I grew up in the ancient capital city of Xi’an, in Shaanxi Province of northwestern
China. It’s one of the oldest cities in the world - over 4000 years,
spanning six dynasties from the Western Zhou to Tang. Back then it was known as Chang’an. Some
of you may have heard of this place because it’s home to the UNESCO World Heritage Site
“Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor” also known as “The Terracotta Army.”
The first Qin emperor (AKA Qinshihuang) died in 210 BCE, but the Mausoleum, located at the foot
of the Lishan Mountain, was discovered in 1974 by a group of farmers digging for a well. It
led to the discovery of thousands of terracotta figures, horses, chariots, weapons and many more
highly sophisticated and well preserved artworks, as well as architectural structures and artefacts.
Qinshihuang was obviously responsible for the deaths of millions of people,
not just those who died while building the mausoleum, but throughout his military,
social and political campaigns. So it’s not like most Chinese people celebrate this guy,
although I’m sure there are still lots who do, but this place is an incredible time capsule
of our cultural history, and ingenious example of human artistic and technological creation.
Thus - UNESCO World Heritage Committee inscribed this complex in 1987 as a designated World
Heritage site on the basis of (i) exceptional technical and artistic qualities, (iii) unique
testimony to the military history and high documentary value (iv) being the largest
preserved site in China, with unique architectural and urban planning ensembles; and (vi) association
with an event of universal significance: the first unification of historic Chinese territories.
Since then - this site has received provincial and federal protection - which prevents development or
economic activities around the area that can jeopardize its integrity. Most recently - in
2010, due to pressures of urban development and tourism, the provincial government passed a new
conservation plan clarifying the construction and development prohibition boundaries.
I live in Canada now, and we have some UNESCO World Heritage sites here as well!
The Historic District of old Québec is the only North American city with preserved ramparts,
complete with bastions, gates and defensive works. Coming from a country with
lots of urban and military walled fortifications - these architectural
ensembles are of great interest to me. I haven’t actually visited Old Québec yet,
I’m afraid they’ll be very upset about how bad my French is - but I do want to visit one day.
Lest you think UNESCO only designates human-constructed sites as World Heritage.
It actually inscribes and thus helps to enforce protection of natural heritage
sites too. The Pimachiowin Aki ('The Land That Gives Life') is a series of rivers,
lakes, wetlands, and boreal forest in the heart of the Anishinaabeg people’s
ancestral home and has been their fishing, hunting and gathering grounds for over
7000 years. It was inscribed by UNESCO in 2018 for outstanding achievements in land
preservation, which is also a core principle of Anishinaabe cultural traditions and beliefs.
So what is UNESCO World Heritage? Why does it exist? And what exactly does it do?
::ARTiculations Credits::
UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. It
was founded in 1945 aimed at fostering peace, humanitarianism and intellectual understanding.
However the idea for such an organization actually dates back to the League of Nations, which was
founded in the aftermath of WWI. In 1959, during the construction of the Aswan High Dam in Egypt,
it became evident that the valley containing the Abu Simbel temples, an ancient Egyptian treasure,
would be flooded and there was seemingly no way of stopping it from happening.
Governments in Egypt and Sudan appealed to UNESCO for help. UNESCO then launched an international
safeguarding campaign that included archeological research, careful dismantling of existing temples,
the moving of, and reassembly of the temples to higher, dry ground. More
than 50 countries participated in this campaign, physically or through financial contributions.
The idea for combining conservation efforts in both cultural and natural sites came out
of a USA White House Conference in Washington D.C. in 1965 - where the “World Heritage Trust”
was proposed and later established. This, along with various other conservation proposals were
presented at the 1972 United Nation Conference and led to the adoption of the “The Convention
concerning the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage” which is defined as
having “cultural or natural significance that is so exceptional as to transcend national boundaries
and to be of “common importance for present and future generations of all humanity.”
The World Heritage Committee meets once a year (except when there’s a pandemic) to
review new submissions to the list. The committee consist of 21 State parties,
elected by its General Assembly. In addition to approving nominations and inscribing sites,
the committee also review reports of existing properties, decide which, if any, to include
on the “in Danger” list, and vote to delist properties who don’t meet its conservation goals.
So the multi-million dollar question is (because it really is,
there’s a lot of potential money in the World Heritage Fund at stake here) - is
the World Heritage program successful? Does it meet its goals and do what it wants to do?
In a way, yes of course it’s had many tremendous and almost unbelievable successes - like the
incredibly complex projects I mentioned at the top of the video. Not just in successful restoration
and ongoing tangible commitments around the world for continued preservation, but also in fostering
international collaboration, understanding and diplomacy. And of course we’re preserving our
collective history and legacy - which I know is not something everyone is into. But some
of the most prolific comments I get from my Modern Architecture videos are from people saying how sad
they are for the loss of traditional architecture in their hometowns as well as around the world
due to modern developments. So clearly this is not just something that’s important to
historians, archeologists, anthropologists, and some architects. And that’s really valuable.
