19th MODEL UNITED NATIONS NGO TOPIC PREPARATION GUIDE TOPIC #3 UNESCO-PRESERVING AT RISK WORLD HERITAGE SITES The World Heritage Convention The most significant feature of the 1972 World Heritage Convention is that it links together in a single document the concepts of nature conservation and the preservation of cultural properties. The Convention recognizes the way in which people interact with nature, and the fundamental need to preserve the balance between the two. The Convention defines the kind of natural or cultural sites which can be considered for inscription on theWorld Heritage List. The Convention sets out the duties of States Parties in identifying potential sites and their role in protecting and preserving them. By signing the Convention, each country pledges to conserve not only the World Heritage sites situated on its territory, but also to protect its national heritage. The States Parties are encouraged to integrate the protection of the cultural and natural heritage into regional planning programs, set up staff and services at their sites, undertake scientific and technical conservation research and adopt measures which give this heritage a function in the day-to-day life of the community. It also encourages States Parties to strengthen the appreciation of the public for World Heritage properties and to enhance their protection through educational and information programs. The placement of a site on the World Heritage List also brings an increase in public awareness, which increases tourist activity. Tourism can bring important funds to the site and to the local economy. World Heritage in Danger Armed conflict and war, earthquakes and other natural disasters, pollution, poaching, uncontrolled urbanization, and unchecked tourist development pose major problems to World Heritage sites. The List of World Heritage in Danger is designed to inform the international community of problems which threaten sites on the World Heritage List and encourage corrective action. Under the 1972 World Heritage Convention, a World Heritage property can be inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger by the Committee when it finds that the condition of the property corresponds to at least one of the “in danger” criteria. If a site is inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger, the World Heritage Committee can take immediate action to address the situation and this has led to many successful restorations. The World Heritage Convention is also a very powerful tool to rally international attention and actions, through international safeguarding campaigns. UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. It seeks to build peace through international cooperation in Education, the Sciences and Culture. Cultural diversity is under attack and new forms of intolerance, rejection of scientific facts and threats to freedom of expression challenge peace and human rights. In response, UNESCO’s duty remains to reaffirm the humanist missions of education, science and culture. The World Heritage Convention, World Heritage List, and List of World Heritage in Danger all fall under UNESCO’s oversight. QUESTIONS (HINT: CAN’T FIND THE ANSWER? CHECK RESOURCES!) Does your state have a site on the World Heritage List? List of World Heritage in Danger? There are 3 site categories, what are they? Why is site preservation important? What are the Strategic Objectives (the “Five Cs”) of the World Heritage Convention? What is the World Heritage Fund? What is an international safeguarding campaign? RESOURCES https://whc.unesco.org/en/158/ https://en.unesco.org/about-us/introducing-unesco https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/ https://whc.unesco.org/en/107/ https://whc.unesco.org/en/convention/.