site.btaNine New World Heritage Sites Nominated for UNESCO World Heritage List

Nine new sites nominated for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List were reviewed Friday at the 47th session of the World Heritage Committee, chaired by Bulgaria.

During the morning session, Diy-Gid-Biy Cultural Landscape of the Mandara Mountains (Cameroon), Mount Mulanje (Malawi), and the Faya Palaeolandscape (United Arab Emirates) were inscribed, UNESCO’s press office in Paris reported.

The site from the United Arab Emirates stirred debate in the chamber. Initially listed in the preliminary agenda as not recommended for inscription, the nomination was eventually accepted after nearly an hour of discussion.

In the afternoon session, the Committee reviewed Murujuga Cultural Landscape (Australia), the Xixia Imperial Tombs (China), Maratha Military Landscapes (India), Cambodian Memorial Sites, The Prehistoric Sites of the Khorramabad Valley (Iran), and Forest Research Institute Malaysia Forest Park Selangor (Malaysia).

India’s site, which was marked as recommended for deferral in advance, was also approved for inscription.

Nepal’s proposed site, Tilaurakot-Kapilavastu, originally scheduled for review today, has been postponed until tomorrow, when the Committee is expected to consider 14 additional new nominations.

The 47th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, chaired by Bulgaria, is taking place at UNESCO headquarters in Paris and will run through July 16. During the session, Bulgaria will present elements of its own cultural and natural heritage. In 2025 the Committee is reviewing 30 new nominations, proposals for the extension of two existing sites, and the conservation status of 248 properties already inscribed on the World Heritage List.