Three sites were inscribed on UNESCO's list of world heritage in danger on Wednesday: archaeological sites of the ancient kingdom of Sheba in Yemen, a futuristic complex in Lebanon and the historic center of Odessa.

The latter was proposed because of the "threats of destruction" that have existed since the beginning of the Russian invasion.

"Odessa, a free city, a world city, a legendary port which has left its mark on cinema, literature and the arts, is thus placed under the reinforced protection of the international community", welcomed the Director General of the United Nations Organization United for Education, Science and Culture (Unesco) Audrey Azoulay.


The #WorldHeritage Committee has decided to inscribe the historic center of Odesa (#Ukraine) on the World Heritage List.



"This city whose name we all know is now placed under the highest level of protection by the international community" @aazoulay



👇👇👇 pic.twitter.com/1XHmG6jM9S

— UNESCO in French (@UNESCO_fr) January 26, 2023

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Affected by bombings

However, the decision did not seem to have been taken, the inscription of the Ukrainian city having been voted by six votes for, one against (Russia) and 14 abstentions during a stormy session of the World Heritage Committee in Paris.

Although generally spared since the start of the Russian offensive in February 2022, Odessa, known in particular for its monumental Potemkin staircase and its architecture, has however been hit several times by Russian bombardments.

Russia cries out for impartiality

In a statement on Wednesday evening, the Russian Foreign Ministry denounced “a political decision” taken by “a group of countries belonging to the collective West, with the flagrant help of the UNESCO Secretariat, which has lost its impartiality ".

It is “a diplomatic victory”, reacted for his part the first Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Emine Djeppar on the side of Ukraine, whose President Volodymyr Zelensky had announced in October the candidacy of the historic center of Odessa.

Other sites now registered with Unesco: the high places of the ancient kingdom of Saba, in the governorate of Marib (Yemen) include seven archaeological sites "which bear witness to the rich Sabaean kingdom and its architectural, aesthetic and technological achievements from the 1st millennium before our era until the arrival of Islam around the year 630 of our era”, indicates Unesco in a press release.

A conflict ravaging Yemen

The location, located in a semi-arid landscape of valleys, mountains and deserts, is under threat due to the conflict that has devastated Yemen since 2014 between Houthi rebels backed by Iran and pro-government forces backed by a military coalition led by Iran. 'Saudi Arabia.

In Lebanon, the Rachid Karameh International Fair in Tripoli has been listed as a World Heritage Site in Danger.

Designed from 1962 by the Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer, the fair has a main building consisting of a huge covered hall in the shape of a boomerang.

Lebanon in crisis

"It constitutes one of the major representative works of modern architecture of the 20th century in the Arab Near East", according to Unesco, which justified its inscription by its "alarming state of conservation" and "the lack of resources funds for its upkeep" in a Lebanon ravaged by an unprecedented economic and social crisis.

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati hailed "a great step forward for Lebanon, particularly for the city of Tripoli".



The inscription of these sites in the world heritage constitutes one of the highest levels of protection that the international community offers to a heritage site, recalls Unesco.

The “in danger” list opens access to reinforced mechanisms for emergency, technical and financial international assistance, she adds.

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The baguette listed as an intangible heritage of humanity by Unesco

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