Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (1972)

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Adopted by the UNESCO General Conference at its 17th session in Paris on 16 November 1972 and in force from 17 December 1975. Its central move is jurisdictional rather than physical: it declares that parts of the cultural and natural heritage are 'of outstanding interest and therefore need to be preserved as part of the world heritage of mankind as a whole', while leaving sovereignty and primary duty of care with the State Party on whose territory the property sits. It creates the World Heritage List, the List of World Heritage in Danger, the World Heritage Committee and the World Heritage Fund, and names ICCROM, ICOMOS and IUCN as advisory bodies. As of 2024 it had 196 States Parties, making it one of the most widely ratified international instruments in existence.