World Heritage Day 2024: Check Theme, History, Significance, and More

World Heritage Day 2024: According to UNESCO, "Heritage is our legacy, what we live with today, and what we pass on to future generations. Our natural and cultural heritage are both irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration."

Every year, April 18 is observed as World Heritage Day to raise awareness about conserving our cultural diversity. The day is also known as the International Day for Monuments and Sites, and in various countries, it is observed as World Heritage Day. India consists of magnificent historical monuments that define our culture and diversity.

The day is about preserving human heritage, diversity, and vulnerability of the world’s built monuments and heritage sites. Also, the efforts required to protect and conserve it and to draw attention to it.

We all know that Ancient buildings and monuments are an asset to us and to the world. Therefore, World Heritage Day is a collective effort of the communities in the world to do the needful. This day maintains the cultural legacy and makes people think about its susceptibility.

World Heritage Day 2024: Theme

The theme for World Heritage Day 2024 is 'Discover and Experience Diversity'.

Every year, a theme is selected for World Heritage Day to highlight a particular element of cultural heritage. This year, the day will be observed on the theme "Heritage Changes". It focuses on the critical topic of addressing climate change and how that relates to cultural heritage.

The theme of World Heritage Day 2022 is “Heritage and Climate". 

The theme of World Heritage Day 2020 was "Shared Culture’, ‘Shared Heritage’ and ‘Shared Responsibility". In a time of global crises where the whole world is fighting with COVID-19 pandemic, the theme plays an important role. Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the organisation has decided to celebrate World Heritage Day via the Internet. The theme focuses on global unity with the current worldwide health crisis. It also recognises that whether the heritage is connected with landscapes, places, etc. it should be valued by multiple and diverse groups and communities.

The theme of World Heritage Day 2019 was “Rural Landscapes”. International Day for Monuments and Sites offers the opportunity this year for National and International Scientific Committees to raise awareness about the relevance of rural landscapes, the challenges that encompass their conservation, the benefits that these efforts provide, and how rural landscapes are intrinsically related to sustainable development.

What are rural landscapes?

The area, whether terrestrial or aquatic, is co-produced by the interaction of human nature for the production of food and other renewable natural resources like agriculture, animal husbandry, pastoralism, fishing, aquaculture, gathering, hunting, extraction of other resources like salt, etc. Let us tell you that rural landscapes are multifunctional resources. Therefore, all rural areas have cultural meanings attributed to them by people and communities. So, we can say that all rural areas are landscapes.

World Heritage Day 2024: History

World Heritage Day is celebrated every year on April 18 to preserve the human heritage and to recognise all the efforts of relevant organizations. The 1982 International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) announced April 18 as World Heritage Day. This was approved by the General Assembly of UNESCO in 1983, with the aim of enhancing awareness about the importance of cultural heritage, and monuments and conserving them.

The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) organisation was established on the principles set forth in the Venice Charter, also known as the 1964 International Charter on the Conservation and Restoration of Monuments and Sites.

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 World Heritage Day 2024:  Celebration

Several activities like virtual conferences, lectures, press releases, and social media campaigns, will be organised to observe the event. To emphasize and exchange the importance of knowledge between generations to promote the lessons for the conservation and protection of cultural heritage. Also, in each country, professionals will emerge and organise events that will focus on reaching the younger members of the wider public community by showcasing the creative use of social media.
This communication process across the generations of heritage practitioners generates enriching exchanges. Even combining the knowledge of experienced practitioners with that of newer members will bring a more holistic approach to ongoing initiatives.

Therefore, celebrating World Heritage Day is an opportunity to emphasise the importance of safeguarding, conserving, and preserving our heritage. Various conferences related to preserving heritage culture—lectures, training sessions, round-table discussions, poster sessions, etc.—will pave the importance of heritage and celebrate it on a wider scale.

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