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International Assistance

Acting for World Heritage worldwide

International Assistance under the World Heritage Convention is a financial assistance granted to the States Parties to the World Heritage Convention, in order to help them protect the cultural or natural heritage sites inscribed on the World Heritage List or on the List of World Heritage in Danger.

Fund Projects under International Assistance

Find projects recommended for approval by the International Assistance panel but for which no funding is available.

All
Culture
Nature
Mixed

They gave funds
for International Assistance

Italy
EUR 250,000
(equivalent to US$ 357,348)
September 2008
Consult projects
Finland
EUR 200,000
(equivalent to US$ 247,036)
November 2013
Consult projects
India
US$ 90,864
September / November 2011
Consult projects
Republic of Korea
US$ 81,817
November 2013 /
June 2015
Consult projects
Association Vocation Patrimoine (France)
US$ 45,454
April 2013
Consult projects
Japan
US$ 30,000
March 2017
Consult project
Netherlands
US$ 29,050
April 2017
Consult project
Germany
US$ 27,273
June 2017
Consult project
Bursa Metropolitan Municipality (Türkiye)
US$ 9,091
January 2016
Consult project
ONE Association
(Türkiye)

US$ 9,091
January 2016
Consult project
ICOM-Türkiye
US$ 4,558
December 2015
Consult project
Philippines
US$ 4,545
October 2015
Consult project
Deutsche Stiftung Welterbe (Germany)
US$ 2,585
November 2017
Consult project

Who can apply?

All States Parties to the World Heritage Convention are eligible in principle, provided they have paid their contributions to the World Heritage Fund.

Individuals, foundations, IGOs and NGOs are not eligible for submitting International Assistance requests under the World Heritage Fund.

Read More 

Which projects can be funded?

Projects must be related to sites inscribed on the World Heritage List (for Emergency and Conservation & Management) or included in national Tentative Lists (for Preparatory Assistance).

Priority is given to the most threatened properties.

International Assistance under the World Heritage Fund can support projects falling under one of the following three categories:

Emergency Assistance Conservation & Management Preparatory Assistance

How to apply?

International Assistance requests must be transmitted by a State Party National Commission for UNESCO or Permanent Delegation to UNESCO, or an appropriate governmental Department or Ministry. Individuals who do not represent one of these bodies are therefore not entitled to submit requests for International Assistance

 Read More 

For the detailed principles and priorities for International Assistance, please refer to the Operational Guidelines for the implementation of the World Heritage Convention, paragraphs 236 to 239.

Apply for International Assistance

For funding in 2025, the deadline for submission is 31 October 2024.
For funding in 2024, the submissions are closed.

If you do not have a login: you have to request for a login by sending your name, the institution you work in and your function by email to International Assistance Coordinator. Once the login is created, you will receive it directly to your email address.

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If you cannot submit your request online, please use:

World Heritage International Assistance Projects -
Conservation for Sustainable Development
2016-2021

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Reports and statistics

All International Assistance granted since 1978

48,239,514
USD Total Approved Amount
2198
Requests approved

pie_chartStatistics

By region

Requests approved

By category

Requests approved

By type

Requests approved

By modality

Requests approved

By year

Requests approved

Resources

Who can apply?

All States Parties to the World Heritage Convention are eligible in principle. Individuals, foundations, IGOs and NGOs are not eligible for submitting International Assistance requests under the World Heritage Fund.

International Assistance requests must be transmitted by a State Party National Commission for UNESCO or Permanent Delegation to UNESCO, or an appropriate governmental Department or Ministry. Individuals who do not represent one of these bodies are not entitled to submit requests for International Assistance.

States Parties in arrears of payment of their compulsory or voluntary contributions to the World Heritage Fund are not eligible for International Assistance. For example, for the 2017 cycle, it means that all contributions up to 2016 included have to be paid. The status of contributions can be checked on whc.unesco.org/en/world-heritage-fund

Moreover, the Operational Guidelines outline that when funds available are limited and a selection has to be made, preference should be given to:

  • a Least Developed Country (LDC) or Low Income Economy (LIE) as defined by the United Nations Economic and Social Council's Committee for Development Policy, or
  • a Lower Middle Income Country (LMIC) as defined by the World Bank, or
  • a Small Island Developing State (SIDS), or
  • a State Party in a post-conflict situation.

How to apply?

