Korea allocates 12 Million USD to host the 48th Session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee.

https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10633660

An invite to the DPRK is pending.

https://www.nknews.org/2025/12/unesco-willing-to-help-bring-north-korea-to-conference-in-south-seoul-says/

I don't think we covered this before: the dates of the WHC in Busan 2026 are given as July 19-29. So a bit later than last year. New inscriptions will probably be discussed over the weekend, so July 24-26.

This means we can expect the document set to be published around Friday, June 5.

You were correct, Gdynia has been re-submitted after following ICOMOS recommendations. Looks like Gdynia will be inscribed on its 100 year anniversary.

https://www.gdynia.pl/mieszkaniec/co-nowego,2774/wpis-na-liste-unesco-gdynski-wniosek-zlozony,593408

A surprise emergency nomination from South Sudan:
https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/south-sudan-validates-emergency-world-heritage-nomination-boma-badingilo-migratory-landscape

WHS 2026 (34 Nominations)

Africa (5)
- Historical Sultanates of the Comoros (Comoros)
- Garamba National Park [re-nomination] (DRC)
- Lake Tana Island Monasteries and its Adjacent Wetland Natural and Cultural Heritage (Ethiopia)
- The Rocas of Sao Tome and Principe: Colonial agricultural system and forced migration (Sao Tome and Principe)
- Boma-Badingilo Migratory Landscape (South Sudan) emergency nomination

Arab States (4)
- Aqaba Marine Reserve (Jordan)
- Coral Reefs in the Gulf of Aqaba (Saudi)
- Sidi Bou Said Village: A Hub of Cultural and Spiritual Inspiration in the Mediterranean (Tunisia)
- Wadi Wurayah (United Arab Emirates)

Asia and the Pacific (10)
- Jingdezhen Handicraft Porcelain Industry Sites (China)
- Ancient Buddhist Site, Sarnath, Varanas (India)
- Alamut Castle and Related Fortifications (Iran)
- Ancient Capitals of Asuka and Fujiwara (Japan) *19 components
- Rocky Mosques of Mangyshlak Peninsula (Kazakhstan)
- Silk Roads: Fergana-Syrdarya Corridor (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan) *48 components
- The Cemetery Complexes of the Xiongnu Nobility (Mongolia) *8 components
- Getbol, Korean Tidal Flats [Phase II Extension] (Republic of Korea)
- Wat Phra Mahathat Woramahawihan, Nakhon Si Thammarat (Thailand)
- Tashkent Modernist Architecture. Modernity and Tradition in Central Asia (Uzbekistan) *10 components

Europe and North America (13)
- The Bony Fish Fossils of the Western Limfjord - Evolution and Climate Adaptation in the Earliest Eocene (Denmark)
- Aalto Works (Finland) *13 components
- The D-Day Landing Beaches, Normandy, 1944 (France)
- The Royal Fortresses of Languedoc (France) *8 components
- Berlin Modernism Housing Estates [Extension to include Waldsiedlung Zehlendorf] (Germany)
- The Wider Area of Mount Olympus (Greece)
- The Italian-style Condominio Theatres of Central Italy (Italy) *18 components
- Gdynia, Early Modernist City Centre (Poland)
- Bulwarked Fortresses of the Raia (Portugal)
- The Bashkir Shikhans of Toratau, Kushtau and Yuraktau (Russia)
- Ribeira Sacra Waterscape (Spain)
- Zerzevan Castle and Mithraeum (Turkiye)
- Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge (United States)

Latin America and the Caribbean (2)
- Amazonia Theaters (Brazil)
- Patzcuaro, Site of Humanistic Memory and Cultural Confluence (Mexico)

Plenty of large serial nominations (with 8 or more components), which are now fairly expected at this point. On another note, there will be a possibility that Okefenokee's bid could be withdrawn, based on a small but vocal anti-UN minority group of people in South Georgia making efforts to thwart inscription. They are trying hard to lodge their disapproval of the nomination, but its difficult to gage if anyone at the Department of Interior is taking any action that could indicate a withdrawn submission.

As expected, Korea is going all out in hosting this years WHC.

Promotional Video of the upcoming meeting in Busan (subtitles in English and French)
The 48th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in the Republic of Korea (Korea Heritage Service)

Thirty Years of World Heritage Inscription in the Republic of Korea (Latest Spring issue of Korean Heritage webzine)

'Wishing for the successful hosting of the World Heritage Committee, the National Heritage Administration is sequentially releasing promotional videos featuring Korea's 17 World Heritage sites.'

First 3 Korean WHS (short videos < than 2 min)
- Janggyeongpanjeon Depositories of Haeinsa Temple
- Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple
- Jongmyo Shrine

News articles are being published frequently, including some in English.

Korea's heritage sites in spotlight as UNESCO meeting in Busan nears (Korea Times)

Lastly, for visitors in Korea this Summer, a free exhibition at the WHC will be open to the public.

'K-Heritage House': Busan BEXCO Exhibition Hall 1 (July 20th - 29th, 2026)

Past, Present, and Future of Heritage
- World Heritage & UNESCO Pavilion: Introducing the essence of 17 World Heritage sites and the value of Korean heritage
- World Heritage Archives: In collaboration with the National Archives of Korea, exhibiting physical and digital records that attest to history
- Busan Promotion Pavilion: Special exhibition on the history and culture of Busan, the host city of the 48th World Heritage Committee

We may start mentally preparing for the release of the Advisory Body evaluations for this year's session.
They need to be published at least 6 weeks prior to the session.
The session is starting July 19 (with WH inscriptions agenda items from the 24th onwards).
So if I calculate correctly, we may expect them next Friday, June 5?

(although last year they did publish on a Monday instead of the Friday before, so that would be June 8th this year)

Looks all set. The Getbol extension appears to have received a positive evaluation. The new website is up and running.

https://48whcbusan2026.kr/

I think we may have to look for volunteers in Asia/Australia to do a live update of the sessions.
Especially the morning session (10-13 Korean time) will be hard for me (3-6 NL time).

This is correct as far as announced. However, two sites are in limbo since the last session: Hisham's Palace and Lake Chad. These could not be visited by ICOMOS during the last cycle(s). And probably they couldn't access them now either, although I could see Palestine bringing forward Hisham's Palace as an emergency nomination (but cannot find any news source to sustain that).

We should keep half an eye on them as they may suddenly pop up again. I will at least keep them active as "Nominated" (since they technically are, a nomination dossier has been submitted), add a note about the situation in the intro texts and push them forward to 2028. Does that seem reasonable?

@els I can volunteer for the first two days of the new inscription agenda (July 23–24). But starting July 25, I will be in the same time zone as you!

PS. Good news! Your Nakhon Si Thammarat trip really paid off.

That would be great!


Did Wat Phra Mahathat already receive positive feedback?

Yes, it is circulating like crazy in the local ICOMOS group chat.

We may start seriously watching https://whc.unesco.org/en/sessions/48COM/documents/ for movement, then - last year the candidates knew the verdict one day before it was publicly shared.

[Set of 2] 48th UNESCO World Heritage Committee Commemorative Coin

Package Design *click to zoom

Petroglyphs along the Bangucheon Stream Coin *click to zoom

Getbol, Korean Tidal Flats Coin *click to zoom

Seems likely each delegate or committee member will be receiving a commemorative coin.