But here’s the hard truth. The World Heritage Convention is in crisis. At its 36th session
in St. Petersburg in 2012 - Irina Bokova , UNESCO director general (at the time) said “the
World Heritage Convention faces … a fundamental challenge—that of its credibility and its future.
In recent years, some developments within the inscription process have weakened the principles
of scientific excellence and impartiality that are at the heart of the Convention.”
Every year, the nomination and review process becomes more time-consuming, controversial
and politically polarizing. Many heritage entries are riddled with disputed historical territories,
national and religious tensions, and individual biases over cultural values and achievements.
I mean - you don’t even need to have nations from across the world to have heated debates
over an architectural style’s historic merits. Just between a few other history YouTubers and
me - we have vehement disagreements about why Brutalism is either horribly oppressive
and should be wiped off the face of the earth, or totally fascinating, unique and
worth of historic preservation. When France’s Nord-Pas de Calais mining basin was inscribed in
2012 - some didn’t think such an industrial structure deserved to be on the same list
as world-class monuments like Giza Pyramids and Taj Mahal. But this is the exact type of listing
that challenges the elitist and “out-of-touch with modern realities” notion that many - academics and
average citizens alike - accuse UNESCO of holding. In addition to her previous statement, Irina
Bokova (Director General) also said: “I believe we stand at the crossroads, with a clear choice
before us. We can continue to gather, year after year, as accountants of the World Heritage label,
adding more sites to the list, adhering less and less strictly to its criteria. Or we can choose
another path. We can decide to act and think as visionaries, to rejuvenate the World Heritage
Convention and confront the challenges of the 21st century. World Heritage is not a beauty contest!”
Many argue that the list is constantly dominated by properties from Europe - which is true for
historic reasons. But even in recent years - about half of newly inscribed sites are still
in Europe and North America. However UNESCO has been actively pushing and encouraging diverse
representation for decades. More recently in 2009, an “upstreaming process” was introduced,
which assists underrepresented States in preparing better and more solid proposals to the committee.
In addition, only developing nations have direct access to the World Heritage Fund.
Developed nations like the UK often contribute tens of millions of dollars to the Fund
while some developing nations pay as little as less than $100.
While the World Heritage Committee does cycle every couple years and each State
member only typically serves a four-year term,
Upon further examination - it appears a group of 15-20 countries constantly rotate on and
off the committee. In addition - some of the State parties that are often on the committee
tend to get into pacts with each other and like to vote as a unified bloc against other States.
In 2010, the Committee did request an external audit of its initiative and strategies. One part
the report that really alarmed me was that the many sites had poor protection and management
programs that cannot handle the growing effects of climate change, and anthropogenic pressures.
UNESCO’s funding for, at the time, less than 1,000 properties was already grossly insufficient. In
the audit, Canada and Estonia (two of the “neutral countries”) accused the committee of “premature
inscriptions and the rush to inscribe rather than conserve sites.” (Sorry, I know us Canadians like
to annoy bigger nations sometimes, didn’t realize Estonians were also like this too) Of course
while some complain that other States are not properly following guidelines, other States are
frustrated by the overly complex regulations World Heritage tries to impose on everyone.
But not everybody just comes to these Convention sessions to complain, some do offer solutions. A
senior African delegate suggested looking to one for the more successful Advisory Bodies - the
IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) as an example to emulate. Why is
the IUCN successful? Its leaders directly engage with local workshops around the world. It’s better
resourced because it includes thousands of members from government and nongovernmental agencies,
and has over 11,000 voluntary scientists. It appeals to a mass array of public and private
support - both in actual participation and through financial contributions,
rather than relying on formal public funding. The director of the World Heritage Centre in 2010,
Kishore Rao, also suggested to many States, such as China,
that instead of spending millions of US dollars every year preparing
impeccable documents so they can get more sites on the World Heritage List, maybe the time,
effort and money would be better spent in a system of cooperation and mentoring in place of that.
On the topic of money - it’s a pretty big problem. In 2011, the Obama administration froze the United
State’s contribution to UNESCO - $60 Million annually, 22% of the total UNESCO budget - due to,
political differences with other States. I don’t really want to talk about the reason because,
I hate politics, I’ll just leave some links in the description so you can make up your own mind
about if the US was right to withdraw. In 2017 the US formally announced its withdrawal from
UNESCO and officially exited as of January 1st, 2019. By then its outstanding balance to UNESCO
had accumulated to $600 million. The US will however, stay on UNESCO as an “observer state”
on “non-politicized issues.” But let’s be clear - this decision has bipartisan support - it was
initiated by the Obama administration and carried out by the Trump administration.
Remember - this whole UNESCO World Heritage thing was the US’s idea in the first place.
Lynn Meskell, professor of anthropology and archaeology at University of Pennsylvania,
also argued that a lot of US citizens have a misconception that “a UNESCO inscribed site
is not U.S. sovereign territory and that the United Nations somehow controls those sites.”
