UNESCO: treasures "Ad vita aeternam"

A unique heritage to protect

Heritage is the legacy of a common past in the history of mankind, which we can enjoy, visit, understand and pass on to future generations today. The richness of UNESCO's (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) universal heritage lies in its diversity.

Whether cultural or natural heritage, they are extraordinarily diverse and varied places. From the wild expanses of national parks, to the Pyramids of Egypt, to the Great Wall of China, to the New Caledonian Coral Reef, there is no shortage of treasures... Moreover, this concept of universal world heritage makes these sites accessible to all the peoples of the world, across borders. In order to qualify for inclusion on the World Heritage List, sites must meet at least one of the ten selection criteria. Criteria often revised by the Committee to keep pace with the evolution of the concept of World Heritage itself. The site must either: represent a masterpiece of human creation; bear a unique and exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared; be an outstanding example of a type of building or architectural ensemble which illustrates a significant stage in human history; be an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement, representative of a culture or of human interaction with the environment; be directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions, with ideas, or with beliefs, with artistic and literary works of outstanding universal significance.The protection, management, authenticity and integrity of the properties are important considerations.

Therefore, it should be noted that only countries that are signatories to the World Heritage Convention can submit nominations of properties located in their territory to the World Heritage List. It is the World Heritage Committee that will evaluate the proposal and give its decision on whether or not to inscribe the site on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Unsesco has just inscribed 26 new sites on the World Heritage List

Among these sites is Pergamon, one of the great cities of the Hellenistic civilization. It was the capital of the Hellenistic dynasty of the Attalids and one of the great centres of knowledge in the ancient world. An incredibly well-preserved city.
South Korea sees the list of its national monuments expand a little more with the entrance of the Namhansanseong refuge city, on the heights of Seoul. If the oldest remains date from the 7th Century, the city in the image of his country has been destroyed several times. Its fortifications, built and defended by Buddhist monks, are impressive.

Botswana makes a second entry on the list with the inscription of an Inner Delta and the mammals it encompasses. The fauna and flora are exceptional.

If Burma, as we know, has many architectural treasures, it is however the first time that the country appears on the list. A thousand years of history, of Pyu kingdoms represented by three city vestiges. There are many monuments of inestimable value. The 30,000 kms of Qhapaq Nan, the Inca's route through Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Peru have also entered the list, as have the imposing megaliths in Costa Rica and several sites in Saudi Arabia and the rest of the world.

One thing is certain, if our future is the past of future generations, we also owe it to ourselves to protect the legacy left to us by past generations. It is UNESCO's will, which again gives us many sites to visit.