The World Heritage Convention at 40: challenges for the work of ICOMOS

The marking of the 40th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention in 2012 focused debate about its merits, achievements and impacts. It is commonly said that the World Heritage Convention is UNESCO’s ‘flagship program’ and its ‘most successful’ convention. As an Advisory Body to the Convention, World Heritage is a prominent part of the identity, mission and activities of ICOMOS worldwide. This paper describes a number of pressing issues concerning the implementation of the World Heritage Convention, and some of the implications of these for ICOMOS in its role as an Advisory Body, and for its global membership.