World Heritage Day 2020: Current Theme, History and Significance

The World Heritage Day is an international observance held on 18 April each year around the world with different types of activities, including visits to monuments and heritage sites, conferences, round tables and newspaper articles. The aim of organizing the World Heritage Day is to preserve the human heritage and appreciate the efforts of all organizations that work for the preservation of this heritage. The first World Heritage Day was organised by the ICOMOS in 1982.

However, this year it is celebrated differently as countries around the world affecting by the coronavirus. Right now, most of the countries have entered into lockdown stage and the people are maintaining a social distance by staying at home.

ICOMOS has decided that the theme for this year's World Heritage Day is "Shared Culture, Shared Heritage and Shared Responsibility." The theme for the last year's celebration was "Rural Landscapes".