Assignment on World Heritage in Bd

ASSIGNMENT ON WORLD HERITAGE IN BD

Introduction:

The 1972 Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage is the most ratified international treaty for cultural and natural heritage preservation in the world. The idea of creating a global movement for protecting heritage emerged after World War- I.  The Convention developed from the merging of two separate movements: the first focusing on the preservation of cultural sites, and the other dealing with the conservation of nature. The Convention recognizes the way in which people interact with nature, and the fundamental need to preserve the balance between the two.

Brief History:

The event that aroused particular international concern was the decision to build the Aswan High Dam in Egypt, which would have flooded the valley containing the Abu Simbel temples, a treasure of ancient Egyptian civilization. In 1959, after an appeal from the governments of Egypt and Sudan, UNESCO launched an international safeguarding campaign. Archaeological research in the areas to be flooded was accelerated. Above all, the Abu Simbel and Philae temples were dismantled, moved to dry ground and reassembled.

The campaign cost about US$80 million, half of which was donated by some 50 countries, showing the importance of solidarity and nations' shared responsibility in conserving outstanding cultural sites. Its success led to other safeguarding campaigns, such as saving Venice and its Lagoon (Italy) and the Archaeological Ruins at Moenjodaro (Pakistan) and restoring the Borobodur Temple Compounds (Indonesia).

Consequently, UNESCO initiated, with the help of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), the preparation of a draft convention on the protection of cultural heritage.

Meanwhile, the United States initiated the idea of cultural conservation with nature conservation. A White House conference in 1965 called for a 'World Heritage Trust' to preserve "the world's superb natural...