World Heritage Day 2025, also known as International Day for Monuments and Sites, was observed on 18 April 2025.
» World Heritage Day is celebrated every year on 18 April to honor and preserve cultural and natural heritage.
- World Heritage Day reminds us that protecting our heritage is a shared responsibility.
World Heritage Day 2025 Theme:
Every year, ICOMOS gives a special theme for the day. Based on this theme, people and groups hold events and activities around the world to celebrate and protect heritage.
The theme of World Heritage Day 2025 is “Heritage under Threat from Disasters and Conflicts: Preparedness and Learning from 60 years of ICOMOS Actions.”
History:
- In 1982, the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) proposed the concept of observing World Heritage Day, which was subsequently approved by the United Nations General Assembly in 1983.
- April 18th was chosen as the date for the celebration to honour the day when the Convention Concerning the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage was adopted by UNESCO in 1982.
World Heritage Convention:
- The World Heritage Convention is an international agreement created by UNESCO in 1972.
- World Heritage Convention was adopted by countries around the world to protect important cultural and natural sites.
- India became part of this Convention in November 1977.
- As of October 2024, 196 countries have joined the World Heritage Convention.
World Heritage Sites:
- As of October 2024, there are 1,223 World Heritage Sites across 196 countries (952 cultural, 231 natural, 40 mixed).
- India has 43 World Heritage Sites, with Agra Fort, Taj Mahal, Ajanta, and Ellora Caves among the first listed in 1983. In July 2024, a proud addition was made with the inscription of “Moidams: The Mound-Burial System of the Ahom Dynasty” from Assam as a cultural property.