That’s incorrect - UNESCO technically has no power over any nation. They offer strong
recommendations and hope all States continue to follow its guidelines, which many States often
don’t - and the only potential repercussion is getting delisted as a heritage site
which almost never happens because the Committee rarely wants to anger State members. However,
many States still do take the World Heritage program seriously - because having a UNESCO
inscribed site can be prestigious, and it can often draw in lots of tourism
that stimulates their economy - resulting in more money to actually conserve these sites.
So yes, while many States like to accuse the UN and World Heritage Committee
of being overbearing - UNESCO is quite powerless
in stopping cultural destruction of monuments, especially due to violence and armed conflict.
During its session in 2012, the 40th anniversary of the Convention,
the Committee called for an end to the violence and destruction occurring in Mali,
including in the city of Timbuktu and the Tomb of Askia. The Indian Ambassador though,
didn’t think UNESCO had the capacity to have any effect on the situation. “We cannot do
this … we’re getting into dangerous terrain ... All we have are computers, papers and pens…You’re
dealing with bandits and criminals and we only have paper and pens. The international community
at this time has not set up specific actions and effective measures, which those who take
human life and destroy cultural heritage have” But to me, this just further cements why we
need UNESCO. We don’t convince people to achieve peace with words alone - we do it through having
to collaborate on projects together, by finding common ground and mutual interests together,
and commit to each other through tangible, ratified documents and economic incentives.
I grew up in two vastly different cities on opposite sides of the world. Both places are very
ethnically and culturally diverse in their own unique ways. I’ve also travelled to many places
around Europe and volunteered in South America. Whatever continent I’m on - I’ve seen racial
tensions, centuries-long resentment and violence play out among people
I know and don’t know. But I’ve also seen strangers from across the world who have
nothing to do with each other help each other out. I know people who have been in wars where their
lives were saved by soldiers from the opposite side. So honestly - despite all the conflict,
and terrible things that happen in the world - I don’t think I’ll ever see human collaboration as
impossible - we’ve been doing it for thousands of years (at least). I refuse to believe with
all this technology available to us now - this is the moment when we can’t get our sh*t together.
But after hearing all of this, some of you will inevitably want to toss all of UNESCO out of a
planet sized window and just start over. Which is one option but when I made a video about how to
solve the problems of Modern Architecture, many of you liked my conclusion that it’s better to adopt
“thoughtful evolution than radical revolution.” And if you’re a fan of
preserving historic monuments, or subscribe to humanist values that stemmed out of the
European Renaissance - you may also agree that we shouldn’t just demolish everything and start over.
The UNESCO World Heritage Convention will turn 50 next year, but it remains the
only major international instrument for safeguarding the world’s heritage.
Those who criticize it are not necessarily trying to undermine it. Most desperately
want to set it back on the path it intends. Conservation also doesn’t
have to result in the stifling of development and technological progress - UNESCO’s first project
saving the Abu Simbel temple was a testament to that - using scientific research and
technology to carefully move and reassemble these monuments while allowing the new dam to be built.
I haven’t visited my childhood home in many years and honestly don’t even know how much of
what I remember is still standing. I now build hospitals in Canada, but I still want my cultural
heritage to be preserved. And I don’t just mean my Chinese and Canadian Heritage. I mean all of it,
everywhere in the world. The name of my home town “Xi’an” translates to “Western
Peace.” But I’ve always liked its original name “Chang’an” much better. It means “eternal peace.”
But did you know there’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site that’s partially submerged underwater? The
imaginatively-named Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram is an inscribed site located on
the coast of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Famous for its cave temples, shore temple,
and 8th century AD art and architecture. However, there also used to be a myth
that were also seven large pagodas that have since sunken into the sea
or have been destroyed. This myth however was revealed to be true,
after the Indian Ocean Tsunami in 2004, washed away centuries of silt from the sites, revealing
several small statues and temples on the shore. A subsequent archaeological survey was then launched
which discovered many larger buildings and walls, likely also dating back to the 8th century.
If you’re interested in other mythical lost cities from around the world - come on over to
my channel KhAnubis, where I just made a video in tandem with this one about three legendary sunken
cities from around the world! But not generic mythical cities like Atlantis or El Dorado,
actually some more obscured one so that, you know, you’d actually learn something.
Thank you guys so much for watching, this topic what actually suggested by one of the
members of the ARTiculations discord server, where we also discuss videos as well as a lot
of other fun stuff. So if you’re interested in participating and suggesting future video topics
maybe you’d like to join us? In addition these videos are very time consuming for me to make.
So if you have a little bit, giving me like 3 dollars, or a little bit more. Again, like,
no obligation. I have a tip jar at Ko-fi.com. I’m gonna leave a link in the description below.
Every little bit helps. Thanks so much guys - I’ll talk to you next time. *Finger Snap*
Some do offer solutions. A senior African delegate - ahhh! Sh*t!