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.
During these first years of the institute's life, various training, planning, outreach and technical advisory actions have been carried out, aimed at the various actors around the region's World Heritage sites, 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 70 World Heritage Sites (49 cultural, 17 natural, and 4 mixed) inscribed on the World Heritage List by 2024. This represents 47% of the 151 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 Category 2 Centre aims to strengthen regional capacities in the conservation and management of World Heritage Sites in Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, through various initiatives and programs designed to promote this development.