UNESCO removes Kathmandu Valley from its Danger List

The World Heritage Committee of the UNESCO has removed the Kathmandu Valley from the List of World Heritage in Danger.

A statement issued by the UNSECO Monday said the Kathmandu Valley has been removed, along with the royal palaces of Abomey, Benin, from the Danger List, recognising the progress made in preserving the heritage.

The cultural heritage of Kathmandu Valley, inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1979 and on the Danger List in 2003, features seven groups of monuments and buildings which display the full range of historic and artistic achievements for which the Valley is world famous.

They include the Durbar Squares of Hanuman Dhoka (Kathmandu), Patan and Bhaktapur, the Buddhist stupas of Swayambhu and Bauddhanath, and the Hindu temples of Pashupati and Changu Narayan.

“The World Heritage Committee commended Nepal’s efforts to protect the outstanding universal value of the site in the face of urban development,” UNESCO said. nepalnews.com mk June 25 07