IUCN brought a delegation that was not only diverse, but represented the whole of the Union, including global, regional, and country-office staff and Commission specialists. IUCN Regional Councillor Vivek Menon and the World Commission on Protected Areas Regional Vice-chair Sonali Ghosh attended the event as well. There were also IUCN members in the plenary room, and many constructive exchanges with States, NGOs, Indigenous Peoples, and site managers. 

Getting out of the big room

The meeting was hosted this year with wonderful hospitality by India, and was opened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 21 July, demonstrating the highest level of national commitment to World Heritage. The debates proceeded under the able chairing of H.E. Mr. Vishal Sharma, the permanent delegate of India to UNESCO, whose strict timekeeping resulted in a rare day off at the Committee meeting. We escaped from the big and windowless plenary room to see some of the many World Heritage sites in New Delhi and further afield. It is good to be reminded in the middle of the hefty UN processes that the real world is out there. Perhaps every Committee meeting should start with a day outdoors?

Results for nature: quality, but what about the quantity?

The biggest headline of every World Heritage Committee meeting is the new listed sites, and this year we were happy to have a particularly strong set of proposals. Six sites (five new listings and a large extension of an existing site) were added to the World Heritage list. We thank all of those States and local actors who have made these major commitments to conservation. The only hesitation is that the numbers of nature proposals remain limited. The priority for the Convention to fully recognise our planet’s outstanding geodiversity and biodiversity needs to be increased, especially to support under-represented and unrepresented countries and communities that aspire to have their natural heritage recognised.

A louder voice for Indigenous Peoples

IUCN has long been a leading voice for the World Heritage Convention to open its doors to Indigenous People, and to ensure their rights are recognised and respected. The International Indigenous Peoples’ Forum on World Heritage has a growing leadership in advancing these needs, and here, for the first time, was invited to address the World Heritage Committee from the podium on the opening day of the meeting. IIPFWH Chairperson Chrissy Grant spoke strongly on the current shortfalls and active work underway to propose reforms, receiving positive reactions from the Committee and observers.  Despite this, obvious issues were present in the meeting, most visibly that Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities still only got the floor after a Committee decision was taken. This procedural exclusion needs to change, as a first step in broader reform.

Recognising and remembering site managers

IUCN co-organised the Sixth World Heritage Site Managers’ Forum, which provides essential space to the people who work locally for World Heritage to engage with and influence the workings of the Convention.  As the Chair pointed out, “This is the 46^th Committee and only the Sixth Site Managers Forum – what were the parties thinking?” Amongst those managers present here were the team working hard for Senegal’s Niokolo-Koba National Park, which was removed from the List of World Heritage in Danger. We also remembered, on World Ranger Day on 31 July, that the work of site managers on the ground is one of dedication and many local staff endure poor terms of employment and inadequate and hazardous working conditions. Too frequently, this involves personal risk to life and limb. Tragically, we learnt that five rangers in W Park in Benin, part of a transboundary site, lost their lives just days before the end of the Committee meetings. We remember them and all who risk their safety to defend nature and culture. 

Out-of-the-box thinking at last

Lastly, I want to recognise the progress made here in addressing the need for World Heritage to get “out of the box” in its contribution to global conservation. World Heritage Sites are greatly under-recognised in terms of their massive contribution to meeting global goals and protecting ecosystem integrity, summarised in our joint publication with UNESCO here. But the Convention itself needs a new approach to demonstrate how it contributes to biodiversity and climate action, and IUCN’s World Heritage Strategy is pushing for change. We also need action to meet the major gaps in finance, including connecting site-level needs to wider multilateral finance sources such as the GEF and GCF.  A major side event held jointly by IUCN and Brazil, with UNESCO, put these issues on the table, with a report to follow. The parties have established a working group, which we hope will push forward further change in the coming year.

So with these five take-homes, it’s over-and-out from New Delhi. Many thanks to India, UNESCO, the States Parties, civil society and sister advisory bodies. And especially thanks to our hard-working delegation, welcomed and supported throughout by the IUCN India office in Delhi. My sincere thanks, more widely, to all those who work with us for World Heritage throughout the year.

Next year’s Committee will be hosted in Sofia, Bulgaria. See you there in-person or online, and do stay engaged in our World Heritage work for all the months in between. World Heritage conservation is a year-round mission, beyond the big negotiating rooms.