Culture is the cornerstone of the development of any society because it provides the necessary energy and vigor to listen to the past, shape the present and be inspired by new horizons in contact with its own history as well as the history of the world. Inscribed in this conceptual framework is the 1972 Convention, an excellent expression of public international law, the most popular in UNESCO and throughout the United Nations system, judging by the impressive number of contracting states (194).

The protection is requested of the symbolic evidence of cultural and natural heritage which, by virtue of their exceptional universal value, constitutes a world heritage that belongs to and is therefore under the protection of all mankind. In other words, looking for cultural or natural attractions, the soul of each place/landscape (genius loci) over time and their “union” with counterparts at the national, regional and international levels through the strengthening of international cooperation and solidarity, as well as an intercultural (epi) society .

The ultimate goal is to save these blessings from oblivion, from unsustainable development, from urbanization, from wild globalized tourism, and from deliberate wars and accompanying disasters, and from climate change, so that they can be bequeathed intact to next generations.

The number of goods currently stands at 1,154, of which 43 are cross-border and come from 167 Member States. Among them are 18 Greek monuments and places. Zagori is a candidate for inclusion as the first “cultural landscape” where man meets nature, and Olympus as a “mixed good”, cultural and natural, thanks to its rich mythology and biodiversity.

Despite its generally recognized success, the Convention faces new and many challenges, mostly scientific, policy and environment/development.

Among the scholarly questions raised when reading the World Heritage List 50 years after its inception, it is necessary to consider: a modern view of the concept of heritage and the means of its protection, guarantees of the basic concept of “universal outstanding value”, as well as two key terms of the Convention: “authenticity” for cultural heritage and “integrity” for natural heritage, lack of geographical balance (more than 50% European and only 12% African monuments/sites). ), a new integration of natural and cultural heritage with the wider surrounding area and local society, a better representation of the diversity and timelessness of monuments (most of them are places of worship, palaces or historical centers and walled cities, with less recent evidence), with documented and, where possible, a cross-cultural “resume”, safe physical and digital accessibility to expand and democratize the cultural life of all.

The main political stake is the refusal of many countries to cooperate in the name of “national sovereignty and non-interference in their internal affairs.” This perversion of the Convention turns it into a “syndicate of joint owners” who protect their national treasures and seek new “titles of nobility” based on the number of monuments in the relevant List, rather than creating a community that seeks to preserve valuable goods, any loss of which would also mean the loss of feelings of identity, collective memory and mutual understanding within and between societies.

Mention should also be made here of the deliberate destruction of Heritage, bacteria and evidence of the identity of peoples, which is a perversion of the role of the Convention. History is full of examples: the destruction of the Mostar bridge in neighboring Bosnia-Herzegovina, the destruction of two world-famous Buddha statues in the Bamiyan Valley, the destruction of Palmyra, the destruction of part of the cultural heritage of Tibet, unfortunately, the list can be continued.

Environment/development issues are among the most pressing. They are perceived not just from an economic point of view, but also from the point of view of the need to achieve more satisfactory intellectual, emotional, moral and spiritual satisfaction. A special place is occupied by sustainable tourism, especially cultural tourism, which resists excessive tourism and its environmental impact on monuments and places of cultural and natural heritage, as well as climate change, the consequences of which are detrimental both in terms of its universal value, as well as its integrity and authenticity. The predicted disappearance of World Heritage Site Delos in 2050 (!) due to rising sea levels is one of the most plausible examples of legitimate concern.

The goal is for the now mature Convention to help the visitor develop an experiential relationship with the diversity of World Heritage, cultural and natural, tangible and intangible, which will promote familiarity/friendship with the new monument/site/landscape as a valuable individual or collective value. experience and experience, a kind of unio mystico, so that both his knowledge grows and his emotions deepen in the discovery of the cultural kinship of mankind. At the same time, his awareness will be cultivated around the vulnerability of cultural and natural evidence, the universally valuable record of sustainability, which means the survival of mankind as a natural, but mainly as a cultural ecosystem.

*Catherine Stenou is the former director of UNESCO’s Department of Cultural Policy and Intercultural Dialogue in Paris.