UNESCO and World Heritage 4th of October 2016

UNESCO= United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization A United Nations Conference was held in London in 1945, which gathered 44 countries for the purpose of establishing a United Nations Educational and Cultural Organization. UNESCO’s constitution was signed in London on the 16th of November 1945 by 37 countries www.unesco.org.uk

”Building peace in the minds of men and women” (UNESCO 2011) The aim was to promote peace through culture, education and science and thus “building peace in the minds of men”. Foto: Marit Johansson

Foto: Marit Johansson

World Heritage – UNESCO’s flagship

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/898

The World Heritage Convention On the 16th of November 1972, the Convention of the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage was adopted by UNESCO’s General Conference in Paris

UNESCO’s international safeguarding campaign to rescue 3,000-year-old Egyptian monuments after the building of the Aswan High Dam in Egypt in 1959.

CONVENTION CONCERNING THE PROTECTION OF THE WORLD CULTURAL AND NATURAL HERITAGE Noting that the cultural heritage and the natural heritage are increasingly threatened with destruction not only by the traditional causes of decay, but also by changing social and economic conditions (…) Considering that protection of this heritage at the national level often remains incomplete because of the scale of the resources (…) (WHC, 1972: 1)

“…that parts of the cultural or natural heritage are of outstanding interest and therefore need to be preserved as part of the world heritage of mankind as a whole” (WHC, 1972:1)

“Outstanding Universal Value” (OUV) one of the main concepts of the Convention significant criterion when selecting nominated sites for the World Heritage List http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/898

“It has been argued that the concept of “universality” in relation to the cultural heritage is paradoxical, and logically applicable only to the earliest phases of human cultural evolution, and perhaps also to the global culture of the late twentieth century. Cultural evolution is by nature one of diversification.” (Cleere, 2001:24)

The World Heritage List One of the most famous aspects of the World Convention is its founding of the World Heritage List The first sites were enlisted at the first World Heritage Committee meeting in 1978 http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/

The World Heritage Committee 21 representatives from Member States, having ratified the Convention Annual meetings Decides which sites to include to the World Heritage List Decides which sites to include to the List of World Heritage in Danger http://whc.unesco.org/en/danger/ Makes decisions in terms of delisting sites from the World Heritage List http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/

(i) represent a masterpiece of human creative genius; (ii) exhibit an important interchange of human values, over a span of time or within a cultural area of the world, on developments in architecture or technology, monumental arts, town-planning or landscape design; (iii) bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared; (iv) be an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates (a) significant stage(s) in human history; (v) be an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement, land-use, or sea-use which is representative of a culture (or cultures), or human interaction with the environment especially when it has become vulnerable under the impact of irreversible change; (vi) be directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions, with ideas, or with beliefs, with artistic and literary works of outstanding universal significance. (The Committee considers that this criterion should preferably be used in conjunction with other criteria); (vii) contain superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance; (viii) be outstanding examples representing major stages of earth's history, including the record of life, significant on-going geological processes in the development of landforms, or significant geomorphic or physiographic features; (ix) be outstanding examples representing significant on-going ecological and biological processes in the evolution and development of terrestrial, fresh water, coastal and marine ecosystems and communities of plants and animals; (x) contain the most important and significant natural habitats for in-situ conservation of biological diversity, including those containing threatened species of Outstanding Universal Value from the point of view of science or conservation.

The World Heritage Committee 21 representatives from Member States, having ratified the Convention Annual meetings Decides which sites to include to the World Heritage List Decides which sites to include to the List of World Heritage in Danger http://whc.unesco.org/en/danger/ Makes decisions in terms of delisting sites from the World Heritage List http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/

The long way to the World Heritage List

Eurocentrisme – a challenge for The World Heritage List Overrepresentation of European Sites on the World Heritage List The World Heritage Convention is based on Western ideals and the way the Western World classifies Heritage http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/ http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/stat

Workshop on UNESCO and World Heritage Question 1: What is your opinion about the Eurocentrism in terms of the World Heritage List? How can there be a more balanced World Heritage List? Question 2: Discuss the concept of universal heritage – what are your views and opinons about the idea?