NEWS – India to become chair of World Heritage Committee first time

HIGHLIGHTS

• The World Heritage Committee is a part of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
• Its primary responsibility is to oversee the implementation of the World Heritage Convention, a global treaty adopted by UNESCO in 1972
• Convention aims to identify, protect, and preserve cultural and natural heritage of outstanding universal value
• Composed of representatives from the countries that have ratified the World Heritage Convention
• Committee members are elected by the General Assembly of States Parties to the World Heritage Convention. Members serve four-year terms, and their representation aims to ensure a balanced geographical distribution
• The main functions of the World Heritage Committee include the examination of reports on the state of conservation of inscribed properties, the inscription or removal of properties on/from the World Heritage List, the approval of the use of the World Heritage Fund, and the examination of requests for international assistance.
• The Committee is responsible for the inscription and removal of sites on/from the World Heritage List. The list includes cultural, natural, and mixed properties that are considered of outstanding universal value