Technical notes (a) Derivation of terms

Criterion

The singular for criteria.

see Criteria

Cultural heritage


Cultural heritage is defined in Article 1 of the
Convention as shown below:


Article 1
For the purpose of this Convention, the following
shall be considered as "cultural heritage":
monuments: architectural works, works of monumental
sculpture and painting, elements or structures of
an archaeological nature, inscriptions, cave
dwellings and combinations of features, which are
of outstanding universal value from the point of
view of history, art or science;
groups of buildings: groups of separate or
connected buildings which, because of their
architecture, their homogeneity or their place in
the landscape, are of outstanding universal value
from the point of view of history, art or science;
sites: works of man or the combined works of nature
and man, and areas including archaeological sites
which are of outstanding universal value from the
historical, aesthetic, ethnological or
anthropological point of view (UNESCO 1972).
Cultural heritage criteria

A cultural property may be inscribed in the

World Heritage List if it meets one or more of the
cultural heritage criteria, the test of
authenticity and requirements concerning protection
and management mechanisms presented in Paragraph 24 of
the Operational Guidelines (UNESCO February 1996: 7-
8).
see Criteria, Natural heritage criteria,
Protection and management mechanisms, Test of
authenticity, Integrity
Cultural landscapes

At its sixteenth session in December 1992 the World

Heritage Committee adopted three main categories of
cultural landscapes (UNESCO 14 December 1992: 54-55)
and included guidelines concerning their inclusion in the
World Heritage List in the Operational
Guidelines (UNESCO February 1996: 10-12, Paragraphs 35 to
42).
Paragraphs 36 to 38 of the Operational Guidelines
provide some definition of cultural landscapes.
36. Cultural landscapes represent the "combined
works of nature and of man" designated in Article 1 of
the Convention. They are illustrative of the evolution
of human society and settlement over time, under the
influence of the physical constraints and/or
opportunities presented by their natural environment and
of successive social, economic and cultural forces, both
external and internal. They should be selected on the
basis both of their outstanding universal value and of
their representativity in terms of a clearly defined
geo-cultural region and also for their capacity to
illustrate the essential and distinct cultural elements
of such regions.