UNESCO is the only international agency in Nepal actively involved in the area of culture. The UNESCO Office in Kathmandu has been conducting a wide variety of programmes and activities aimed at supporting the government to foster the country’s cultural diversity; protect its natural and cultural heritage, both tangible and intangible; promote cultural diversity and inter cultural dialogue for social cohesion; and contribute to a culture of peace.

Nepal is home to four World Heritage Sites:

• Kathmandu Valley (1979) including the Durbar Squares of Hanuman Dhoka (Kathmandu), Patan and Bhaktapur, the Buddhist stupas of Swayambhu and Bauddhanath and the Hindu temples of Pashupati and Changu Narayan
• Sagarmatha National Park (1979)
• Chitwan National Park (1984)
• Lumbini, the birthplace of Lord Buddha (1997)