Tell Congress to Support Ohio's World Heritage Nominations
There are more than 1,000 sites across the globe that have been inscribed on the World Heritage List, the highest designation possible for cultural and natural sites deemed to have "outstanding universal value to humanity." Only 22 of these World Heritage sites are located in the United States - none in Ohio. However, the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks - an Ohio nomination that includes the Newark Earthworks, the Hopewell Culture National Historic Park and Fort Ancient Earthworks & Nature Preserve - is poised to become Ohio's first-ever World Heritage sites in the next couple of years.
Unfortunately, an unnecessarily political obstacle jeopardizes Ohio's World Heritage nomination. The United States has stopped paying its dues to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in late 2011. UNESCO is the organization that administers and approves World Heritage nominations. While it is still possible for Ohio's World Heritage nomination to move forward despite the non-payment of UNESCO dues, this creates challenges to any U.S. World Heritage nomination. Congress has been urged to find a creative solution to the UNESCO dues situation but has yet to take any action.
Please urge your member of Congress to work toward a resolution of this to help ensure Ohio has a fair shot at inscription on the World Heritage List. Find out more at worldheritageohio.org.
