World Heritage Day

On April 18th every year, World Heritage Day is celebrated worldwide with grandeur to raise awareness and consciousness for the protection, conservation, and promotion of the natural, cultural, and historical significance of ancient treasures around the world in order to create a future new book of human civilization. Similarly, in other countries around the world, as in Nepal, various awareness-raising and community participation programs are also conducted on this day regarding the protection and promotion of national treasures in diverse areas. UNESCO, the United Nations organization for educational, scientific, and cultural recognition, celebrates this day every year in collaboration with various government and national and international non-governmental organizations, working in areas related to culture, history, biodiversity, environment, and natural beauty, to promote cooperation and conduct various programs.

The proposal to celebrate World Heritage Day was first presented by the International Council on Monuments and Sites to the International Committee of the UNESCO, under the auspices of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), on April 18, 1982. The proposal was adopted by the UNESCO General Assembly in 1983 and since then, World Heritage Day is celebrated annually on this day to raise awareness about the importance of preserving and protecting the world’s cultural and natural heritage sites, monuments, and places of significance.

According to the principles and criteria set forth by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in its Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, any site, monument, temple, or pillar that is deemed significant from a historical, mythical, cultural, and natural perspective and falls within the range of at least 1 out of 10 criteria laid out by UNESCO shall be nominated for inclusion in the list of World Heritage sites and be protected by UNESCO.