The World Heritage Convention was adopted in 1972, based on the visionary idea of placing all natural and cultural assets of exceptional universal value under the protection of the international community as a whole. Switzerland ratified the convention in 1975.
Implementation of the World Heritage Convention in Switzerland
In Switzerland, all dossiers relevant to the World Heritage Convention are managed in close cooperation between the Federal Office of Culture (FOC), Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) and the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA).
The FOC is the office in charge of world cultural heritage dossiers. The natural sites fall within the remit of the FOEN and the FDFA manages institutional relations at the international level. The Swiss Commission for UNESCO provides advice to the Confederation regarding its relations with UNESCO.
Protection and management of World Heritage Sites
By ratifying the World Heritage Convention, Switzerland has undertaken to protect, maintain and safeguard the exceptional sites on its territory for future generations. The convention is not directly applicable in the signatory states and is therefore governed by the legislative systems of each state. In Switzerland, that mainly means the Federal Act on the Protection of Nature and Cultural Heritage (NCHA) and the provisions at cantonal and municipal level relating to nature and heritage protection. In addition, there are various complementary laws and provisions, particularly in the field of spatial development, that support the implementation of the convention.
Action plan World Heritage Switzerland
The World Heritage Sites must meet certain basic requirements, which is not yet the case for all sites. The main shortfalls lie in the coordination of management systems for World Heritage Sites, the implementation of protection of the surroundings of the sites (protection from negative factors exterior to the site) and knowledge of the international and national system of world heritage by all parties concerned.
In response, the FOC, FOEN and FDFA drew up a World Heritage Switzerland action plan 2016-2023 in cooperation with the cantons and sites in question.
