WHC/2/Revised
27 March 1992
UNITED NATIONS EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC
AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATION
INTERGOVERNMENTAL COMMITTEE FOR THE PROTECTION
OF THE WORLD CULTURAL AND NATURAL HERITAGE
Operational Guidelines for the Implementation
of the World Heritage Convention
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
I. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE WORLD HERITAGE LIST
A. General Principles
B. Indications to States Parties concerning
nominations to the List
C. Criteria for the inclusion of cultural
properties in the World Heritage List
D. Criteria for the inclusion of natural
properties in the World Heritage List
E. Procedure for the eventual deletion of
properties from the World Heritage List
F. Guidelines for the evaluation and examination
of nominations
G. Format and content of nominations
H. Procedure and timetable for the processing of nominations
II. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE LIST OF WORLD HERITAGE IN DANGER
A. Guidelines for the inclusion of properties
in the List of World Heritage in Danger
B. Criteria for the inclusion of properties
in the List of World Heritage in Danger
C. Procedure for the inclusion of properties
in the List of World Heritage in Danger
III. INTERNATIONAL ASSISTANCE
A. Different forms of assistance available under
the World Heritage Fund
(i) Preparatory assistance
(ii) Emergency assistance
(iii) Training
(iv) Technical co-operation
(v) Assistance for promotional activities
B. Order of priorities for the granting of international
assistance
C. Agreement to be concluded with States
receiving international assistance
D. Implementation of projects
E. Conditions for the granting of international assistance
IV. WORLD HERITAGE FUND
V. BALANCE BETWEEN THE CULTURAL AND THE NATURAL HERITAGE
IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CONVENTION
VI. OTHER MATTERS
A. Use of the World Heritage Emblem and the name,
symbol or depiction of World Heritage sites
B. Production of plaques to commemorate the inclusion
of properties in the World Heritage List
C. Rules of Procedure of the Committee
D. Meetings of the World Heritage Committee
E. Meetings of the Bureau of the World Heritage Committee
F. Participation of experts from least developed countries
(LDCs)
G. Publication of the World Heritage List
H. Action at the national level to promote a greater
awareness of the activities undertaken under the
Convention
[Footnotes, designated here within square brackets, have been
relocated as endnotes to the end of the document.]
-----------------------------------
INTRODUCTION
1. The cultural heritage and the natural heritage are among the
priceless and irreplaceable possessions, not only of each nation,
but of mankind as a whole. The loss, through deterioration or
disappearance, of any of these most prized possessions
constitutes an impoverishment of the heritage of all the peoples
in the world. Parts of that heritage because of their exceptional
qualities, can be considered to be of outstanding universal value
and as such worthy of special protection against the dangers
which increasingly threaten them.
2. In an attempt to remedy this perilous situation and to ensure,
as far as possible, the proper identification, protection,
conservation and presentation of the world's irreplaceable
heritage, the Member States of UNESCO adopted in 1972 the
Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and
Natural Heritage, hereinafter referred to as "the Convention".
The Convention complements heritage conservation programmes at
the national level and provides for the establishment of a "World
Heritage Committee" and a "World Heritage Fund". Both the
Committee and the Fund have been in operation since 1976.
3. The World Heritage Committee, hereinafter referred to as "the
Committee", has three essential functions:
(i) to identify, on the basis of nominations submitted by States
Parties, cultural and natural properties of outstanding universal
value which are to be protected under the Convention and to list
those properties on the "World Heritage List";
(ii) to decide which properties included in the World Heritage
List are to be inscribed on the "List of World Heritage in
Danger" (only properties which require for their conservation
major operations and for which assistance has been requested
under the Convention can be considered);
(iii) to determine in what way and under what conditions the
resources in the World Heritage Fund can most advantageously be
used to assist States Parties, as far as possible, in the
Protection of their properties of outstanding universal value.
4. The operational Guidelines which are set out below have been
prepared for the purpose of informing States Parties to the
Convention of the principles which guide the work of the
Committee in establishing the World Heritage List and the List of
World Heritage in Danger and in granting international assistance
under the World Heritage Fund. These Guidelines also provide
details on other questions, mainly of a procedural nature, which
relate to the implementation of the Convention.
5. The Committee is fully aware that its decisions must be based
on considerations which are as objective and scientific as
possible, and that any appraisal made on its behalf must be
thoroughly and responsibly carried out. It recognizes that
objective and well considered decisions depend upon:
- carefully prepared criteria,
- thorough procedures,
- evaluation by qualified experts and the use of expert referees.
The operational Guidelines have been prepared with these
objectives in mind.
I. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE WORLD HERITAGE LIST
A. General Principles
6. The Committee agreed that the following general principles
would guide its work in establishing the World Heritage List:
(i) The Convention provides for the protection of those cultural
and natural properties [1] deemed to be of outstanding universal
value. It is not intended to provide for the protection of all
properties of great interest, importance or value, but only for a
select list of the most outstanding of these from an
international viewpoint. The outstanding universal value of
cultural and natural properties is defined by Articles 1 and 2 of
the Convention. These definitions are interpreted by the
Committee by using two sets of criteria: one set for cultural
property and another set for natural property. The criteria and
the conditions of authenticity or integrity adopted by the
Committee for this purpose are set out in paragraphs 24 and 36
below.
(ii) The criteria for the inclusion of properties in the World
Heritage List have been elaborated to enable the Committee to act
with full independence in evaluating the intrinsic merit of
property, without regard to any other consideration (including
the need for technical co-operation support).
(iii) Efforts will be made to maintain a reasonable balance
between the numbers of cultural heritage and the natural heritage
properties entered on the List.
(iv) Cultural and natural properties are included in the World
Heritage List according to a gradual process and no formal limit
is imposed either on the total number of properties included in
the List or on the number of properties any individual State can
submit at successive stages for inclusion therein. In view of the
difficulty in handling the large numbers of cultural nominations
now being received, however, the Committee invites States Parties
to consider whether their cultural heritage is already well
represented on the List and if so to slow down voluntarily their
rate of submission of further nominations. This would help in
making it possible for the List to become more universally
representative. By the same token, the Committee calls on States
Parties whose cultural heritage is not yet adequately represented
on the List and who might need assistance in preparing
nominations of cultural properties to seek such assistance from
the Committee.
(v) When a property has deteriorated to the extent that it has
lost those characteristics which determined its inclusion in the
World Heritage List, the procedure concerning the possible
deletion from the List will be applied. This procedure is set out
in paragraphs 37 to 45 below.
B. Indications to States Parties concerning nominations to the
List
7. The Committee requests each State Party to submit to it a
tentative list of properties which it intends to nominate for
inscription to the World Heritage List during the following five
to ten years. This tentative list will constitute the "inventory"
(provided for in Article 11 of the Convention) of the cultural
and natural properties situated within the territory of each
State Party and which it considers suitable for inclusion in the
World Heritage List. The purpose of these tentative lists is to
enable the Committee to evaluate within the widest possible
context the "outstanding universal value" of each property
nominated to the List. The Committee hopes that States Parties
that have not yet submitted a tentative list will do so as early
as possible. States Parties are reminded of the Committee's
earlier decision not to consider cultural nominations unless such
a list of cultural properties has been submitted.
8. In order to facilitate the work of all concerned, the
Committee requests States Parties to submit their tentative lists
in a standard format (see Annex 1) which provides for information
under the following headings:
- the name of the property;
- the geographical location of the property;
- a brief description of the property;
- a justification of the "outstanding universal value" of the
property in accordance with the criteria and conditions of
authenticity or integrity set out in paragraphs 24 and 36 below,
taking account of similar properties both inside and outside the
boundaries of the State concerned.
