World Heritage ,Indian heritage ,International Days

World Heritage

Borobudur - Indonesia Heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live with today, and what we pass on to future generations. Our cultural and natural heritage are both irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration. Places as unique and diverse as the wilds of East Africa’s Serengeti, the Pyramids of Egypt, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and the Baroque cathedrals of Latin America make up our world’s heritage.

What makes the concept of World Heritage exceptional is its universal application. World Heritage sites belong to all the peoples of the world, irrespective of the territory on which they are located.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) seeks to encourage the identification, protection and preservation of cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be of outstanding value to humanity. This is embodied in an international treaty called the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, adopted by UNESCO in 1972.

UNESCO's World Heritage mission is to:

encourage countries to sign the World Heritage Convention and to ensure the protection of their natural and cultural heritage;

encourage States Parties to the Convention to nominate sites within their national territory for inclusion on the World Heritage List;

encourage States Parties to establish management plans and set up reporting systems on the state of conservation of their World Heritage sites;

help States Parties safeguard World Heritage properties by providing technical assistance and professional training;

provide emergency assistance for World Heritage sites in immediate danger;

support States Parties' public awareness-building activities for World Heritage conservation; encourage participation of the local population in the preservation of their cultural and natural heritage;

encourage international cooperation in the conservation of our world's cultural and natural heritage.

World heritage Day

The International Day for Monuments and Sites which is known as the World Heritage Day was created on 18th April, 1982, by ICOMOS and later approved at the 22nd UNESCO General Conference in 1983. This special day offers an opportunity to raise public’s awareness concerning the diversity of the world’s heritage and the efforts that are required to protect and conserve it, as well as to draw attention to its vulnerability.

The Theme of International Day for Monuments and Sites (World Heirtage Day) in 2010 is Agricultural Heritage

Agricultural practices, systems and landscapes have been shaped and maintained over millennia, by generations of farmers - responding to challenges of nature, climate and geography, as well as conserving and using available local resources.
Agricultural heritage goes beyond just production of food. It, in fact, reflects the evolution of humankind, its interrelationships with nature, and the lifestyles that people have led.

Some recent World Heritage Day themes include:
2009: Heritage and Science

2008: Religious heritage and sacred places

2007: Cultural landscapes and monuments of nature

2006: Industrial Heritage

2005: 40th Anniversary of ICOMOS

2004: Earthen Architecture and Heritage

2003: Underwater Cultural Heritage

2002: 20th Century Heritage 2001: Save our historic villages

These are some suggestions for the conservation of the world Heritage

1.Visits to monuments and sites, and restoration works, possibly with free admission;

2.Articles in newspapers and magazines, as well as television and radio broadcasts;

3.Hanging banners in town squares or principal traffic arteries calling attention to the day and the preservation of cultural heritage;

4.Inviting local and foreign experts and personalities for conferences and interviews; 5.Organizing discussions in cultural-centers, city halls, and other public spaces.

6.Exhibitions (photos, paintings, etc)

7.Publication of books, post-cards, stamps, posters

8.Awarding prizes to organizations or persons who have made an outstanding contribution to the conservation and promotion of cultural heritage or produced an excellent publication on the subject.

9.Inaugurate a recently restored monument

10.Special awareness raising activities amongst school children and youth

11.Promotion of "twinning" opportunities, defining areas for co-operation; exchange of speakers; 12.organization of meetings and seminars, or the editing of joint publications

World Heritage in young hands

Only by instilling a deep sense of responsibility in young people towards the World Heritage can we be confident that the planet's cultural and natural iversity will endure into the future.