Sources: BBC
Khaled El-Enany is elected director-general of UNESCO by the General Conference held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, succeeding Audrey Azoulay. 2025-11-6
UNESCO reports that the killings of journalists worldwide increased by 38% in 2022–2023, compared to the two previous years, equating to one journalist killed every four days. 2024-11-2
UNESCO recommends the inclusion of Venice, Italy, a World Heritage Site, on its List of World Heritage in Danger due to overtourism and flooding. 2023-07-31
UNESCO accepts the U.S. as a member after it withdrew from the organization in 2018. 2023-07-12
UNESCO places the ruins of the Kingdom of Saba in modern-day Yemen, the historic center of Odesa, Ukraine, and the Rachid Karameh International Fair in Tripoli, Lebanon, on its list of World Heritage Sites in Danger. UNESCO cites ongoing conflicts and lack of funding due to the Lebanese liquidity crisis as the reasons for their inclusion. 2023-01-25
UNESCO inscribes Ukraine's borscht culture into its list of endangered intangible cultural heritage. 2022-07-1
UNESCO recommends changing the World Heritage status of the Great Barrier Reef to "in danger" and urges "accelerated action" from Australia. Australian Environment Minister Sussan Ley says that she "strongly opposes" the recommendation, arguing that it was politically motivated and not following normal process. 2021-06-22
Polish environment minister Henryk Kowalczyk says Poland alone should decide the fate of the protected Białowieża Forest, ahead of a European Court of Justice ruling on whether additional logging allowed by the Polish government at the UNESCO world heritage site breaches European Union rules. 2018-03-28
UNESCO adds new sites to the World Heritage List: Tusi Sites (China), Susa, Cultural Landscape of Maymand (both in Iran), Singapore Botanic Gardens (Singapore), Baekje Historic Areas (Republic of Korea), Great Burkhan Khaldun Mountain and its surrounding sacred landscape (Mongolia), and the French wine producing regions of Champagne and Burgundy. 2015-07-4