Timeline of the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage

One of the most important international tools for conserving, identifying, and managing humanity's shared heritage is the World Heritage Convention of 1972. This convention is the outcome of years of international efforts to safeguard humanity's shared heritage. Several factors have influenced the processes of the convention over time. These factors aid in understanding the primary purpose of the convention and, eventually, the proper direction for its policies. The present paper presents a descriptive-historical study of the events surrounding the development of the World Heritage Convention through three periods (early twentieth century until World War I, World War I to World War II, and post-World War II until the adoption of the World Heritage Convention in 1972) to identify and explain the factors that influenced it. The findings reveal that conserving humanity's shared heritage has been the basis of all efforts since the convention's adoption. Identification of heritage properties has been at the center of these efforts and has followed three factors: threats, heritage definition, and the link between cultural and natural heritage. According to historical studies, the conservation of this shared heritage is based on three components: each country’s internal conservation structures (including laws and institutions), international conservation bodies, and international financial assistance.