According to the World Heritage Convention, "cultural heritage" is a monument, group of buildings or site of historical, aesthetic, archaeological, scientific, ethnological or anthropological value. "Natural heritage" designates outstanding physical, biological, and geological features; habitats of threatened plants or animal species and areas of value on scientific or aesthetic grounds or from the point of view of conservation.
UNESCO's World Heritage mission is to:
- encourage countries to sign the Convention and ensure the protection of their own natural and cultural heritage;
- encourage States Parties to the Convention to nominate sites within their national territory for inclusion on the World Heritage List;
These cultural and natural sites constitute, together with many others, a common heritage, to be treasured as unique testimonies to an enduring past. Their disappearance would be an irreparable loss for each and every one of us. And yet, most are threatened, particularly in present times. The preservation of this common heritage concerns us all.
That is the objective of the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. This international agreement, signed to date by more than 175 States Parties, was adopted by the General Conference of UNESCO in 1972. Its primary mission is to define and conserve the world's heritage, by drawing up a list of sites whose outstanding values should be preserved for all humanity and to ensure their protection through a closer co-operation among nations.
By signing the Convention, each country pledges to conserve the sites situated on its territory, some of which may be recognized as World Heritage. Their preservation for future generations then becomes a responsibility shared by the international community as a whole.
The Convention's focus on both cultural and natural heritage makes it a unique legal instrument. This is expressed in the World Heritage emblem, which is round, like the world, but at the same time it is a symbol of protection. The central square is a form created by man and the circle represents nature, the two being intimately linked.