A “heritage” refers to an invaluable asset that has been passed down to us from our predecessors, exists in the present, and must be handed down to our descendants. A heritage’s value affects humankind wherever in the world it is located.

In 1972, UNESCO adopted the “Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage” to discover, protect, and preserve cultural and natural heritages that hold such universal and outstanding value.

The World Heritage Committee is a decision-making body that was created to pursue the goals of the convention. The committee is made up of 21 member nations and meets once every year. One topic that is discussed at length at every committee meeting is the protection of world heritage sites, which also involves the recognition of new world heritages sites.

up of heritages that are recognized for their “outstanding universal value” according to the World Heritage Convention and decided by the World Heritage Committee. It can be defined as: a heritage that must not be preserved and passed down by one country but collectively protected and handed down to future generations by all peoples in all nations; a heritage that must be shared with future generations; and a heritage of very high global value that is sustainable and connects the past, present, and future.