The Regional Institute of World Heritage in Zacatecas, as a Category 2 Institute under the auspices of UNESCO, has the mission of strengthening the implementation of the Convention on the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage of 1972 in Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. Its work is framed within the strategic principles of credibility, conservation, capacity development, communication and community strengthening, established in the Budapest Declaration (2002).
From an international cooperation perspective, the Institute works closely with UNESCO States Parties in the region, as well as with advisory bodies, heritage site managers, academic institutions and local communities. Its work focuses on promoting good practices in heritage conservation and management, sustainable development, specialized research and the creation of a documentation center on properties inscribed on the World Heritage List.
Through a comprehensive and multidisciplinary approach, the Institute contributes to safeguarding the cultural and natural heritage of the region, ensuring its preservation for present and future generations, in harmony with international principles and commitments in this area.
Since the Institute's creation in 2010, various training, planning, outreach and technical advisory activities have been carried out, targeting the various stakeholders involved in the World Heritage Sites in the Subregion, such as national focal points, site managers, responsible authorities, academic and governmental institutions, specialists, community members, among others.
The Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean Subregion is made up of 21 States Parties, with 73 World Heritage Sites (52 cultural, 17 natural, and 4 mixed) inscribed on the World Heritage List by 2025. This represents 47% of the 155 sites inscribed in the LAC Region.
To date, the Institute has been endorsed by 11 of the 21 countries in the Subregion: 6 in Central America (Guatemala, Costa Rica, Honduras, El Salvador, Panama, and Nicaragua) and 5 in the Caribbean (Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, and Grenada).
The Regional World Heritage Institute in Zacatecas (RWHIZ) is a Category 2 Centre operating under the auspices of UNESCO. Its purpose is to contribute to improving the implementation of the 1972 Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage in the subregion of Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean, which, by 2025, includes 21 States Parties and 73 World Heritage properties.
To achieve its objective, this Category 2 Centre offers subregional programs aligned with the Action Plan for Latin America and the Caribbean (2023–2029), which focus on two main areas: capacity building and World Heritage promotion.
These programs are developed in strict coordination with the UNESCO World Heritage Centre through its Latin America and the Caribbean Unit, and in close collaboration with the advisory bodies of the World Heritage Committee (ICOMOS, IUCN and ICCROM), with the States Parties of the subregion, the UNESCO Category 2 Centres related to World Heritage, the UNESCO Chair and various institutions in the subregion.