‘Low point’ in world heritage committee history as politics ‘tramples’ human rights of the Karen people

via The Guardian, 06 August 2021: Last month’s Unesco World Heritage Committee meeting saw a worrying trend in the awarding of World Heritage Sites – disregarding the recommendations of experts and relevant agencies. The article talks specifically about the case of the Kaeng Krachan forest and the Great Barrier Reef.

Last month, the UN’s human rights agency said the Karen continued to be forcibly evicted from the Kaeng Krachan forests. Thailand’s application to inscribe the forests as a world heritage site must be denied, the agency said.

Unesco came to a similar conclusion. Yet in a meeting of the world heritage committee, the 21-member countries handed the forests the coveted global status.

Like the decision not to place the Great Barrier Reef on a world heritage “in danger” list, the Kaeng Krachan inscription is part of what conservationists say is a worrying politicisation of world heritage decisions.

Source: ‘Low point’ in world heritage committee history as politics ‘tramples’ human rights of the Karen people | Great Barrier Reef | The Guardian