Natural properties should be grouped according to biogeographical
provinces and cultural properties should be grouped according to
cultural periods or areas. The order in which the properties
listed would be presented for inscription should also be
indicated, if possible.
9. The fundamental principle stipulated in the Convention is that
properties nominated must be of outstanding universal value and
the properties nominated therefore should be carefully selected.
The criteria and conditions of authenticity or integrity against
which the Committee will evaluate properties are set out in
paragraphs 24 and 36 below. Within a given geo-cultural region,
it may be desirable for States Parties to make comparative
assessments for the harmonization of tentative lists and
nominations of cultural properties. Support for the organization
of meetings for this purpose may be requested under the World
Heritage Fund.
10. Each nomination should be presented in the form of a
well-argued case. It should be submitted on the appropriate form
(see paragraph 54 below) and should provide all the information
to demonstrate that the property nominated is truly of
"outstanding universal value". Each nomination should be
supported by all the necessary documentation, including suitable
slides and maps and other material. With regard to cultural
properties, States Parties are invited to attach to the
nomination forms a brief analysis of references in world
literature (e.g. reference works such as general or specialized
encyclopaedias, histories of art or architecture, records of
voyages and explorations, scientific reports, guidebooks, etc.)
along with a comprehensive bibliography. With regard to
newly-discovered properties, evidence of the attention which the
discovery has received internationally would be equally helpful.
11. Under the "Juridical data" section of the nomination form
States Parties should provide, in addition to the legal texts
protecting the property being nominated, an explanation of the
way in which these laws actually operate. Such an analysis is
preferable to a mere enumeration or compilation of the legal
texts themselves.
12. When nominating properties belonging to certain
well-represented categories of cultural property the nominating
State Party should provide a comparative evaluation of the
property in relation to other properties of a similar type, as
already required in paragraph 7 with regard to the tentative
lists.
13. In certain cases it may be necessary for States Parties to
consult the Secretariat and the specialized NGO concerned
informally before submitting nomination forms. The Committee
reminds States Parties that assistance for the purpose of
preparing comprehensive and sound nominations is available to
them at their request under the World Heritage Fund.
14. In all cases, so as to maintain the objectivity of the
evaluation process and to avoid possible embarrassment to those
concerned, States Parties should refrain from giving undue
publicity to the fact that a property has been nominated for
inscription pending the final decision of the Committee on the
nomination in question.
15. In nominating properties to the List, States Parties are
invited to keep in mind the desirability of achieving a
reasonable balance between the numbers of cultural heritage and
natural heritage properties included in the World Heritage List.
16. In cases where a cultural and/or natural property which
fulfils the criteria adopted by the Committee extends beyond
national borders the States Parties concerned are encouraged to
submit a joint nomination.
17. Whenever necessary for the proper conservation of a cultural
or natural property nominated, an adequate "buffer zone" around a
property should be provided and should be afforded the necessary
protection. A buffer zone can be defined as an area surrounding
the property which has restrictions placed on its use to give an
added layer of protection; the area constituting the buffer zone
should be determined in each case through technical studies.
Details on the size, characteristics and authorized uses of a
buffer zone, as well as a map indicating its precise boundaries,
should be provided in the nomination file relating to the
property in question.
18. In keeping with the spirit of the Convention, States Parties
should as far as possible endeavour to include in their
submissions properties which derive their outstanding universal
value from a particularly significant combination of cultural and
natural features.
19. States Parties may propose in a single nomination a series of
cultural or natural properties in different geographical
locations, provided that they are related because they belong to:
(i) the same historico-cultural group or
(ii) the same type of property which is characteristic of the
geographical zone
(iii) the same geomorphological formation, the same biogeographic
province, or the same ecosystem type
and provided that it is the series as such, and not its
components taken individually, which is of outstanding universal
value.
20. When a series of cultural or natural properties, as defined
in paragraph 19 above, consists of properties situated in the
territory of more than one State Party to the Convention, the
States Parties concerned are encouraged to jointly submit a
single nomination.
21. States Parties are encouraged to prepare plans for the
management of each natural site nominated and for the
safeguarding of each cultural property nominated. All information
concerning these plans should be made available when technical
co-operation is requested.
22. Where the intrinsic qualities of a property nominated are
threatened by action of man and yet meet the criteria and the
conditions of authenticity or integrity set out in paragraphs 24
and 36, an action plan outlining the corrective measures required
should be submitted with the nomination file. Should the
corrective measures submitted by the nominating State not be
taken within the time proposed by the State, the property will be
considered by the Committee for delisting in accordance with the
procedure adopted by the Committee.
C. Criteria for the inclusion of cultural properties in the World
Heritage List
23. The criteria for the inclusion of cultural properties in the
World Heritage List should always be seen in relation to one
another and should be considered in the context of the definition
set out in Article 1 of the Convention which is reproduced below:
"monuments: architectural works, works of monumental sculpture
and painting, elements or structures of an archaeological nature,
inscriptions, cave dwellings and combinations of features, which
are of outstanding universal value from the point of view of
history, art or science;
groups of buildings: groups of separate or connected buildings
which, because of their architecture, their homogeneity or their
place in the landscape, are of outstanding universal value from
the point of view of history, art or science;
sites: works of man or the combined works of nature and of man,
and areas including archaeological sites which are of outstanding
universal value from the historical, aesthetic, ethnological or
anthropological points of view."
24. A monument, group of buildings or site - as defined above -
which is nominated for inclusion in the World Heritage List will
be considered to be of outstanding universal value for the
purposes of the Convention when the Committee finds that it meets
one or more of the following criteria and the test of
authenticity. Each property nominated should therefore:
(a) (i) represent a unique artistic achievement, a masterpiece of
the creative genius; or
(ii) have exerted great influence, over a span of time or within
a cultural area of the world, on developments in architecture,
monumental arts or townplanning and landscaping; or
(iii) bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a
civilization which has disappeared; or
(iv) be an outstanding example of a type of building or
architectural ensemble which illustrates a significant stage in
history; or
(v) be an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement
which is representative of a culture and which has become
vulnerable under the impact of irreversible change; or
(vi) be directly or tangibly associated with events or with ideas
or beliefs of outstanding universal significance (the Committee
considers that this criterion should justify inclusion in the
List only in exceptional circumstances or in conjunction with
other criteria);
and
(b) (i) meet the test of authenticity in design, materials,
workmanship or setting (the Committee stressed that
reconstruction is only acceptable if it is carried out on the
basis of complete and detailed documentation on the original and
to no extent on conjecture).
(ii) have adequate legal protection and management mechanisms to
ensure the conservation of the nominated cultural property. The
existence of protective legislation at the national, provincial
or municipal level is therefore essential and must be stated
clearly on the nomination form. Assurances of the effective
implementation of these laws are also expected. Furthermore, in
order to preserve the integrity of cultural sites, particularly
those open to large numbers of visitors, the State Party
concerned should be able to provide evidence of suitable
administrative arrangements to cover the management of the
property, its conservation and its accessibility to the public.
25. Nominations of immovable property which are likely to become
movable will not be considered.
26. With respect to groups of urban buildings, the Committee has
furthermore adopted the following Guidelines concerning their
inclusion in the World Heritage List.
27. Groups of urban buildings eligible for inclusion in the World
Heritage List fall into three main categories, namely:
(i) towns which are no longer inhabited but which provide
unchanged archaeological evidence of the past; these generally
satisfy the criterion of authenticity and their state of
conservation can be relatively easily controlled;
(ii) historic towns which are still inhabited and which, by their
very nature, have developed and will continue to develop under
the influence of socio-economic and cultural change, a situation
that renders the assessment of their authenticity more difficult
and any conservation policy more problematical;
(iii) new towns of the twentieth century which paradoxically have
something in common with both the aforementioned categories:
while their original urban organization is clearly recognizable
and their authenticity is undeniable, their future is unclear
because their development is largely uncontrollable.
