Importance Of World Heritage

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According to the dictionary: "Cultural heritage is the legacy of physical science artifacts and intangible attributes of a group or society that are inherited from past generations, maintained in the present and bestowed for the benefit of future generations." Because of its fragility cultural heritage must be constantly preserved and valorised, UNESCO, the United Nation Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, was created in 1972 for this very reason, it included the preservation of cultural and natural site, in 1991 intangible heritage made it to the list, as well. UNESCO 's world heritage list has been widely acclaimed, and even described as the "equivalent of a Michelin Guide 5-star rating". However, we must ask ourselves, is it really so? Or do UNESCO and the World Heritage List have negative aspects as well? Firstly, we must investigate what is the role UNESCO, the organisation is meant to aid the preservation and valorisation of cultural heritage in the world. The most famous of its initiatives is the creation of the World Heritage List, if a site is inscribed on this list it receives funds and suppositedly, postive attention that attracts tourists, media, firms and private donors. The main actors behind this are the stakeholders, the decision makers that decide which place will be listed, the geenral public. However, we must not forget another crucial actor, the local communities, which will be unavoidably included in this process. However, it must be noted

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