Greece, Albania and North Macedonia are advancing a joint initiative to secure UNESCO World Heritage status for the Great Prespa area, bringing together natural and cultural heritage across their shared borders.
The three countries’ culture ministers are meeting to strengthen the initiative. Greece is represented by Lina Mendoni, Albania by Blendi Gonxhja and North Macedonia by Sedat Sulejmani. Their cooperation aims to demonstrate that Great Prespa is a uniquely important biocultural ecosystem deserving recognition on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
The initiative, which has been in preparation for some time, also highlights the role of cross-border cooperation in promoting friendship, cultural exchange and sustainable development in the Balkans.
A cross-border effort built on cooperation
The three countries’ collaboration builds on the Prespa Park, established in 2000 as a framework for cooperation across the region. The experience of working together on shared objectives and projects is expected to strengthen the case for the area’s inclusion on the World Heritage List.
Greece, Albania and North Macedonia have already included their respective parts of the lake in their national Tentative Lists—inventories of sites and areas each country intends to nominate for UNESCO recognition.
The next step is to submit a fully documented joint cross-border nomination. The proposal would then be assessed by international advisory bodies, including the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), before the UNESCO World Heritage Committee makes the final decision.
If approved, the Great Prespa area would be formally added to the World Heritage List.
A combination of natural and cultural heritage
Great Prespa is protected under the Ramsar Convention, an international treaty for the conservation of wetlands, and the European Union’s Natura 2000 network of protected areas.
Beyond its importance as a wetland habitat for rare and protected species, the area contains a collection of Byzantine and post-Byzantine monuments spread across the territories of all three countries.
This combination of ecological richness and cultural heritage makes the proposed nomination particularly significant. UNESCO places particular importance on mixed heritage sites that bring together natural and cultural value, as well as on international initiatives that provide for shared governance.
The joint bid therefore seeks to highlight not only the area’s distinctive heritage but also the three countries’ commitment to protecting and managing it through cross-border cooperation.
