UNESCO Expands World Heritage List with New Entries from Poland, Brazil and China

The UNESCO World Heritage Committee, meeting at its 48th session in Busan, South Korea, has officially added a new group of cultural and natural sites from Poland, Brazil, and China to the World Heritage List, expanding global recognition for locations of outstanding universal value.
 
Among the newly inscribed sites is Gdynia Modernist City Centre in Poland, a landmark coastal district built during the interwar period. The area showcases one of the world’s most extensive applications of modernist urban planning, reflecting Poland’s architectural ambitions during the early 20th century. 

UNESCO also approved the inscription of new natural and mixed sites recommended by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), including major ecological zones in Brazil and China. These additions highlight the biodiversity and environmental significance of regions across the Amazon and key conservation landscapes in East Asia. The committee followed IUCN guidance in adding seven new natural and mixed sites and expanding one existing site. 

The decisions were part of a broader review of 33 nominations presented during the Busan session, held from July 19 to 29, 2026. The meeting brought together member states, conservation experts, and cultural heritage specialists to evaluate global sites for their cultural, historical, and ecological importance. 

UNESCO’s latest inscriptions reinforce the organization’s mission to safeguard humanity’s shared heritage, recognizing sites that reflect both cultural innovation and natural diversity. The newly listed locations from Poland, Brazil, and China now join more than 1,270 sites worldwide protected for their universal value.