Some overall thoughts
Much of what we have blogged about to date has been very specific to Waterton-Glacier, but I think it is important to take a step back and think for a moment on the broader context of World Heritage, which is so much more real to me now that I am attending a meeting.
Above all, the very concept of World Heritage is that there are universal values, both cultural and environmental that are shared by all people. This paradigm is both powerful and important.
As an institution, the United Nations was born out of the ashes of the Second World War, when humanity realized that we had the technological prowess to wage war in ever more destructive ways. The was the beacon call for a global forum to provide for security and the exchange of ideas.
The World Heritage Convention is just one of many Conventions within the United Nations, but it is an important one because it is the embodiment of inclusiveness, bringing together people from all over the world to discuss humanity's most special places and ensure their protection.
It is a vison that we can all be proud of.
Will Hammerquist