The Deep Roots of UNESCO’s Longevity: A Critical Look at the 50th Anniversary of the 1972 World Heritage Convention

Born from the rationality of people, as a mirror of their emotions and sensibilities, UNESCO built a very positive image that often broke regionalism and linguistic, religious and border prejudices, which ended up naturalising a shift in the flame of rationality that had emerged, for an almost emotional understanding, of the feeling of belonging of those who were part of the institution. It is true that (in some cases) the search for presence at UNESCO will, over time, turn into a political springboard for another coveted stage, the United Nations arena, but from the point of view of membership, the subscription to a state part remains a genuine action. Countries feel welcomed and demonstrate that they enjoy being part of the institution. In this text, we will present evidence from which it is assumed that UNESCO is going through a crisis in addition to the financial debacle. Apparently, issues linked to representation, objectives and, above all, their identity have generated side effects that help consolidate the idea of crisis within the World Heritage Centre, the managing body of World Heritage. A critical discussion on the 50th anniversary of the 1972 World Heritage Convention concludes the list of weaknesses faced by UNESCO in the past five decades.