World Heritage Convention in the context of "Brenta group"

The World Heritage Committee is a committee of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization that selects the sites to be listed as 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. It comprises representatives from 21 state parties that are elected by the General Assembly of States Parties for a four-year term. 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 States Parties choose to voluntarily limit their term to four years, in order to give other States Parties an opportunity to serve. All members elected at the 15th General Assembly (2005) voluntarily chose to reduce their term of office from six to four years.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Sites are places of importance to cultural or natural heritage as described in the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, established in 1972. Cultural heritage consists of monuments (such as architectural works, monumental sculptures, or inscriptions), groups of buildings, and sites (including archaeological sites). Natural features (consisting of physical and biological formations), geological and physiographical formations (including habitats of threatened species of animals and plants), and natural sites which are important from the point of view of science, conservation, or natural beauty, are defined as natural heritage. Egypt ratified the convention on 7 February 1974, the second country to do so, after the United States. There are seven World Heritage Sites in Egypt, and a further 34 sites on the tentative list.

The first sites in Egypt were listed in 1979, when five properties were inscribed. Since then, two more sites have been listed, Saint Catherine Area in 2002 and Wadi al Hitan in 2005. The latter is the only natural site in Egypt, the other sites being listed for their cultural properties. One of the key events that triggered the development of the World Heritage Convention was related to Egypt. Following the decision to construct the Aswan Dam on the Nile which would result in flooding of numerous archaeological sites in Lower Nubia, an international campaign was launched in 1959 to preserve the sites by dismantling them and reassembling them at safe locations. From 2001 to 2025, Abu Mena was listed as endangered because the rising water table was decreasing the stability of clay-based soils, resulting in threats to the structural integrity of the monuments. The situation has improved by 2024. Egypt has served on the World Heritage Committee five times.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) designates World Heritage Sites of outstanding universal value to cultural or natural heritage which have been nominated by countries which are signatories to the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, established in 1972. Cultural heritage consists of monuments (such as architectural works, monumental sculptures, or inscriptions), groups of buildings, and sites (including archaeological sites). Natural features (consisting of physical and biological formations), geological and physiographical formations (including habitats of threatened species of animals and plants), and natural sites which are important from the point of view of science, conservation or natural beauty, are defined as natural heritage. To make a country's historical sites eligible for designation as a World Heritage Sites, the country needs to sign the World Heritage Convention. World Heritage Sites are selected during the annual sessions of the World Heritage Committee. The first World Heritage Site in the list is the Galápagos Islands. The 24th session in 2000 inscribed the most with 61 entries, while the 13th session in 1989 only inscribed seven sites.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Sites are places of importance to cultural or natural heritage as described in the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, established in 1972. Cultural heritage consists of monuments (such as architectural works, monumental sculptures, or inscriptions), groups of buildings, and sites (including archaeological sites). Natural heritage consists of natural features (physical and biological formations), geological and physiographical formations (including habitats of threatened species of animals and plants), and natural sites which are important from the point of view of science, conservation, or natural beauty. Japan accepted the UNESCO World Heritage Convention on 30 June 1992.

There are 26 sites listed in Japan, with a further four sites on the tentative list. Japan's first entries to the list took place in 1993, when four sites were inscribed. The most recent site, the Sado mine, was listed in 2024. Among the sites, 21 are listed for their cultural and five for their natural significance. One site is transnational: The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier is shared with six other countries. Japan has served on the World Heritage Committee four times.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Sites are places of importance to cultural or natural heritage as described in the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, established in 1972. Cultural heritage consists of monuments (such as architectural works, monumental sculptures, or inscriptions), groups of buildings, and sites (including archaeological sites). Natural features (consisting of physical and biological formations), geological and physiographical formations (including habitats of threatened species of animals and plants), and natural sites which are important from the point of view of science, conservation or natural beauty, are defined as natural heritage. China accepted the convention on 12 December 1985, making its sites eligible for inclusion on the list.

China has 60 World Heritage Sites on the list, ranking second in the world, just below Italy with 61 sites. Of these 60 sites, 41 are listed for their cultural, 15 for their natural, and 4 sites for both cultural and natural significance. In addition, China also has 60 sites on its tentative list.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) designates World Heritage Sites of outstanding universal value to cultural or natural heritage which have been nominated by countries signatories to the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, established in 1972. Cultural heritage consists of monuments (such as architectural works, monumental sculptures, or inscriptions), groups of buildings, and sites (including archaeological sites). Natural features (consisting of physical and biological formations), geological and physiographical formations (including habitats of threatened species of animals and plants), and natural sites which are important from the point of view of science, conservation or natural beauty, are defined as natural heritage. As Germany was divided following World War II, West and East Germany ratified the convention separately, the former on 23 August 1976 and the latter on 12 December 1988. With German reunification, East Germany was dissolved on 3 October 1990.

Germany has 55 sites on the list, with a further seven on the tentative list. The first site listed was the Aachen Cathedral in 1978. The most recent addition took place in 2025. Three sites are natural and 52 are listed for their cultural significance. Germany holds the third-highest number of World Heritage Sites in the world, after Italy and China with 61 and 60 sites, respectively, and the second most in terms of cultural significance. The Dresden Elbe Valley, which was listed as endangered in July 2006, was eventually delisted in June 2009, making it one of the only three sites in the world to have been removed from the World Heritage Site register. Cologne Cathedral was listed as endangered from 2006 to 2008 due to plans to construct high-rise buildings nearby that would threaten the integrity of the property. Nine sites are shared with other countries.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) designates World Heritage Sites of outstanding universal value to cultural or natural heritage which have been nominated by countries which are signatories to the UNESCO World Heritage Convention, established in 1972. Cultural heritage consists of monuments (such as architectural works, monumental sculptures, or inscriptions), groups of buildings, and sites (including archaeological sites). Natural heritage consists of natural features (physical and biological formations), geological and physiographical formations (including habitats of threatened species of animals and plants), and natural sites which are important from the point of view of science, conservation, or natural beauty. Yemen ratified the convention on 7 October 1980.

As of 2023, Yemen has five sites on the list. The first site, the Old Walled City of Shibam, was designated in 1982. The most recent site listed was Landmarks of the Ancient Kingdom of Saba in Marib in 2023. The Socotra Archipelago was listed in 2008, and it is the only natural site in Yemen, while the other four are cultural. All four cultural sites are listed as endangered. The Historic Town of Zabid was listed in 2000 because of the deteriorating state of the historic buildings. Shibam and the Old City of Sana'a were listed in 2015 and Marib in 2023 due to Yemeni Civil War threats. Yemen has nine sites on its tentative list. The country served as a member of the World Heritage Committee in the years 1985–1991.

The International Campaign to Save the Monuments of Nubia was the effort to relocate 22 monuments in Lower Nubia, in Southern Egypt and northern Sudan, between 1960 and 1980. This was done in order to make way for the building of the Aswan Dam, at the Nile's first cataract (shallow rapids), a project launched following the 1952 Egyptian revolution. This project was undertaken under UNESCO leadership and a coalition of fifty countries. This process led to the creation of the World Heritage Convention in 1972, and thus the system of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The construction of the Aswan Dam was a key objective of the new regime the Free Officers movement of 1952 in order to better control flooding, provide increased water storage for irrigation and generate hydroelectricity, all of which were seen as pivotal for the industrialization of Egypt.