List and its Establishment

World Heritage List or Liste du Patrimoine Mondial

The establishment of the List
The countries that signed the Convention were invited to draw up a Tentative List of sites within their borders that are suitable for inscription. Based on that list they can then submit nominations to the World Heritage Centre in Paris. The nominated sites must be included on the Tentative List (For an example, go to: http://whc.unesco.org/archive/opguide05-annex2-en.pdf). Inclusion on the Tentative List bears no legal status.

(Photo: Grand Canyon, USA)

A nomination may be inscribed on the World Heritage List once the inscription procedure, which can take at least two years, is completed. The Centre checks whether the nomination is complete and seeks the advice of ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites) and/or IUCN (World Conservation Union; formerly: International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources). ICOMOS and/or IUCN inspects the nomination on site. ICOMOS carries out this inspection for cultural heritage and the IUCN for natural heritage. Both ICOMOS and IUCN inspect the mixed sites. The organisations draw up recommendations for the annual meeting of the World Heritage Committee. The Committee decides during this meeting whether the nominations are to be inscribed on the List.

The Committee's current strategy is to harmonise the Tentative List by region and by theme as there is an improper balance in the distribution of the World Heritage around the world. The Committee wants to encourage the inscription of any sites that are not mentioned on the World Heritage List. A Global Strategy has been established to bring the List into better balance. The objective of the Global Strategy is to define and select any missing sites and poorly represented areas.