Decisions of the World Heritage Committee 2007 (31st session)

The World Heritage Committee agreed the inclusion of 22 new sites on the list of World Heritage, as well as the extension of one existing site. Some notable inclusions are a new French site, the historic centre of the city of Bordeaux, " Bordeaux, Port de la Lune", a new European winegrowing area, " Côtes de Lavaux, terraced vineyards" (see the news item on the Fontevraud Charter), and a new river-based cultural landscape, the " Ecosystem and Relict Cultural Landscape of Lopé-Okanda" in Gabon, through which the River Ogooué runs.

Having examined the progress made in the state of preservation of a number of areas now deemed to be satisfactory, the World Heritage Committee withdrew four sites from the list of World Heritage in Danger, but added three at the same time, including the archaeologically important town of Samarra (Iraq), as from its inclusion this year on the list of World Heritage sites.

For the first time since the 1972 UNESCO Convention on the protection of natural and cultural World Heritage came into force, the World Heritage Committee withdrew a site from the list, namely the Arab Oryx sanctuary in Oman, further to the country's decision to reduce the size of the conservation area by 90%. For the moment the World Heritage Committee has decided to retain the Dresden Elbe Valley in Germany on the list of World Heritage, pending an alternative solution to the current plans for a bridge on the site, listed in 2004, which would respect the outstanding universal value of the cultural landscape.

See also UNESCO's press release:
UNESCO confirms that it is not involved in the "New 7 Wonders of the World" campaign