Lake Baikal, biblical Samaria site among heritage properties facing 'in danger' listing vote in Busan

Russia's Lake Baikal and a Palestinian archaeological site known as the biblical Samaria are among the candidates for UNESCO's List of World Heritage in Danger, with a final vote imminent.

According to AFP and other international news agencies Friday, UNESCO's 196 member states will deliberate and vote on new additions to the List of World Heritage in Danger at the 48th session of the World Heritage Committee, opening Sunday in Busan, South Korea.

UNESCO places world heritage sites on the list when their outstanding universal value is seriously threatened by war, uncontrolled development, natural disasters or other factors, subjecting them to intensified monitoring and protection.

Among the sites drawing the most attention at this session are three properties recommended for simultaneous inscription on the World Heritage List and immediate placement on the danger list — chief among them Sebastia, a Palestinian archaeological site in the Israeli-occupied West Bank celebrated as the biblical Samaria. UNESCO strongly recommended the site for the danger list, citing concerns over damage caused by ongoing military occupation.

Five medieval fortifications in southern Lebanon that sustained damage in Israeli airstrikes are also under review. One of them, Beaufort Castle — known in Arabic as Qalaat al-Shaqif, a former Crusader stronghold — was occupied by Israeli forces in May. Also under simultaneous consideration for World Heritage inscription and danger listing is the Boma-Badingilo grassland and forest savanna in South Sudan.

Several sites already on the World Heritage List are also likely candidates for the danger list. These include the ancient ruins of Tyre in southern Lebanon and the ancient city of Chersonesus in Crimea. In Russia, Lake Baikal — the world's deepest lake — draws fire over its potential danger listing, as persistent problems including severe water pollution, overtourism, large-scale logging and falling water levels caused by dam construction upstream in Mongolia have shown no sign of improvement.

Lazare Eloundou Assomo, director of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, urged broad international attention in a media interview, saying UNESCO lacks the physical means to deploy peacekeepers to these sites but can send a powerful message of protection to the international community. "These heritage sites hold immense value for humanity," he said, "and every possible effort must be made to prevent their destruction."