World Heritage Committee

The World Heritage Committee was created in 1976 and is made up of representatives of 21 countries which have signed up to the 1972 World Heritage Convention. These countries are elected on six-year terms by the General Assembly (made up of all 191 countries who have signed up to the Convention).

The Committee's four main duties are:

• To select new sites for the World Heritage List from those nominated by each country;
• To monitor the state of conservation of sites on the List;
• To decide in cases of urgent need which sites on the List should be placed on the List of World Heritage Sites in danger; and,
• To distribute money from the World Heritage Fund for the protection of sites on the World Heritage List.

The Committee meets once a year to discuss all matters relating to the implementation of the Convention and in particular those matters relating to the four main duties given above.