28. The evaluation of towns that are no longer inhabited does not
raise any special difficulties other than those related to
archaeological sites in general: the criteria which call for
uniqueness or exemplary character have led to the choice of
groups of buildings noteworthy for their purity of style, for the
concentrations of monuments they contain and sometimes for their
important historical associations. It is important for urban
archaeological sites to be listed as integral units. A cluster of
monuments or a small group of buildings is not adequate to
suggest the multiple and complex functions of a city which has
disappeared; remains of such a city should be preserved in their
entirety together with their natural surroundings whenever
possible.
29. In the case of inhabited historic towns the difficulties are
numerous, largely owing to the fragility of their urban fabric
(which has in many cases been seriously disrupted since the
advent of the industrial era) and the runaway speed with which
their surroundings have been urbanized. To qualify for inclusion,
towns should compel recognition because of their architectural
interest and should not be considered only on the intellectual
grounds of the role they may have played in the past or their
value as historical symbols under criterion (vi) for the
inclusion of cultural properties in the World Heritage List (see
paragraph 24 above). To be eligible for inclusion in the List,
the spatial organization, structure, materials, forms and, where
possible, functions of a group of buildings should essentially
reflect the civilization or succession of civilizations which
have prompted the nomination of the property. Four categories can
be distinguished:
(i) Towns which are typical of a specific period or culture,
which have been almost wholly preserved and which have remained
largely unaffected by subsequent developments. Here the property
to be listed is the entire town together with its surroundings,
which must also be protected;
(ii) Towns that have evolved along characteristic lines and have
preserved, sometimes in the midst of exceptional natural
surroundings, spatial arrangements and structures that are
typical of the successive stages in their history. Here the
clearly defined historic part takes precedence over the
contemporary environment;
(iii) "Historic centres" that cover exactly the same area as
ancient towns and are now enclosed within modern cities. Here it
is necessary to determine the precise limits of the property in
its widest historical dimensions and to make appropriate
provision for its immediate surroundings;
(iv) Sectors, areas or isolated units which, even in the residual
state in which they have survived, provide coherent evidence of
the character of a historic town which has disappeared. In such
cases surviving areas and buildings should bear sufficient
testimony to the former whole.
30. Historic centres and historic areas should be listed only
where they contain a large number of ancient buildings of
monumental importance which provide a direct indication of the
characteristic features of a town of exceptional interest.
Nominations of several isolated and unrelated buildings which
allegedly represent, in themselves, a town whose urban fabric has
ceased to be discernible, should not be encouraged.
31. However, nominations could be made regarding properties that
occupy a limited space but have had a major influence on the
history of town planning. In such cases, the nomination should
make it clear that it is the monumental group that is to be
listed and that the town is mentioned only incidentally as the
place where the property is located. Similarly, if a building of
clearly universal significance is located in severely degraded or
insufficiently representative urban surroundings, it should, of
course, be listed without any special reference to the town.
32. It is difficult to assess the quality of new towns of the
twentieth century. History alone will tell which of them will
best serve as examples of contemporary town planning. The
examination of the files on these towns should be deferred, save
under exceptional circumstances.
33. Under present conditions, preference should be given to the
inclusion in the World Heritage List of small or medium-sized
urban areas which are in a position to manage any potential
growth, rather than the great metropolises, on which sufficiently
complete information and documentation cannot readily be provided
that would serve as a satisfactory basis for their inclusion in
their entirety. In view of the effects which the entry of a town
in the World Heritage List could have on its future, such entries
should be exceptional. Inclusion in the List implies that
legislative and administrative measures have already been taken
to ensure the protection of the group of buildings and its
environment. Informed awareness on the part of the population
concerned, without whose active participation any conservation
scheme would be impractical, is also essential.
34. With respect to rural landscapes, traditional villages and
contemporary architecture, the Committee has recommended further
study so as to help develop Guidelines for determining which
properties in these categories may be considered of "outstanding
universal value".
D. Criteria for the inclusion of natural properties in the World
Heritage List
35. In accordance with Article 2 of the Convention, the following
is considered as "natural heritage":
"natural features consisting of physical and biological
formations or groups of such formations, which are of outstanding
universal value from the aesthetic or scientific point of view;
geological and physiographical formations and precisely
delineated areas which constitute the habitat of threatened
species of animals and plants of outstanding universal value from
the point of view of science or conservation;
natural sites or precisely delineated natural areas of
outstanding universal value from the point of view of science,
conservation or natural beauty."
36. A natural heritage property - as defined above - which is
submitted for inclusion in the World Heritage List will be
considered to be of outstanding universal value for the purposes
of the Convention when the Committee finds that it meets one or
more of the following criteria and fulfils the conditions of
integrity set out below. Sites nominated should therefore:
(a) (i) be outstanding examples representing the major stages of
the earth's evolutionary history; or
(ii) be outstanding examples representing significant ongoing
geological processes biological evolution and man's interaction
with his natural environment; as distinct from the periods of the
earth's development, this focuses upon ongoing processes in the
development of communities of plants and animals, landforms and
marine areas and fresh water bodies; or
(iii) contain superlative natural phenomena. formations or
features, for instance, outstanding examples of the most
important ecosystems, areas of exceptional natural beauty or
exceptional combinations of natural and cultural elements; or
(iv) contain the most important and significant natural habitats
where threatened species of animals or plants of outstanding
universal value from the point of view of science or conservation
still survive;
and
(b) also fulfil the following conditions of integrity:
(i) The sites described in 36 (a) (i) should contain all or most
of the key interrelated and interdependent elements in their
natural relationships; for example, an "ice age" area would be
expected to include the snow field, the glacier itself and
samples of cutting patterns, deposition and colonization
(striations, moraines, pioneer stages of plant succession, etc.).
(ii) The sites described in 36 (a) (ii) should have sufficient
size and contain the necessary elements to demonstrate the key
aspects of the process and to be self-perpetuating. For example,
an area of tropical rain forest may be expected to include some
variation in elevation above sea level, changes in topography and
soil types, river banks or oxbow lakes, to demonstrate the
diversity and complexity of the system.
(iii) The sites described in 36 (a) (iii) should contain those
ecosystem components required for the continuity of the species
or of the other natural elements or processes to be conserved.
This will vary according to individual cases; for example, the
protected area of a waterfall would include all, or as much as
possible, of the supporting catchment area; or a coral reef area
would include the zone necessary to control siltation or
pollution through the stream flow or ocean currents which provide
its nutrients.
(iv) The area containing threatened species as described in 36
(a) (iv) should be of sufficient size and contain necessary
habitat requirements for the survival of the species.
(v) In the case of migratory species, seasonable sites necessary
for their survival, wherever they are located, should be
adequately protected. Agreements made in this connection, either
through adherence to international conventions or in the form of
other multilateral or bilateral arrangements would provide this
assurance.
(vi) The sites described in paragraph 36 (a) should have adequate
long-term legislative, regulatory or institutional protection.
They may coincide with or constitute part of existing or proposed
protected areas such as national parks. If not already available,
a management plan should be prepared and implemented to ensure
the integrity of the natural values of the site in accordance
with the Convention.
E. Procedure for the eventual deletion of properties from the
World Heritage List
37. The Committee adopted the following procedure for the
deletion of properties from the World Heritage List in cases:
(a) where the property has deteriorated to the extent that it has
lost those characteristics which determined its inclusion in the
World Heritage List; and
(b) where the intrinsic qualities of a world heritage site were
already threatened at the time of its nomination by action of man
and where the necessary corrective measures as outlined by the
State Party at the time, have not been taken within the time
proposed.
