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39th session of the World Heritage Committee, Bonn Germany, © UNESCO.
The World Heritage Committee, which first convened in 1977 in Paris, France, meets once a year and is responsible for the implementation of the World Heritage Convention. It manages the use of the World Heritage Fund, allocates financial assistance, and determines which properties are inscribed on the World Heritage List and the List of World Heritage in Danger. The Committee also ensures that properties are properly taken care of by examining conservation reports by State Parties, which disclose any concerns or issues related to the conservation of each property as well as the actions taken by the responsible State Party to address them. The Operational Guidelines stipulates the responsibility of State Parties to follow a list of recommendations for the care of World Heritage Sites and to regularly report on the state of conservation of these sites.
The World Heritage Committee consists of representatives from 21 State Parties who are elected by the General Assembly, which meets every two years. Although the term limit for a Committee member is six years, most countries choose to be on the Committee for only four years. The Bureau of the World Heritage Committee, which consists of seven State Parties elected by the Committee every year, is responsible for coordinating the Committee’s work.
The World Heritage Centre, established in 1992, is part of the UNESCO Secretariat and manages all day-to-day matters related to World Heritage within UNESCO. The Centre organizes World Heritage Committee sessions, advises State Parties on their site nominations, organizes international assistance and emergency action, coordinates reports on the condition of sites, and provides education on World Heritage by offering workshops, seminars, teaching materials, and public updates on World Heritage issues.