AUSTRALIA ELECTED TO THE WORLD HERITAGE COMMITTEE

Australia was elected today in Paris to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee by the General Assembly of States Parties to the World Heritage Convention. We will serve a four year term, concluding in November 2021.

 

The World Heritage Committee plays a vital role in the protection and celebration of natural and cultural sites around the world – from the Great Wall of China, the Lascaux Cave in France, Machu Picchu, the Galápagos Islands and the Pyramids of Giza, to the tropical rainforests of Borneo.

 

Australia has 19 sites inscribed on the World Heritage List, including the iconic Sydney Opera House, Uluru-Kata Tjuta, Kakadu, the Royal Exhibition Building in Melbourne, our mammal fossil sites at Riversleigh and Naracoorte, and the Great Barrier Reef. These places are vital to the cultural, social and economic fabric of our nation.

 

Australia has supported the ideals and aims of the World Heritage movement since it began. We were a founding member of the World Heritage Convention in 1974 and have served four times on the World Heritage Committee, most recently from 2007 to 2011.

 

We look forward to sharing our experience in managing natural and cultural heritage, and contributing to the conservation of places recognised for their Outstanding Universal Value.