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World Heritage

Emblem.
Flag of World Heritage.

The World Heritage List, or heritage, is established by the World Heritage Committee of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

The program's goal is to catalog, name, and keep the property called cultural or natural importance to the common heritage of humanity. Under certain conditions, listed property can obtain funds of World Heritage Fund. The program was founded with the Convention Concerning the Protection of Cultural Heritage and Natural Heritage, which was adopted at the General Conference of UNESCO on 16 November 1972. 187 States Parties have ratified the Convention (June 2010).

After the 34th session of World Heritage Committee, held in Brasilia ( Brazil ) from 25 July to 3 August 2010 , 911 properties were enrolled distributed in 151 States Parties.

Since 1992 , this list is completed by the International Register "Memory of the World" , which identifies the document collections of world significance. On 31 July 2009 , it included 193 items of documentary heritage.

In 1997 , the concept of oral and intangible heritage of humanity has been defined. A proclamation of Masterpieces of Intangible Cultural, which first took place in 2001 , a list that complements that of the tangible heritage but the "Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage of 2003 and the" Intergovernmental Committee Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage "are different from those of the" World Heritage " Overview of World Heritage

UNESCO strives to strike a balance between continents in the world heritage location. Initially, Europe was overrepresented. It still is, but the appearance of exceptional natural sites contribute to a geographical alignment. There are currently 911 listed property located in 151 States Parties: 704 are cultural, 180 natural and 27 mixed (cultural and natural). These properties are also listed according to five geographic regions: sub-Saharan Africa , Arab States (consisting of North Africa and Middle East ), Asia and the Pacific (including Australia and Oceania ), Europe and North America ( U.S. and Canada ) and Latin America (including Mexico and the Caribbean ).

The Russian Federation , the Turkey , the countries of Caucasus and Israel are classified as belonging to the Europe and North America.

The 5 geographical areas defined by UNESCO: Africa Arab States Asia and Pacific Europe and North America Latin America and Caribbean
Cultural Natural Mixed Total %
Africa 42 32 4 78 8.6%
Arab States 61 4 1 66 7.2%
Asia and Pacific 138 51 9 198 21.7%
Europe and North America 377 58 10 445 48.8%
Latin America and Caribbean 86 35 3 124 13.6%
Total 704 180 27 911 100%

World Heritage List by geographical area

Origins

  • Antique designs: the seven wonders of the world
  • 1954 : The Hague Convention (1954) for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict
  • 1964 : The UNESCO began the rescue work of the temples of Abu Simbel against the rising waters of Lake Nasser , due to the construction of the Aswan High Dam in Egypt. This rescue is recognized in several countries the importance of preserving World Heritage.
  • 1965 : Request by the United States of creating a Foundation to preserve the world cultural and natural sites.
  • 1970 : Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property . Ratified by 120 States parties in 2010, this convention is not retroactive: for objects moved before 1970, restituion on a case by case basis (bilateral negotiation between states, mediation of the Intergovernmental Committee of UNESCO , after 1970, the refund is systematic
  • 1972 : Convention for the Protection of World Cultural and Natural
  • 1975 : France to ratify the Convention
  • 1976 : Creation of the World Heritage Committee
  • 1978 : first sites inscribed on World Heritage List
  • 1992 : creation of the " Memory of the World "for the preservation of documentary heritage
  • 1998 : creation of the "Proclamation of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage"
  • 2003 : Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage

Missions

"Heritage is our legacy, what we live today and what we pass on to future generations. "

- Preview of the 1972 Convention.

The main mission of the World Heritage List is to promote and protect sites that the organization considers to be exceptional. To do this, and for the sake of objectivity, were put in place criteria. Initially, only existing cultural sites (1978), whose listing was governed by six criteria. Then, due in particular to balance the interests of the Localization World Heritage between continents, appeared natural sites and four new criteria. Finally, in 2005, all criteria have been merged into 10 unique criteria applicable to all sites. They are as follows:

  1. or (I): Represent a masterpiece of human creative genius.
  2. or (II): Exhibit an important interchange of human values, over a period of time or within a cultural area, on developments in architecture or technology, monumental arts, town-planning or creation landscapes.
  3. or (III): Bringing a unique testimony or at least exceptional cultural tradition or civilization which is living or extinct.
  4. or (IV): an outstanding example of a type of building or architectural or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates a significant stage or (s) in human history.
  5. or (V): Being an outstanding example of traditional human settlement, the traditional use of land or sea
  6. or (VI): Be directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions, ideas, beliefs and artistic and literary works of outstanding universal significance.
  7. or (VII): Contain superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance.
  8. or (VIII): Be outstanding examples representing major stages of earth history.
  9. or (IX): Be outstanding examples representing significant ongoing ecological and biological processes in the evolution and development of ecosystems.
  10. or (X): Contain the most representative and most important for conservation of biological diversity.

Legal status

Properties included the first responsibility to the State party, but the inscription on the list assumes that the property belongs also to the "Humanity" and are thus placed under a sort of international protection. So there is a system of cooperation and assistance to help the State party's financial terms and equipment. The community is not directly in the management of the property concerned, but there is a follow-up is carried out by independent international bodies of the State party (eg World Conservation Monitoring Centre for Conservation of Nature). This protection is all relative to the power of the State party in its territory.

Heritage in Danger

The World Heritage Committee examines reports on the state of conservation of natural and cultural properties inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger. It establishes, updates and publish, whenever circumstances so require, under the title of List of World Heritage in Danger ", a list of properties on the World Heritage List for the conservation of which major operations are necessary and for which assistance has been requested under the Convention. This list contains an estimate of the cost of operations. May appear on this list of World Heritage cultural and natural that are threatened by serious and specific, such as the threat of disappearance caused by accelerated deterioration, large-scale public or private, rapid urban or tourist development, due to destruction changes of use or ownership of land, major alterations due to unknown causes, abandonment for any reason, armed conflict or threat of calamities and disasters, major fires, earthquakes, landslides, volcanic eruptions volcanic alteration of water levels, floods, tidal waves.

Tentative List

Inclusion on the Tentative List (in English : Attempted list) is the first step of the inscription on the World Heritage List. It includes items for which the State party has filed an application to UNESCO in session prior to acceptance of the World Heritage Committee.

Tentative List of World Heritage is an antechamber of the World Heritage list listing the elements identified and highlighted by each State Party.

Notes

Related articles

External Links

References

  1. Intangible Cultural Heritage
  2. a and b The Uvs Nuur Basin (Mongolia, Russia) is a cross-regional site, located both in Europe and Asia Pacific as classified by UNESCO. It is recognized here in Asia and the Pacific.
  3. a , b , c and d (en) World Heritage List (Unesco.org)
  4. Text of the UNESCO Convention of 1970
  5. eg the Parthenon frieze
  6. Article 11.4 of the World Heritage Convention.


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