A historical photograph of plantation workers in Sao Tome. Archive image relating to the rocas' labour history.
A historical photograph of plantation workers in Sao Tome. Archive image relating to the rocas' labour history. Illustrative archive image; not a photograph of the reported 2026 event. Image: Government of São Tomé und Príncipe / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain. Resized and converted to JPEG; thumbnails may be cropped by the page layout.

Comoros, Sao Tome and Principe, and South Sudan gained their first entries on UNESCO's World Heritage List, the organisation reported on 28 July. The inscriptions were made during the World Heritage Committee's session in Busan.

The recognised places include the historic medinas associated with Comorian sultanates, the plantation landscapes known as rocas in Sao Tome and Principe, and South Sudan's Boma-Badingilo migratory landscape. Together they bring different kinds of cultural history and natural heritage into the international conservation framework. The plantation history also calls for attention to coerced labour and displacement, not simply architectural appreciation. Inscription creates visibility and conservation responsibilities; it does not by itself resolve the funding, management or community concerns associated with protecting these places.