New wonders? Contd….

The Taj and the Angkor Wat: Access to modern technology played a role in the campaign.
Given the familiarity of the newly elected seven world wonders, the claim that this campaign would significantly add to the inflow of tourists to these monuments remains doubtful.

World Heritage Sites and not World Wonders
UNESCO turned down several invitations extended by the new seven wonder foundation to join the campaign. It dismissed the exercise as a mediatised campaign and dismissed any comparison with its own world heritage list. To them, a mere acknowledgement of the sentimental value and inscribing the sites on a new list is not enough. UNESCO has distanced itself from such euphoria of list making. In contrast, promotes a sustained effort to conserve and manage world heritage sites. So far, it has declared 851 properties including 660 cultural, 166 natural and 25 mixed properties as world heritage sites.
In their view, the approach they adopt is sustainable since it compels the relevant authorities to commit to the upkeep of heritage sites.
They think their project also has a clear educational role with respect to the value of the heritage sites, the threats they face and their protection.
For the list of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites, see http://whc.unesco.org/en/list
The World Heritage Convention
The idea to have a common convention and list concerning the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage was adopted by UNESCO in 1972. The first list of World Heritage Sites was published in 1978 and continues since then.
The countries that are signatories to the world heritage convention can access the world heritage fund. Every year about US$4 million assistance is available for these counties to promote and preserve their heritage. So far about 184 countries have ratified the world heritage convention.
Article 6 of the world heritage convention makes it clear on the member countries that they will not deliberately damage directly or indirectly the cultural and natural heritage of other member countries. This, it is hoped, will protect world heritage sites from the devastation of war
The world heritage convention reiterates that the protection of the cultural and natural heritage should be dovetailed into regional planning programmes. Whether this happened remains doubtful? The conservation of Taj Mahal and lack of development within the Agra city is a case in point.
There is also increasing concern as to whether the world heritage list itself is a balanced one or does it reflect only a particular understanding of what constitutes heritage.