In introducing the draft guidelines which had been prepared jointly by IUCN and ICOMOS, the representative of IUCN drew attention to the following three objectives of the List of World Heritagein Danger:
a) to support national efforts towards safeguarding the integrity of a property;
b) to demonstrate to world opinion the reality of the danger threatening a property;
c) to contribute to the effectiveness of international fund-raising campaigns by identifying the property for which the public is being asked to contribute.
He stated that the list was considered as being a short list, thus limiting operations by the international community to a reasonable number. Furthermore, inscription of a property on the list would be an exceptional action for an emergency measure of limited duration.