world heritage

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is responsible for the UK’s general compliance with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation’s (UNESCO) World Heritage Convention and for nominating sites.

The devolved administrations in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are responsible for choosing sites to forward as nominations to DCMS. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is responsible for forwarding nominations in the UK’s territories and the Ministry of Justice for Crown Dependencies.

The World Heritage Convention

The 1972 UNESCO World Heritage Convention was ratified by the UK in 1984. The Convention provides for the identification, protection, conservation and presentationof cultural and natural sites of “outstanding universal value”.

The Convention is administered by a committee of 21 state party members, elected for a four year term. Among the Committee’s responsibilities is the decision on inscribing state party nominations to the World Heritage List. As of August 2010, 911 properties have been accorded World Heritage status.

UK World Heritage Sites

The UK currently has 28 World Heritage Sites (WHSs) including Stonehenge.

Current and Future Nominations

The Government nominated the Twin Monastery of Wearmouth and Jarrow in January 2011 for consideration by the World Heritage Committee in summer 2012.

The Nomination Process

Individual national governments are responsible for nominating sites in their country from a Tentative List of Future Nominations.

After a nomination is presented there is an 18 month period of evaluation by one of UNESCO’s expert advisers - The International Union for Conservation of Nature for natural nominations and the International Council on Monuments and Sites for cultural ones - before a final decision is made by the World Heritage Committee at its annual meeting.

Tentative List Review

Following a public consultation, World Heritage for the Nation: Identifying, Protecting and Promoting Our World Heritage, the UK’s Tentative List was reviewed. Applications were assessed by an independent Expert Panel and Ministers announced the new Tentative List in March 2011. The Expert Panel’s Report can be found on this site. We intend to submit the new Tentative List formally to UNESCO shortly.

The application forms for the new 2010 tentative list of sites for UK World Heritage status have been published.

Funding

WHS status in the UK does not bring any financial awards from the Government or UNESCO, although it can attract indirect funding from other sources such as The Lottery and the private sector. The UK contributes around £130,000 to the Committee’s World Heritage Fund every year. However only developing countries can apply to the World Heritage Fund for assistance.