UNESCO Heritage
Introduction
World Heritage, better known as World Heritage, is the title conferred by UNESCO to specific sites on the planet (whether forest, mountain, lake, lagoon, cave, desert, building, architectural complex, cultural route, cultural landscape or city) that have been proposed and confirmed for inclusion in the list maintained by the World Heritage program, administered by the World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 Member States elected by the General Assembly of Member States for a period determined.[1].
The objective of the program is to catalog, preserve and publicize sites of exceptional cultural or natural importance to the common heritage of humanity. Under certain conditions, the listed sites can obtain funding for their conservation from the World Heritage Conservation Fund. It was founded by the Convention for International Cooperation in the Protection of the Cultural and Natural Heritage of Mankind, which was subsequently adopted by the general conference of UNESCO on 16 November 1972. Since then, 193 member states have ratified the convention.
By July 2024, the catalog consists of a total of 1,223 World Heritage sites, of which 952 are cultural, 231 natural and 40 mixed, distributed in 168 countries. United Kingdom (35 sites), Russia (33 sites) and Iran (29 sites).[3] Some of the subnational regions with the most World Heritage cultural assets are Castilla y León and Andalusia (Spain), with 8; along with the regions of Tuscany, Lombardy and Veneto (Italy), all three with 8 or more assets.[4][5][6].
Historically, the inscription of the first two properties registered on the World Heritage List in 1978, the historic center of Quito and the Galapagos Islands, both located in Ecuador, is celebrated every December 3 at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. The Galapagos Islands have the distinction of being the first natural asset declared World Heritage, while the historic center of Quito, along with Krakow (Poland), were the first historic centers inscribed on the List.[7][8].
UNESCO refers to each site with a unique identification number, but new inscriptions often include previous sites now listed as part of larger descriptions. Consequently, the numbering system currently ends at 1500, although there are actually 1092 catalogued; with the addition that many of the World Heritage Sites are located in multiple locations, being the same site, mainly those that are cultural routes, groups of the same concept of protected natural site, or cultural landscapes.
Each World Heritage site belongs to the country in which it is located, but is considered to be in the interest of the international community and must be preserved for future generations. The protection and conservation of these sites is a concern of the 122 Member States of UNESCO.