Every year April 18 is marked as World Heritage Day all around the globe with the aim of creating awareness among the masses about the cultural heritage and diversity on the planet, and preserving the history, diversity, and vulnerability of world heritage sites and monuments. The day is also known as International Day for Monuments and Sites.
The day was proposed by the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) in 1982 and was first observed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1983. A theme is announced each year by ICOMOS to give a shape to the annual observations of World Heritage Day, and this year (2022) the theme of the day is “Heritage and Climate”.
Talking about World Heritage Day’s Significance or Importance, Old buildings and places may become dilapidated with time, but they bear witness to different histories. There are many tales associated with the walls of old places, from defeat-victory to art and culture, and these buildings are here as their evidence. In such a situation, through World Heritage Day, an attempt is made to remove the dust on these stories.
There are different ways of observing World Heritage Day all over the world such as heritage walks, oaths to protect the heritage, and various other types of campaigns to make more-to-more people aware.