View source for Organization:World Heritage Committee

[[File:World Heritage Logo global.svg|thumb|150px|Logo of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee]]
The '''World Heritage Committee''' selects the sites to be listed as [[Organization:UNESCO|UNESCO]] World Heritage Sites, including the World Heritage List and the List of World Heritage in Danger, defines the use of the World Heritage Fund and allocates financial assistance upon requests from States Parties.<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/committee/|title=The World Heritage Committee|last=UNESCO|website=UNESCO|access-date=27 June 2019}}</ref> It comprises representatives from 21 [[Earth:Sovereign state|state parties]]<ref>According to the UNESCO World Heritage website, [https://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/ States Parties] are countries that signed and ratified [https://whc.unesco.org/en/convention/ The World Heritage Convention]. As of March 2013, there were a total of 170 State Parties.</ref><ref name=":0" /> that are elected by the '''General Assembly of States Parties''' for a four-year term.<ref name="world">{{cite web
|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/comittee/
|title=The World Heritage Committee
|publisher=UNESCO World Heritage Site
|accessdate=2006-10-14
}}</ref> These parties vote on decisions and proposals related to the World Heritage Convention and World Heritage List.

According to the World Heritage Convention, a committee member's term of office is six years. However many State's Parties choose to voluntarily limit their term to four years, in order to give other States Parties an opportunity to serve.<ref name="world"/>  All members elected at the 15th General Assembly (2005) voluntarily chose to reduce their term of office from six to four years.<ref name="world"/>

Deliberations of the World Heritage Committee are aided by three advisory bodies, the [[Organization:International Union for Conservation of Nature|IUCN]], [[Organization:International Council on Monuments and Sites|ICOMOS]] and ICCROM.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/advisorybodies|title=Advisory Bodies|last=UNESCO World Heritage Centre|website=UNESCO World Heritage Centre|access-date=27 June 2019}}</ref><ref name=":1">Office of the External Auditor for the United Nations Scientific, Educational and Cultural Organization (2011) [https://whc.unesco.org/archive/2011/whc11-35com-INF9Ae.pdf Independent Evaluation by the UNESCO External Auditor, Volume 1: Implementation of the Global Strategy for the Credible, Balanced and Representative World Heritage List]. UNESCO Headquarters, Paris.</ref>

==Sessions==

The World Heritage Committee meets once a year for an ordinary session to discuss the management of existing World Heritage Sites, and accept nominations by countries.<ref name="world"/> Extraordinary meetings can be convened at the request of two-thirds of the state members.<ref name=":2">UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Protection of the World Natural and Cultural Heritage (2015) Rules of Procedure. World Heritage Centre, Paris. Download available at  https://whc.unesco.org/en/committee/ (27 June 2019)</ref> Meetings are held within the territory of state members of the World Heritage Committee at their invitation. Rotation between regions and cultures is a consideration for selection and the location for the next session is chosen by the committee at the end of each session.<ref name=":2" />

