World Heritage Initiative Department of History Atlanta, Georgia

43rd SESSION OF THE WORLD HERITAGE COMMITTEE

Twenty-nine additional sites joined the 1,092 cultural and natural treasures already inscribed on the World Heritage List during the recent meeting of UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee, bringing the new total up to 1,121 sites. Convened in Baku, Azerbaijan, over the first two weeks of July, representatives of the 193 countries that are signatories to the World Heritage Convention participated in the meeting in which twenty-one of the states parties serving on the World Heritage Committee discussed and approved the inscription of the new sites along with other business addressed during the annual gathering.

In an elaborate opening ceremony held in Baku’s Heydar Aliyev Center designed by the noted Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid, the First Vice President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, wife of President Heydar Aliyev, and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Ms. Mehriban Aliyeva, welcomed the representatives, noting that “we share this duty to preserve the world’s heritage” out of “a shared sense of belonging to a greater humanity” and for the “basis of dialogue and mutual respect.” Then the Committee set to work, listening to reports by its advisory bodies—the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM), and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)—and hearing about the state of the World’s Heritage. In good news, two sites were removed from the list of World Heritage in Danger while only one was added. The delegates heard reports on efforts to diversify the World Heritage List through inscription of more properties in Africa and elsewhere currently underrepresented, while also discussing issues of sustainable development in a changing world.

The gavel comes down as the "20th Century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright" is inscribed on the World Heritage List. Of the forty-five sites initially proposed by states parties for inscription, the Committee approved twenty-nine which included one in Africa, two in Arabia, ten in Asia, one in Latin America and fifteen in Europe and North America.The delegates reaffirmed the use of World Heritage to strengthen the cooperation between states parties with the inscription of two transboundary properties.

The Committee added several major archaeological sites to the list as well as sites essential for the preservation of global biodiversity. In addition, the committee added two sites related to the traditions and knowledge of indigenous peoples in Australia and Canada. A Serial Nomination showcasing eight of Frank Lloyd Wright’s structures that highlight his contributions to Twentieth Century Architecture marked the twenty-fourth site from the United States of America to be inscribed on the List.

Lynda Waggoner, Barbara Gordon and other colleagues from around the country representing the Frank Lloyd Wright Serial Nomination, as well as Ed Hall, Glenn T. Eskew and Anne H. Farrisee representing the U.S. Civil Rights Movement Sites Serial Nomination, attended as observers. Stephen Morris, Phyllis Ellin and Jonathan Putnam represented the United States of America’s National Park Service Office of International Affairs and Yvette Wong represented the U.S. State Department's Bureau of International Organizational Affairs. U.S. Ambassador Lee Litzenberger invited all the Americans to join him and numerous prominent Azerbaijanis in celebrating the Fourth of July at a reception held on the embassy grounds in Baku. Click here for a full list of the new sites. Members of the U.S. Civil Rights Movement Sites World Heritage Team attend a reception honoring America's Independence Day at the U.S. Embassy in Baku, Azerbaijan. Pictured at the festivities are Ed Hall, Alabama Department of Tourism, and Project Director Glenn Eskew.

Mark your calendars! World Heritage and U.S. Civil Rights Movement Sites Second Symposium Atlanta April 16-18, 2020

This project is funded in part by: The African American Civil Rights program of the Historic Preservation Fund, National Park Service, Department of the Interior. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material do not constitute endorsement or necessarily reflect the views of the Department of the Interior or U.S. Government; and Grants from the African American Fund and the Southern Intervention Fund of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Questions? Comments?   Visit:  worldheritage.gsu.edu . Project Director Glenn T. Eskew: gteskew@gsu.edu or 404.413.6354 Project Manager Anne H. Farrisee:  afarrisee@gsu.edu  or 404.413.6353