24 new heritage sites across the world were included in the UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) Heritage List at the 46th Session of the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO, which concluded in New Delhi on 30 July 2024.

India hosted the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in New Delhi from 21 to 31 July 2024 for the first time.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the UNESCO World Heritage Committee meeting on 21 July in the presence of UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay.

The Union Minister for Culture and Tourism, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, addressed the closing ceremony 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)