The World Monuments Fund (WMF) has released insights from its 2027 World Monuments Watch nomination analysis, identifying funding shortages, the intensifying impact of climate change, and a loss of specialized skills as some of the most urgent threats facing heritage sites worldwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
WMF writes<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Of these challenges, funding constraints were the top concern, cited by 65% of nominators. The impact of climate change was the second greatest concern, mentioned by 54% of nominators, while loss of expertise emerged as a growing concern, cited by 35% of the nominators. The findings, drawn from 372 nominations for the 2027 Watch list submitted by communities and heritage advocates around the globe, which will be announced in February, offer a snapshot of the challenges confronting cultural heritage today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018This year’s nominations show that pressures on heritage are intensifying as funding, capacity, and expertise struggle to keep pace,\u2019 said B\u00e9n\u00e9dicte de Montlaur, President and CEO of World Monuments Fund. \u2018According to findings in the UNESCO Global Report on Cultural Policies, only one in four countries has the means to safeguard its heritage. Communities are being asked to do more with less as climate change accelerates, and the skills needed to care for these places are being lost. These findings are a call to action, and they will help guide where our work is needed most.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n
WMF\u2019s work on the World Monuments Watch is made possible through the generous support of the AXA Foundation for Human Progress, Lead Partner of the Watch. \u2018Preserving heritage is not only about restoring monuments; it is about safeguarding the stories and landmarks that connect generations. Alongside World Monuments Fund, the AXA Foundation for Human Progress aims to help make heritage a living, accessible resource and a source of future opportunity for the communities that inhabit it.\u2019 [said] Cl\u00e9ment Rouxel, General Delegate of the AXA Foundation for Human Progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Launched in 1996, the Watch is announced every two years and includes sites nominated by individuals and community-based organizations that span the globe. Since the program\u2019s inception, the Watch has been a proven tool for raising awareness about heritage places in need of protection and galvanizing action and support for their preservation. To date, World Monuments Fund has contributed more than $125 million toward projects at nearly 350 Watch sites, with the visibility provided by the Watch helping communities leverage an additional $300 million from other sources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Key Findings from the 2027 Watch Nomination Process<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Funding and economic constraints: Cited by 65% of nominators, up from 55% in 2024. Key drivers of funding challenges included inadequate public funding (22%), local economic conditions (17%), and the cost of specialized materials and labor (10%). These findings speak to broader funding challenges for heritage worldwide:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Examples include several sites in WMF\u2019s network:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Conservation as a Solution<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nominators also perceived heritage to as a potential tool for addressing pressing social problems and strengthening their communities. As well as tracking challenges, our study collected data on the opportunities our nominators saw for heritage to make a positive impact. 63% globally saw ways for heritage to contribute to local economies through promoting tourism, creating jobs, sparking urban and rural regeneration, and more. 59% suggested heritage could engage local communities, encouraging participation in heritage preservation, local stewardship of sites, building local capacity, and creating community spaces. And 50% believed heritage preservation created opportunities to promote public education and research. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Next Steps toward the 2027 Watch Announcement<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The nominations reflect concerns and urgent priorities identified directly by local stewards, communities, and heritage professionals. Each nomination is subjected to rigorous internal and external evaluation based on cultural significance, urgency, and the feasibility of community-driven solutions. The final selection for the 2027 World Monuments Watch is being deliberated upon by an independent panel of international heritage experts chaired by Brinda Somaya, founder and principal architect of Somaya Sampat. The panel also includes Victoria Herrmann, executive director of Preserving Legacies; Rohit Jigyasu, program director at the Southeast Asian Regional Centre for Archaeology and Fine Arts (SEAMEO-SPAFA); Ishanlosen Odiaua, senior social development specialist at the World Bank Group and former president of the ICOMOS Advisory Committee; John Schofield, professor and director of studies in cultural heritage management at the University of York; and Patiphol Yodsurang, associate professor in the Faculty of Architecture at Kasetsart University and head of the Riverfront Research Alliance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018The key challenges identified through WMF\u2019s Watch nomination analysis\u2014such as severe underfunding and escalating climate hazards\u2014pose serious risks not only to our global heritage but to the communities that care for them,\u2019 said Brinda Somaya, chair of the World Monuments Watch International Expert Panel. \u2018Many of these sites carry within them the memory, resilience, and identity of the communities associated with them. Their protection therefore goes beyond the conservation of a place; it calls for thoughtful advocacy, technical expertise, resources, and partnerships that can help sustain their significance for the future.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The complete 2027 World Monuments Watch list will be officially announced in February 2027.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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