38. When a property inscribed on the World Heritage List has
seriously deteriorated, or when the necessary corrective measures
have not been taken within the time proposed, the State Party on
whose territory the property is situated should so inform the
Secretariat of the Committee.
39. When the Secretariat receives such information from a source
other than the State Party concerned, it will, as far as
possible, verify the source and the contents of the information
in consultation with the State Party concerned and request its
comments. The Secretariat will inform the Chairman of the
Committee of the results of its investigations and the Chairman
will decide whether the information is to be acted upon. If the
Chairman decides that the information is not to be acted upon, no
action will be taken.
40. In all cases except those on which the Chairman decided that
no further action should be taken, the Secretariat will request
the competent advisory organization(s) (ICOMOS, IUCN or ICCROM)
to forward comments on the information received.
41. The information received, together with the comments of the
State Party and the advisory organization(s), will be brought to
the attention of the Bureau of the Committee. The Bureau may take
one of the following steps:
(a) it may decide that the property has not seriously
deteriorated and that no further action should be taken;
(b) when the Bureau considers that the property has seriously
deteriorated, but not to the extent that its restoration is
impossible, it may recommend to the Committee that the property
be maintained on the List, provided that the State Party takes
the necessary measures to restore the property within a
reasonable period of time. The Bureau may also recommend that
technical co-operation be provided under the World Heritage Fund
for work connected with the restoration of the property, if the
State Party so requests;
(c) when there is evidence that the property has deteriorated to
the point where it has irretrievably lost those characteristics
which determined its inclusion in the List, the Bureau may
recommend that the Committee delete the property from the List;
before any such recommendation is submitted to the Committee, the
Secretariat will inform the State Party concerned of the Bureau's
recommendation; any comments which the State Party may make with
respect to the recommendation of the Bureau will be brought to
the attention of the Committee, together with the Bureau's
recommendation;
(d) when the information available is not sufficient to enable
the Bureau to take one of the measures described in (a), (b) or
(c) above, the Bureau may recommend to the Committee that the
Secretariat be authorized to take the necessary action to
ascertain, in consultation with the State Party concerned, the
present condition of the property, the dangers to the property
and the feasibility of adequately restoring the property, and to
report to the Bureau on the results of its action; such measures
may include the sending of a factfinding mission or the
consultation of specialists. In cases where emergency action is
required, the Bureau may itself authorize the financing from the
World Heritage Fund of the emergency assistance that is required.
42. The Committee will examine the recommendation of the Bureau
and all the information available and will take a decision. Any
such decision shall, in accordance with Article 13 (8) of the
Convention, be taken by a majority of two-thirds of its members
present and voting. The Committee shall not decide to delete any
property unless the State Party has been consulted on the
question.
43. The State Party will be informed of the Committee's decision.
44. If the Committee's decision entails any modification to the
World Heritage List, this modification will be reflected in the
next updated list that is published.
45. In adopting the above procedure, the Committee was
particularly concerned that all possible measures should be taken
to prevent the deletion of any property from the List and was
ready to offer technical co-operation as far as possible to
States Parties in this connection. Furthermore, the Committee
wishes to draw the attention of States Parties to the
stipulations of Article 4 of the Convention which reads as
follows:
"Each State Party to this Convention recognizes that the duty of
ensuring the identification, protection, conservation,
presentation and transmission to future generations of the
cultural and natural heritage referred to in Articles 1 and 2 and
situated on its territory, belongs primarily to that State...".
46. In this connection, the Committee recommends that States
Parties co-operate with IUCN which has been asked by the
Committee to continue monitoring on its behalf the progress of
work undertaken for the preservation of natural heritage
properties inscribed on the World Heritage List.
47. The World Heritage Committee invites the States Parties to
the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural
and Natural Heritage to inform the Committee, through the UNESCO
Secretariat, of their intention to undertake or to authorize in
an area protected under the Convention major restorations or new
constructions which may affect the World Heritage value of the
property. Notice should be given as soon as possible (for
instance, before drafting basic documents for specific projects)
and before making any decisions that would be difficult to
reverse, so that the Committee may assist in seeking appropriate
solutions to ensure that the world heritage value of the site is
fully preserved.
F. Guidelines for the evaluation and examination of nominations
48. The World Heritage List should be as representative as
possible of all cultural and natural properties which meet the
Convention's requirement of outstanding universal value and the
cultural and natural criteria and the conditions of authenticity
or integrity adopted by the Committee (see paragraphs 24 to 36
above).
49. Each cultural property, including its state of preservation,
should be evaluated relatively, that is, it should be compared
with that of other property of the same type dating from the same
period, both inside and outside the State Party's borders.
50. Each natural site should be evaluated relatively, that is, it
should be compared with other sites of the same type, both inside
and outside the State Party's borders, within a biogeographic
province or migratory pattern.
51. Furthermore ICOMOS and IUCN should pay particular attention
to the following points which relate to the evaluation and
examination of nominations:
(a) both NGOs are encouraged to be as strict as possible in their
evaluations;
(b) the manner of the professional evaluation carried out by
ICOMOS and IUCN should be fully described when each nomination is
presented;
(c) ICOMOS is requested to make comparative evaluations of
properties belonging to the same type of cultural property;
(d) IUCN is requested to make comments and recommendations on the
integrity and future management of each property recommended by
the Bureau, during its presentation to the Committee;
(e) the NGO concerned is encouraged to present slides on the
properties recommended for the World Heritage List during the
preliminary discussions which take place prior to the examination
of individual proposals for inscription on the List.
52. Representatives of a State Party, whether or not a member of
the Committee, should not speak to advocate the inclusion in the
List of a property nominated by that State, but only to deal with
a point of information in answer to a question.
53. The criteria for which a specific property is included in the
World Heritage List will be set out by the Committee in its
reports.
G. Format and content of nominations
54. The same printed form approved by the Committee is used for
the submission of nominations of cultural and natural properties.
The following information and documentation is to be provided:
(For the nominations of groups of buildings or sites the specific
documentation to be provided is listed in sub-paragraph (f)
below.)
(a) Specific location
Country
State, province or region
Name of property
Maps and plans with indications of location of property
and of geographical co-ordinates
(b) Juridical data
Owner
Legal status:
* category of ownership (public or private)
* details of legal and administrative provisions for
the protection of the property. The nature of the
legal texts as well as their conditions of
implementation should be clearly specified
* state of occupancy and accessibility to the general
public
Responsible administration
* details should be given of the mechanism or body
already set up or intended to be established in order
to ensure the proper management of the property
(c) Identification
Description and inventory
Photographic and cinematographic documentation
History
Bibliography
(d) State of preservation/conservation
Diagnosis
Agent responsible for preservation/conservation
History of preservation/conservation
Measures for preservation/conservation (including
management plans or proposals for such plans)
Development plans for the region
(e) Justification for inclusion in the World Heritage List
Information should be provided under three separate headings
as follows: (i) the reasons for which the property is
considered to meet one or more of the criteria set out under
paragraphs 24 and 36 above; (ii) an evaluation of the
property's present state of preservation as compared with
similar properties elsewhere; (iii) indications as to the
authenticity of the property.
(f) Specific documentation to be provided with nominations
of groups of buildings or sites
If the nomination concerns a group of buildings or site as
described in paragraph 23 above [2] specific documentation
and juridical data are to be provided:
(i) Maps and plans
Three maps are to be provided:
- one map which shows the exact location of the
property and its immediate natural and built
environment (with, if necessary in annex, a series of
topographical plans).