International Assistance requests must be transmitted by a State Party National Commission for UNESCO or Permanent Delegation to UNESCO, or an appropriate governmental Department or Ministry. Individuals who do not represent one of these bodies are therefore not entitled to submit requests for International Assistance

Online

Advantages of the online form:

  • Submission not possible if all the fields are not filled in (missing fields can lead to rejection of the request)
  • Automatic calculations in the budget part can help avoiding mistakes
  1. Request a log-in, if you do not have one yet. Persons belonging to National Commissions for UNESCO, Permanent Delegations to UNESCO or appropriate governmental Departments or Ministries can send their name, function, institution and email address at wh-intassistance@unesco.org; they will receive their log-in directly to their email address.
  2. Fill in the application online in English or French. Attach relevant supporting documents and information that are deemed appropriate.
  3. Submit the request online
  4. Sign a printed version of the application after having downloaded it under Word format. Reminder: it must be signed and dated by a National Commission for UNESCO, a Permanent Delegation to UNESCO or an appropriate governmental Department or Ministry.
  5. The completed application form must be sent to the World Heritage Centre at the following address:
    UNESCO World Heritage Centre
    7, place de Fontenoy
    75352 Paris 07 SP
    France
    An advanced scanned copy can be sent at wh-intassistance@unesco.org

Offline

  1. Download one of the forms below:
    International Assistance request application form in Word format in English
    International Assistance request application form in Word format in French
    If you experience difficulty downloading this file, please contact the Convention Secretariat at wh-intassistance@unesco.org
  2. Fill in the application in English or French. Attach relevant supporting documents and information that are deemed appropriate.
  3. Sign the application. Reminder: it must be signed and dated by National Commissions for UNESCO, Permanent Delegations to UNESCO or appropriate governmental Departments or Ministries.
  4. The completed application form must be sent to the World Heritage Centre at the following address:
    UNESCO World Heritage Centre
    7, place de Fontenoy
    75352 Paris 07 SP
    France
    An advanced scanned copy can be sent at wh-intassistance@unesco.org

In order to help you filling in the above form, here are some written guidelines giving explanations and examples:

You can also consult the evaluation criteria that will be used by the Advisory Bodies (ICOMOS, IUCN, ICCROM) in their evaluation of the request:

Rules & Calendar

Who decides? Is there a ceiling?...

Preparatory Assistance Conservation & Management Assistance Emergency Assistance
Technical Cooperation Assistance Training & Research Assistance Educational & Promotional Assistance
Decision by Director up to
$5,000
up to
$5,000
up to
$5,000
up to
$5,000
up to
$5,000
Decision by Chairperson from
$5,001
to
$30,000
from
$5,001
to
$30,000
from
$5,001
to
$30,000
from
$5,001
to
$10,000
from
$5,001
to
$75,000
The Chairperson cannot approve requests submitted by his/her own country
Decision by Committee N/A above
$30,000
above
$30,000
N/A N/A
Budgetary Ceiling Maximum amount =
$30,000
None None Maximum amount =
$10,000
Maximum amount =
$75,000
Payment of contributions to the World Heritage Fund States Parties must have paid all their contribution up to 31 December of the previous calendar year - for example, requests can be approved in 2020 if the contributions are paid up to 31 December 2019. N/A
Submission date For
$5,000 or less:
any time Above $5,000: 31 October
For
$5,000 or less:
any time Above $5,000: 31 October
For
$5,000 or less:
any time Above $5,000: 31 October
For
$5,000 or less:
any time Above $5,000: 31 October
Any time
Comments by the Advisory Bodies* N/A Mandatory above $30,000 Mandatory above $30,000 N/A Mandatory above $30,000
Evaluation by the panel** Mandatory above $5,000 Mandatory above $5,000 Mandatory above $5,000 Mandatory above $5,000 N/A

* ICOMOS and ICCROM for cultural heritage, IUCN for natural heritage, ICOMOS, ICCROM and IUCN for mixed heritage
** The panel is composed of representatives from the Secretariat, the Advisory Bodies, and is chaired, if possible, by the Chairperson of the World Heritage Committee or, in observer capacity, a person designated by the Chairperson. It is held every year in January.

Preparatory Assistance

Maximum amount: 30,000 USD

The purpose of Preparatory assistance is

  • to prepare or update Tentative Lists; the process to be followed for the creation / revision of a Tentative List can be found here
  • to prepare nomination files for sites inscribed on national Tentative Lists; or
  • to prepare requests for Conservation & Management Assistance.
Examples

Process for a Preparatory Assistance Request

 

Submission - Deadline


Evaluation by


Examination by the panel
(conveyed in January)


Final decision
made by
Request
for 5,000 USD
or less
Any time during the year World Heritage Centre No Director of the World Heritage Centre
Request
between 5,001 USD and 30,000 USD
31 October at the latest World Heritage Centre and Advisory Bodies* Yes
If the request needs to be revised, “catch-up” panel in April (deadline: 31 March)
Chairperson of the World Heritage Committee

* Advisory Bodies are: ICOMOS for cultural heritage and IUCN for natural heritage, both for mixed heritage (see paragraph 247 of the Operational Guidelines for the implementation of the World Heritage Convention)

Conservation & Management Assistance

Conservation & Management Assistance includes:

Technical cooperation

To provide equipment or experts for the conservation, management and presentation of properties inscribed on the World Heritage List. For example, conservation works, preparation or update of management plans or risk-preparedness plans fall under this category;

To establish / revise national policies or legal frameworks on heritage preservation benefitting World Heritage properties.

