Among the major risks for World Heritage sites, Audrey Azoulay first identifies overtourism.
“We help States to have strategies for diversifying their tourism, but also for more sustainable management – for example with time-stamped tickets or a limited number of visitors to a site”, explains the Director General of Unesco.
The UN organization also warns of the threat posed by climate change.
To deal with it, "the first thing to do is to respect the Paris agreements and to commit to reducing CO2 emissions to keep global warming within limits that allow preservation", underlines Audrey Azoulay , which also recalls that "when the planet is destroyed, when the climate is disrupted, cultures are also very directly threatened in their existence - sites, but also intangible heritage, cultural practices or the lives of local populations".
World Heritage must also be more representative.
"It is not normal that after 50 years, we have 27 countries, including 12 in Africa, which have no registered site, notes Audrey Azoulay. Moreover, on the African continent, many sites which are already registered have been added to the list of heritage in danger. We need to pay particular attention and take proactive action."
The Director General wishes in particular, for countries not present in the heritage, better support in the preparation of their application file, but also then in the management and preservation of the sites.
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