50 Minds for the Next 50 – Towards a Balanced Representation of World Heritage Sites
This year, the 1972 Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage celebrates its 50th anniversary. The landmark year arrives as the world assesses the extent of damages caused by COVID-19 on the economic, social and cultural lives of people across the globe. Combined with the accelerating environmental degradation and widening social divisions, we find ourselves in uncharted territory, questioning our fundamental values as individual, a society, and a global community: What do we truly treasure? What must change for the better? What should be passed down to future generations in the face of future crises?
As a knowledge-based and intellectual agency, UNESCO sees an opportunity and responsibility to lead these important discussions on education, sciences and culture. Therefore, UNESCO will dedicate this milestone to a year-long interdisciplinary reflection on the future of the World Heritage, going well beyond celebrating past achievements. In this spirit, the theme of the year is "The Next 50: World Heritage as a source of resilience, humanity and innovation."
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30 June 2022
Paris - France