The World Heritage Committee of the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) announced the inscription
of five new natural sites and three cultural sites to the World
Heritage List at the close of business Wednesday. The committee is
currently holding its 28th
session, meeting in Suzhou, Jiangsu
Province.
Two countries, Saint Lucia and Togo, make their first appearance
on the World Heritage List with the decision. Greenland,
administered by Denmark, also makes its first entry in the list,
which now numbers 762 properties.
The committee also approved the extension of three natural world
heritage sites.
The 21-member World Heritage Committee will continue this week
to review sites submitted by states parties to the 1972 Convention
Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural
Heritage, and sites to be placed on the List of World Heritage in
Danger. Zhang Xinsheng, chairperson of China's National Commission
for UNESCO and vice minister of education, is chairing the
session.
The committee is expected to finalize the inscriptions by
Friday. The session will continue until July 7.
The new natural sites added to the World Heritage List are
Ilulissat Icefjord of Denmark; the Tropical Rainforest Heritage of
Sumatra, Indonesia; the Natural System of Wrangel Island Reserve,
Russian Federation; the Pitons Management Area of Saint Lucia; and
the Cape Floral Region of South Africa.
The cultural sites inscribed so far are the Tomb of Askia in
Mali; the Portuguese City of Mazagan (El Jadida), Morocco; and the
Koutammakou, Batammariba, Togo.
A volcanic archipelago with spectacular landscapes was approved
as an extension at St. Kilda in the UK, first inscribed as a
natural site in 1986. The 14-square-kilometer Inaccessible Island
was added to the UK's Gough Island Wildlife Reserve in the south
Atlantic, first inscribed in 1995. Costa Rica's Area de
Conservacion Guanacaste, inscribed in 1999, was extended with the
addition of a 15,000-hectare private property, Santa Elena.
(Xinhua News Agency July 1, 2004)