South Africa was re-nominated by absolute majority to serve another four years on UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee on Tuesday, 27 October 2009. The re-nomination took place during the seventh General Assembly that was held from 23 to 28 October 2009 in Paris, France.
Albi Modise, Spokesperson for the Department of Environmental Affairs said, “This overwhelming support for South Africa’s re-nomination to the committee is a clear demonstration of the confidence that the international community has in our country’s commitment to world heritage conservation.”
Of the 186 countries that ratified the World Heritage Convention, there are three countries in the world that have laws to enforce national implementation of the convention and South Africa is one of these. These are the World Heritage Convention Act and the National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act.
Currently, there are eight properties in the country that are inscribed on the World Heritage List, viz., Cape Floral Region Protected Areas, Fossil hominid sites of Sterkfontein, Swartkrans, Kromdraai and environs (i.e., Cradle of Humankind, Taung Skull Fossil Site and Makapan Valley), iSimangaliso Wetland Park, Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape, Richtersveld Cultural Landscape, Robben Island, uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park and Vredefort Dome.
South Africa ratified the UNESCO World Heritage Convention on 10 July
1997 and became a member of the 21 member World Heritage Committee between 1999 and 2005. During its term as a member of the World Heritage Committee, South Africa championed the establishment of the African World Heritage Fund and also hosted the first session of the committee in sub-Saharan Africa in Durban in 2005.
Only twelve seats were vacant and the other eleven new states parties that were nominated to the World Heritage Committee are: Cambodia, Estonia, Ethiopia, France, Iraq, Mali, Mexico, Russian Federation, Switzerland, Thailand and United Arab Emirates. Each country will serve for a mandatory period of four years.
The World Heritage Committee meets once a year to discuss the state of conservation of World Heritage Sites, and to also add new, put some in danger or de-lists from the world heritage list. The next session of the committee will be held from 25 July to 3 August 2010 in Brasilia, Brazil.
UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation
For media queries contact:
Roopa Singh
Cell: 082 225 3076
Tel: 012 310 3566
E-mail: rsingh@deat.gov.za
Issued by: Department of Environmental Affairs
6 November 2009
