World Heritage is the designation for places on Earth that are of outstanding universal value to humanity and as such, have been inscribed on the World Heritage List to be protected for future generations to appreciate and enjoy. Places such as the Pyramids of Egypt, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa in Pakistan are all cultural places inscribed on the World Heritage List to date. What makes the concept of World Heritage exceptional is its universal application. World Heritage sites belong to all the peoples of the world, irrespective of the territory on which they are located.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is a UN body which seeks to encourage the identification, protection and preservation of cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be of outstanding value to humanity. Climate change on the other hand means a change of climate which is attributed directly or indirectly to human activity that alters the composition of the global atmosphere and which is in addition to natural climate variability observed over comparable time periods. Ethnic and religious conflicts, theft, illegal export and import, illicit trafficking and climate change are all threats faced by cultural sites. Climate change is the fastest growing threat to natural World Heritage, according to the IUCN World Heritage Outlook. Fifty five heritage sites where it could have very high impacts have been identified. These mainly include coral reefs and glaciers. To tackle these issues related to these sites, UNESCO started the World Heritage Education Programme initiated as a UNESCO special project in 1994, which gives young people a chance to voice their concerns and to become involved in the protection of our common cultural and natural heritage. It seeks to encourage and enable tomorrow’s decision-makers to participate in heritage conservation and to respond to the continuing threats facing our World Heritage.
Young people learn about World Heritage sites, about the history and traditions of their own and other cultures, about ecology and the importance of protecting biodiversity. They become aware of the threats facing the sites and learn how the international community as a whole unites to save our common heritage. Most importantly, they discover how they can contribute to heritage conservation and make themselves heard.
The Education programme is one of the smartest ways to tackle this situation considering the fact that our young generation is our future and we need to educate our future. Pakistan has six World Heritage Sights recognized by UNESCO with an additional 26 on the tentative list. These six sites include Archeological Ruins at MohenjoDaro, Taxila, Lahore Fort, Shalimar Gardens, Rohtas Fort, Buddhist Ruins of Takht-i-Bhai and Neighbouring City remains at Sahr-i-Bahlol. Our cultural and natural heritages are both irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration. While world heritage sights are negatively being affected by Climate Change, Pakistan’s Heritage Sights are suffering due to negligence. It may not be surprising if people have not heard the names of a few of these sites. So, what should the government do?
Firstly, there is a need for education of the future generation just like with the UNESCO World Heritage Education Programme. This education needs to be done on a large scale. If the people of Pakistan know the importance of these places then they will automatically learn to respect them. Seeing our country is already facing problems with education, this can be carried out with help from UNESCO itself. The future generation needs to know about our own cultural heritage because a nation that forgets its own heritage and language cannot succeed in any field.
Secondly, the government of Pakistan needs to bring about reforms that work towards restoration of these sites. UNESCO has already helped us restore some heritage sights including the Lahore Fort. A master plan was introduced and the Lahore Fort was brought back to its original beauty. If this is done with other sites then they sites can become more beautiful and represent the architecture of our past and our heritage in general.
Thirdly, once these sites have been restored they need to be opened for tourism. The little amount of tourism we have also declines when facilities are not available. Now that Pakistan has a better safety situation it is time we make use of this. Proper facilities should be provided which include: quality tours, world class hotels and living facilities among others. If this is done then we can boost our economy through tourism as well giving hope to a nation already facing so many other issues. Moreover, if Pakistan’s tourism situation improves its image on a global scale will also improve bringing about more benefits for the nation.
Heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live with today, and what we pass on to future generations.
A nation that does not respect its heritage and culture can not be successful. If we are to take care of these sites we need to do the above mentioned and make sure Pakistan does not forget its heritage.