What is World Heritage?

Heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live with today, and what we pass on to future generations. Our cultural and natural heritage are both irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration. They are our touchstones, our points of reference, our identity. What makes the concept of world heritage exceptional is its universal application. World Heritage sites belong to all the peoples of the world, irrespective of the territory on which they are located.

By signing the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, countries recognize that the World Heritage sites located on their national territory, without prejudice to national sovereignty or ownership, constitute a world heritage “for whose protection it is the duty of the international community as a whole to cooperate.”

How does a World Heritage site differ from a site of national heritage? The key lies in the words “outstanding universal value”. Sites selected for World Heritage listing are approved on the basis of their merit as the best examples of the cultural and natural heritage.

How the convention works                                                 

The application for a site to be inscribed in the World Heritage List must come from the country itself and the decisions are made by the UNESCO and their World Heritage Committee. In Sweden an application is signed by the government. The National Heritage Board and the Environmental Protection Agency have the task to prepare the cases to the government.

The World Heritage Committee and their 21 elected representatives meets once a year and examines the nominations on the basis of technical evaluations. These independant evaluations of proposed cultural and natural sites are provided by two advisory bodies, the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) and the World Conservation Union (IUCN) respectively.

Links

UNESCO: www.unesco.org
UNESCO/World Heritage pages: whc.unesco.org
The Environmental Protection Agency of Sweden: www.naturvardsverket.se
The National Heritage Board: www.raa.se
The Swedish National Commission for UNESCO: www.unesco.se
The Nordic World Heritage Foundation: www.nwhf.no