On 18th April offers an opportunity to raise the public’s awareness about the diversity of cultural heritage and the efforts that are required to protect and conserve it, as well as draw attention to its vulnerability.

The official theme for World Heritage Day 2024 is ‘Discover and experience diversity’. During a symposium hosted by the International Council for Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) in Tunisia on April 18, 1982, it was proposed to hold an ‘International Day for Monuments and Sites’ that would be observed globally on the same day. The concept was also approved by the UNESCO General Conference, which at its 22nd session in November 1983 adopted a resolution urging Member States to consider designating April 18, annually, as ‘International Monuments and Sites Day’. It has been customary to refer to this as ‘World Heritage Day’.

It is important to keep in mind that these remarkable locations urban carry profound significance for communities and beyond. They consist of centres rich in history, monuments representing the experiences of generations, ancestral houses, and ecological hotspots. Thus, the preservation of World Heritage helps us remember our past and find inspiration for our future.

Regrettably, there are more and more dangers to cultural and natural sites. Recent research indicates that events related to climate change would endanger 60% of World Heritage forests, and that by 2050, glaciers in one-third of World Heritage locations will vanish.

It is important to raise awareness and protect these sites as they play a vital role in fostering cultural understanding, inspiring sustainable practices, promoting environmental awareness, strengthening communities, and recognising indigenous knowledge apart from being testaments to the global legacy.