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A Process Underway for Developing an Updated Tentative List of US Sites for Inscription in the World Heritage List Report on the
Experts Briefing and Seminar Co-Sponsored by US/ICOMOS and IUCN/US
John Waugh, IUCN US Program
Coordinator,
jwaugh@iucnus.org
The National Park Service, Office of International Affairs, and World Heritage representatives have announced a process for creating a new US World Heritage Tentative List. The last list, developed in 1982, is outdated and all countries hare requested to update their lists on a ten-year horizon with a balance of cultural and natural properties. IUCN USA, working with US/ICOMOS, is reaching out to public and private stakeholders to inform them of the opportunity to contribute to this process. Mr. Paul Hoffman, the head of the US delegation to the World Heritage Committee, told the audience at a seminar organized by IUCN/US and US/ICOMOS, that the time was right for the US to prepare to add sites. “The US has a lot to offer the World Heritage Convention,” noted Hoffman, “and we are taking our commitment to the Convention seriously” including in participation on the World Heritage Committee. The United States has announced a process and schedule for nominations to a US Tentative List, which will serve as a basis for the new list. This Tentative List is intended to meet the World Heritage Centre guidance of a ten-year list with up to 20 properties for potential listing in an even mix of cultural and natural sites. US rules and regulations for the listing of World Heritage Sites are complex, requiring the full consent of private landowners within site boundaries. These issues and others were raised at a seminar held on September 12, 2006 in Washington DC and hosted by IUCN member The National Geographic Society. Participants called upon IUCN and ICOMOS to continue their collaboration to improve the information available to stakeholders on procedures and to facilitate further dialogue on the process. The meeting identified the need for longer-term cooperation to consider how to move forward with the foundational work, theme and context studies, for potential US World Heritage properties that are not among those candidates for the current tentative list effort but could be brought forward for future tentative lists. IUCN/US program coordinator, John Waugh, organized a web page with background material and tentative list resources where you can browse and download information on topics that interest you. The page also contains links to sites including the UNESCO World Heritage Center, US/ICOMOS and IUCN’s page on the World Heritage Convention: http://www.iucn.org/places/usa/webdocs2006/programs/programsWH.htm The George Wright Society has also organized a World Heritage Tentative List web page with background information: http://www.georgewright.org/tentativelist.html For more
information on the World Heritage listing process in the United States
and A copy of the
application can also be obtained by writing: |
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