UNESCO World Heritage Committee — Busan 2026

The 48th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee was held in Busan, South Korea, from 19–29 July 2026.

It inscribed 25 new sites, including Ancient Buddhist Site of Sarnath in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.

The new sites comprised:

• 19 cultural
• 5 natural
• 1 mixed

Total UNESCO World Heritage Sites increased to 1,273 across 173 countries.

Important Facts

India → Ancient Buddhist Site of Sarnath

Host → Busan, South Korea

Next session → Istanbul, Türkiye, 2027

The session also adopted the Busan Declaration on World Heritage and introduced “collaboration” as the sixth C alongside the previous Five Cs.