After the devastation of the Second World War, the Hague Convention is adopted to protect cultural heritage during armed conflicts.
The international community, coordinated by UNESCO, saves the temples of Abu Simbel in Egypt from flooding caused by the construction of the Aswan Dam.
The General Conference of UNESCO adopts the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage.
After ratification by a sufficient number of countries, the World Heritage Convention officially enters into force.
The World Heritage Committee adds the first twelve sites to the new World Heritage List.
UNESCO introduces the category 'cultural landscapes', thereby also recognising the interaction between humans and nature as heritage value.
Due to armed conflicts, such as the destruction in Iraq and Afghanistan, attention to the List of World Heritage in Danger grows.
UNESCO officially recognises climate change as one of the greatest threats to world heritage sites, from melting glaciers to drowning coastal towns.
UNESCO aims to link the World Heritage List more closely to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, looking ahead to 2030 and beyond.
The deliberate destruction of monuments such as the Buddhas of Bamiyan sparked worldwide outrage and reinforced the awareness that heritage protection is also a matter of peace and human dignity. During this period, UNESCO expanded its efforts to document, monitor and, where possible, restore endangered sites.