World Heritage Watch

We Deplore the Decision of the German Foreign Office

World Heritage Watch expresses its deep regret and disappointment about the decision of the German Foreign Office not to support an International NGO Forum and civil society participation in the 45^th Session of the World Heritage Convention in Riyadh next month. The decision demonstrates the failure of the Foreign Office to understand the important role civil society and indigenous peoples play in the implementation of the World Heritage Convention.

The following NGOs will now be unable to send representatives to Riyadh:

Abdurrahim Ahmadi, Afghanistan/Germany
Alliance Earth, South Africa
Centro Mexicano de Derecho Ambiental, Mexico
Dala Institute, Indonesia
Diyarbakır Kültür ve Tabiat Varlıklarını Koruma Derneği, Türkiye
Endorois Welfare Council, Kenya
Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar, Malta
Initiative Stadtbildschutz Wien, Austria
Lahore Conservation Society, Pakistan
National Committee for Saving the Sundarbans, Bangladesh
National Research Centre for Georgian Art
History and Heritage Preservation, Georgia
Lakes Watch, United Kingdom

Rede Nacional Pró Unidades de Conservação, Brazil
Rivers without Boundaries International Coalition, United States of America / Russia
Safeguard of Historic Cairo’s Cemetaries, Egypt
Save Okavango’s Unique Life Alliance, Botswana/Namibia
Save the Tigris, Iraq
Stonehenge Alliance, United Kingdom
Syrians for Built Heritage, Syria
Tanzania Heritage Foundation, Tanzania
Tripolitanian Society, Libya
Voluntariado “Vale un Potosì”, Bolivia
Wahana Lingkungan Hidup Indonesia, Indonesia
We Are Here Venice, Italy

Press release / Presseerklärung

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Das UNESCO-Welterbesystem ist dysfunktional

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Welcome to World Heritage Watch

With our network of over 180 groups worldwide, World Heritage Watch ensures that the world heritage is not sacrificed to political compromises and economic interests. We support UNESCO in getting complete and correct information about the situation of the sites. And we help local people to protect their sites and to have an appropriate benefit from them.

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to support UNESCO in protecting and safeguarding World Heritage properties;
to strengthen the role of civil society and indigenous peoples under the UNESCO World Heritage Convention;
to foster public awareness, information and education about, and to create a stronger identification with, the World Heritage;
to strengthen the implementation regime of the UNESCO World Heritage Convention;

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