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Upper Middle Rhine Valley

Further Information

UNESCO World Heritage

The Great Wall of China, the Pyramids of Giza, the Taj Mahal, the archaeological site of Olympia in Greece, Ayers Rock or the Grand Canyon – these human cultural achievements and natural phenomena, to name just a few, are unique and worth protecting. Their disappearance would be an irreplaceable loss for humanity as a whole. Their protection, therefore, does not lie in the hands of a single nation, but is the responsibility of the international community. This is the aim of the UNESCO Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (World Heritage Convention) of 1972.

The World Heritage Centre informs about the World Heritage Programme, the World Heritage Convention, the World Heritage Sites, the Committee and many more.

Previous World Heritage Youth Forums

Youth events are held within the framework of the World Heritage Education Programme and have been organized in conjunction to the World Heritage Committee since 2004. You find all the results, impressions and reportings on the website of the World Heritage Centre.

By changing the term of “Youth Forum” to “Young Experts Forum”, the organizers pursued to give the young people´s voices higher recognition. The term “Young Experts” implies that the participants, on the one hand, are seen as young people who receive profound input and, on the other hand, are recognized as experts making meaningful contributions to the discussions of World Heritage and sustainability.

World Heritage and Sustainable Development

"Sustainability" is the key political goal for the 21st century. It means that future generations should have the same chance of leading a fulfilled life as we have had. At the same time, the opportunity to live a good life must be more fairly distributed around the world for the people alive today. Sustainable development combines economic progress with social justice and conservation of the natural environment.

Sustainability is as pressing a task as it is a great one. It cannot merely be decreed from on high – it must be learnt. Education for sustainable development instills the competencies that are required if we are to build our lives in a manner fit for the future.

World Heritage Sites are perfect model places where people can experience the importance of preserving something of the past by using it at the same time to shape the future – as long as World Heritage Sites are managed in a sustainable way.

More information about Education for Sustainable Development

More about the role of World Heritage for a Sustainable Development

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