UNESCO was founded on 16 November 1945 as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. UNESCO has worldwide educational programmes, programmes aimed at managing natural resources, programmes for communication and distribution of information technology and programmes in the field of social sciences. One of UNESCO's objectives is to protect the world’s cultural heritage. This aim took shape in November 1972 in the ‘Convention concerning the Protection of the Cultural and Natural Heritage of the World’, in short the World Heritage Convention.

The World Heritage Committee ensued from this Convention. The Committee meets annually during the UNESCO meeting.