of Sub-Saharan Africa: 7-10. (ICCROM Conservation Studies 8). Rome: ICCROM. POSEY, D.A. 1999. Culture and nature – the inextricable link. Cultural and spiritual values of biodiversity: a complimentary contribution to the global biodiver- sity assessment. Nairobi: UNEP. UNESCO World Heritage Convention 1972. n.d. Avail- able at: http://whc.unesco.org/en/convention/. What Is Intangible Cultural Heritage? n.d. Available at: http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/index.php?lg¼en&pg ¼00002 (accessed 15 November 2012). UNESCO’s World Heritage List Process Melissa F. Baird Department of Anthropology, Stanford Archaeology Center, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA Introduction A number of international charters and conven- tions have been influential in shaping heritage legislation and policy. The leader in these is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cul- tural Organization, known as UNESCO, whose members work to protect and conserve cultural and natural heritage. This entry provides a brief historical background to the creation of the World Heritage list, discusses the nomination process for cultural heritage properties on the List, and describes the roles of the World Heritage Committee, the World Heritage Centre and the functions of the two of the three advisory bodies, the International Council on Monuments and sites (ICOMOS) and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), that are mandated through the Convention to provide evaluations to the World Heritage Committee. The International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restora- tion of Cultural Property (ICCROM), which advises the Committee on the conservation of cultural sites, is not discussed. Key Issues/Current Debates/Future Directions/Examples Background International awareness about conservation issues can be traced to the Athens Charter for the Restoration of Historic Monuments, more commonly known as the Athens Charter. In 1931, the First International Congress of Archi- tects and Technicians of Historic Monuments, under the patronage of the League of Nations, adopted the Athens Charter to provide measures to protect monuments, establish international organizational and advisory bodies, and develop legislation to protect historic sites. Although the Athens Charter would be revised, its influence continues by providing a model that shapes con- servation and preservation policies in Western countries (Smith 2006). The period after World War II was character- ized by large-scale restorations of war-damaged cities and monuments and a concern for the pro- tection of cultural property. These concerns were central to the Hague Convention of 1954, which resulted in the Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict in 1956. The preamble to the Hague Convention recognized that “cultural property has suffered grave damage during recent armed conflicts and that, by reason of the developments in the tech- nique of warfare, it is in increasing danger of destruction” and required that State Parties work to reduce impacts of armed conflict on cultural heritage properties and prohibit vandalism, mis- appropriation, or theft (Article 4). In 1964, the Second International Congress of Architects and Technicians of Historic Monu- ments met in Venice to rework the Athens Charter. The Congress, made up largely of European representatives, developed guidelines and policies to assist professionals in heritage conservation to “safeguard [monuments] for future generations” (Preamble). The central aim of what would be known as the Venice Charter was to conserve and restore these monuments “no less as works of art than as historical evidence” (Article 3). The Charter reflected the UNESCO’s World Heritage List Process 7445 U U