UAE delegation attends UNESCO session as Wadi Wurayah seeks World Heritage status

UAE delegation attends UNESCO session as Wadi Wurayah seeks World Heritage status

A UAE delegation including officials from the Ministry of Culture and the Government of Fujairah is participating in the 48th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Busan, Republic of Korea, as the committee evaluates the nomination of Wadi Wurayah for inclusion on the World Heritage List.

The session, running from July 19-29, 2026, marks the first time the Republic of Korea has hosted the World Heritage Committee since joining the World Heritage Convention in 1988. Representatives from States Parties and specialized experts in natural and cultural heritage are examining nominations for 30 new sites and reviewing the conservation status of 147 already inscribed sites.

Wadi Wurayah, located approximately 45 kilometers from Fujairah city in the Hajar Mountains, covers 220 square kilometers and harbors exceptional biodiversity. The reserve is home to 1,099 species of living organisms, including 216 plant species, 114 bird species, 20 mammal species, and 30 reptile and amphibian species. Among its notable inhabitants are rare and endangered species such as the Arabian Tahr, Arabian leopard, Blanford's fox, and caracal. The reserve also hosts the UAE's only native orchid, the Helleborine Orchid (Epipactis veratrifolia).

The site features the UAE's only permanent natural waterfall, which geologists say has been flowing continuously for at least 10,000 years. This unique geological formation, combined with perennial freshwater springs and diverse natural habitats, forms the basis of the UAE's nomination under UNESCO criterion (ix), which addresses sites representing ongoing ecological and biological processes of global significance.

Progressive international recognition

Wadi Wurayah has accumulated international recognition over the past decade and a half. In 2009, Sheikh Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi, Ruler of Fujairah, declared it the first Mountain Protected Area in the UAE. The following year, it was designated a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance in 2010, becoming the second site in the UAE to receive this recognition.

In July 2018, UNESCO designated Wadi Wurayah as a Biosphere Reserve, making it the second protected area in the UAE to achieve this status after Marawah Marine Protected Area. This existing UNESCO recognition strengthens the case for the reserve's qualification for World Heritage status.

If approved, Wadi Wurayah would become only the UAE's second UNESCO World Heritage Site. The country's sole current listing is the Cultural Sites of Al Ain, which includes Hafit, Hili, Bidaa Bint Saud and Oases Areas, inscribed in 2011.

The UAE delegation's participation in the Busan session coincides with the World Heritage Committee's formal evaluation of the nomination file, a step that highlights the reserve's environmental and cultural significance at both regional and international levels.