Unesco

So UNESCO (United Nations Educational Scientific Cultural Organisation) are the organisation that seeks to encourage the identification, protection and preservation of cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be of outstanding value to humanity. This is embodied in an international treaty called the convention concerning the protection of the world cultural and natural heritage, adopted by UNESCO in 1972.

UNESCO lists sites that are considered to be of outstanding universal value to humanity on the world heritage list. The site must meet one of the ten criteria, chosen by UNESCO. The list currently has 890 sites, with 89 cultural , 176 natural and 25 mixed in 140 countries.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list