Created in 1991 following the first meeting of World Heritage Cities which took place in Québec (Canada), the Organization of World Heritage Cities (OWHC) was officially founded on 8 September 1993 in Fez (Morocco). The Organization represents a collective intelligence on all issues related to the urban management of a World Heritage property and connects with more than 300 cities having on their territory a site inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. All of these cities have a total population of over 164 million people. They are represented in the Organization by their mayor, with the active participation of elected municipal officials and heritage managers.

Organization of World Heritage Cities (OWHC)

The OWHC’s headquarters are located in Québec City (Canada).

 

 

The main objectives of the Organization are:

 

  1. To favor the implementation of the World Heritage Convention;
  2. To encourage co-operation and the exchange of information and expertise on matters of conservation and management of urban heritage;
  3. To develop a sense of solidarity among its member cities

To this end, the OWHC organizes many meetings: World Congresses, conferences, seminars and workshops dealing with the challenges to be met in the realm of management and strategies pertaining to the preservation and enhancement of historic cities. Moreover, the OWHC offers to its member cities many programs and projects which aim to promote and support the maintenance, recognition and enhancement of their world heritage: Youth on the Trail of World Heritage, Jean-Paul-L’Allier Prize for Heritage, International Video Production Competition, Solidarity day of World Heritage Cities – September 8, Mayors & Heritage, Zoom on Urban Heritage, The OWHC Grants, Case Studies, etc.

 

The Mayors of World Heritage cities that have paid their annual membership fees make up the General Assembly, the Organization’s paramount authority. The General Assembly meets every two years.

 

The Board of Directors is made up of eight Mayors elected by the General Assembly. It meets at least once a year.

 

The General Secretariat is directed by the Secretary General, appointed by the General Assembly, who oversees the execution of mandates adopted by the members, the day-to-day administration of the Organization, personnel management and hiring.

 

Seven Regional Secretariats support the work of the General Secretariat:

 

  1. Regensburg (Germany) for Northwest Europe and North America
  2. Warsaw (Poland) for Central and Eastern Europe
  3. Córdoba (Spain) for Southern Europe and the Mediterranean
  4. Kazan (Russian Federation) for Euro-Asia
  5. Gyeongju (South Korea) for Asia-Pacific
  6. Morelia (Mexico) for Latin America

World Heritage Cities List

 
  1. Andong, Republic of Korea
  2. Boeun, Republic of Korea
  3. Denpasar, Indonesia
  4. Galle, Sri Lanka
  5. Buyeo County, Republic of Korea
  6. Gianyar, Indonesia
  7. Gochang County, Republic of Korea
  8. Gongju, Republic of Korea
  9. Gwangju, Republic of Korea
  10. Gyeongju, Republic of Korea
  11. Haenam, Republic of Korea
  12. Hapcheon County, Republic of Korea
  13. Hue, Vietnam
  14. Hwasun County, Republic of Korea
  15. Iksan, Republic of Korea
  16. Jongno-Gu, Republic of Korea
  17. Kandy, Sri Lanka
  18.  Luang Prabang, Laos
  19. Melaka, Malaysia
  20. Sawahlunto, Indonesia
  21. Surakarta, Indonesia
  22. Suwon, Republic of Korea
  23. Yangsan, Republic of Korea
  24. Yeongju, Republic of Korea
 
  1. Slovakia, Banska Stiavnica
  2. Budapest, Hungary
  3. Dubrovnik Croatia
  4. Icherisheher, Azerbaijan
  5. Kraków, Poland
  6. Kutná Hora, Czechia
  7. L’viv, Ukraine
  8. Nessebar, Bulgaria
  9. Ohrid, North Macedonia
  10. Rhodes, Greece
  11. Riga, Latvia
  12. Saint Petersburg, Russia
  13. Sighisoara, Romania
  14. Split, Croatia
  15. Tel-Aviv-Yafo, Israel
  16. Vienna, Austria
  17. Vilnius, Lithuania
  18. Warsaw, Poland
  19. Zamosc, Poland
 
