CEO Statement on the 42nd Session of the World Heritage Committee Meeting

Over the past two weeks, the World Heritage Committee held its annual meeting to decide on the future development of the UNESCO World Heritage List. Delegates from member states put forward their most promising candidates for inscription, and the Committee decided whether they would join such sites as the Parthenon, the Pyramids of Egypt, and Angkor Wat in the rolls of humanity’s greatest places. The Committee also examined the continuing eligibility of sites that, whether due to fate or human negligence, have seen their conservation slip.

To those nations the World Heritage Committee has recognized, I extend my heartfelt congratulations. To have your treasured places inscribed on this prestigious list is a great honor. But in your celebration, take care that you do not rest on your laurels.

Many believe that UNESCO inscription automatically ensures full and lasting protection for inscribed sites. Unfortunately, this is far from the truth. UNESCO inscription formally recognizes a site’s history and value, but it does not guarantee conservation or complete protection from threats such as conflict, unscrupulous development, overtourism, and natural disasters. Although UNESCO charges the care of its listed World Heritage sites to their respective home countries, these governments often do not possess the capacity or resources to conserve, protect and sustainably preserve their cultural heritage resources, and the task falls to organizations like Global Heritage Fund.

UNESCO is at heart an organizational body, with a vision “to reaffirm the humanist missions of education, science and culture.” In pursuing this mission, UNESCO has successfully improved awareness and protection for many endangered sites throughout the world, including the Belize Barrier Reef, removed last week from the World Heritage in Danger list thanks to the tremendous efforts of the Belize government and UNESCO’s support.

While the development in Belize is heartening, many other UNESCO sites are still in danger. Such is the case in Shakhrisyabz, Uzbekistan. For over 500 years, this historic ancient city’s impressive monuments have survived great upheaval and environmental threats to stand testament to its military prestige and powerful rulers. But today, tourist kiosks are replacing historic urban structures, erasing many of the features that distinguished the city’s history when it was inscribed by UNESCO in 2000. Shakhrisyabz may now be destined for collapse.

This is why our work is so important. Global Heritage Fund is one of the few international organizations that specifically protects and preserves vulnerable heritage sites on UNESCO’s list or with the capacity to fulfill World Heritage criteria. We know that these sites are irreplaceable parts of our shared human history and require special protection. Based on our Preservation by Design® methodology, our projects are sensitive to specific site needs and developed for long-term sustainability.

Your support enables our crucial work conserving irreplaceable historical treasures and saving vanishing traditions. Please consider becoming a monthly sustainer to support our work. Your gift allows us to conserve sites like Shakhrisyabz before they are lost forever.

Warm regards,

Stefaan Poortman
Chief Executive Officer
Global Heritage Fund