WHAT IS THE WORLD HERITAGE?

For over thirty years, UNESCO has been working with countries around the world to identify World Heritage sites and ensure their safekeeping for future generations. Places as unique and diverse as the wilds of East Africa’s Serengeti, the Pyramids of Egypt, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and the Baroque cathedrals of Latin America make up our world’s heritage. Over 750 cultural, natural and mixed sites have been inscribed on the World Heritage List. Their splendor enriches our lives and illustrates the diversity of our planet and its inhabitants. They are ours to share, to cherish and to respect. And their disappearance would be an irreparable loss to humanity.

Now more than ever, our World Heritage is our shared heritage.

THE WORLD HERITAGE CONVENTION

The Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, an international agreement adopted by the General Conference of UNESCO in 1972, was founded on the premise that certain places on Earth are of outstanding universal value and as such should form part of the common heritage of humankind. The nations or States Parties that adhere to the Convention (177 as of March 2004) have become part of an international community, united in a common mission to identify and safeguard our world’s most outstanding natural and cultural heritage. Whilst fully respecting the national sovereignty, and without prejudice to property States Parties A country becomes a State Party by signing the World Heritage Convention and pledging to protect its cultural and natural heritage. The State Party prepares a tentative list (an inventory of sites within its borders considered to be of outstanding universal value) from which it can nominate sites for inscription on the World Heritage List. The State Party submits the nomination to the UNESCO World Heritage Centre along with a plan detailing how the site is managed and protected. rights provided by national legislation, the States Parties to the Convention recognize that the protection of the World Heritage is the duty of the international community as a whole.

The Convention is profoundly original in that it links together in a single document the concept of nature conservation and the preservation of cultural sites. Cultural identity is strongly related to the natural environment in which it develops. Just as the creative works of humankind are often inspired by the beauty of their natural surroundings, some of the most spectacular natural sites bear UNESCO World Heritage Centre
The World Heritage Centre offers assistance to States Parties in preparing nominations, advising them on the proper format and necessary maps and documentation. Once the completed nomination files are received, the Centre reviews them to check if they are complete, and then transmits them to the appropriate advisory bodies for evaluation. The Centre maintains the official archive of all nominations in electronic and paper versions for research purposes. the imprint of thousands of years of human activity. In order to ensure that the World Heritage List reflects the diversity of the world's outstanding cultural and natural sites, a Global Strategy for a Balanced and Representative World Heritage List was adopted by the World Heritage Committee in 1994. It encourages the nomination of sites in underrepresented parts of the world and especially in categories which are not yet fully represented on the List.

Inscription on the World Heritage List is only a first step towards safeguarding these sites for future generations. Management and preservation efforts are an ongoing Advisory Bodies Technical input on the nominations comes from three advisory bodies. Two of them are non-governmental organizations, the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) and the World Conservation Union (IUCN), which provide the World Heritage Committee with evaluations of the cultural and natural sites nominated for inscription on the World Heritage List. The third advisory body is the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM), an intergovernmental organization which provides the Committee with expert advice on conservation of cultural sites, as well as on training activities. process, which involves local communities as well as site managers and national authorities.

When the very characteristics for which a site was originally inscribed on the World Heritage List are threatened, inscription on the List of World Heritage in Danger can be a powerful tool for conservation. It calls the world’s attention to sites endangered by natural conditions or human activity such as: armed conflict and war, earthquakes and other natural disasters, pollution, poaching, or unplanned construction, and mobilizes international resources for emergency preservation measures.

THE WORLD HERITAGE FUND

The World Heritage Fund provides about US$3.5 million annually to support activities planned by States Parties. It includes contributions from the States Parties and private donations. The World Heritage Committee allocates funds, priority being given to the most threatened sites. International assistance from the Fund can support requests falling under five categories:
• Preparatory assistance: to prepare tentative lists, nominations of properties, conservation project proposals or management plans;
• Training assistance: to support group training activities, mainly for personnel working on World Heritage sites (individual scholarships can not be funded);
• Technical co-operation: to provide expertise and material support for management plans and various conservation activities;
• Emergency assistance: to enable urgent action to repair damage caused by adverse human activity or natural disasters;
• Promotional and educational assistance: to raise awareness and develop ducational materials.