World Heritage Day - Theme, History and Activities

Table of Contents

  1. History of World Heritage Day
  2. Objective of World Heritage Day
  3. Theme of World Heritage Day 2020
  4. What you can do to help?
  5. How is World Heritage Day Celebrated

Every year 18th April is celebrated as ‘International Day for Monuments and Sites’ which is also called as ‘World Heritage Day’ with different types of activities including visits to monuments and heritage sites,conferences,round tables and newspaper articles. Purpose of celebrating ‘World heritage Day’ is to raise public awareness on importance of diversity of cultural heritage and preserving these heritage for the generations ahead and the efforts required to protect and conserve it. Ancient monuments & sites are an asset to us that help us understand our history and the root of our culture for generations to come.

History of World Heritage Day

The International Council for Monuments & Sites (ICOMOS) is a non-governmental organization that works on preserving and conserving heritage sites worldwide.On April 18,1982, The International Council for Monuments & Sites (ICOMOS) had organized a symposium and put forth a proposal for a worldwide celebration of ‘International day for Monuments and Sites’. This was later approved by UNESCO General Conference in it’s 22nd session on November 1983 declaring 18th April as’ International day for Monuments and Sites’. As a result hundreds of experts from different field like architects, geographers, engineers, archaeologists etc. saw the need to protect these heritage locations and came forward to help in restoring these monuments.

Objective of World Heritage Day

UNESCO defines a World Heritage site as a “natural or man-made area or a structure that is of international importance, and space which requires special protection”. The main objective of celebrating this event is to preserve the heritage of the three categories i.e, natural, cultural and mixed for the next generation and put its relevant efforts in front of the world. Today, there are a grand total of 1,121 UNESCO World Heritage Sites worldwide, of which 869 are cultural, 213 are natural and 39 are a mixture. 53 of these are in danger. India has a total of 35 world heritage sites, of which 27 are cultural,7 natural & one mixed site.

Theme of World Heritage Day 2020

Every Year ICOMOS proposes a theme for celebrating the ‘World Heritage Day’ like the theme for 2019 World Heritage Day was ‘Rural landscapes’. The theme for World Heritage Day for the year 2020 is ‘Shared Culture’, ‘Shared heritage’ and ‘Shared responsibility’, which is important as an expression for global unity with current world wide health crisis. The theme for ‘Shared Cultures*,* Shared Heritage, Shared Responsibility’, reflects the global context of heritage as part of cultural identity at a time of rapid population shift, conflict, and environmental uncertainty. The theme recognises that heritage whether it is a place, landscapes, practices, or collections, is frequently connected with and valued by multiple and diverse groups and communities.

We have all seen in history that some cultures & societies had shared common cultural practices wherein some were forced upon the people, resisted by people. While some culture & beliefs were closely guarded and shared (e.g.in many indigenous culture). While some of the heritage pieces were either destroyed or damaged to the extent that it cannot be shared (e.g. the Buddhas of Bamiyan).Thus ICOMOS by adopting the theme ‘Shared Cultures, Shared Heritage, Shared Responsibility’ invites the participants to explore the idea of sharing its counterpoints, contestation and resistance in relation to cultures, heritage and responsibility. It invites reviews of traditional thinking on the topic and seeks new and diverse perspectives and insights that encourage discussion and dialogue.

The theme of ‘Shared Cultures, Shared Heritage, Shared Responsibility’ is also the theme for the ICOMOS 20th General Assembly and Scientific Symposium (GA2020) that will take place in Sydney, Australia from 1-10 October 2020.

How is World Heritage Day Celebrated

Because of the current global health crisis due to the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic and the containment measures in different countries around the world, ICOMOS encourages you to celebrate the ‘International Day for Monuments and Sites’ by following instructions from local and national authorities so as to ensure the safety of participants. ICOMOS invites you to celebrate 18th April World Heritage Day Shared Cultures, Shared Heritage, and Shared Responsibility theme, with the aim of raising awareness of its values and conservation virtually. Possible activities include virtual conferences and round tables, webinars, online lectures, poster presentations, live streamed interviews, press releases, round tables, visits to heritage properties, heritage walks, social media campaigns, etc. You can also take part in this event by –

  • Posting photos and information on shared cultures and heritage of your country, and also associated heritage or practices , including short slideshows or videos (within 30 seconds). Make sure to include descriptions, quotes or facts to accompany any image, as well as hashtags.
  • Uploading images connected to the theme, and associated heritage or practices, to the ICOMOS photo bank (if you do not already have one, you first need to create an account to do so). In all cases, please make sure that you detain the rights to any images you post.
  • Sharing virtual tours and videos of heritage places through social media. Check out Google Arts & Culture, which provides free, virtual access to a number of cultural heritage sites worldwide.
  • Sharing a story about your community’s connections to heritage, your cultural traditions, or what it means to share responsibility for conserving cultural and natural heritage. Don’t forget to use images and hashtags.
    What you can do to help?

Preservation and restoration of important natural, cultural and historic sites is challenging task. We as responsible citizens must do our bit in preserving these heritage sites . We must keep our heritage alive so that generation to come can experience and understand it. We can do the following to take part in preserving these heritage sites-

  • You or your organization can get involved in conservation activities, world heritage promotion, mobilization of resources and financial support by partnering with UNESCO .
  • Join the UNESCO interning or volunteering programs.
  • You can practice sustainable tourism by respecting local culture and customs.
  • Do not damage sites by littering, writing on walls etc. when visiting.
  • Lastly, monetary donations are the most direct way to support UNESCO and its projects.

As quoted on UNESCO’s World Heritage site, we can work together to “encourage international cooperation in the conservation of our world’s cultural and natural heritage” to preserve our world for ourselves and future generations.

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