From local to World Heritage: a comparative analysis

This paper aims to assess the implementation of the 1972 Convention in 10 countries (Australia, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States) which were part of a research network funded by the UK's Arts and Humanities Research Council in 2012-15 by examining the selection process of cultural properties at the national level through a survey. The survey consisted of a questionnaire that aimed to identify national practices regarding the identification and nomination of sites for submission on the state's Tentative List and then onto the World Heritage List. It highlighted that despite the efforts of the World Heritage Committee to unify the submission process through long and detailed Operational Guidelines, there are important differences at a national level that lead to the List's lack of representativity and an heterogeneous implementation of the Convention.