1998, along with 12 other, representative, Flemish beguinages. The inscription gave the Flemish beguinages international recognition as world heritage sites because of their 'outstanding universal value'. This worldwide recognition supposes that efforts be made to make these sites more easily accessible for the general public. To do so, the Ename Center works closely with the owner of the beguinage in Kortrijk, which is the local Centre for Social Welfare (OCMW).
  More information: http://www.enamecenter.org/files/newsletter/sept09/EN/sept09KB.html

Appui à l'élaboration d'un manuel de bonnes practiques sur la conservation avec l'Orgnisation des Villes du Patrimoine Mondial (OVPM). Présentation à Quito
Un rapport d’étape sur l’élaboration du manuel des bonnes pratiques sur la conservation urbaine a été présenté à l’occasion du 10e Congrès de l’OVPM, Quito, capitale de l’Equateur, du 8 au 11 septembre 2009. Le projet est animé par un Comité de pilotage coordonné par la Ville de Lyon avec la participation du secrétariat général de l’OVPM, du Centre du patrimoine mondial, de la CFU, de Culture patrimoine et développement et du Getty conservation Institute (voir newsletters précédentes). La démarche consiste à solliciter auprès des villes membres une contribution sur une ou plusieurs réalisations exemplaires de manière à pouvoir en comprendre concrètement le processus opérationnel et le décrire de manière pratique.
http://universityandheritage.net/doc/Newsletter_CFU_13.pdf

Report of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage on its activities (2008-2009)
http://www.unesco.org/en/general-conference-35session/documents/