Day: 5 August 2026

UNESCO has added 25 new sites to its World Heritage List, from the Normandy beaches where the D-Day landings took place to Greece’s Mount Olympus, at the 48th session of its World Heritage Committee in Busan, South Korea, taking the global total to 1,273 sites across 173 countries.

The new European entries also included France’s Capetian royal fortresses of the Languedoc and a group of 18th- and 19th-century Italian ‘condominium’ theatres. The session, which ran to 29th July, marked the first-ever inscriptions for three countries — Comoros, São Tomé and Príncipe, and South Sudan — a step towards a more balanced list, while six sites were added to the List of World Heritage in Danger, underlining the need to strengthen their protection.

The session in Busan

It was the first time South Korea had hosted the committee. The session opened on 19th July with a ceremony attended by the South Korean president, Lee Jae-myung, and UNESCO’s director-general, Khaled El-Enany, with all 25 inscriptions adopted by consensus. The committee’s next session will be held in Istanbul in 2027.

Monaco’s part

Monaco was among the states taking part, represented by Séverine Dusaintpère, its Deputy Permanent Delegate to UNESCO. During the proceedings she welcomed the World Heritage Centre’s work to support countries that are absent or under-represented on the list, and voiced the Principality’s backing for a reform plan intended to strengthen the strategic role, expertise, efficiency and digital capabilities of the centre’s secretariat.

A party to the 1972 World Heritage Convention since 1978, Monaco supports the World Heritage Marine Programme and the Heritage Emergency Fund, and maintains long-standing partnerships with ICCROM and the ALIPH Foundation.

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Photo: Normandy beach landing, source: UNESCO

The Salon International du Livre de Monaco will return to the Grimaldi Forum for its 15th anniversary edition on 5th and 6th September. Organised by the association Les Rencontres Littéraires Fabian Boisson, the Mediterranean-focused cultural event brings together authors, academics, and researchers across multiple disciplines.

True to its roots, the fair connects different types of writing, from novels to essays, and links modern ideas with history. The upcoming schedule includes more than 20 conferences, small group debates, and open-mic sessions designed to let the public talk directly with authors. 

Official patronage and cultural commitment

The event operates under the High Patronage of Prince Albert II, who champions the growth of arts and letters in the Principality. Citing Jean Cocteau, the Prince said that art forms a procession of solitudes that yield an incalculable force when united.

New additions: The Sports Book Prize and Himalayan expeditions

This year introduces the inaugural Sports Book Prize (Le Prix du Livre Sportif), an addition created to evaluate the relationship between physical competition and literature. The jury is chaired by mountaineer and author Orianne Aymard.

Complementing the new prize, the organisation has integrated live transmissions from Aymard’s active expedition in the Himalayas as she ascends Mount Manaslu, linking the physical theater of high-altitude mountaineering directly to the festival’s academic programming.

Remembering Sylvana Lorenz

This year’s fair will also pause to remember the late author and art dealer Sylvana Lorenz, a regular guest at past events. Organisers and readers will pay tribute to her life, her warm connection to the festival, and her notable literary works — including her celebrated books on the fashion icon Pierre Cardin (Madame Cardin and Pierre Cardin: Son fabuleux destin) as well as her vibrant memoirs chronicling her life as an art gallerist (L’art est une partie de plaisir). 

Keynote highlights and notable guests

The 2026 lineup features many well-known writers and thinkers, including physicist Étienne Klein, novelist Emmanuelle de Boysson, and political scientist Gilles Kepel. A main highlight of the Literary Cafés will be a talk by former diplomat Hubert Védrine, who will discuss global changes from a Mediterranean point of view.

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Photo credit: Berna – Pexels