Global Heritage Fund

January 2012

Across the Wire

Ancient Cave Monastery in Need of Conservation

January 31, 2012

Dug into the side of Mount Erusheli in southern Georgia, the ancient cave monastery of Vardzia is not just spectacular physically, it is also one of the region’s most important historical and cultural sites.

SUCCESS STORIES

Students in Siem Reap Seize Opportunities Afforded by Angkor

January 27, 2012

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Every day, thousands of tourists visit Angkor to stare in amazement at its awesome temples and sculptural decorations. And every day, after the complex closes, many of the young people who staff the site head straight to university to seize opportunities the likes of which their parents could not have dreamed.

Across the Wire

Bosnia’s Top Cultural Institutions Under Threat

January 25, 2012

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Nearly two decades after a brutal war that killed hundreds of thousands of civilians, displaced two million from their homes, and destroyed museums and libraries, Bosnia-Herzegovina’s top cultural institutions are again in imminent danger — this time because of political conflict and neglect.

SUCCESS STORIES

India’s Chandraketugarh to Become Heritage Village

January 20, 2012

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Since its discovery by construction workers in West Bengal more than a century ago, the 2,500-year-old site of Chandraketugarh has been partially excavated, occasionally celebrated, but never adequately preserved.

GHF IN THE NEWS

CNN Features GHF in “Year of the Maya” Story

January 19, 2012

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With the 13th Maya calendar set to complete its cycle in December, one common interpretation is that this signifies “the end of the world as we know it.” Scholars worldwide, however, have stressed that the completion of this 144,000-day “b’ak’tun” does not mean apocalypse but rather the dawn of a new age. And to commemorate the historic event, GHF has named 2012 the “Year of the Maya.”

Across the Wire

AP Profiles Banteay Chhmar, “Second Angkor Wat”

January 19, 2012

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As physical conservation and community development progress at Banteay Chhmar, the international community is finally beginning to see what unique and historic treasures have remained hidden for so long in the remote jungles of northwestern Cambodia.

ACROSS THE WIRE

Census Declares Thousands of China’s Heritage Sites “Disappeared”

January 18, 2012

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The results are in from China’s most recent national heritage census — the first in more than 20 years — and they’re not good.

Across the Wire

NATO Employed “No Strike List” to Protect Libya’s Heritage Sites from Air Attacks

January 06, 2012

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For months leading up to the overthrow of Muammar el-Gaddafi, Libya’s cultural heritage sites — which include some of Africa’s most spectacular ancient Greek and Roman ruins — faced the fire of NATO air strikes. Thankfully, they survived.

ACROSS THE WIRE

Developing Nations Struggle for UNESCO World Heritage Status

January 04, 2012

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As Heritage on the Wire reported last month, this year marks the 40th anniversary of the UNESCO World Heritage treaty, which was signed in Paris in 1972. Over four decades, the list has expanded to include 936 of the world’s most important cultural and natural heritage landmarks. But with new sites being added every year, there is confrontation brewing between developed and developing nations over the list’s exclusivity.

Across the Wire

No Resolution on Preah Vihear as Cambodian, Thai Foreign Affairs Ministers Meet

January 03, 2012

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After a year that saw border tension boil over between Cambodia and Thailand, the Foreign Affairs Ministers of both countries met in Phnom Penh this week to discuss a range of issues stemming from the deadly clashes at Preah Vihear temple in February. It was the first visit by Thailand’s Surapong Tovichakchaikul to Cambodia since the Thai change of government in August.