Overview
- UNESCO's World Heritage Committee opened its 47th session in Paris to assess 30 new nominations for cultural and natural heritage status.
- Two candidates from Guinea-Bissau’s Bijagos Archipelago and Sierra Leone’s Gola Tiwai Forests represent the first submissions from those African nations.
- The organization initiated follow-up evaluations of almost 250 existing sites to identify preservation challenges and risks.
- A recent report warns that nearly 73% of World Heritage sites face severe water-related threats, prompting urgent protective measures.
- UNESCO has resumed conservation work at the National Museum of Damascus, begun preservation efforts at Aleppo's monuments, deployed satellite surveillance of heritage damage in Gaza.