Definition

The Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage commonly known as the 'World Heritage Convention', is an international treaty, adopted in 1972. The Convention recognises the way in which people interact with nature, and the fundamental need to preserve the balance between the two. The Convention sets out the duties of States Parties in identifying potential sites and their role in protecting and preserving them. By signing the Convention, each country pledges to conserve not only the World Heritage sites situated on its territory, but also to protect its national heritage. A key criteria for World Heritage Sites is the concept of Outstanding Universal Value (OUV).

Adapted from UNESCO 2013 ¹

It is one of the eight international conventions that focus on biodiversity issues. ²