Scale: between 1/50.000 and 1/100.000
Date of publication: not more than one year prior to
presentation of the nomination
- one map which precisely delimits the perimeter of the
nominated area and which clearly indicates the location
of each monument listed in the nomination. The
nominated property can be one uninterrupted area or
composed of several separate areas. In the latter case,
the perimeter of each of these areas must be indicated
and the nature of protection of the intermediate zones
must also be described.
Scale: between 1/5,000 and 1/25,000
- one map indicating the zones of different degrees of
legal protection which might exist:
- inside the perimeter of the nominated property
- outside the perimeter of the nominated property
Scale: between 1/5,000 and 1/25,000. This map should be
of a size that lends itself to easy reproduction.
(ii) Photographic documentation [3]
This documentation should include:
- an aerial view
- views of the monuments listed in the nomination
(interior and exterior)
- panoramic views taken in different directions from
outside the proposed perimeter (skyline)
- views taken inside the proposed perimeter which give
an exact idea of the urban landscape (townscape)
- a selection of original colour slides preferably
Kodachrome film for which the non-exclusive
reproduction rights are granted to UNESCO on the form
provided for this purpose. It should be noted that
colour slides are absolutely necessary for the
presentation of the property to the Bureau and to the
Committee.
Audio-visual documents, where applicable.
(iii) Supplementary documentation
Information on institutions or associations concerned with
the study or safeguard of the site
- within the country
- abroad
(iv) Legal information
- laws or decrees which govern the protection of
monuments and sites (date and text)
- decrees or orders which protect the nominated
property (date and text)
- master plan for historic preservation land-use plan,
urban development plan, regional development plan or
other infrastructure projects
- town planning regulations and orders issued in
application of these plans.
Indications should be given as to whether these various
juridical provisions prevent:
- uncontrolled exploitation of the ground below the
property
- the demolition and reconstruction of buildings
situated within the protected zones
- the raising of the height of buildings
- the transformation of the urban fabric
What are the penalties foreseen in case of a contravention
of these juridical provisions ?
What, if any, juridical or other measures exist which
encourage the revitalization of the property concerned in
full respect of its historic authenticity and its social
diversity ?
(v) Administrative framework
Responsible administration:
- at the national or federal level
- at the level of federated States or provinces
- at the regional level
- at the local level
H. Procedure and timetable for the processing of nominations
55. The annual schedule set out below has been fixed for the
receipt and processing of nominations to the World Heritage List.
It should be emphasized, however, that the process of nominating
properties to the World Heritage List is an ongoing one.
Nominations to the List can be submitted at any time during the
year. Those received by 1 October of a given year will be
considered during the following year. Those received after 1
October of a given year can only be considered in the second
subsequent year. Despite the inconvenience it may cause certain
States Parties, the Committee has decided to bring forward the
deadline for submission of nominations in order to ensure that
all working documents can be made available to the Bureau as well
as States members of the Committee no later than 6 weeks before
the start of the sessions of the Bureau and the Committee. This
will also enable the Committee at its annual December session to
be made aware of the number and nature of nominations to be
examined at its next session the following year.
1 October
Deadline for receipt by the Secretariat of nominations to be
considered by the Committee the following year.
By 1 November
The Secretariat:
(1) registers each nomination and thoroughly verifies its
contents and accompanying documentation. In the case of
incomplete nominations, the Secretariat must immediately request
the missing information from States Parties.
(2) transmits nominations, provided they are complete, to the
appropriate international non-governmental organization (ICOMOS,
IUCN or both), which:
(3) immediately examines each nomination to ascertain those cases
in which additional information is required and takes the
necessary steps, in co-operation with the Secretariat, to obtain
the complementary data.
By 1 April
The appropriate non-governmental organization undertakes a
professional evaluation of each nomination according to the
criteria adopted by the Committee. It transmits these evaluations
to the Secretariat under three categories:
(a) properties which are recommended for inscription without
reservation;
(b) properties which are not recommended for inscription;
(c) properties whose eligibility for inscription is not
considered absolutely clear.
During April
The Secretariat checks the evaluations of the non-governmental
organizations and ensures that States members of the Bureau
receive them by 1 May.
June
The Bureau examines the nominations and makes its recommendations
thereon to the Committee under the following four categories:
(a) properties which it recommends for inscription without
reservation;
(b) properties which it does not recommend for inscription;
(c) properties that need to be referred back to the nominating
State for further information/documentation;
(d) properties whose examination should be deferred on the ground
that a more indepth assessment or study is needed.
July-November
The report of the Bureau is transmitted by the Secretariat as
soon as possible to all States Parties. The Secretariat
endeavours to obtain from the States Parties concerned the
additional information requested on properties under category (c)
above and transmits this information to ICOMOS, IUCN and States
members of the Committee.
December
The Committee examines the nominations on the basis of the
Bureau's recommendations, together with any additional
information provided by the States Parties concerned as well as
the comments thereon of ICOMOS and IUCN. It classifies its
decisions on nominated properties in the following three
categories:
(a) properties which it inscribes on the World Heritage List;
(b) properties which it decides not to inscribe on the List.
(c) properties whose consideration is deferred.
January
The Secretariat forwards the report of the December session of
the World Heritage Committee, which contains all the decisions
taken by the Committee, to all States Parties.
56. In the event that a State Party wishes to nominate an
extension to a property already inscribed on the World Heritage
List, the same documentation should be provided and the same
procedure shall apply as for new nominations, set out in
paragraph 54 above. This provision will not apply for extensions
which are simple modifications of these limits of the property in
question: in this case, the request for modification of these
limits is submitted directly to the Bureau which will examine in
particular the relevant maps and plans. The Bureau can approve
such modifications, or it may consider that the change is
sufficiently important to constitute an extension of the
property, in which case the procedure for new nominations will
apply.
57. The normal deadlines for the submission and processing of
nominations will not apply in the case of properties which, in
the opinion of the Bureau, after consultation with the competent
international non-governmental organization, would unquestionably
meet the criteria for inclusion in the World Heritage List and
which have suffered damage from disaster caused by natural events
or by human activities. Such nominations will be processed on an
emergency basis.
II. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE LIST OF WORLD HERITAGE IN DANGER
A. Guidelines for the inclusion of properties in the List of
World Heritage in Danger
58. In accordance with Article 11, paragraph 4, of the
Convention, the Committee may include a property in the List of
World Heritage in Danger when the following requirements are met:
(i) the property under consideration is on the World Heritage
List;
(ii) the property is threatened by serious and specific danger;
(iii) major operations are necessary for the conservation of the
property;
(iv) assistance under the Convention has been requested for the
property;
(v) an estimate of the cost of such operations has been
submitted.
B. Criteria for the inclusion of properties in the List of World
Heritage in Danger
59. A World Heritage property - as defined in Articles 1 and 2 of
the Convention - can be entered on the List of World Heritage in
Danger by the Committee when it finds that the condition of the
property corresponds to at least one of the criteria in either of
the two cases described below.
60. In the case of cultural properties:
(i) ASCERTAINED DANGER - The property is faced with specific and
proven imminent danger, such as:
(a) serious deterioration of materials;
(b) serious deterioration of structure and/or ornamental
features;
(c) serious deterioration of architectural or town-planning
coherence;
(d) serious deterioration of urban or rural space, or the natural
environment;
(e) significant loss of historical authenticity;
(f) important loss of cultural significance.
(ii) POTENTIAL DANGER - The property is faced with threats which
could have deleterious effects on its inherent characteristics.
Such threats are, for example:
(a) modification of juridical status of the property diminishing
the degree of its protection;
(b) lack of conservation policy;
(c) threatening effects of regional planning projects;
(d) threatening effects of town planning;
(e) outbreak or threat of armed conflict;
(f) gradual changes due to geological, climatic or other
environmental factors.
