Belgium and France have nominated Belgian and French First World War funerary and memorial sites to be officially recognised as UNESCO World Heritage sites.
If chosen the area, which comprises 139 sites stretching across western Belgium and northern France, would join a list of heritage sites including iconic wonders such as the Great Wall of China, Peru's Machu Picchu and Greece's Acropolis.
All 2022 and 2023 nominations will be considered by the World Heritage Committee at the next convention from 10 to 25 September in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Tombs of soldiers, from Germany (left) and from British and commonwealth allies (white rectangular graves, right) at the Military Cemetery of Saint-Symphorien in Spiennes, Mons. Credit: Belga
UNESCO previously rejected Belgium and France's request in 2018, citing critiques from the International Council on Monuments and Sites, which included phrases like "lack of clarity," a vision which was "too narrow and limited" and one with too many "shortcomings."
There was also a longstanding belief that sites like the Auschwitz Birkenau Nazi concentration camp in Poland should stand alone as witnesses to the horrors of war, rather than setting a precedent for a lengthy list of sites related to conflicts.
Five years later, Heritage Minister of Flanders Matthias Diependaele told AP that he hopes that UNESCO's stance has evolved, with a newfound emphasis on openness. He points to the changed global landscape – notably the Russian invasion of Ukraine – as a catalyst for an enhanced understanding of the need to safeguard peace.
Reflections on current conflicts
Erin Harris, a guide at Tyne Cot military cemetery in Belgium, also reflected on the connection visitors draw between these historic sites and the ongoing strife in Ukraine: "We get so many people coming through here and making that link with Ukraine just because it is so relevant at the moment," she told AP, "and you're seeing the same situation happening – with these two sides fighting endlessly. And you come here to a place like this, and you really see, well, this is still happening. And, you know, not much has changed."
It remains to be seen whether the World Heritage Committee will add Belgium and France's First World War funerary and memorial sites to its World Heritage List, which already includes 1,157 sites from 167 countries to date.
