A Brief Review of the Relationship Between the Organization of World Heritage Cities (OWHC) and UNESCO and the Immediate Benefits of Membership in the OWHC

In 1972, UNESCO adopted the “Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage”, which provided for the inscription of natural or cultural sites on a “World Heritage List.” Numerous such sites have been inscribed on the list in succeeding decades, including a relatively modest number of sites in the United States. The sites in the U.S. have tended to be in the category of natural sites. One significant exception is Independence Hall.

Independence Hall was inscribed in 1979 as a cultural site.