UNESCO Director General Koichiro Matsura said Saturday Nepal’s world heritage sites are not being delisted.

“No. On the contrary, we are co-operating and helping the Nepalese authorities in safeguarding the cultural sites, which are already on the list. We are also helping Nepalese experts on preparing new proposals on new candidates to be proposed to UNESCO,” Matsura told The Rising Nepal daily newspaper in an exclusive interview.

UNESCO and Nepal should work in tandem to prevent further damage to historic cultural sites of Kathmandu Valley while appreciating Nepali efforts to preserve listed sites, he said. ” They (UNESCO mission last year) have understood more deeply

the difficulties existing here. Conservation of heritage sites of the Kathmandu Valley is very difficult due to rapid urbanization,” he said on his first visit to Nepal.

Lumbini, Royal Chitwan National Park, Sagarmatha National Park are also on the world heritage list.