Signed on November 23, 1972, the World Heritage Convention was ratified on December 17, 1975 by 20 countries.  Ultimately, the Convention today is ratified by 192 member states, and 4 additional political entities of the Cook Islands, the Holy See (Vatican), Niue, and Palestine.

The Convention was developed over a period of seven years (from 1965 to 1972), with the goals of the preservation of cultural properties and the conservation of nature.  However, the idea of heritage conservation can be traced much farther back in time to the ideals of material heritage during the Renaissance and beyond.  But by the end of the First World War and the destruction left in its wake, there was a increased perception of the need for heritage conservation.  The Athens Charter, adopted at the First International Congress of Architects and Technicians of Historic Monuments, was the first modern-age step to organize a scientific process and protections for historic monuments.

Fast forward past the destruction of the Second World War, to the IInd International Congress of Architects and Technicians of Historic Monuments, which met in Vienna from May 25th through the 31st, 1964 in Vienna.  The Venice Charter, set the stage for the World Heritage Convention and the creation of ICOMOS by defining conservation policies.

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