Operational Guidelines

The Operational Guidelines set out the details of how the World Heritage Convention should be implemented. They are prepared by the World Heritage Committee and have been updated several times since they were first written in 1977. An updated version of the Guidelines was published in 2017.

The Operational Guidelines set out the criteria for:

• Inscription of sites onto the List of World Heritage Sites;
• Principles for monitoring and reporting on sites;
• Criteria and procedures for the List of World Heritage in Danger;
• Procedures for international assistance to sites in need;
• Procedures for accepting contributions to the World Heritage Fund;
• Balancing the World Heritage List; and,
• Procedural matters such as use of the World Heritage emblem and Committee arrangements.

The Operational Guidelines can be seen on the UNESCO website.