(Paris) Threatened with extinction by the rising waters, the island of Tuvalu, in the Pacific, appealed Thursday for help to UNESCO to save, before it is too late, its cultural heritage and natural.
Climate change is one of the biggest threats facing cultural and natural heritage sites around the world. These natural threats affect at least one in five World Heritage sites, according to the UN.
“We are directly affected by the impact of climate change and we need your help as soon as possible to prevent our material and immaterial heritage from disappearing”, launched in Paris the special envoy of Tuvalu, Samuelu Laloniu, by depositing the ratification of his country in the presence of the Director General of UNESCO Audrey Azoulay.
By becoming the 195e As a signatory state, this island will be able to request recognition of its natural and cultural sites and their inclusion on the World Heritage List, and thus receive assistance for their protection once the list has been drawn up by the experts.
“This approach will trigger mechanisms on the part of the international community to preserve as much as possible the cultural richness of this country”, underlined Lazare Eloudou Assomo, director of the world heritage of UNESCO.
According to UNESCO, “climate change is of particular importance to small island developing states. Tuvalu, made up of nine islands, is home to around 10,000 people and has a rich cultural and natural heritage, including living heritage”.
For the experts, Tuvalu is particularly exposed, so much so that a song tinged with black humor is called Toodeloo Tuvalu, which in British slang means “hello, goodbye”. An ironic way to predict its demise.