UNESCO World Heritage Sites

6/1/25

Overview

Established in 1945, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is a specialized agency within the UN with a mission of promoting peace through education. As part of that mission, UNESCO oversees the selection and legal protection of World Heritage Sites, locales judged to “be of outstanding value to humanity”. Join Active Minds as we trace the origin and extension of World Heritage Sites and take a tour of a few highlights.

Key Lecture Points

  • In 1945, in keeping with a mandate in the UN Charter, nations emerging out of the devastation of WWII convened in London to create an organization that would encourage world peace via the “intellectual and moral solidarity of mankind”.  The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) was born out of that vision.  As of 2025, there are 194 member states in UNESCO.
  • As a part of its mission, in 1978 UNESCO began publishing a list of what it calls World Heritage sites consisting of locations that UNESCO declares to be “of outstanding value to humanity”.  Since beginning with 12 Sites, UNESCO has added locations on a yearly basis.  As of 2025, there are 1,233 sites located in 168 countries, truly a global measure of natural and human history.
  • The World Heritage Sites include locations exhibiting tremendous natural beauty, from the Grand Canyon in the United States to the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador.  They also include locations recognized for their reflection of human history and cultural heritage, from Independence Hall in Philadelphia where the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution were signed to Hadrian’s Wall in Britain delineating the northern reach of the Roman Empire.
  • UNESCO and its World Heritage Site Compilation is not without its controversies.  At times, the list has been criticized for leaning too heavily in the direction of Western nations and their histories.  Additionally, UNESCO has been a focal point of the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, particularly after Palestine was voted in as a member in 2011.

Discussion Questions

  • How many UNESCO World Heritage sites have you visited? Were you there before or after these places were inscribed on UNESCO’s list?
  • What do you think are the main advantages and disadvantages of a particular site being nominated and selected? Why do you think a particular site would be nominated but not selected?
  • Why do you think an international organization like UNESCO would choose to be involved in an undertaking such as making decisions about the ‘value’ of a particular country’s sites?

More to Explore

Books for Further Reading

  • UNESCO. World Heritage Sites: A Complete Guide. Firefly Books, 2024. 928 pages. UNESCO’s own guide, updated annually to incorporate Sites added (or removed).  It contains brief descriptions of the Sites and the reasoning for their inclusion.