The Next 50
50th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention (16 November 2022):
World Heritage as a source of resilience,
humanity and innovation
Results of the Survey for the 50th Anniversary of the World Heritage Convention in 2022.
Recognizing the transformations in the world since the adoption of the World Heritage Convention, and with a view to soliciting reflection on the adaptation of the Convention in the face of prevailing challenges and gathering proposals for themes and plans to mark the 50th Anniversary, a Survey Questionnaire on the 50th Anniversary was launched on 25 June 2021 to all States Parties and site managers as well as academics and experts. The deadline was 25 July 2021 and later extended to 6 August 2021. 243 responses were received. These have been analysed and summarized into a synthesis report that is available here now.
50 Minds for the Next 50. Dialogue Series
UNESCO launches “50 Minds for The Next 50” to convene fifty leading, innovative, bold, respected thinkers of our times from diverse disciplines for the most interdisciplinary discussion on World Heritage ever to be held.
Yaounde, Cameroon
Paris, France - online
The Convention Timeline
Adoption of the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, a unique international treaty linking for the first time the concepts of nature conservation and preservation of cultural properties – recognizing the way people interact with nature, and the fundamental need to preserve the balance between the two. The Convention was adopted by the General Conference of UNESCO on 16 November 1972.
The World Heritage Convention formally takes effect upon ratification by the first 20 States Parties. The List of World Heritage in Danger is created to draw attention to properties needing special international consideration and priority assistance. The World Heritage Fund is established to assist States Parties identify, preserve and promote World Heritage sites through both compulsory and voluntary contributions.
The World Heritage Committee develops selection criteria for inscribing properties on the World Heritage List, and draws up Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention, setting out among other principles those of monitoring and reporting for properties on the List. Ecuador''s Galápagos Islands becomes the first of twelve sites to be inscribed on the World Heritage List.
With 377 sites inscribed in the first twenty years of the Convention, the World Heritage Centre is established to oversee the day-to-day management of the Convention. A new category of sites is added, making the Convention the first legal instrument to recognize and protect cultural landscapes.
The Committee adopts the Global Strategy for a Balanced, Representative and Credible World Heritage List, aimed at addressing the imbalances on the List between regions of the world, and the types of monuments and periods represented. The Strategy marks the progression from a monumental vision of heritage to a much more people-oriented, multifunctional and global vision of World Heritage. The Nara Document on Authenticity is adopted, recognizing the specific nature of heritage values within each cultural context.
The World Heritage Committee adds a fifth 'C' – Community – to its Strategic Objectives, highlighting the important role of local communities in preserving World Heritage.
The Okavango Delta in Botswana is the 1,000th site inscribed on the World Heritage List. This delta comprises permanent marshlands and seasonally flooded plains, and is home to some of the world’s most endangered species of large mammal, such as the cheetah, white rhinoceros, black rhinoceros, African wild dog and lion.
The “Warsaw Recommendation on Recovery and Reconstruction of Cultural Heritage” was developed at the ‘International conference on reconstruction: The challenges of World Heritage recovery’ held in Warsaw, Poland, from 6 to 8 May. These are universal guidelines for the recovery and reconstruction of World Heritage properties following armed conflict or disasters caused by natural hazards, notably for historic urban areas.
A year of activities, including events, conferences, workshops, exhibits and a targeted communication campaign, celebrates the 50th Anniversary of the adoption of the World Heritage Convention...
Safeguarding
heritage
against threats
Read the stories of Site Managers
Harnessing
the digital transformation
Take a virtual trip to World Heritage sites around the world through the online exhibits produced in UNESCO's collaboration with Google Arts & Culture.
Passing on the knowledge
The creation process of World Heritage is remembered by historians and experts in the oral archive project.
Experience 50 World Heritage sites
Experience 50 World Heritage sites through gorgeous videos from TBS's exclusive series
Decisions / Resolutions (1)
The World Heritage Committee,
- Having examined Document WHC/23/45.COM/13,
- Recalling Decision 44 COM 5A, adopted at its extended 44th session (Fuzhou/online, 2021) and Resolution 23 GA 9, adopted by the General Assembly of States Parties at its 23rd session (UNESCO, 2021),
- Thanks all the States Parties, and organizations, that have carried out more than 65 activities to mark the celebration of the 50thAnniversary of the World Heritage Convention, as well as other partners for related events and publications on the theme “The Next 50: World Heritage as a source of resilience, humanity and innovation”;
- Expresses appreciation to the Secretariat for the 50th Anniversary Survey that was opened to all stakeholders of the World Heritage Convention and to all those who provided their valuable reflections to this end, and takes note of the Survey’s conclusions;
- Thanks also the Government of Cameroon for the regional celebration of the 50th Anniversary in Central Africa and takes note of the Yaounde Call for Action and the priorities it has identified for Central Africa in particular;
- Thanks furthermore the Government of Greece for the Delphi Conference and requests the Secretariat to follow up on its conclusions and outcomes;
- Expresses its gratitude to the Government of France and private sector partner, Felissimo, for their financial contributions in the context of the 50th Anniversary of the World Heritage Convention;
- Recognizes all who have contributed to the reflections on the 50th Anniversary of the Convention, commending in particular the scientific contribution of experts, and invites States Parties to take note of the key reflections of the 50th Anniversary and enhance their implementation of the World Heritage Convention and the protection of the world’s cultural and natural heritage recognizing its enduring and irreplaceable value for furthering sustainable development and for biological and cultural diversity worldwide.