South Sudan picks three sites as candidates for UNESCO world heritage designation

Sudd Wetlands - (c) fortuneofafrica.com

JUBA, Nov. 27 (Xinhua) -- South Sudan has proposed three natural and cultural sites to the UN cultural agency for consideration as world heritage sites, officials told Xinhua.

Charles Yosam Achira, under secretary in the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife Conservation, said the government has selected the Sudd Wetlands, Boma-Badingilo Migratory Landscape, and Deim Zubier Slave Route to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to be named as world heritage sites.

Achira told Xinhua in a recent interview in Juba that the three sites have unique characteristics that warrant them to be protected and preserved.

Located in central South Sudan, the Sudd wetlands is estimated to cover an area of 57,000 square kilometers and represents one of the largest freshwater ecosystems in the world.

The Boma-Badingilo migratory landscape is well known for its seasonal migration of antelopes.

The Deim Zubier Slave Route was a historic slave and ivory trading route between western South Sudan and the Sudanese region of Darfur.

"These sites are very important and unique that needs to be preserved and looked after carefully because they tell our future generations what we have in South Sudan," Achira said.

Ellen Lekka, a UNESCO cultural specialist in South Sudan, said the three sites would be scrutinized to see if they meet UNESCO's criteria of Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) before becoming a UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

She added that UNESCO experts would work with their South Sudanese counterparts to ensure that the selected sites meet requirements for consideration as world heritage sites.

"The three sites have been added to UNESCO's tentative list because they have significant importance that extend beyond the South Sudanese borders to the global community," Lekka said.

The World Heritage Convention was adopted by UNESCO in 1972 with the aims of promoting cooperation among nations to protect cultural and natural heritage around the world.

South Sudan rectified the World Heritage Convention in March 2016, becoming the 192nd signatory.