ABSTRACT
The birth of the World Heritage idea was part of the international community’s response to the growing tendencies of modernization, globalization and “ heritagization” during the 1960s.5 The signing of the World Heritage Convention was a result of a long period of earlier international cooperation, as illustrated by Sarah Tichen,6 Christina Cameron and Mechtild Rössler7 in their thorough stepby-step accounts of the preparation phase. In its concern for the common heritage of humankind, post-Second World War UNESCO had a direct predecessor in the post-First World War League of Nations, which, in the interwar years, had promoted the concept of a common cultural heritage as part of its effort to advance international interests over nationalistic ones.8 The concept of a common heritage, however, dates further back: Hugo Grotius (1583-1645), a statesman, jurist and scholar of Dutch origin, applied this notion to the world’s seas. During the
Table 2.1 The World Heritage site inscription process
1 Tentative lists States compile tentative lists of cultural and natural sites which they consider to be of outstanding universal value and which they are planning to nominate to the World Heritage List during coming years. Tentative lists should be updated regularly, at least every ten years. The present Operational guidelines encourage tentative lists to be prepared in consultation with broader (local, regional, NGO) interests. A site not included in the tentative lists is not considered for inscription by the World Heritage Committee.
