2. Inscription
  3. Listing criteria

Listing criteria

Criteria for registration

World Heritage Sites are selected based on influence, time, place, person, subject, form, social value, state of preservation, and rarity.
An documentary heritage site is selected when it has significant global significance by influencing the history of the world beyond the cultural boundaries of a country

  • Authenticity
    • It is a genuine product that can prove the nature and origin of the heritage, and the record data whose substance and origin are accurate
  • Integrity
    • Whether the documentary heritage is fully and completely included
  • World significance(key criteria) * Must meet at least one of the following three
    • Historical significance: When it has global historical significance and contains relevant important information
      ※ political or economic development, social or mental movement/a prominent figure in world history/a particular place/unique in relation to a time, event, or person that is significant to world change phenomena/remarkable traditional customs/development of relationships between different countries or communities/change of life and cultural patterns/turning point of history or significant innovation/art, culture, science, technology, sports, or Examples of excellence in life and culture
    • Form and style: having outstanding aesthetic, formal, and linguistic values or being an important specimen in form and style
    • Social, community or spiritual significance: Where a particular community contributes to the emotional attachment to the
      heritage or to the identity and social cohesion of the community at the present time
  • World significance(by comparison)
    • Originality or rarity: original (the only kind ever made) or rare (one of the few remaining among the numerous records) material
    • Condition: Risk and preservation status of records, such as the degree of damage to records, the status of storage, measures to ensure safety from various risk factors, the existence of appropriate preservation and access strategies, etc
  • Legal standards
    • Ownership: Requires consent from the owner (manager) to the registered list applied for
    • Accessibility and copyright: Access to the relevant heritage and relevant owner (manager) and approval for copyright use are required

No application for registration

  • documents of contemporary political leaders and political parties
  • the constitution of the state and similar records
  • Entire documentation (requires proof of importance, unity, consistency)
  • a record that is so badly damaged that it cannot be restored
  • Records contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter and UNESCO Charter