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Session<ref>{{cite web|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/sessions|title=Sessions|publisher=UNESCO World Heritage Site}}</ref>
!Year
!Date
!Host city
|-
! 1
| 1977
| 27 June–1 July
|{{flagicon|France}} [[Place:Paris|Paris]]
|-
! 2
| 1978
| 5 September–8 September
| {{flagicon|United States}} [[Place:Washington, D.C.|Washington, D.C.]]
|-
! 3
| 1979
| 22 October–26 October
|{{flagicon|Egypt|1972}} [[Place:Cairo|Cairo]] & [[Place:Luxor|Luxor]]
|-
! 4
| 1980
| 1 September–5 September
|{{flagicon|France}} Paris
|-
! 5
| 1981
| 26 October–30 October
| {{flagicon|Australia}} [[Place:Sydney|Sydney]]
|-
! 6
| 1982
| 13 December–17 December
|{{flagicon|France}} Paris
|-
! 7
| 1983
| 5 December–9 December
| {{flagicon|Italy}} [[Place:Florence|Florence]]
|-
! 8
| 1984
| 29 October–2 November
| {{flagicon|Argentina}} [[Place:Buenos Aires|Buenos Aires]]
|-
! 9
| 1985
| 2 December–6 December
|{{flagicon|France}} Paris
|-
! 10
| 1986
| 24 November–28 November
|{{flagicon|France}} Paris
|-
! 11
| 1987
| 7 December–11 December
|{{flagicon|France}} Paris
|-
! 12
| 1988
| 5 December–9 December
| {{flagicon|Brazil}} [[Engineering:Brasília|Brasília]]
|-
! 13
| 1989
| 11 December–15 December
|{{flagicon|France}} Paris
|-
! 14
| 1990
| 7 December–12 December
| {{flagicon|Canada}} Banff
|-
! 15
| 1991
| 9 December–13 December
| {{flagicon|Tunisia}} Carthage
|-
! 16
| 1992
| 7 December–14 December
| {{flagicon|United States}} Santa Fe
|-
! 17
| 1993
| 6 December–11 December
| {{flagicon|Colombia}} Cartagena
|-
! 18
| 1994
| 12 December–17 December
| {{flagicon|Thailand}} Phuket
|-
! 19
| 1995
| 4 December–9 December
| {{flagicon|Germany}} [[Place:Berlin|Berlin]]
|-
! 20
| 1996
| 2 December–7 December
| {{flagicon|Mexico}} Mérida
|-
! 21
| 1997
| 1 December–6 December
| {{flagicon|Italy}} Naples
|-
! 22
| 1998
| 30 November–5 December
| {{flagicon|Japan}} [[Place:Kyoto|Kyoto]]
|-
! 23
| 1999
| 29 November–4 December
| {{flagicon|Morocco}} Marrakech
|-
! 24
| 2000
| 27 November–2 December
| {{flagicon|Australia}} Cairns
|-
! 25
| 2001
| 11 December–16 December
| {{flagicon|Finland}} [[Place:Helsinki|Helsinki]]
|-
! 26
| 2002
| 24 June–29 June
| {{flagicon|Hungary}} [[Place:Budapest|Budapest]]
|-
! 27
| 2003
| 30 June–5 July
| {{flagicon|France}} Paris
|-
! 28
| 2004
| 28 June–7 July
| {{flagicon|China}} Suzhou
|-
! 29
| 2005
| 10 July–17 July
| {{flagicon|South Africa}} Durban
|-
! 30
| 2006
| 8 July–16 July
| {{flagicon|Lithuania}} [[Place:Vilnius|Vilnius]]
|-
! 31
| 2007
| 23 June–1 July
| {{flagicon|New Zealand}} [[Place:Christchurch|Christchurch]]
|-
! 32
| 2008
| 2 July–10 July
| {{flagicon|Canada}} Quebec City
|-
! 33
| 2009
| 22 June–30 June
| {{flagicon|Spain}} Seville
|-
! 34
| 2010
| 25 July–3 August
| {{flagicon|Brazil}} Brasília
|-
! 35
| 2011
| 19 June–29 June
| {{flagicon|France}} Paris
|-
! 36
| 2012
| 25 June–5 July
| {{flagicon|Russia}} Saint Petersburg
|-
! 37
| 2013
| 17 June–27 June
| {{flagicon|Cambodia}} [[Place:Phnom Penh|Phnom Penh]]
|-
! 38
| 2014
| 15 June–25 June
| {{flagicon|Qatar}} [[Place:Doha|Doha]]
|-
! 39
| 2015
| 28 June–8 July
| {{flagicon|Germany}} [[Place:Bonn|Bonn]]
|-
! 40
| 2016
| 10 July–20 July
| {{flagicon|Turkey}} Istanbul
|-
! 41
| 2017
| 2 July–12 July
| {{flagicon|Poland}} Kraków
|-
! 42
| 2018
| 24 June–4 July
| {{flagicon|Bahrain}} [[Place:Manama|Manama]]
|-
! 43
| 2019
| 30 June–10 July
| {{flagicon|Azerbaijan}} [[Place:Baku|Baku]]
|-
! 44
| 2020
| ''Originally scheduled for 29 June–9 July.<br/>Postponed indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/committee/|title=44th session of the World Heritage Committee|last=UNESCO|website=UNESCO|access-date=8 June 2020}}</ref>
| {{flagicon|China}} Fuzhou
|}

== Bureau ==
At the end of each ordinary session, the committee elects a chairperson, five vice-chairpersons and a Rapporteur from those members whose term will continue through the next session.<ref name=":2" /> These are known as the Bureau, and their representatives are responsible for coordinating the work of the World Heritage Committee, including fixing dates, hours and the order of business meetings.<ref name=":0" />

