In drafting the text of the Convention for the Protection of the World Heritage, UNESCO has pointed as its main bodies the World Heritage Committee and Bureau, in order to protect and safeguard all the cultural and natural goods listed or to be listed in the proper World Heritage List.

Beyond these bodies, in 1992 has been set up the UNESCO World Heritage Centre. It has the duty to assure the day-to-day management of the Convention itself. In general, the Centre organizes the annual sessions of the World Heritage Bureau and Committee, provides advice to States Parties in preparing indicative lists and nominations for the World Heritage List, mobilizes international assistance even in emergency situations. Upon request by States Parties, the Centre has the important task to monitor national activity in the field of heritage's protection, and to prepare reports on the state of conservation of cultural and natural properties - sometimes the Centre can sinthetize these reports and then bring them to the attention of the Convention statutory organs.

Then the Centre organizes training courses, technical seminars and workshops, develops teaching materials to raise awareness of the World Heritage concept, keeps the official records of the statutory organs, updates the World Heritage List and the databases, and keeps the public informed of World Heritage issues.

The Centre is also responsible for the administration of the World Heritage Fund; finally, it cooperates with other groups working on issues related to the cultural and natural heritage conservation both within UNESCO - notably the Division for Physical Heritage in the Sector for Culture and the Division of Ecological Sciences in the Science Sector - and within ICOMOS, IUCN, ICCROM, and other international organizations such as the Organization of World Heritage Cities (OWHC) and the International Council of Museums (ICOM).