III 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 126 

Supporting the mission of UNESCO’s World Heritage Convention and 

celebrating the 2011 International Day for Monuments and Sites. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 31, 2011 

Mr. KERRY (for himself, Mr. NELSON of Florida, and Mr. UDALL of New 

Mexico) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Supporting the mission of UNESCO’s World Heritage Convention and celebrating the 2011 International Day for 

Monuments and Sites. 

Whereas the United States was the primary architect of the 

Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, done at Paris November 23, 

1972 (commonly known as the ‘‘World Heritage Convention’’), and the following year became the first of the now 

187 countries to ratify the convention; 

Whereas the World Heritage Convention is the most widely 

accepted and effective conservation mechanism for the 

world’s most significant natural and cultural sites, and 

the only international convention focused on both nature 

and culture; 


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•SRES 126 IS 

Whereas the World Heritage Convention exemplifies the 

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) goals of promoting peace 

through cultural dialogue; 

Whereas the ideals set forth in the Convention reflect the 

commitment of the United States to conserving its national parks and other forms of natural and cultural heritage; 

Whereas the United States has served four terms on the 

World Heritage Committee, most recently from 2005 

through 2009; 

Whereas the World Heritage List currently contains 911 cultural and natural sites, 21 of which are located within 

the United States, including Florida’s Everglades National Park, whose Ten Thousand Islands area composes 

part of the largest stand of protected mangrove forest in 

the Western hemisphere; Wrangell-St. Elias and Glacier 

Bay National Parks in Alaska, which contain some of the 

world’s longest glaciers; California’s Redwood National 

and State Parks, home to some of the tallest and oldest 

trees in the world; Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona, which retraces geological history over 

2,000,000,000 years and represents the four major geologic eras; Independence Hall in Pennsylvania, where 

both the Declaration of Independence and the United 

States Constitution were signed; and Taos Pueblo, in 

New Mexico, one of the oldest continuously inhabited 

communities in the United States, and the only living 

American community designated both a World Heritage 

Site and a National Historical Landmark; 

Whereas, in 2010, for the first time in 15 years, the World 

Heritage Committee inscribed a site in the United States, 


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•SRES 126 IS 

Papaha ̄naumokua ̄kea Marine National Monument, onto 

the World Heritage List, a site that is a natural and cultural treasure for Hawaiians and is rich in marine biodiversity and pristine natural beauty; 

Whereas UNESCO and its World Heritage Centre play a 

vital role in the safeguarding of monuments and sites in 

times of crisis, war, or natural disaster; 

Whereas, in an age of increasing conflict and volatility, the 

World Heritage Convention is more important than ever 

in ensuring the protection of priceless historical treasures; 

Whereas the recent upheaval in Egypt, which threatened artifacts from the antiquities museum in Cairo, and mounting concerns about the destruction of the Roman ruins 

of Leptis Magna and other ancient cites in Libya serve 

as reminders of the crucial role UNESCO plays in promoting protection and conservation; 

Whereas, through its List of World Heritage in Danger, 

UNESCO seeks to work with national governments to 

preserve natural and cultural sites under duress, by raising international awareness and providing local authorities with the support they need; 

Whereas, in Afghanistan, UNESCO’s safeguarding campaign 

is premised on the belief that a shared cultural heritage 

can strengthen national identity and create a common 

sense of ownership over the country’s past and future; 

Whereas the United States Government provides considerable 

assistance to World Heritage sites around the globe 

through programs such as the National Park Service’s 

World Heritage Fellowship, which provides site managers 

from developing countries with training at World HeritVerDate Mar 15 2010 23:52 Mar 31, 2011 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR126.IS SR126

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•SRES 126 IS 

age sites in the United States, including Everglades, 

Grand Canyon, Hawaii Volcanoes, and Olympic National 

Parks; 

Whereas the World Heritage Centre has formed innovative 

partnerships with several private organizations in the 

United States, including new interactive tools that allow 

users to virtually tour UNESCO World Heritage sites 

from their computers; 

Whereas April 18th has been endorsed by the UNESCO General Conference as the International Day for Monuments 

and Sites, also known as World Heritage Day; and 

Whereas the 39th anniversary of the day in 2011 reflects a 

long-standing commitment to the celebration and preservation of natural and cultural sites around the world: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) supports the mission of UNESCO’s World 

3 Heritage Convention; 

4 (2) acknowledges the 39th anniversary of the 

5 International Day for Monuments and Sites; and 

6 (3) commends UNESCO and its role in pre7 serving and celebrating natural and cultural sites 

8 worldwide. 

Æ 


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