UNESCO World Heritage Committee: Know what is it, its importance and other features

New Delhi: In a historic move, India is gearing up to host UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee session for the first time. Scheduled to take place in the national capital, the session will be conducted between July 21 and 31 this year. This comes after the World Heritage Committee decided to conduct its 46th session in India during its 19th extraordinary session (UNESCO, 2023).

What is World Heritage Committee? The World Heritage Committee is a global representative body that comprises representatives from 21 States Parties, elected by the General Assembly of States Parties for a tenure of four years. These parties significantly play pivotal role in making decisions and proposals in accordance with the World Heritage Convention, the preparation of the World Heritage List and the List of World Heritage in Danger. The members of States of the UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee At present, a total of 21 States Parties are members of UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee.

According to the World Heritage Convention, the office term for each member state is six years. However, most States Parties choose voluntarily to be Members of the Committee for only four years. This move is to provide an equal opportunity to other States Parties to be members of the committee.

Argentina, Belgium, Bulgaria, Greece, India, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Lebanon, Mexico, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Rwanda, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal Turkiye, Ukraine, Viet Nam and Zambia are the current members of UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee. Sessions conducted by UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee so far So far, the committee has conducted 45 annual sessions. While the 46th session is scheduled to take place in the national capital of India, the 45th session of the committee held in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia between September 10 and 25, 2023.

Originally, the committee was scheduled to meet between June 19 and 30, 2022 in Kazan, Russia but was postponed to an extended 2023 session following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The World Heritage Committee meets once a year to conduct a session on the administration of current World Heritage Sites. This is also held to receive nominations from member governments.

Extraordinary meetings can be conducted upon the request of two-thirds of the state members of the World Heritage Committee. Notably, the meetings take place in the respective territories of the state members of the World Heritage Committee at their invitation. The location of the next session is selected by the committee at the end of each session and rotation between regions and cultures is taken into account during the selection process.

Role and responsibility of the World Heritage Committee Established in 1972 under the World Heritage Convention and functioning under the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the committee is responsible for the protection and promotion of cultural and natural heritage across the globe. The primary job of the committee is to identify, preserve and celebrate sites of outstanding universal importance. The committee bolsters the integrity of the World Heritage List.

It geographically balances the “testimony of cultural and natural properties of outstanding universal values”. The committee plays a pivotal role in implementing the World Heritage Convention and taking decisions on the uses of the World Heritage Fund. Additionally, it ensures financial assistance upon requests from States Parties.

The committee has final rights to decide whether the property will be mentioned on the list of World Heritage Sites in Danger. Effective preservation: The committee plays a significant role in ensuring the effective preservation of World Heritage properties at each site. Capacity-building measures: It promotes effective capacity-building measures and aids in the creation of the nomination of properties for the World Heritage List.

This enhances understanding and implementation of the World Heritage Convention and related instruments. Better communication: Another primary objective of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee is to bolster communication across the globe and enhance public awareness of the heritage sites. This move helps attract people to participate in the noble cause of the conservation of heritage treasures.

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