Examples
Promotional and educational assistance

Maximum amount: 10,000 USD.

To raise awareness and develop educational materials for the general promotion of the World Heritage Convention and the World Heritage List.

As a consequence, the promotion of a single site is not an eligible activity.

Examples
Training &
research assistance

To support the training of staff and specialists at all levels in the fields of identification, monitoring, conservation, management and presentation of properties inscribed on the World Heritage List, with an emphasis on group training. Individual scholarships cannot be funded and should be sent to UNESCO’s Fellowship Section instead.

This assistance can be requested also to undertake scientific research benefiting properties inscribed on the World Heritage List, or studies on the scientific and technical problems of conservation, management, and presentation of World Heritage properties.

Examples

Process for a Conservation & Management Assistance Request

 

Submission - Deadline


Evaluation by


Examination by the panel
(conveyed in January)


Final decision
made by
Request
for 5,000 USD
or less
Any time during the year World Heritage Centre No Director of the World Heritage Centre
Request
between 5,001 USD and 30,000 USD
31 October at the latest World Heritage Centre Yes
If the request needs to be revised, “catch-up” panel in April (deadline: 31 March)
Chairperson of the World Heritage Committee
Request
above 30,000 USD
31 October at the latest World Heritage Centre and Advisory Bodies* Yes
If the request needs to be revised, “catch-up” panel in April (deadline: 31 March)
World Heritage Committee (June/July)

* Advisory Bodies are: ICOMOS and ICCROM for cultural heritage, IUCN for natural heritage, the 3 of them for mixed heritage (see paragraph 247 of the Operational Guidelines for the implementation of the World Heritage Convention)

Emergency Assistance

Maximum amount: 75,000 USD

The purpose of Emergency assistance is to address ascertained or potential threats facing properties inscribed on the World Heritage List which have suffered severe damage or are in imminent danger of severe damage due to sudden, unexpected phenomena (eg. land subsidence, extensive fires, flooding or man-made disaster).

This assistance does not concern cases of damage or deterioration caused by gradual processes of decay, pollution or erosion.

Examples

Process for an Emergency Assistance request

 
Submission – Deadline

Evaluation by

Examination by the panel
(conveyed in January)

Final decision made by
Request
for 5,000 USD or less
Any time during the year World Heritage Centre No Director of the World Heritage Centre
Request
between 5,001 USD and 30,000 USD
Any time during the year World Heritage Centre No Chairperson of the World Heritage Committee
Request
between 30,001 USD and 75,000 USD
Any time during the year World Heritage Centre and Advisory Bodies* No Chairperson of the World Heritage Committee

* Advisory Bodies are: ICOMOS and ICCROM for cultural heritage, IUCN for natural heritage, the 3 of them for mixed heritage (see paragraph 247 of the Operational Guidelines for the implementation of the World Heritage Convention)

Documents Relating To International Assistance

Background information documents

  • In 1999: Examination of the recommendations of the twenty-third session of the Bureau of the World Heritage Committee concerning prioritization in granting International Assistance to States Parties (document WHC-99/CONF.209/16)
  • In 2000: Report on the Evaluation of International Assistance provided under the World Heritage Fund (document WHC-2000/CONF.204/16)
  • In 2004: Progress Report on the Evaluation of the World Heritage Fund Emergency Assistance (document WHC-04/28.COM/10B)
  • In 2005: Information on the Evaluation of the World Heritage Fund’s Preparatory Assistance, Technical Cooperation, Training, and Promotional and Educational Activities (document WHC-05/29.COM/14B)
  • In 2006: Examination of the Recommendations on International Assistance (document WHC-06/30.COM/14A)
  • In 2007: Reform of International Assistance (document WHC-07/31.COM/18B)
  • In 2012: Examination of International Assistance requests – part III: proposals to improve the international assistance process (document WHC-12/36.COM/14).

World Heritage Committee's Decisions Related To International Assistance

  • In 2004: Decision 28 COM 10B on the Progress Report on the Evaluation of Emergency Assistance
  • In 2006: Decision 30 COM 14A on the Reform of International process (3 types of assistance instead of 5, earmarking by type of assistance discontinued, new application form, official establishment of the evaluation panel, creation of the online database)
  • In 2007: Decision 31 COM 18B on the adoption of: the new application form, the evaluation criteria, the share 65/35 for nature-culture, no panel for Emergency assistance or for requests of US$5,000 or less.
  • In 2012: Decision 36 COM 13.I, paragraph 8 and Annex 2 on the adoption of a yearly deadline for the examination of requests and on the reintroduction of the earmarking by type of assistance.
  • In 2019: Decision 43 COM 11A, paragraph 3 and Annex (part C) on the introduction of a ceiling for Emergency assistance (US$ 75,000) and on the reintroduction of a ceiling for the comments of the Advisory Bodies (mandatory only above US$ 30,000).
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