61. In the case of natural properties:
(i) ASCERTAINED DANGER - The property is faced with specific and
proven imminent danger, such as:
(a) A serious decline in the population of the endangered species
or the other species of outstanding universal value which the
property was legally established to protect, either by natural
factors such as disease or by manmade factors such as poaching.
(b) Severe deterioration of the natural beauty or scientific
value of the property, as by human settlement, construction of
reservoirs which flood important parts of the property,
industrial and agricultural development including use of
pesticides and fertilizers, major public works, mining,
pollution, logging, firewood collection, etc.
(c) Human encroachment on boundaries or in upstream areas which
threaten the integrity of the property.
(ii) POTENTIAL DANGER - The property is faced with major threats
which could have deleterious effects on its inherent
characteristics. Such threats are, for example:
(a) a modification of the legal protective status of the area;
(b) planned resettlement or development projects within the
property or so situated that the impacts threaten the property;
(c) outbreak or threat of armed conflict;
(d) the management plan is lacking or inadequate, or not fully
implemented.
62. In addition, the factor or factors which are threatening the
integrity of the property must be those which are amenable to
correction by human action. In the case of cultural properties,
both natural factors and man-made factors may be threatening,
while in the case of natural properties, most threats will be
man-made and only very rarely with a natural factor (such as an
epidemic disease) be threatening to the integrity of the
property. In some cases, the factors threatening the integrity of
a property may be corrected by administrative or legislative
action, such as the cancelling of a major public works project or
the improvement of legal status.
63. The Committee may wish to bear in mind the following
supplementary factors when considering the inclusion of a
cultural or natural property in the List of World Heritage in
Danger:
(a) Decisions which affect World Heritage properties are taken by
Governments after balancing all factors. The advice of the World
Heritage Committee can often be decisive if it can be given
before the property becomes threatened.
(b) Particularly in the case of ascertained danger, the physical
or cultural deteriorations to which a property has been subjected
should be judged according to the intensity of its effects and
analyzed case by case.
(c) Above all in the case of potential danger to a property, one
should consider that:
- the threat should be appraised according to the normal
evolution of the social and economic framework in which the
property is situated;
- it is often impossible to assess certain threats - such as the
threat of armed conflict - as to their effect on cultural or
natural properties;
- some threats are not imminent in nature, but can only be
anticipated, such as demographic growth.
(d) Finally, in its appraisal the Committee should take into
account any cause of unknown or unexpected origin which endangers
a cultural or natural property.
C. Procedure for the inclusion of properties in the List of World
Heritage in Danger
64. When considering the inclusion of a property in the List of
World Heritage in Danger, the Committee shall develop, and adopt
in consultation with the State Party concerned, a programme for
corrective measures.
65. In order to develop the programme referred to in the previous
paragraph, the Committee shall request the Secretariat to
ascertain, in cooperation with the State Party concerned, the
present condition of the property, the dangers to the property
and the feasibility of undertaking corrective measures. The
Committee may further decide to send a mission of qualified
observers from IUCN, ICOMOS, ICCROM or other organizations to
visit the property, evaluate the nature and extent of the threats
and propose the measures to be taken.
66. The information received, together with the comments of the
State Party and the advisory organization(s) shall be brought to
the attention of the Committee by the Secretariat.
67. The Committee shall examine the information available and
take a decision. Any such decision shall be taken by a majority
of two-thirds of the Committee members present and voting.
68. The State Party concerned shall be informed of the
Committee's decision.
69. The Committee shall allocate a specific, significant portion
of the World Heritage Fund to meeting funding requests for
assistance to World Heritage properties inscribed on the List of
World Heritage in Danger.
70. The Committee shall review at regular intervals the state of
property on the List of World Heritage in Danger. This review
shall include such monitoring procedures and expert missions as
might be determined necessary by the Committee.
71. On the basis of these regular reviews, the Committee shall
decide, in consultation with the State Party concerned whether:
(i) additional measures are required to conserve the property;
(ii) to delete the property from the List of World Heritage in
Danger if the property is no longer under threat;
(iii) to consider the deletion of the property from both the List
of World Heritage in Danger and the World Heritage List if the
property has deteriorated to the extent that it has lost those
characteristics which determined its inclusion in the World
Heritage List, in accordance with the procedure set out in
paragraphs 37 to 45 above.
III. INTERNATIONAL ASSISTANCE
A. Different forms of assistance available under the World
Heritage Fund
(i) Preparatory assistance
72. Assistance is available to States Parties for the purpose of:
(a) preparing tentative lists of cultural and/or natural
properties suitable for inclusion in the World Heritage List;
(b) organizing meetings for the harmonization of tentative lists
within the same geo-cultural area;
(c) preparing nominations of cultural and natural properties to
the World Heritage List; and
(d) preparing requests for technical co-operation, including
requests relating to the organization of training courses.
This type of assistance, known as "preparatory assistance", can
take the form of consultant services, equipment or, in
exceptional cases, financial grants. The budgetary ceiling for
each preparatory assistance project is fixed at $ 15,000.
73. Requests for preparatory assistance should be forwarded to
the Secretariat which will transmit them to the Chairman, who
will decide on the assistance to be granted. Request forms
(reference WHC/S) can be obtained from the Secretariat.
(ii) Emergency assistance
74. States Parties may request emergency assistance for work in
connection with cultural and natural properties included or
suitable for inclusion in the World Heritage List and which have
suffered severe damage due to sudden, unexpected phenomena (such
as sudden land subsidence, serious fires or explosions, flooding)
or are in imminent danger of severe damage caused by these
phenomena. Emergency assistance does not concern cases of damage
or deterioration that has been caused by gradual processes such
as decay, pollution, erosion, etc. Such assistance may be made
available for the following purposes:
(a) to prepare urgent nominations of properties for the World
Heritage List in conformity with paragraph 54 of these
Guidelines;
(b) to draw up an emergency plan to safeguard properties
inscribed on or nominated to the World Heritage List;
(c) to undertake emergency measures for the safeguarding of a
property inscribed on or nominated to the World Heritage List.
75. Requests for emergency assistance may be sent to the
Secretariat, at any time in the year, using form WHC/S. The
Secretariat shall submit these requests to the Chairman to
approve amounts up to $ 20,000. For requests above $ 20,000, the
Chairman should consult the other members of the Bureau by
telex/telegram before taking a decision.
(iii) Training
76. States Parties may request support for the training of
specialised staff at all levels in the field of identification,
protection, conservation, presentation and rehabilitation of the
cultural and natural heritage. The training must be related to
the implementation of the World Heritage Convention.
77. Priority in training activities will be given to group
training at the local or regional levels, particularly at
national or regional centres in accordance with article 23 of the
Convention. The training of individual persons will be
essentially limited to short term refresher programmes and
exchanges of experience.
78. Requests for the training of specialised staff at the
national or regional level should contain the following
information:
(i) details on the training course concerned (courses offered,
level of instruction, teaching staff, number of students and
country of origin, date, place and duration, etc.);
(ii) type of assistance requested (financial contribution to
costs of training, provision of specialised teaching staff,
provision of equipment, books and educational materials for
training courses);
(iii) approximate cost of support requested, including as
appropriate tuition fees, daily subsistence allowance, allocation
for purchase of educational material, travel costs to and from
training centre, etc.
(iv) other contributions: national financing, received or
anticipated multilateral or bilateral contributions.
79. Requests for support for individual training courses should
be submitted on the standard "Application for Fellowship" form
used for all fellowships administered by UNESCO and which can be
obtained from UNESCO National Commissions, UNESCO offices and the
offices of the United Nations Development Programme in Member
States, as well as from the Secretariat. Each request should be
accompanied by a statement indicating the relationship of the
proposed study plan to the implementation of the World Heritage
Convention within the State Party submitting the request.
