The UNESCO World Heritage Convention
The convention considering the protection of the world’s cultural and natural heritage was adopted by the General Conference of UNESCO on November 16, 1972. It ranks among the most significant and efficient instruments to protect the cultural and natural heritage of mankind. Accordingly the aim of the UNESCO World Heritage Convention is: to register, protect, preserve and present the World Heritage of the international community.

Since 1972, 185 states have ratified the convention. By signing the convention the member states commit to protect and preserve their World Heritage Sites.

As of 2008, 878 sites are recorded in the World Heritage List: 678 cultural, 174 natural, and 26 mixed properties, in 145 states.

Selection criteria
Once a year a cross-national committee examines which sites are registered as World Heritage. The World Heritage Committee examines finally, if the proposed sites correspond to the criteria of the World Heritage Convention.

Until the end of 2004, there were six criteria for cultural heritage and four criteria for natural heritage. In 2005, this was modified so that there is only one set of ten criteria. Nominated sites must be of "outstanding universal value" and meet at least one of the ten criteria.

Cultural criteria

  1. to represent a masterpiece of human creative genius";
  2. "to exhibit an important interchange of human values, over a span of time or within a cultural area of the world, on developments in architecture or technology, monumental arts, town-planning or landscape design";
  3. "to bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared";
  4. "to be an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates (a) significant stage(s) in human history";
  5. "to be an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement, land-use, or sea-use which is representative of a culture (or cultures), or human interaction with the environment especially when it has become vulnerable under the impact of irreversible change";
  6. "to be directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions, with ideas, or with beliefs, with artistic and literary works of outstanding universal significance. (The Committee considers that this criterion should preferably be used in conjunction with other criteria)";

Natural criteria

  1. "to contain superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance";
  2. "to be outstanding examples representing major stages of Earth's history, including the record of life, significant on-going geological processes in the development of landforms, or significant geomorphic or physiographic features";
  3. "to be outstanding examples representing significant on-going ecological and biological processes in the evolution and development of terrestrial, fresh water, coastal and marine ecosystems and communities of plants and animals";
  4. "to contain the most important and significant natural habitats for in-site conservation of biological diversity, including those containing threatened species of outstanding universal value from the point of view of science or conservation."


Nominating process
A country must first take an inventory of its significant cultural and natural properties. This is called the Tentative List, and is important because a country may not nominate properties that have not already been included on the Tentative List. Next, it can select a property from this list to place into a Nomination File. The World Heritage Centre offers advice and help in preparing this file.

At this point, the file is evaluated by the International Council on Monuments and Sites and the World Conservation Union (ICOMOS and IUCN). These bodies then make their recommendations to the World Heritage Committee. The Committee meets once per year to determine whether or not to inscribe each nominated property on the World Heritage List, and sometimes defers the decision to request more information from the states.

For further information please visit: www.unesco.de