World Heritage Day: April 18 – Update (April, 2021)

Every year, the World Heritage Day is celebrated on April 18. The day is also called the International Day for Monuments and Sites. This year, the World Heritage Day was celebrated under the following theme

Theme: Complex Pasts: Diverse Futures

World Heritage Day

• The World Heritage Day is promoted by the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOSMOS).
• The celebration of the day aims to preserve human heritage, vulnerability and diversity of the world monuments.
• The World Heritage Day was proposed by ICOSMOS in 1982 and was approved by the United Nations in 1983.

ICOSMOS

It is an organisation that was established based on the principles of Venice Charter. The Venice Charter is also called the 1964 International Charter on the Conservation and Restoration of Monuments and Sites.

World Heritage Site

For a place to get selected as the World Heritage Site, it should be a classified landmark. That is, the site should be unique in historical and geographic means. Also, it should have cultural significance.

The World Heritage sites are maintained by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee under the World Heritage Programme. The World Heritage Sites are embodied in the international treaty called the Convention concerning the Protection of the world cultural and natural heritage. The treaty was adopted by UNESCO in 1972.

World Heritage Sites in India

There are thirty-eight UNESCO World Heritage sites in India. Of these, seven hold natural importance and thirty hold cultural importance. The Khangchendzonga National Park is classified as “mixed”, that is, it has both cultural and natural importance.

Month: Current Affairs - April, 2021