The 46th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee has added 24 new heritage sites from across the world to the UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) Heritage List. India hosted the UNESCO World Heritage Committee for the first time in New Delhi from 21-31 July 2024. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the UNESCO World Heritage Committee meeting on 21 July in the presence of UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay. The closing ceremony was addressed by Union Culture and Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on 30 July 2024.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced $1 million assistance to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre to support conservation projects in developing countries and enhance capacity-building initiatives.
1,223 Heritage sites are on the UNESCO World Heritage list
- At the New Delhi session, 24 new heritage sites -19 cultural, 4 natural, and 1 mixed site -were added to the UNESCO World Heritage list. These included.
- Now, 1,223 heritage sites of the world are included in the UNESCO Heritage list, of which 952 are included under the cultural category, 231 under natural and 40 under mixed category.
- Italy leads the list with 60 sites, followed by China with 59 sites.
- India has 43 sites on the list, the latest being the Moidams of Assam, the Mound-Burial System of the Ahom Dynasty.
- In 1983, three Indian heritage sites—Ajanta Cave and Ellora Cave (both in Maharashtra), the Taj Mahal in Agra, and the Agra Fort in Uttar Pradesh—were included in the UNESCO heritage list.
- At the New Delhi meeting, the World Heritage Committee removed Niokolo-Koba National Park in Senegal from the List of World Heritage in Danger.
- It included the Saint Hilarion Monastery/ Tell Umm Amer in Palestine in the List of World Heritage in Danger.
List of 24 News Heritage Sites
The following is the list of Heritage sites that were approved during the New Delhi meeting of the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO
| Serial Number | Heritage Site | Country | Category |
| 1 | Moidams – the Mound-Burial System of the Ahom Dynasty | Assam, India | Cultural |
| 2 | Moravian Church Settlements of Herrnhut (Germany), Bethlehem (United States of America), and Gracehill (United Kingdom) | . Germany, the United States of America, United Kingdom. | Cultural |
| 3 | Umm Al-Jimāl rural settlement | Jordan | Cultural |
| 4 | Badain Jaran Desert – Towers of Sand and Lakes | China | Natural |
| 5 | Migratory Bird Sanctuaries along the Coast of Yellow Sea-Bohai Gulf of China | China | Natural |
| 6 | Vjetrenica Cave, Ravno | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Natural |
| 7 | Te Henua Enata – The Marquesas Islands (in the South Pacific) | France | Mixed |
| 8 | The Flow Country | Scotland (United Kingdom) | Natural |
| 9 | Lencois Maranhenses National Park | Brazil | Natural |
| 10 | Melka Kunture and Balchit: Archaeological and Palaeontological Sites in the Highland Area of Ethiopia | Ethiopia | Cultural |
| 11 | The Emergence of Modern Human Behaviour: The Pleistocene Occupation Sites of South Africa | South Africa | Cultural |
| 12 | Royal Court of Tiebele | Burkina Faso | Cultural |
| 13 | Sado Island Gold Mines | Japan | Cultural |
| 14 | Beijing Central Axis: A Building Ensemble Exhibiting the Ideal Order of the Chinese Capital | China | Cultural |
| 15 | Phu Phrabat, a testimony to the Sīma stone tradition of the Dvaravati period | Thailand | Culture |
| 16 | Cultural Landscape of Kenozero Lake | Russia | Culture |
| 17 | The Historic Town and Archaeological Site of Gedi | Kenya | Cultural |
| 18 | Human Rights, Liberation and Reconciliation: Nelson Mandela Legacy Sites | South Africa | Cultural |
| 19 | The Archaeological Heritage of Niah National Park’s Caves Complex | Malaysia | Cultural |
| 20 | Schwerin Residence Ensemble | Germany | Cultural |
| 21 | Via Appia- Regina Viarum (Road which was constructed during Roman times) | Italy | Cultural |
| 22 | The Cultural Landscape of Al-Faw Archaeological Area | Saudi Arabia | Cultural |
| 23 | Monumental ensemble of Targu Jiu | Romania | Cultural |
| 24 | Frontiers of the Roman Empire – Dacia | Romania | Cultural |
UNESCO( United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization)
- The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) was set up as a specialised agency of the United Nations .
- It was set up on 16 November 1945.
- Members : It has 194 Member Countries .
- Aim of UNESCO: It works to establish peace in the world through education and by promoting cultural heritage and the equal dignity of all cultures,
- Headquarters : Paris, France
- Director General: Audrey Azoulay (France)