80. All requests for support for training activities should be
transmitted to the Secretariat which will ensure that the
information is complete and forward these requests along with an
estimation of the costs to the Chairman for his approval. In this
regard the Chairman can approve amounts up to $20,000. Requests
for sums above this amount follow the same procedure for approval
as for requests for technical cooperation set out in paragraphs
82 to 87.
(iv) Technical co-operation
81. States Parties can request technical co-operation for work
foreseen in safeguarding projects for properties included in the
World Heritage List. This assistance can take the forms outlined
in paragraph 22 of the Convention for World Heritage properties.
82. In order to make best use of the limited resources of the
World Heritage Fund and because of the increasing number of
cultural sites to be assisted, the Committee, while recognizing
the importance of archaeological objects coming from sites
inscribed on the World Heritage List, has decided not to accept
requests which may be submitted for equipment for archaeological
site museums whose function is the preservation of movables.
83. The following information should be provided in requests for
technical co-operation:
(i) Details of property
- date of inscription in the World Heritage List,
- description of property and of dangers to property,
- legal status of property;
(ii) Details of request
- scientific and technical information on the work to be
undertaken,
- detailed description of equipment requested (notably make,
type, voltage, etc.) and of required personnel (specialists
and workmen), etc.,
- if appropriate, details on the "training" component of the
project,
- schedule indicating when the project activities will take
place;
(iii) Cost of proposed activities
- paid nationally,
- requested under the Convention,
- other multilateral or bilateral contributions received or
expected, indicating how each contribution will be used;
(iv) National body responsible for the project and details of
project administration.
(v) Concerning cultural properties and sites, the Committee,
wishing to establish a link between the monitoring of their state
of conservation and the granting of international assistance,
invites States submitting requests for technical cooperation to
accompany the request by an analysis of the property or site
concerned. Analysis will be a major factor in the evaluation of
the request.
84. The Secretariat, if necessary, will request the State Party
concerned to provide further information. The Secretariat can
also ask for expert advice from the appropriate organization
(ICOMOS, IUCN, ICCROM).
85. Large-scale technical cooperation requests (that is those
exceeding $ 30,000) should be submitted to the Secretariat as
early as possible each year. Those received before 31 August will
be dealt with by the Committee the same year. Those received
after 31 August will be processed by the Secretariat in the order
in which they are received and will be considered by the
Committee the same year if it has been possible to complete their
processing in time. All large-scale requests will be considered
by the Bureau which will make recommendations on them to the
Committee.
86. The Bureau will consider the requests which are presented at
its meetings and will make recommendations thereon to the
Committee. The Secretariat will forward the Bureau's
recommendation to all the States members of the Committee.
87. If the recommendation is positive, the Secretariat will
proceed with all the preparatory work necessary for implementing
the technical co-operation immediately after the Committee has
decided to approve the project.
88. At the Committee meeting, the Committee will make a decision
on each request for technical co-operation taking account of the
Bureau's recommendation. The Committee's decisions will be
forwarded to the States Parties and the Secretariat will proceed
to implement the project.
89. The above schedule does not apply, however, to projects the
cost of which does not exceed a ceiling of $ 30,000 for which the
following simplified procedure will be applied. In the case of
requests not exceeding $ 20,000 the Secretariat after examining
the dossier and receiving the advice of ICCROM, ICOMOS or IUCN,
as appropriate, will forward the request accompanied by all other
relevant documents directly to the Chairman, who is authorized to
take decisions on the financing of such projects up to the total
amount set aside for this purpose in the annual allocation from
the World Heritage Fund; the Chairman is not authorized to
approve requests submitted by his own country. The Bureau is
authorized to approve requests up to a maximum of $ 30,000 except
for requests from States members of the Bureau; in such cases,
the Bureau can only make recommendations to the Committee.
(v) Assistance for promotional activities
90. (a) at the regional and international levels:
The Committee has agreed to support the holding of meetings which
could:
- help to create interest in the Convention within the
countries of a given region;
- create a greater awareness of the different issues related
to the implementation of the Convention to promote more
active involvement in its application;
- be a means of exchanging experiences;
- stimulate joint promotional activities.
(b) at the national level:
The Committee felt that requests concerning national activities
for promoting the Convention could be considered only when they
concern:
- meetings specifically organised to make the Convention
better known or for the creation of national World Heritage
associations, in accordance with Article 17 of the
Convention;
- preparation of information material for the general
promotion of the Convention and not for the promotion of a
particular site;
The World Heritage Fund shall provide only small contributions
towards national promotional activities on a selective basis and
for a maximum amount of $5,000. However, requests for sums above
this amount could exceptionally be approved for projects which
are of special interest: the Chairman's agreement would be
required and the maximum amount approved would be $10,000.
B. Order of priorities for the granting of international
assistance
91. Without prejudicing the provisions of the Convention, which
shall always prevail, the Committee agreed on the following order
of priorities with respect to the type of activities to be
assisted under the Convention:
- emergency measures to save property included, or nominated
for inclusion, in the World Heritage List (see paragraph 74
above);
- preparatory assistance for drawing up tentative lists of
cultural and/or natural properties suitable for inclusion in
the World Heritage List as well as nominations of types of
properties underrepresented on the list and requests for
technical co-operation;
- projects which are likely to have a multiplier effect
("seed money") because they:
* stimulate general interest in conservation;
* contribute to the advancement of scientific research;
* contribute to the training of specialized personnel;
* generate contributions from other sources.
92. The Committee also agreed that the following factors would in
principle govern its decisions in granting assistance under the
Convention:
(i) the urgency of the work and of the protective measures to be
taken;
(ii) the legislative, administrative and financial commitment of
the recipient State to protect and preserve the property;
(iii) the cost of the project;
(iv) the interest for, and exemplary value of, the project in
respect of scientific research and the development of
cost/effective conservation techniques;
(v) the educational value both for the training of local experts
and for the general public;
(vi) the cultural and ecological benefits accruing from the
project, and
(vii) the social and economic consequences.
93. Properties included in the World Heritage List are considered
to be equal in value. For this reason, the criteria proposed
above make no reference to the relative value of the properties.
A balance will be maintained between funds allocated to projects
for the preservation of the cultural heritage on the one hand and
projects for the conservation of the natural heritage on the
other hand.
C. Agreement to be concluded with States receiving international
assistance
94. In accordance with Article 26 of the Convention, when
technical co-operation on a large scale is granted to a State
Party, an agreement will be concluded between the Committee and
the State concerned in which will be set out:
(a) the scope and nature of the technical co-operation granted;
(b) the obligations of the Government;
(c) the facilities, privileges and immunities to be applied by
the Government to the Committee and/or UNESCO, to the property,
funds and assets allocated to the project as well as to the
officials and other persons performing services on behalf of the
Committee and/or UNESCO in connection with the project.
95. The text of a standard agreement has been adopted by the
Committee.
96. The Committee decided to delegate authority to the Chairman
to sign such agreements on its behalf. In exceptional
circumstances, or when necessary for practical purposes, the
Chairman may delegate authority to a member of the Secretariat
whom he will designate.
D. Implementation of projects
97. In order to ensure the efficient implementation of a project
for which technical cooperation has been granted under the World
Heritage Fund, the Committee recommends that a single body -
whether national, regional, local, public or private - should be
entrusted with the responsibility of executing the project in the
State Party concerned.
E. Conditions for the granting of international assistance
98. The conditions for and types of international assistance are
established by articles 19 to 26 of the World Heritage
Convention. Establishing a parallel between the conditions of
eligibility for the World Heritage Committee set out in Article
16 of the Convention, the Committee decided, at its thirteenth
session (1989), that States who were in arrears of payment of
their contributions to the World Heritage Fund would not be able
to receive a grant of international assistance in the following
calendar year, it being understood that this provision would not
apply in case of emergency assistance and training as defined in
these Guidelines. In making this decision, the Committee wished
to emphasize the importance which it accorded to States Parties
paying their entire contribution within the periods set out in
Article 16 of the Convention.
