Cooperation with International Organizations (UNESCO,UNU)

1. Official Name

Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage

2. History of Establishment, Entry into force and States Parties

196 countries are States Parties to the World Heritage Convention as of August 2024.

3. Objective

To establish a system of international cooperation and assistance in order to preserve and protect cultural and natural heritage from the threat of damage or destruction as World Heritage of humankind as a whole.

4. Principal Provisions

• (1) The objects that shall be protected are the monuments, buildings, sites, natural areas, and so forth that possess outstanding universal value (Articles 1-3).
• (2) States Parties shall recognize their duty to protect the heritage situated on its territory and do their utmost in that regard (Article 4). They shall also recognize that the protection of such heritage and international cooperation for that is the duty of the international community as a whole (Article 6).
• (3) The World Heritage Committee, (the Committee Members are elected from among the States Parties), shall be established (Article 8). This Committee shall examine the heritage nominated by States Parties and on the basis of the inventories submitted by States Parties, establish “the World Heritage List” and “the List of World Heritage in Danger”, as well as make decisions concerning international assistance for the protection of properties, as per the requests of the States Parties. The decisions of the Committee will be taken by a majority of two-thirds of the members present and voting (Article 11, Article 13).
• (4) The World Heritage Fund shall be established for the protection of World Heritage and it shall be made up of compulsory contributions of the States Parties which are not to exceed 1% of their UNESCO budget (in Japan's case, the amount was approximately 38 million yen in 2023), voluntary contributions, and other contributions (Article 15, Article 16).
• (5) The international assistance granted by the World Heritage Committee may take the forms of study and research, provision of experts, training, equipment supply, and granting subsidies (Article 22).
• (6) The States Parties shall endeavor through education and publicity activities to strengthen their people’s appreciation of and respect for the cultural and national heritage (Article 27).

5. World Heritage List (1,223 properties as of August 2024)

• (1) Cultural Heritage: 952 properties
• (2) Natural Heritage: 231 properties
• (3) Mixed Heritage: 40 properties

1. Summary

The Committee is an intergovernmental body established under the Article 8 of the World Heritage Convention. The Committee meets once a year around June or July. In addition, extraordinary sessions may be held in order to resolve particular problems.

2. Secretariat

UNESCO World Heritage Centre (Paris)
Director : Lazare Eloundou Assomo

3. Agenda of the World Heritage Committee

• (1) Examination of nominations by States Parties for Inscription on the World Heritage List or the List of World Heritage in Danger
• (2) Examination of the state of conservation of specific properties on the World Heritage List or the List of World Heritage in Danger
• (3) Examination of requests for international assistance for the protection of properties on the World Heritage List
• (4) Management of the World Heritage Fund
• (5) Publicity and educational activities, etc.

4. Member States of the World Heritage Committee

Currently, the twenty-one States below are the Members of the Committee. The Committee Members are recommended to limit their term to four years (“Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention”). According to “Rule of Procedure” for General Assembly of States Parties to the Convention, they may stand again for election 6 years after the expiry of their previous mandate.

5. Previous Sessions of the World Heritage Committee

The sessions of the World Heritage Committee that have been held of since Japan accepted the Convention are as follows.