UNESCO World Heritage

Our heritage is the legacy of the past we still enjoy and which we will pass on to future generations. Our cultural and natural heritages are two irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration. Places both extroardinary and diverse like the wild expanse of the Serengeti national park in East Africa, the Pyramids of Egypt, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and the baroque cathedrals of South America form our world's heritage.
What makes this concept of world heritage so exceptional is its worldwide application. The world heritage sites belong to all peoples of the world, without taking into account the territory they are located on.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) encourages the identification, protection and preservation of the cultural and natural heritage all over the world that is considered to have an exceptional value to humanity. This was written down in an international treaty called Convention concerning the protection of the World Cultural and Natural heritage, adopted by the UNESCO in 1972.

UNESCO's mission in favour of the world heritage consists of:
· encouraging the countries to sign the Convention of world heritage and assure the protection of their natural and cultural heritage;
· encouraging the participating States to propose sites on their natural territory for registration on the World Heritage List;
· encouraging the participating States to elaborate management plants and set up report submission systems on the conservation conditions of the world heritage sites;
· helping the participating States to protect the world heritage sites by providing technical support and professional training;
· providing emergency assistance to world heritage sites in case of immediate danger;
· supporting activities lead by the participating States to raise awareness among the public in favour of the preservation of the world heritage;
· encouraging the local populations' participation to the preservation of their cultural and natural heritage;
· encouraging international cooperation on the level of conservation of the world cultural and natural heritage.