TAG: GS 2: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
THE CONTEXT: Recently, six new sites has been added to UNESCO World Heritage list following IUCN recommendations.
EXPLANATION:
- The UNESCO World Heritage Committee have followed advice from IUCN – as the official advisor on nature – to inscribe five new sites on the World Heritage List and extend one existing World Heritage site.
- The announcement came today during the 46th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in New Delhi, India.
The sites added to the list are:
- Te Henua Enata – The Marquesas Islands, French Polynesia
- It is a hotspot for terrestrial and marine biodiversity, and endemic species in the French Overseas Territory of French Polynesia.
- These islands are home to more than 305 plant species and an exceptional endemism of coastal fish and marine molluscs.
- It is also of cultural significance in relation to the historical initial occupation of the Marquesas archipelago by the Enata people between the 10th and 19th centuries.
- The Flow Country, United Kingdom
- This area protects one of the largest peat bog ecosystems remaining in Europe and is the first World Heritage site focussed on peatlands.
- Its ongoing peat-forming processes continue to sequester carbon on a very large scale.
- Lençóis Maranhenses National Park, Brazil
- The national park has a breathtaking coastal sand dune system of striking contrasts.
- The park was inscribed for its unique geomorphological formations shaped by the interactions of climate and ocean.
- It includes the seasonal transformation through the formation of temporary lakes within extensive coastal barchan sand dunes.
- Badain Jaran desert – Towers of Sand and Lakes, China
- It is located in the remote autonomous region of Inner Mongolia.
- This site is a world-renowned hyper-arid landscape with an abundance of striking interdunal lakes.
- It exhibits a myriad of colours caused by the varying salinity and microbial communities unique to each lake.
- Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the Coast of Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf of China
- Upon IUCN’s recommendations, around ten new components have been added to the existing site.
- These new areas include some of the most important habitats for migrating birds along the East Asian- Australasian Flyway.
- IUCN has recommended a further extension in the future to add additional sites that are vital to support migrating birds.
- Vjetrenica Cave, Ravno, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Vjetrenica Cave, one of the longest in Bosnia and Herzegovina, is home to one of the world’s most important biodiversity hotspots for cave-dwelling fauna, being home to a total of 231 taxa of subterranean biodiversity.
- Inscribed onto the World Heritage List, IUCN will work together with the State Party of Bosnia and Herzegovina to implement the recommendations of the Committee to guarantee sufficient water to the cave system and ensure adequate funding.
World Heritage Committee
- The World Heritage Committee was established under the Convention concerning the Protection of the World’s Cultural and Natural Heritage.
- It was adopted by the General Conference of UNESCO at its 17th session on November 16, 1972.
- The Rules of Procedure for the committee were last revised during its 39th session in Bonn, 2015.
- The World Heritage Committee is a crucial body within UNESCO, comprising representatives from 21 States Parties elected by the General Assembly of UNESCO.
- The current members, elected during the 24th General Assembly in November 2023, include Argentina, Belgium, Bulgaria, Greece, India, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Lebanon, Mexico, Qatar, the Republic of Korea, Rwanda, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, Türkiye, Ukraine, Vietnam, and Zambia.
- The 45th session was previously held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
- Responsibilities of the Committee
- Implementation of the World Heritage Convention: The committee ensures the convention is upheld.
- Allocation of Financial Assistance: Funds from the World Heritage Fund are allocated by the committee.
- Inscription of Sites: The committee has the final authority to decide whether a site is inscribed on the World Heritage List.