Overview
- The World Heritage Committee, which concluded on Wednesday, July 29, inscribed 25 properties by consensus, raising the global total to 1,273 sites across 173 states.
- Highlights include the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in the United States, the D‑Day landing beaches in Normandy, Mount Olympus in Greece, and Sarnath in India.
- The session marked first‑time inscriptions for Comoros, São Tomé and Príncipe, and South Sudan and added six properties to the List of World Heritage in Danger.
- Several 20th‑century modernist ensembles were added, notably 13 Alvar Aalto works in Finland, the modernist centre of Gdynia in Poland, and post‑earthquake modernist buildings in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
- Inscription brings international monitoring, technical advice and higher public profile but does not change sovereignty or guarantee on‑the‑ground protection, and officials warn of added tourism, management and funding pressures for local communities.