Take advantage of the search to browse through the World Heritage Centre information.

World Heritage

Heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live with today, and what we pass on to future generations. Our cultural and natural heritage are both irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) seeks to encourage the identification, protection and preservation of cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be of outstanding value to humanity. This is embodied in an international treaty called the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, adopted by UNESCO in 1972.

What makes the concept of World Heritage exceptional is its universal application. World Heritage sites belong to all the peoples of the world, irrespective of the territory on which they are located.

Mission

UNESCO's World Heritage mission is to

border_color

Encourage countries to sign the World Heritage Convention and to ensure the protection of their natural and cultural heritage;

pin_drop

Encourage States Parties to the Convention to nominate sites within their national territory for inclusion on the World Heritage List;

inventory

Encourage States Parties to establish management plans and set up reporting systems on the state of conservation of their World Heritage sites;

groups

Help States Parties safeguard World Heritage properties by providing technical assistance and professional training;

volunteer_activism

Provide emergency assistance for World Heritage sites in immediate danger;

public

Support States Parties' public awareness-building activities for World Heritage conservation;

family_restroom

Encourage participation of the local population in the preservation of their cultural and natural heritage;

psychology

Encourage international cooperation in the conservation of our world's cultural and natural heritage.

The Convention

The Convention defines the kind of natural or cultural sites which can be considered for inscription on the World Heritage List.

The Convention

The List

Places as unique and diverse as the wilds of East Africa’s Serengeti, the Pyramids of Egypt, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and the Baroque cathedrals of Latin America make up our world’s heritage.

The list

top