The World Heritage Committee
The World Heritage Committee meets once a year, and consists of representatives from 21 of the States Parties to the Convention elected by their General Assembly. At its first session, the Committee adopted its Rules of Procedure of the World Heritage Committee.
The Committee is responsible for the implementation of the World Heritage Convention, defines the use of the World Heritage Fund and allocates financial assistance upon requests from States Parties. It has the final say on whether a property is inscribed on the World Heritage List. It examines reports on the state of conservation of inscribed properties and asks States Parties to take action when properties are not being properly managed. It also decides on the inscription or deletion of properties on the List of World Heritage in Danger.
Extended 45th session
of the World Heritage Committee
10-25 September 2023
Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Bureau of the World Heritage Committee
The Bureau consists of seven States Parties elected annually by the Committee: a Chairperson, five Vice-Chairpersons, and a Rapporteur. The Bureau of the Committee coordinates the work of the Committee and fixes the dates, hours and order of business of meetings. The election of the new Bureau will take place at the end of the next session of the World Heritage Committee.
Chairperson: H.H Princess Haifa Al Mogrin (Saudi Arabia)
Rapporteur: Ms. Shikha Jain (India)
Vice-Chairpersons: Argentina, Italy, Russian Federation, South Africa, Thailand
World Heritage Committee Members
According to the World Heritage Convention , a Committee member's term of office is for six years, but most States Parties choose voluntarily to be Members of the Committee for only four years, in order to give other States Parties an opportunity to be on the Committee.
The 21 States Parties of the current World Heritage Committee are the following:
Argentina Belgium Bulgaria Egypt Ethiopia Greece India Italy Japan Mali Mexico Nigeria Oman Qatar Russian Federation Rwanda Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Saudi Arabia South Africa Thailand Zambia
The "Five Cs"
Strategic Objectives of the World Heritage Convention
Strengthen the Credibility of the World Heritage List, as a representative and geographically balanced testimony of cultural and natural properties of outstanding universal value.
Ensure the effective Conservation of World Heritage properties.
Promote the development of effective Capacity-building measures, including assistance for preparing the nomination of properties to the World Heritage List, for the understanding and implementation of the World Heritage Convention and related instruments.
Increase public awareness, involvement and support for World Heritage through communication.
Enhance the role of communities in the implementation of the World Heritage Convention.
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Rules of Procedure
Established under the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage adopted by the General Conference of UNESCO at its seventeenth session on 16 November 1972. The Rules of Procedure were last revised by the World Heritage Committee at its thirty-ninth session (Bonn, 2015). The Rules of Procedure are periodically revised to reflect the decisions of the World Heritage Committee.
Rules of Procedure (July 2015) Règlement Intérieur (juillet 2015)
Rules of Procedure: Historical Development
Ordinary sessions of the World Heritage Committee
Extraordinary Sessions
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All Committee DecisionsAll Committee Sessions
All Bureau meetings
- 12 new members elected to World Heritage Committee 25-Nov-2021
- UNESCO World Heritage Committee session to be hosted by China after a one-year hiatus 18-Jun-2021
- Nine new members elected to World Heritage Committee 27-Nov-2019
- World Heritage Committee to meet in Baku (Azerbaijan) to examine inscription of new sites on World Heritage List 21-Jun-2019
- Twelve new members elected to World Heritage Committee 14-Nov-2017
- The World Heritage site of Comoé National Park in Côte d’Ivoire no longer in danger 04-Jul-2017
- Annual Meeting of World Heritage Committee opens in Krakow 03-Jul-2017
- World Heritage Committee to Meet in Krakow, Poland, from 2 to 12 July 16-Jun-2017
- World Heritage Committee completes 40th session 27-Oct-2016
- Polish city of Kraków to host 2017 World Heritage Committee session 17-Jul-2016
- Information and exchange session and Orientation session on the occasion of 41st session of the World Heritage Committee 23-May-2017-23-May-2017
- Orientation Session for Committee Members 10-Jul-2016
- Orientation Session for Members of the World Heritage Committee 18-Feb-2016-18-Feb-2016
- Orientation session for the members of the World Heritage Committee 22-Jan-2015-22-Jan-2015
- Orientation session for the members of the World Heritage Committee 23-Jan-2014-23-Jan-2014
- Orientation Session for Members of the World Heritage Committee 31-Jan-2013-31-Jan-2013
- 36th session of the World Heritage Committee 24-Jun-2012-06-Jul-2012
- 18th session of the General Assembly of States Parties to the World Heritage Convention and presentation of candidates for election of Committee members 07-Nov-2011-09-Nov-2011
- 35th Session of the World Heritage Committee 19-Jun-2011-29-Jun-2011
- 34th session of the Committee 25-Jul-2010-03-Aug-2010