MEDIA CENTER

United Nations Foundation Calls on World Heritage Committee and Country Governments to Help Preserve our Endangered World Heritage Sites

Statement by Erika Harms, Executive Director of Sustainable Development

Washington, D.C. (June 30, 2008) — 

"At the 32nd World Heritage Committee meeting in Quebec City this week, the health of 60 potentially endangered sites including the Galápagos Islands, Machu Picchu, and Virunga National Park will be discussed. World Heritage sites, both manmade and natural, have withstood the test of time for hundreds or even thousands of years. Yet some sites face imminent threats from external factors such as armed conflicts, climate change, and uncontrolled tourism.