During the past two decades, Members of Congress have demonstrated an interest in U.S. participation in the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage (popularly known as the World Heritage Convention). Under the Convention, which entered into force in 1973, countries agree to protect and preserve natural and cultural sites of exceptional ecological, scientific, or cultural importance through the World Heritage List and the List of World Heritage in Danger (Danger List). Each country that ratifies or accedes to the Convention agrees to protect listed sites within its borders and refrain from actions that might harm such sites in other countries. The World Heritage List includes 936 natural and cultural sites in 153 countries. Thirty-five sites from 28 countries are on the Danger List. As of July 12, 2011, 187 countries are parties to the Convention. The United States led the development of the Convention and was the first country to ratify it in 1973. Currently, 21 U.S. sites are included on the World Heritage List, including Yellowstone National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, and the Statue of Liberty. In July 2010, Papahānaumokuākea in Hawaii became the most recent U.S. addition to the list. Everglades National Park is the only U.S. site on the Danger List. (It was on the list from 1993 to 2007, when it was removed by the Bush Administration. In 2009, the Obama Administration requested that it again be added to the list.) Congressional perspectives on the Convention have varied. Some Members of Congress have supported the Convention, while others have expressed concern that UNESCO designation of World Heritage sites in the United States infringes on national sovereignty. Ultimately, however, U.S. participation in the Convention does not give the United Nations authority over U.S. World Heritage sites or related land-management decisions. Moreover, some Members have suggested that Congress should have a greater role in nominating U.S. sites for inclusion on the List. This report discusses the UNESCO World Heritage Convention and its mechanisms, including the World Heritage Committee and Fund. It outlines U.S. participation in the Convention, in particular the role of U.S. agencies, U.S. financial contributions, and technical assistance to World Heritage sites outside of the United States. It also addresses criteria and procedures for adding and removing sites from the World Heritage Lists. The report also addresses issues that the 112 th Congress may wish to take into account when considering U.S. participation in and funding of the Convention, including the possible impact of the Convention on U.S. sovereignty; the role of Congress in nominating U.S. sites; and the implications of including U.S. sites on the World Heritage Lists. The World Heritage Convention was adopted by the General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on November 16, 1972. It established a World Heritage List that identifies cultural and natural heritage sites of "outstanding universal value." The Convention's purpose is to identify and help protect worldwide sites of such exceptional ecological, scientific, or cultural importance that their preservation is a global responsibility. The Convention also created a List of World Heritage in Danger, which is composed of sites on the World Heritage List that face significant natural or man-made risk and dangers. A site must be on the World Heritage List to be considered for inclusion on the Danger List. Countries that are party to the Convention agree to protect listed sites and monuments within their borders and refrain from actions that might harm such sites in other countries. The Convention recognizes the sovereignty of individual countries, stating that the responsibility for protecting and conserving World Heritage sites belongs primarily to the country where the site is located. States Parties to the Convention (hereinafter referred to as "parties") agree to help provide such protection through the World Heritage Committee and Fund. The World Heritage Committee, which is comprised of 21 members elected by the parties to the Convention for six-year terms, oversees implementation of the World Heritage Convention. Its primary responsibility is selecting the sites nominated by parties to be included on the World Heritage List. The Committee also monitors the sites and may make recommendations to improve the management of a site or place a site on the Danger List. In extreme circumstances, it can remove a property from the World Heritage List if it determines that a country is not fulfilling its obligations to protect and preserve the site. Committee decisions are made by a two-thirds majority of Committee members present and voting. Generally, however, Committee decisions are made by consensus—particularly those that add sites to the World Heritage List or Danger List. The Committee has three intergovernmental and non-governmental advisory bodies to provide advice during its deliberations. They include (1) the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN); (2) the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS); and (3) the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM). Some Committee members have advocated improving the Committee's operations under an ever-growing work load by focusing on monitoring conditions at existing sites rather than adding new sites. Nevertheless, new sites are added regularly. The UNESCO World Heritage Centre is the Convention Secretariat, and plays no role in decisions of the Committee. Current members of the Committee are Australia , Bahrain , Barbados , Brazil , Cambodia , China , Egypt , Estonia , Ethiopia , France , Iraq , Jordan , Mali , Mexico , Nigeria , Russia , South Africa , Sweden , Switzerland , Thailand , and the United Arab Emirates . The World Heritage Committee administers the World Heritage Fund (the Fund), which provides technical and financial assistance to countries requesting it. Such assistance can include the provision of experts, technicians, skilled labor, equipment, and training, as well as emergency assistance. World Heritage technical assistance must be requested by a member country in an agreement with the Committee, which sets conditions for assistance. The majority of the Fund's income comes from required member country contributions amounting to about 1% of that member's UNESCO dues. The Fund also receives voluntary contributions from governments (including the United States), foundations, individuals, and national and international promotional activities. Total funding is usually about $4 million each year. In recent years, requests have largely exceeded available funds, and the Committee has had to allocate funds according to the urgency of the request with priority given to the most threatened properties. The United States generally supports the World Heritage Convention. It led the creation of the Convention and ratified it in 1973. It has also served multiple terms on the World Heritage Committee, with its most recent term ending in October 2009. Twenty-one U.S. sites are included on the World Heritage List. The most recent site, Papahānaumokuākea in Hawaii, was added in July 2010. Everglades National Park is the only U.S. site included on the Danger List. Preparations are currently underway to nominate new U.S. World Heritage Sites for likely submission to the World Heritage Committee in late 2012 or early 2013. The Obama Administration has stated the importance of preserving World Heritage Sites around the globe and advocated continued U.S. participation in the World Heritage Committee. On June 24, 2009, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced that the Administration was taking steps to include Everglades National Park on the Danger List. (The Bush Administration had removed the site from the List in 2007, arguing that the United States had made considerable progress in conserving the park.) When announcing the decision, Salazar stated, "The Everglades was hastily removed from the list in 2007 at the request of the previous Administration without adequate consultations with the National Park Service, the state of Florida and other stakeholders." On July 30, 2010, the World Heritage Committee inscribed the park on the Danger List. The Bush Administration supported U.S. participation in the World Heritage Convention. In 2005, the Administration ran for a seat on the World Heritage Committee, and in January 2008 it submitted a "Tentative List" of potential U.S. nominations to the World Heritage List. This Tentative List of 14 new U.S. sites represented the first revision of the U.S. nomination list since the original list was developed in 1982. At the same time, the Administration expressed concern with the growing number of World Heritage List inscriptions, particularly from regions already well-represented on the List. It argued that given the limited resources of the World Heritage Fund, parties to the Convention should focus on protecting and conserving existing sites rather than adding new ones. The Administration expressed concern that the Danger List has been seen by many, if not most, parties as a negative designation rather than a mechanism to rally global support for threatened sites. It also contended that the World Heritage Centre and Committee staff are stretched by an increasing workload and no commensurate increases in financial resources. The National Historic Preservation Act Amendment of 1980 ( P.L. 96-515 ) charges the Department of the Interior with coordinating and directing U.S. activities under the World Heritage Convention, in cooperation with the Departments of State, Commerce, and Agriculture; the Smithsonian Institution; and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. The National Park Service administers the U.S. World Heritage program, processing U.S. nominations and handling other daily program operations. It administers sites with funds appropriated by Congress, except for several sites that are owned by states, private foundations, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or Native American tribes. To be nominated as a U.S. site, property owners must engage in an extensive application process through the National Park Service. The Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks, who is the designated executive official responsible for the U.S. program, periodically considers applications and nominates properties on behalf of the United States.