Becoming a UNESCO World Heritage site

World Heritage Site list shaken up - 9th August 2021

UNESCO, the United Nations’ cultural body, convened after a pandemic-induced, year-long hiatus to reassess the status of 255 World Heritage sites on its World Heritage List. The World Heritage Committee is charged with verifying whether the currently accredited sites should continue to receive this prestigious accolade. Its recipients must adhere to strict regulations, against which they are all assessed.

To be regarded as a World Heritage site, a location must exhibit impressive qualities such as the Taj Mahal’s famed, exquisite architecture. Others, as in the case of the Grand Canyon, give us a glimpse into how that part of the planet was carved into existence over millions of years.

Remaining on the list is no foregone conclusion, which the English city of Liverpool has discovered to its cost. Its listing was already on shaky ground by virtue of its plans to develop the very area which had been honoured by UNESCO. Liverpool’s feather in its cap, the historically significant and visually appealing waterfront area, duly underwent this development, deemed “detrimental to the site's authenticity and integrity." The move has been described by UNESCO as an “irreversible loss”.

Liverpool’s fall from grace was countered by the elevation of a well-known thoroughfare in Madrid – the Paseo del Prado and its adjoining park, the Retiro – to the list. The UN's cultural organisation said it was in recognition of the key roles both had played in the city's history.

Presenting a landscape of arts and sciences in the view of the committee, the Paseo del Prado boasts several venerable institutions. The tree-lined boulevard boasts the imposing marble structure and fountain of Plaza Cibeles, "an iconic symbol of the city", as well as the icing on Madrid’s cake, the Prado Museum.

Pedro Sanchez, the Spanish Prime Minister paid homage to the Paseo’s history of unifying people of all classes and added that “Madrid and all of Spain are in luck today.”