IV. WORLD HERITAGE FUND
99. The Committee decided that contributions offered to the World
Heritage Fund for international assistance campaigns and other
UNESCO projects for any property inscribed on the World Heritage
List shall be accepted and used as international assistance
pursuant to Section V of the Convention, and in conformity with
the modalities established for carrying out the campaign or
project.
100. States Parties to the Convention who anticipate making
contributions towards international assistance campaigns or other
UNESCO projects for any property inscribed on the List are
encouraged to make their contributions through the World Heritage
Fund.
101. The financial regulations for the Fund are set out in
document WHC/7.
102. The Bureau shall function as the financial committee of the
World Heritage Committee and shall make recommendations to the
Committee on the budget for the following year.
V. BALANCE BETWEEN THE CULTURAL AND THE NATURAL HERITAGE
IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CONVENTION
103. In order to improve the balance between the cultural and
natural heritage in the implementation of the Convention, the
Committee has recommended that the following measures be taken:
(a) Preparatory assistance to States Parties should be granted on
a priority basis for:
(i) the establishment of tentative lists of cultural and
natural properties situated in their territories and
suitable for inclusion in the World Heritage List;
(ii) the preparation of nominations of types of properties
underrepresented in the World Heritage List.
(b) States Parties to the Convention should provide the
Secretariat with the name and address of the governmental
organization(s) primarily responsible for cultural and natural
properties, so that copies of all official correspondence and
documents can be sent by the Secretariat to these focal points as
appropriate.
(c) States Parties to the Convention should convene at regular
intervals at the national level a joint meeting of those persons
responsible for natural and cultural heritage in order that they
may discuss matters pertaining to the implementation of the
Convention. This does not apply to States Parties where one
single organization is dealing with both cultural and natural
heritage.
(d) The Committee, deeply concerned with maintaining a balance in
the number of experts from the natural and cultural fields
represented on the Bureau, urges that every effort be made in
future elections in order to ensure that:
(i) the chair is not held by persons with expertise in the
same field, either cultural or natural, for more than two
successive years;
(ii) at least two "cultural" and at least two "natural"
experts are present at Bureau meetings to ensure balance and
credibility in reviewing nominations to the World Heritage
List.
(e) States Parties to the Convention should choose as their
representatives persons qualified in the field of natural and
cultural heritage, thus complying with Article 9, paragraph 3, of
the Convention.
VI. OTHER MATTERS
A. Use of the World Heritage Emblem and the name, symbol or
depiction of World Heritage sites
104. At its second session, the Committee adopted the World
Heritage Emblem which had been designed by Mr. Michel Olyff. This
emblem symbolizes the interdependence of cultural and natural
properties: the central square is a form created by man and the
circle represents nature, the two being intimately linked. The
emblem is round, like the world, but at the same time it is a
symbol of protection. The Committee decided that the two versions
proposed by the artist (see Annex 2) could be used, in any
colour, depending on the use, the technical possibilities and
considerations of an artistic nature. In practice however, the
second version is usually preferred by States Parties and has
been used by the Secretariat for promotional activities.
105. Properties included in the World Heritage List should be
marked with the emblem which should, however, be placed in such a
way that it does not visually impair the property in question.
106. States Parties to the Convention should take all possible
measures to prevent the use of the emblem of the Convention and
the use of the name of the Committee and the Convention in their
respective countries by any group or for any purpose not
explicitly recognized and approved by the Committee. The World
Heritage emblem should, in particular, not be used for any
commercial purposes unless specific authorization is obtained
from the Committee.
107. The name, symbol or depiction of a World Heritage site, or
of any element thereof, should not be used for commercial
purposes unless written authorization has been obtained from the
State concerned on the principles of using the said name, symbol
or depiction, and unless the exact text or display has been
approved by that State and, as far as possible, by the national
authority specifically concerned with the protection of the site.
Any such utilization should be in conformity with the reasons for
which the property has been placed on the World Heritage List.
B. Production of plaques to commemorate the inclusion of
properties in the World Heritage List
108. These plaques are designed to inform the public of the
country concerned and foreign visitors, that the site visited has
a particular value which has been recognized by the international
community. In other words, the site is exceptional, of interest
not only to one nation, but also to the whole world. However,
these plaques have an additional function which is to inform the
general public about the World Heritage Convention or at least
about the World Heritage concept and the World Heritage List.
109. The Committee has adopted the following Guidelines for the
production of these plaques:
- the plaque should be so placed that it can easily be seen by
visitors, without disfiguring the site;
- the World Heritage symbol should appear on the plaque;
- the text should mention the site's exceptional universal
value; in this regard it might be useful to give a short
description of the site' s outstanding characteristics.
States may, if they wish, use the descriptions appearing in
the various World Heritage publications or in the World
Heritage exhibit, and which may be obtained from the
Secretariat;
- the text should make reference to the World Heritage
Convention and particularly to the World Heritage List and
to the international recognition conferred by inscription on
this List (however, it is not necessary to mention at which
session of the Committee the site was inscribed);
- it may be appropriate to produce the text in several
languages for sites which receive many foreign visitors.
110. The Committee proposed the following text as an example:
"(Name of site) has been inscribed upon the World Heritage List
of the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural
and Natural Heritage. Inscription on this List confirms the
exceptional universal value of a cultural or natural site which
deserves protection for the benefit of all humanity."
This text could be then followed by a brief description of the
site concerned.
C. Rules of Procedure of the Committee
111. The Rules of Procedure of the Committee, adopted by the
Committee at its first session and amended at its second and
third sessions, are to be found in document WHC/1.
D. Meetings of the World Heritage Committee
112. In years when the General Assembly of States Parties is
held, the ordinary session of the World Heritage Committee will
take place as soon as possible after the Assembly.
E. Meetings of the Bureau of the World Heritage Committee
113. The Bureau shall meet twice a year, once in May/June and a
second time during the Committee session.
F. Participation of experts from least developed countries
(LDCs)
114. In order to ensure a fair representation within the
Committee of the various geographical and cultural areas, the
Committee decided to include in its budget a sum intended to
cover the cost of participation, in its sessions and sessions of
its Bureau, of representatives of States members of the Committee
which are on the list of least developed countries (LDCs) issued
by the United Nations but only for persons who are experts in
conservation of the cultural or natural heritage.
G. Publication of the World Heritage List
115. An up-to-date version of the World Heritage List and the
List of the World Heritage in Danger will be published every
year.
116. The name of the States having nominated the properties
inscribed on the World Heritage List will be presented in the
published form of the List under the following heading:
"Contracting State having submitted the nomination of the
property in accordance with the Convention".
H. Action at the national level to promote a greater awareness of
the activities undertaken under the Convention
117. States Parties are reminded of Articles 17 and 27 of the
Convention concerning the establishment of national, public and
private foundations or associations whose purpose is to invite
donations for the protection of the world heritage and the
organization of educational and information programmes to
strengthen appreciation and respect by their peoples of this
heritage.
____________________________
[Footnotes]
[1] cf. definitions of "cultural heritage" and "natural heritage"
in articles 1 and 2 of the Convention set out in paragraphs 23
and 35 below.
[2] For example:
- a town centre, a village, a street, a square or other urban
or rural architectural ensemble, or an archaeological site, or
- a series of cultural properties which are geographically
dispersed but are representative of a specific type of property
as described in paragraph 19 above.
[3] All photographs must be recent, i.e. taken not more than one
year prior to presentation
of the nomination file.