Taj Mahal & the maddening blunder

It is quite interesting to note that of all organisations the one that matters most - Unesco - has categorically denied it has any hand in, or supports, the 7 Wonders campaign mounted by a Swiss Website. This campaign was launched in 2000 as a private initiative by Bernard Weber, the idea being to encourage citizens around the world to select Seven new Wonders.

Vote for Taj campaign took off from this and has been going on in bits and pieces of broken chain mails in people's mail boxes for past few years. It has gathered steam as the deadline to vote has drawn near on Triple Seven, or 07-07-07 . In short, it is madness right now!

"In order to avoid any damaging confusion, Unesco wishes to reaffirm that there is no link whatsoever between Unesco's World Heritage programme, which aims to protect world heritage, and the current campaign concerning "The New 7 Wonders of the World," says a statement on Unesco's Website that few people perhaps know about.

"Unesco's objective and mandate is to assist countries in identifying, protecting and preserving World Heritage. Acknowledging the sentimental or emblematic value of sites and inscribing them on a new list is not enough. Scientific criteria must be defined, the quality of candidates evaluated, and legislative and management frameworks set up...."

"The relevant authorities must also demonstrate commitment to these frameworks as well as to permanently monitoring the state of conservation of sites. The task is one of technical conservation and political persuasion. There is also a clear educational role with respect to the sites' inherent value, the threats they face and what must be done to prevent their loss."

There is no comparison between Mr Weber's mediatised campaign and the scientific and educational work resulting from the inscription of sites on Unesco's World Heritage List. The list of the "7 New Wonders of the World" will be the result of a private undertaking, reflecting only the opinions of those with access to the internet and not the entire world. This initiative cannot, in any significant and sustainable manner, contribute to the preservation of sites, says Unesco.

- Nerosax

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