In 2016 the Iraqi Marshes were inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the Ahwar. Each year, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee reviews reports on the state of conservation of the property and follows up with the State Party of Iraq in case it is not properly managed. Iraq’s 2020 State of...
Commentary by Josh Klemm on 1 July 2019 for Mongabay This July represents a critical opportunity to protect rivers and the World Heritage sites that depend on them. Key government leaders will converge on Baku, Azerbaijan for the 43rd annual meeting of the World Heritage Committee this week. Established under the auspices of the United...
Arabic | عربي Laith Alobaidi – Nature Iraq / Humat Dijlah The Hawizeh Marshes form a large part of the famous Mesopotamian marshlands and southern Iraq, east of Tigris River on the Iraqi-Iranian border, shared between Iraq and Iran with the Iranian marshes known as Hor Al-Azim. They make up the largest wetland in this...
Published by Humat Dijla, 7 August 2018 As aresult of drought and water scarcity in the marshes, fire continues to spread over large areas of al-Huwaizah Marsh in Maisan Governorate in Southern Iraq, ravaging the natural area. Environmental activist Ahmed Saleh Neema, based in Maisan, explained the fire started in the pond of Um Alneaj...
Statement by World Heritage Watch/Save the Tigris and Iraqi Marshes Campaign 23 June 2018, World Heritage Watch Civil Society Forum, prior to the 42nd Session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee *** We, the Civil Society Organizations who have attended the 5th International NGO Forum on World Heritage at Risk organized by World Heritage Watch...
Humat Dijlah – Iraqi member organization of Save the Tigris Campaign From the 19th to the 26th of January 2018, in six different Iraqi cities, young activists and environmentalists organized art exhibitions in response to the tragic drought caused by low water levels in the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The activists aimed to bring needed...
The inscription in 2016 of the Marshlands into the UNESCO World Heritage List was an important milestone for Iraq, which would not have been possible without strong efforts of civil society across Iraq, and involvement of communities and local authorities. This is a success story that we believe can be extended across other issues in...
Hassan al-Shanoun, Al-Monitor, 28 May 2017 The Iraqi government is committed to keeping the Mesopotamian Marshes on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Located in the southern part of the country, the marshes were added to UNESCO’s list in July 2016. Previously listed Iraqi World Heritage sites are the city of Ashur, the city of Hatra, the Erbil Citadel...
On the occasion of World Wetlands Day, February 2, the Ministry of Water Resources in Iraq held an official event in Baghdad, celebrating the unique value of wetlands, in particular the Iraqi Marshes. World Wetlands Day is held annually to help raise global public awareness on the value of wetlands. In addition to the participation...