== Voting ==
Each state member of the World Heritage Committee has one vote. Decisions require a simple majority with abstentions counted as not voting. Votes are delivered by a show of hands unless a secret ballot is requested by either the chairperson or two or more states members.<ref name=":2" />

==Members==
'''Current members of the [[Organization:UNESCO|UNESCO]] World Heritage Committee'''
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:left;"

!  style="text-align:center; background:#e9e9e9; vertical-align:top;"|Member state<ref>{{cite web|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/sessions/40COM|title=UNESCO World Heritage Centre – 40th session of the Committee|first=UNESCO World Heritage|last=Centre|date=|website=whc.unesco.org|accessdate=27 March 2018}}</ref>
!  style="background:#e9e9e9; text-align:center;"|Mandate
|-
|{{flag|Australia}}
|2017–2021
|-
|{{flag|Bahrain}}
|2017–2021
|-
|{{flag|Bosnia and Herzegovina}}
|2017–2021
|-
|{{flag|Brazil}}
|2017–2021
|-
|{{flag|China}}
|2017–2021
|-
|{{flag|Egypt}}
|2019–2023
|-
|{{flag|Ethiopia}}
|2019–2023
|-
|{{flag|Guatemala}}
|2017–2021
|-
|{{flag|Hungary}}
|2017–2021
|-
|{{flag|Kyrgyzstan}}
|2017–2021
|-
|{{flag|Mali}}
|2019–2023
|-
|{{flag|Nigeria}}
|2019–2023
|-
|{{flag|Norway}}
|2017–2021
|-
|{{flag|Oman}}
|2019–2023
|-
|{{flag|Russia}}
|2019–2023
|-
|{{flag|Saint Kitts and Nevis}}
|2017–2021
|-
|{{flag|Saudi Arabia}}
|2019–2023
|-
|{{flag|South Africa}}
|2019–2023
|-
|{{flag|Spain}}
|2017–2021
|-
|{{flag|Thailand}}
|2019–2023
|-
|{{flag|Uganda}}
|2017–2021
|-
! Total
! 21
|}

== Criticism ==
Increasing politicization of World Heritage Committee decisions to the detriment of conservation aims has been alleged, particularly with regard to new nominations for the World Heritage List, but also with the consideration of sites for the List of World Heritage in Danger.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Meskell|first=Lynn|date=Winter 2014|title=States of Conservation: Protection, Politics, and Pacting within UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee|url=https://muse.jhu.edu/article/537352/pdf|journal=Anthropological Quarterly|volume=87|pages=217–243|via=}}</ref><ref>The Economist. 2010. [https://www.economist.com/international/2010/08/26/a-danger-list-in-danger UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites: A Danger List in Danger]. Accessed 27 June 2019.</ref> In 2010, states parties including Hungary, Switzerland and Zimbabwe submitted an official protest against such politicization.<ref name=":1" />

An external audit requested by the World Heritage Committee for its ''Global Strategy of the World Heritage List'' concluded in 2011 that political considerations were indeed influencing decisions.<ref name=":1" /> It observed that the composition of committee representatives had shifted from experts to diplomats in spite of World Heritage Convention Article 9 and found that opinions from advisory bodies often diverged from World Heritage Committee decisions.<ref name=":1" />

In 2016, Israel recalled its UNESCO ambassador after the World Heritage Committee adopted a resolution in a secret ballot that referred to one of [[Place:Jerusalem|Jerusalem]]'s holiest sites, the Temple Mount, only as a “Muslim holy site of worship,” not mentioning that Jews and Christians venerate the site.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2017/10/united-states-us-withdraw-unesco-world-heritage-spd/ |title=U.S. to Withdraw From UNESCO. Here's What That Means |publisher=Nationalgeographic.com |date=2017-10-12 |accessdate=2020-03-21}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Tress |first=Luke |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/unesco-adopts-another-resolution-erasing-jewish-link-to-temple-mount/ |title=UNESCO adopts another resolution ignoring Jewish link to Temple Mount |publisher=The Times of Israel |date=2016-10-26 |accessdate=2020-03-21}}</ref>

==See also==
* Lists of World Heritage Sites

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
* [http://whc.unesco.org/ UNESCO World Heritage portal] – official website {{in lang|en|fr}}
* [https://whc.unesco.org/en/list The World Heritage List] – official searchable list of all Inscribed Properties


[[Category:Conservation organizations]]

{{Sourceattribution|World Heritage Committee|1}}