Funding

Bukhara - Uzbekistan

The conservation and protection of World Heritage sites wouldn’t be possible without the financial resources to meet World Heritage needs. Sources of income include the World Heritage Fund, which receives most of its income from compulsory contributions from countries (States Parties) and from voluntary contributions. Other sources of income include profits derived from sales of World Heritage publications, or funds-in-trust that are donated by countries for specific purposes.

World Heritage Fund

The World Heritage Fund provides about US$4 million annually to support activities requested by States Parties in need of international assistance. It includes compulsory and voluntary contributions from the States Parties, as well as from private donations.

The World Heritage Committee allocates funds according to the urgency of requests, priority being given to the most threatened sites. International Assistance from the Fund can support requests falling under five categories:

Preparatory assistance: to prepare tentative lists, nominations of properties, conservation project proposals or management plans;
Training assistance: to support group training activities, mainly for personnel working on World Heritage sites (individual scholarships cannot be funded);
Technical cooperation: to provide expertise and material support for management plans and various conservation activities;
Emergency assistance: to enable urgent action to repair damage caused by adverse human activity or natural disasters;
Promotional and educational assistance: to raise awareness and develop educational materials.

Funds-in-Trust

Funds-in-Trust are donations given by countries to support specific projects with defined goals and objectives.