World Heritage Sites

World Heritage Sites are landmarks or areas which are selected by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for having cultural, historical, scientific or other forms of significance. The aim is to catalog, name, and conserve sites of outstanding importance, either cultural or natural, to the common heritage of humanity. Under certain conditions, listed sites can obtain funds from the World Heritage Fund.

Criteria

World Heritage Sites are designated based on ten criteria; a site must meet at least one to be included on the list. These criteria are explained in the Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention which is updated every few years. The criteria are often categorized into cultural, natural, and mixed (i.e., both cultural and natural significance) sites.

Selection process

The process of a site becoming a World Heritage Site is lengthy and involves multiple steps. It begins with the site being tentatively listed by its respective country. Afterward, a detailed nomination file is prepared which is evaluated by the International Council on Monuments and Sites and the World Conservation Union. These bodies then make recommendations to the World Heritage Committee, a body of 21 states parties to the Convention elected by their General Assembly. The final decision on whether to inscribe a site is made during the committee's annual meetings.

Conservation and management

Once a site is listed, it is subject to periodic reporting on its conservation status, which is reviewed by the committee. Sites may be placed on the List of World Heritage in Danger if they are subject to threats such as environmental deterioration, urbanization, or armed conflict.

Examples

Some notable World Heritage Sites include the Great Wall of China, the Taj Mahal, the Grand Canyon, and the Galápagos Islands. Each of these sites represents a unique aspect of the world's cultural and natural heritage.

Challenges

World Heritage Sites face many challenges including underfunding, mismanagement, and damage from natural disasters or human activities. There is also ongoing debate about the Eurocentrism in the selection of sites and the politicization of the nomination process.

See also

• List of World Heritage Sites by country
• Intangible Cultural Heritage
• Man and the Biosphere Programme

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