Switzerland elected to UNESCO World Heritage Committee
Bern, 24.11.2025 — Switzerland has been elected to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Committee by the General Assembly of States Parties. The 25th session took place today at UNESCO headquarters in Paris. The seat is for the 2025-29 period. The election is part of Switzerland's long-standing commitment to protecting cultural and natural heritage in the face of today's challenges.
The World Heritage Committee is responsible for implementing the 1972 Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, which Switzerland ratified in 1975. This flagship UNESCO convention governs the preservation of natural and cultural heritage sites of outstanding universal value for future generations.
The Committee's 21 member states are elected from among the 196 states parties to the Convention for a four-year term. They are tasked with adding new natural or cultural sites to the World Heritage List – currently standing at 1,248, including 13 in Switzerland – as well as appraising the state of conservation of the existing listed sites and providing support for an effective and qualitative implementation of the Convention.
Switzerland, which enjoys global recognition for the quality of its management of both natural and cultural heritage, has sat on the Committee twice before: first in 1978-85 and most recently in 2009-13.
During its current seat, Switzerland, which will be represented by experts from the FDFA, the Federal Office of Culture (FOC) and the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN), will aim in particular to optimise experience and knowledge sharing in terms of heritage site protection and management, to help ensure the long-term conservation of cultural and natural heritage, to back the Convention as a catalyst for preserving cultural expressions, landscapes and biodiversity worldwide, and to promote cultural and natural heritage as a vital resource benefiting individuals and communities alike.