The United Nations Development Programme plans to set up a new internationally-recognized designation, much like UNESCO’s World Heritage sites, in an effort to protect hundreds of thousands of sacred places around the globe. The spiritual sites, ranging from Jerusalem’s Garden Tomb to a “spiritual park†in the Peruvian Andes, are in particular danger as the power of religion decreases and economic pressures increase. The UNDP joined the world’s main religions and leading conservation organizations in its pledge to keep this development at bay.
For more information, see here.