Some 500 delegates, representing governments, IGOs, NGOs, research institutions and the media, met in Venice, Italy from 14-16 November 2002 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the UNESCO Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage.

The Convention, adopted on 16 November 1972, is aimed at preserving threatened international cultural and natural sites, and through its World Heritage List, protects 730 sites across five continents. Under the theme of “Shared Legacy, Common Responsibility,” participants met in five sessions to assess the past three decades of the Convention’s implementation, as well as explore new paths for increasing its scope, and associating NGOs, civil society and the private sector in the sustainable conservation of cultural properties. For more information visit: http://whc.unesco.org/venice2002/