Article 14, The secretariat and support of the World Heritage Committee

Abstract

If the rationale for the protection of World Heritage and the philosophical outlook of the Convention were revolutionary, Part III including Article 14 embodies the related ground-breaking aspect the mechanisms to implement its goals. The roles devolving to and evolving for the Secretariat of the World Heritage Committee and the Advisory Bodies are unique and extensive. So extensive and ill-defined in fact that it has led to tensions and recent efforts to more clearly articulate the competences of the Secretariat, the World Heritage Committee, the General Assembly of States Parties to the Convention, and the various organs of UNESCO. The composition, role and interplay of the Secretariat with the other institutional components of the World Heritage framework are the subject of this chapter. The first part examines the historical development of the Secretariat and defines its relationship to other conventional organs and the broader UNESCO institutional framework; and details its current role. The second part examines how this role is complemented over time by the work of the of the Advisory Bodies; then there is a brief backgrounder to each of the Advisory Bodies; and their roles as they are currently defined in respect of the Secretariat s activities is outlined.