  1. Denpasar, Indonesia
  2. Gianyar, Indonesia
  3. Kazan, Russia
  4. Novgorod, Russia
  5. Safranbolu, Turkey
  6. Turkistan, Kazakhstan
  7. Yaroslavl, Russia
  1. Campeche, Mexico
  2. Colombia, Cartagena
  3. Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay
  4. Cuenca, Ecuador
  5. Cuzco, Peru
  6. Guanajuato, Mexico
  7. Havana, Cuba
  8. Mexico City, Mexico
  9. Morelia, Mexico
  10. Oaxaca, Mexico
  11. Puebla, Mexico
  12. Querétaro, Mexico
  13. Quito, Ecuador
  14. San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
  15. San Pablo Villa de Mitla, Mexico
  16. Willemstad, Curaçao
  17. Xochimilco, Mexico
  18. Zacatecas, Mexico
 
  1. Amsterdam, Netherlands
  2. Augsburg, Germany
  3. Bamberg, Germany
  4. Berlin, Germany
  5. Bordeaux France
  6. Brussels, Belgium
  7. Cesky Krumlov, Cechia
  8. Fontainebleau, France
  9. Luxembourg, Luxembourg
  10. Naumburg, Germany
  11. Philadelphia, United States
  12. Quebec, Canada
  13. Quedlinburg, Germany
  14. Rauma, Finland
  15. Regensburg, Germany
  16. Riga, Latvia
  17. Salzburg, Austria
  18. San Antonio, United states
  19. Stralsund, Germany
  20. Vienna, Austria
  21. Vilnius, Lithunia
  22. Visby, Sweden
  23. Warsaw, Poland
  24. Wismar, Germany
 
  1. Angra do Heroismo, Portugal
  2. Aranjuez, Spain
  3. Baeza, Spain
  4. Bordeaux France
  5. Brugge, Belgium
  6. Brussels, Belgium
  7. Cidade Velha, Cape Verde
  8. Cordoba, Spain
  9. Cuenca, Spain
  10. Caceres, Spain
  11. Dubrovnik, Crostin
  12. Ejmiatsin, Armenia
  13. Elvas, Portugal
  14. Granada, Spain
  15. Guimaraes, Portugal
  16. Ibiza, Spain
  17. Icherisheher, Kotor
  18. Montenegro, Luxembourg
  19. Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina
  20. Nice, France
  21. Oporto, Portugal
  22. Oviedo, Spain
  23. Rhodes, Greece
  24. Santiago de Compostela, Spain
  25. Segovia, Spain
  26. Sintra, Split
  27. Strasbourg, France
  28. Tarragona, Spain
  29. Tunis, Tunisia
  30. Vienna, Austria
  31. Évora, Portugal
  32. Ubeda, Spain
 
  1. Alcalá de Henares, Spain
  2. Aleppo, Syria
  3. Algiers, Algeria
  4. Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka
  5. Arequipa, Peru
  6. Avila, Spain
  7. Bam, Iran
  8. Bardejov, Slovakin
  9. Bath, United Kingdom
  10. Bergen, Norway
  11. Bern, Switzerland
  12. Bhaktapur, Nepal
  13. Biertan, Romania
  14. Brasilia, Brazil
  15. Bridgetown, Barbados
  16. Bursa, Turkey
  17. Cairo, Egypt
  18. Camaguey, Cuba
  19. Carcassonne, France
  20. Chengde, China
  21. Chernivtsi, Ukraine
  22. Chora of Patmos, Greece
  23. Coro, Venezuela
  24. Dakar, Senegal
  25. Damascus, Syria
  26. Ahmedabad, India

Role of the OWHC with respect to the World Heritage Convention

While the Organization of World Heritage Cities does not appear along with ICCROM, ICOMOS and the IUCN among the partner organizations of UNESCO indicated in the World Heritage Convention, the General By-Laws of the OWHC stipulate that it is dedicated to the implementation of the 1972 Convention. This initiative by the OWHC was officially recognized by Federico Mayor, Director-General of UNESCO at the time, at the opening of the Third International Symposium of World Heritage Cities held in Bergen in June 1995: “The World Heritage Convention relies heavily on the services provided by several important professional networks, in particular the IUCN, ICCROM and ICOMOS. The Secretariat [of the World Heritage Centre] and I deem the OWHC to be equally important.”

 

By fostering communication between managers and the exchange of know-how pertaining to the management of World Heritage Cities, the OWHC is helping to support public officials in the execution of the responsibilities that each government that is a party to the Convention has assumed by signing the agreement, i.e. to act as the key guarantor of the preservation of the sites and monuments included on the UNESCO World Heritage List located within its territory.

UNESCO World Heritage Cities 7

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