Parliament has passed the Fiji World Heritage Bill 2023 which is designed to align Fiji’s laws with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation’s World Heritage Convention (UNESCO), in which Fiji ratified in 1990.
This legislation seeks to recognize, protect and manage sites of cultural and natural significance that have the potential or are already designated as World Heritage Sites.
Several provisions of this bill include:
Establishing the Fiji Heritage Council to oversee heritage management
Creating the Fiji Heritage Register to catalogue and manage heritage sites.
Setting up trust funds to support the conservation of registered sites
And incorporating Fiji’s obligation under the UNESCO Convention into national law.