Diplomacy in the Age of the Internet: Challenges for the World Heritage Convention

We are living in a time where the status quo of our existence has fundamentally changed in critical ways since the time of the drafting of the 1972 Convention. After 50 years of many changes in both technology and collective appreciation of heritage and new cultural paradigms seek to reshape how heritage protection is viewed, prompting many countries to re-examine their own politics toward preservation of cultural heritage. With it, so have the nature of threats to cultural heritage and the framework that governs its protection. In this paper we will examine the evolution of internet-led diplomacy, its effects on the perception of cultural identities and the need for a renewed understanding of the obligations to preserve and protect cultural heritage as understood under the 1972 Convention. This paper was discussed at the International Conference “50 Years World Heritage Convention: Shared Responsibility – Conflict & Reconciliation” Internationale Akademie Berlin, June 22, 2021.