Friday, February 18, 2011

UN world heritage agency appoints special envoy for Preah Vihear temple

11 February 2011 – The head of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) today named Koïchiro Matsuura as Special Envoy to address the issue of Preah Vihear, a Hindu temple inscribed on the World Heritage List that has been damaged owing to recent border clashes between Cambodia and Thailand.
Mr. Matsuura, the former Director-General of UNESCO, will visit Bangkok and Phnom Penh to discuss how the site can be safeguarded.

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Thursday, February 3, 2011

Wind farm threatens Mont St Michel's UNESCO status

Plans to build a wind farm near the picturesque island abbey of Mont Saint Michel could threaten the UNESCO World Heritage status of one of France's most famous monuments.

Read more here.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Istanbul’s world heritage sites in neglect

When construction began on an underwater tunnel below the Bosporus strait dividing the European and Asian halves of Istanbul, workers uncovered the ancient port of Constantinople.

It was no real surprise, perhaps — Istanbul is an archaeological treasure trove, with historic sites from the Hippodrome of Byzantine times to the Ottoman era Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace.

All these architectural riches have earned Turkey’s largest city a World Heritage Site designation from the United Nations. But Monday, the city is in danger of being struck off that list.

Read more.