UNESCO LISTS FOR THE PROTECTION OF NATURAL AND CULTURAL HERITAGE IN THE WORLD AND THEIR IMPACT ON TOURISM DEVELOPMENT: CASE OF THE REPUBLIC OF NORTH MACEDONIA

Abstract

UNESCO was founded in 1946 as a UN specialized organization for the protection of the world's natural and cultural heritage, whose main mission is to protect, promote and promote education, science and culture at the global level, ie to promote and respect human freedoms and rights. UNESCO has 195 member states and 8 associate members. UNESCO operates in five major programs: education, natural sciences, sociology, culture and communications. UNESCO, in its activities related to the protection of the world natural and cultural heritage, maintains separate Lists for specific areas. The most famous lists run by this organization are: World Heritage List; List of World Heritage in Danger; World Heritage List Nominations; List of UNESCO Global Geoparks; List of Creative Cities; List of Intangible Cultural Heritage; UNESCO Atlas of the Worlds Languages in Danger (Atlas Map). These lists are important for the protection of the world's natural and cultural heritage, but they also have some impact on the sustainable development of tourism in the world. The Republic of Northern Macedonia, a member of UNESCO since 1993 with its natural beauties and cultural and historical heritage, is on some of the lists listed. The Ohrid region has been on the World Heritage List since 1979 and 1980 with its universal values, and in 2017 was nominated by the World Heritage Committee on the World Heritage List in danger of uncontrolled expansion. tourism, unplanned urban development and environmental destruction in the Ohrid region. The basic research question to be answered in the paper is "Are there natural or cultural heritage sites originating in the Republic of Northern Macedonia on the UNESCO Lists and does this affect the protection of the world's natural and cultural heritage and the development of sustainable tourism?".