Convention Concerning the Protection of World
Cultural and Natural Heritage

• It was adopted by the General Conference of UNESCO in 1972.
• Objective: 
  • It is based on the premise that certain places on Earth are of outstanding universal value and should, therefore, form part of the common heritage of mankind, and therefore should be conserved. 
  • The countries that ratify the Convention (States Parties) have to become part of an international community, united in a common mission to identify and safeguard our world’s most outstanding natural and cultural heritage.
• While fully respecting the national sovereignty, and without prejudice to property rights provided by national legislation, the States Parties recognize that the protection of the World Heritage is the duty of the international community as a whole.
• According to the sites ranked by country, Italy is home to the greatest number of World Heritage Sites with 51 sites, followed by China (48), Spain (44), France (41), Germany (40), Mexico (33), and India (32).