Context

• Prime Minister inaugurated the 46th Session of the World Heritage Committee at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. 

About 46th World Heritage Committee 

• India is hosting the World Heritage Committee Meeting for the first time.
• The World Heritage Committee meets once a year and is responsible for managing all matters pertaining to World Heritage and deciding on sites to be inscribed on the World Heritage list.
• During this meeting, proposals for nominating new sites on the World Heritage list, State of Conservation reports of 124 existing World Heritage properties, International Assistance and Utilisation of World Heritage Funds, etc., will be discussed.
• Meeting will be attended by more than 2000 international and national delegates from more than 150 countries.
• The 46th session of the World Heritage Committee in 2024 will examine 27 nominations from around the world, including 19 Cultural, 4 Natural, 2 Mixed sites and 2 Significant modifications to the boundaries.
  • Out of which, India’s Moidams – The Mound – Burial System of the Ahom Dynasty is set to be examined under the category of Cultural Property.
• Highlighting the logo of the 46^th World Heritage Committee meeting, the Culture Minister said that it is inspired by the World Heritage Site of Hampi.
• The stone chariot from the Vijaya Vitthala Temple is a testament to India’s architectural grandeur and sculptural prowess.
• The tagline of the logo is सह नौ यशः which means in English as ‘May our Glory Grow’.
• “The tagline has been derived from the ancient Sanskrit scripture ‘Taitiriya Upanishad’ (1.3.1) which is the testament to our ancestor’s wish of growth to one and all.
• The motto ‘May our Glory grow’ beautifully reflects India’s aspirations and genuine efforts in growing the ambit and scope of the World Heritage Convention even further by hosting this year’s Committee Meeting,” 

Back to Basics

• India was elected to the 21-member World Heritage Committee (WHC) in the 23rd General Assembly in 2021 for a period of four years (2021-2025). This is India’s fourth term on the World Heritage Committee.
• India was the WH Committee member earlier for three terms: 1985-1991, 2001-2007 and 2011-2015
• India has inscribed 42 Properties in the World Heritage List which include 34 Cultural, 7 Natural, 1 Mixed Heritage Sites
• 12 Sites have been added in the last 10 years that includes last year’s inscriptions of the Santiniketan (West Bengal) and Sacred ensembles of the Hoysalas (Karnataka) during the Extended 45^th Session of the World Heritage Committee which was held in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) 
• India is the 6^th country on the list and 2^nd in the Asia Pacific Region based on the numbers of the World Heritage List.
• In addition, India has 57 Sites on the Tentative List of the World Heritage.

World Heritage Convention

• The World Heritage Convention of 1972 sets out the duties of States Parties in identifying potential Cultural / Natural sites for inscription on the World Heritage List. 195 Countries (member states) have ratified the Convention as of date.
• India ratified the Convention in November 1977.
• As of date, 1199 Properties are inscribed by 168 State Parties in the World Heritage List.
• All matters related to World Heritage Conventions are taken during the Session of the World Heritage Committee.
• The World Heritage Committee comprises representatives from 21 States Parties to the World Heritage Convention (1972) elected by the General Assembly of UNESCO.

Criteria for World Heritage Sites

• To be included on the World Heritage List, sites must be of outstanding universal value and meet at least one out of ten selection criteria. The criteria are regularly revised by the Committee to reflect the evolution of the World Heritage concept itself. Until the end of 2004, World Heritage sites were selected on the basis of six cultural and four natural criteria. With the adoption of the revised Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention, only one set of ten criteria exists. The ten selection criteria are listed as follows:

1. To represent a masterpiece of human creative genius;

2. To exhibit an important interchange of human values, over a span of time or within a cultural area of the world, on developments in architecture or technology, monumental arts, town-planning or landscape design;
3. To bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared;
4. To be an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates (a) significant stage(s) in human history;
5. To be an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement, land-use, or sea-use which is representative of a culture (or cultures), or human interaction with the environment especially when it has become vulnerable under the impact of irreversible change;
6. To be directly or tangibly associated with events or living traditions, with ideas, or with beliefs, with artistic and literary works of outstanding universal significance. (The Committee considers that this criterion should preferably be used in conjunction with other criteria);
7. To contain superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance;
8. To be outstanding examples representing major stages of earth’s history, including the record of life, significant on-going geological processes in the development of landforms, or significant geomorphic or physiographic features;
9. To be outstanding examples representing significant on-going ecological and biological processes in the evolution and development of terrestrial, fresh water, coastal and marine ecosystems and communities of plants and animals;
10. To contain the most important and significant natural habitats for in-situ conservation of biological diversity, including those containing threatened species of outstanding universal value from the point of view of science or conservation.

Source:

https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=2034457

https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2031268

https://pib.gov.in/PressNoteDetails.aspx?NoteId=151939&ModuleId=3

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