Colombia’s coffee-growing countryside is among one of 42 candidates to be considered for inclusion on UNESCO’s World Heritage list for its cultural value, according to the United Nations body’s website.
The 42 sites to be studied for inclusion by the World Heritage Committee of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), made up of members from 21 countries, have been chosen for their “exceptional universal value.” Those that are selected as world heritage sites will join a list of 911 sites in 151 countries, the majority of which are classified as cultural sites.
The committee will meet between June 19-29 to study the requests put forth by the respective governments of the country’s in which the sites are located. Other Latin American candidates included in this year’s selection process are Nicaragua’s Leon Cathedral and Mexico’s Fundidora Monterre.
UNESCO may also lengthen the list of “World Heritage in Danger” this year, which already includes 34 threatened sites, including Ecuador’s Galapagos Islands. This year, the committee will study the risks faced by 169 sites, including Peru’s Machu Picchu, threatened by the uncontrolled influx of tourists.
The UNESCO list began in 1972, with the signing of an international convention on the protection of world heritage sites, and new sites are proposed by states party to the convention.