Tags
- Capacity Building
- Climate Change
- Climate Resilience
- Community Advocacy
- Community Engagement
- Contested Heritage
- Emergency Cultural Response
- Heritage Conservation Threats
- Landscape Architecture
- Marginalized Voices
- National Preservation
- Policy and Governance
- Sites of Memory
- Tourism
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- Urban Development
- World Heritage
- Young Professionals
OWH provides an open dialogue platform for people interested in cultural and natural heritage issues. OWH welcomes diverse viewpoints in the spirit of collegial debate where mutual respect is afforded to all. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the official position of OWH.
K-Heritage in the Spotlight: Cultural Events at the 48th Session of the World Heritage Committee
The 48th World Heritage Committee in Busan (July 19-29) showcased “K-heritage,” pairing plenary sessions with side events, the public K-Heritage House expo, and the “Hexagram 22” performance, placing citizens at the centre and celebrating living heritage directly with the public.
The Crown of Controversy: Borobudur’s New Chattra Installation
Indonesia plans to install a gold-plated bronze chattra atop Borobudur’s main stupa by 2026, framed as “adaptive intervention” for living heritage. Critics cite missing independent impact assessment, structural, seismic and corrosion risks, weak reversibility guarantees, and possible UNESCO “In Danger” listing.
Modern Heritage of Africa: Rethinking Africa’s Place in the World Heritage Story
FOPCHEN with the UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre Africa Unit held expert meetings in Busan, Lagos, on 25 July 2026. They launched Modern Heritage of Africa initiative (MoHoA) to recognize Africa’s modern heritage as plural “African modernities”, expanding archives, linking conservation to climate-conscious reuse, and prioritizing community-led documentation and protection.
Operationalising the ICOMOS Charter on Cultural Heritage Tourism: From Principles to Practice
New webinars and a collaborative online dossier launched to support the ICOMOS Charter on Cultural Heritage Tourism: From Principles to Practice
World Heritage Committee adds “Guiding Principles for sites of memory associated with recent conflicts” to its Operational Guidelines
OWH welcomes UNESCO’s adoption of “Guiding Principles for sites of memory associated with recent conflicts” in its Operational Guidelines.
OWH Statement at the 48th session of the World Heritage Committee in Busan
OurWorldHeritage and FOPCHEN urge integrating memory-site Guiding Principles into UNESCO guidelines, ensuring accuracy, stakeholder inclusion, reconciliation, and community collaboration.
Busan Declaration on World Heritage
OurWorldHeritage welcomes the 2026 Busan Declaration, introducing Collaboration as the sixth strategic objective, strengthening global heritage cooperation and connecting local heritage with worldwide conversations.
Reflections from Florence: World Heritage at a Turning Point — Governance, Civil Society, and the Next 50 Years
Proceedings of a public event held in Florence in November 2022, bringing together local authorities, civil society, and heritage experts to reflect on governance, community engagement, and challenges facing the World Heritage Convention.
A paradigm shift is needed now! Adapting World Heritage guidelines to climate change reality
Following the adoption of UNESCO’s 2023 Policy Document on Climate Action for World Heritage, German experts, site managers, and institutional partners explored concrete actions for safeguarding cultural and natural World Heritage in the face of the climate crisis.
OWH Statement at the 47th World Heritage Committee: Institutionalizing the Guiding Principles for Sites of Memory
At the 47th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, Dr Tokie Laotan-Brown delivered a formal statement on behalf of OurWorldHeritage Foundation. You can read the full one-minute version of our statement here.
Make it official! World Heritage guidelines for sites of recent conflicts
On July 11, 2025, the World Heritage Committee at its 47 th session will inscribe Cambodian Memorial Sites: from centres of repression to places of peace and reflection using criterion (vi). The Kingdom of Cambodia has chosen three sites to represent one of the most serious abuses of human rights in the 20th century.
OWH Statement at the 46th World Heritage Committee: Strengthening Civil Society’s Role in Decision-Making
At the 46th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, Dr. Shikha Jain delivered a formal statement on behalf of OurWorldHeritage Foundation. You can read the full one-minute version of our statement here.