World Heritage Committee

• In a historic milestone, India is set to take the reins as the chair of UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee for the very first time.
• New Delhi will be the epicenter of global discussions on heritage preservation, as the prestigious World Heritage Committee’s 46^th session in July 2024.

ABOUT WORLD HERITAGE COMMITTEE

• The Committee is responsible for the implementation of the World Heritage Convention, defines the use of the World Heritage Fund and allocates financial assistance upon requests from States Parties.
• The World Heritage Committee plays a crucial role in evaluating potential new additions to the prestigious list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
• It also oversees the implementation of conservation measures for existing sites facing challenges.
• It has the final say on whether a property is inscribed on the World Heritage List.
• It also decides on the inscription or deletion of properties on the List of World Heritage in Danger.

ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

• The World Heritage Committee meets once a year.
• It consists of representatives from 21 of the States Parties to the Convention elected by their General Assembly.
• According to the World Heritage Convention, a Committee member’s term of office is for six years, but most States Parties choose voluntarily to be Members of the Committee for only four years, in order to give other States Parties an opportunity to be on the Committee.
• Bureau of the World Heritage Committee
  • The Bureau consists of seven States Parties elected annually by the Committee: a Chairperson, five Vice-Chairpersons, and a Rapporteur.