Impact of UNESCO Withdrawal | Advocacy Opportunities
At the end of July, the Trump Administration announced that the U.S. would be withdrawing from the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the global body responsible for designating and preserving World Heritage Sites. Currently, there are 19 World Heritage Sites in the U.S. and 11 under consideration, including the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and the U.S. Civil Rights Trail. Conde Naste Traveler published a good piece on what this means for U.S. tourism, The US is Leaving UNESCO: Here’s What Comes Next.
The Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and the Civil Rights Trail are expected to be nominated by the National Park Service (NPS) for inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List. This is a long process and one that requires a broad community of supporters. Fortunately, membership in UNESCO is not required for sites to be designated as World Heritage Sites. The Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge has developed talking points on the withdrawal. I am attaching them below for anyone meeting with their congressional representatives this month so you are prepared to urge them to continue to these two bids as well as the NPS team that manages the effort.
The National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) has organized a Day of Action on August 23 in a show of grassroots support for NPS funding and to demonstrate that “Every park matters. Every story counts.” This is a good opportunity to spotlight lesser recognized parks and programs like National Heritage Areas. NPCA has produced a toolkit for organizing your event and provides examples of what other communities are doing.
This one is a hot button issue but one that may be important to some of the members of this network. It also requires a short turnaround, which I know is tough in August. As you may know the Trump Administration is reviewing how American history is told at public land sites and the Smithsonian Museums to ensure that it aligns with the President’s interpretation. Interior Secretary Burgum has issued Secretarial Order 3431: “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History” which is already resulted in controversial re-writing of the historical interpretations on public lands. The Sierra Club, which is a member of the NPS Second Century Coalition, is circulating a letter to Secretary Burgum calling on him rescind Secretarial Order 3431. The letter is designed to show support for site‑based interpreters, historians, Tribal Nations, community partners, and park staff in defending the freedom to tell the full American story. Organizations can sign on here, as well as read the full letter. Deadline to sign on is COB, tomorrow, August 15.
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