Essay Example on Criteria for Inscription on UNESCO's World Heritage

Criteria for Inscription on UNESCO's World Heritage List The main guidance for the implementation of the 1972 World Heritage Convention is set out in the Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention which is periodically revised to reflect the decisions of the World Heritage Committee The Operational Guidelines detail the nomination processes and define the criteria for inclusion in the World Heritage List A property is considered to be of Outstanding Universal Value if it meets one or more of the following criteria The Nomination Process for inscription on the World Heritage List The Nomination Process includes four phases 1 The States Parties decide which properties to include in their Tentative Lists 2 The States Parties decide which properties included in their Tentative Lists will be nominated for inscription on the World Heritage List 3 The World Heritage Committee decides whether to inscribe a property on the World Heritage List after its evaluation by the International Council on Monuments and Sites ICOMOS and or the International Union for Conservation of Nature IUCN 

4 The States Parties manage effectively the inscribed properties to protect their Outstanding Universal Value according to the World Heritage Convention 1 Tentative List The States Parties that have ratified the 1972 World Heritage Convention are urged to create a Tentative List an inventory including the properties of natural and or cultural heritage located in their boundaries that can be considered of Outstanding Universal Value and therefore may be submitted for inscription in the World Heritage List in the next years This first step is very crucial since the World Heritage Committee does not consider any nomination for inscription on the World Heritage List unless the properties are included on the State Party's Tentative List Tentative Lists should be submitted to the World Heritage Center at least one year prior to the submission of any nomination 2 Nomination of Properties State Parties are encouraged to include in the nomination process of cultural and or natural heritage properties a wide spectrum of stakeholders namely local communities governmental non governmental as well as private organizations The Nomination file shall include the following sections in accordance with the Format for the Nomination of Properties for Inscription on the World Heritage List link ή Annex No a Identification of the Property b Description of the Property c Justification for Inscription d State of conservation and factors affecting the property e Protection and Management f Monitoring g Documentation h Contact Information of responsible authorities i Signature on behalf of the State Party ies In many countries there is one authority for finalizing and submitting the nomination file and inscribing the heritage property under consideration to the Tentative List In many countries such as Greece this authority it the Ministry of Culture 3 Evaluation of cultural natural properties 

When a property is nominated to be inscribed in the World Heritage List it is evaluated according to the World Heritage Convention by one or both of the two Advisory Bodies ICOMOS evaluates the nominations of cultural heritage properties and IUCN the nominations of natural heritage properties When a mixed property is nominated the evaluation is carried out by both Advisory Bodies Once a year the World Heritage Committee gathers and decides which properties will be inscribed on the World Heritage List 4 Management of inscribed properties States Parties ensure through the effective management of their World Heritage Properties that the value authenticity and integrity of the Properties inscribed will be preserved in the future For this purpose States Parties submit every six years a Periodic Report to the World Heritage Committee including an assessment of the application of the World Heritage Convention as well as updated information regarding the state of preservation and conservation of their World Heritage properties Intangible Cultural Heritage As Cultural Heritage may be considered not only monuments and sites but also traditions and living expressions inherited from generation to generation In 2003 UNESCO adopted during its 32nd General Conference the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage 

Through this Convention the international community recognized that it is of utmost importance not only to safeguard the world heritage sites and landscapes but also to raise awareness about the cultural expressions and about the skills that until then had no legal or programmatic framework to protect them The Article 16 of the Convention establishes the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in order to prepare the implementation of the Convention to provide guidance on best practices and make recommendations on measures for the safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage as well as in order to examine the nominations submitted by State Parties to be inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity On the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity are inscribed elements of Intangible Cultural Heritage with a view to raising awareness on the importance of their safeguarding According to Article 2 of UNESCO s Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage as Intangible Cultural Heritage are defined oral traditions performing arts social practices rituals and festive events knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe and skills to produce traditional crafts On the aforementioned List have been inscribed 470 elements