Bahrain: UNESCO Committee meets to examine new nominations to World-heritage-list
What's the story
Inuit hunting grounds, WWI cemeteries, Art Deco heritage in Mumbai are among 30 hopefuls in the running to join UNESCO's famous list as the World Heritage Committee meets today in Bahrain. Delegates will also debate adding locations including Kenya's Lake Turkana and Nepal's Kathmandu Valley to those sites considered "in danger", but could remove the Belize Barrier Reef from the risk list.
New names
Who are the contenders for new additions on the list?
The roster of contenders for this year's new additions spans the globe from the Aasivissuit and Nipisat hunting grounds in the frozen expanses of Greenland to the sun-scorched Al-Ahsa Oasis in the deserts of Saudi Arabia. Eye-catching sites among them include Prosecco Hills in Italy where famed sparkling wine has been made for centuries and Zatec town in Czech Republic.
Indian on list
Indian contender: Art Deco heritage in Mumbai
In India, a collection of Victorian and Art Deco landmarks in bustling Mumbai is being billed as "the largest such conglomeration of these two genres of architecture in the world". The push to include funeral and memorial sites in Belgium and France for those killed on World War I's Western Front has sparked debate over how to treat locations associated with recent conflicts.
Removing locations
Delegates to discuss removal of some locations from the list
Committee would also consider removing locations from the list that don't do enough to protect their heritage. Possibly facing the chop this year over disruptive building work is the historic center of Shakhrisyabz in Uzbekistan. "They have erased a whole traditional neighborhood that was on the list," Mechtild Rossler, Director for UNESCO's Division for Heritage and World Heritage Center, said.
Tourists numbers
Getting on World Heritage list can boost tourist numbers
Getting on the World Heritage List could be a major boon for the nominees, as being deemed of "outstanding universal value" can boost tourist numbers and bring in funding. The gathering comes at a sensitive time for UNESCO, as the global body's education, science and culture organization scrambles for funding following the withdrawal by the United States.