Dangers of the World Heritage List

The United Nations (UNESCO) has authorized the compilation of a list of natural and cultural sites that are considered to be of world importance as part of our heritage. Member-states of the UN are to submit lists of sites that they would like added to the World Heritage List. A UN committee, called the World Heritage Committee, decides which sites will be added to the List. Sites added to the list can be advertised as World Heritage sites. In addition, member-states can request technical and financial assistance in the preservation of the sites. Sites in danger of losing the qualities that caused them to be added to the List can be placed on the World Heritage in Danger list. Sites placed on the Danger list may receive special technical and financial assistance to help restore the sites.

At the present time, the World Heritage List is a voluntary program. Member states must submit sites to the World Heritage Committee. The UNESCO document is careful to define participation by member-states as voluntary. For example, the document contains the following:

" The States Parties are invited to submit to the World Heritage Committee through the World Heritage Centre, every five years, a scientific report on the state of conservation of the World Heritage sites on their territories."

In my view, the dangers in the World Heritage List are the following.

  • The UN is active in defining what cultural and historical sites have importance.

  • The UN is active in providing technical and financial assistance in the maintaining of "important" sites.

  • Even though the program at present seems to be voluntary, member-states of the UN could become dependent on assistance from the UN. When that happens, the UN could begin placing conditions on its assistance, such that the UN would begin to control maintenance of the sites, access to the sites, and development of the sites.

I believe there is danger in forming partnerships with the UN, especially partnerships that infringe on the territorial integrity of the countries.

/Allen Leigh
1997