The World Heritage Committee unveiled its 33rd session on Monday here to review the World Heritage list.

A total of 30 new properties, including the Historic monuments of Mount Songshan and Mount Wutai in China, have been submitted this year for inscription on the List.

One of the properties on the list, the cultural landscape of Germany's Dresden Elbe Valley, will come under particular scrutiny as the committee will decide whether to remove the property from the World Heritage List because of the building of a bridge in the heart of the landscape.

The nine-day committee meeting will also review the state of conservation for the 178 sites already inscribed on the World Heritage List, as well as the state of conservation of the 30 World Heritage properties inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger.

It may also decide to add to the list new properties whose preservation requires special attention.

The Convention, one of the most widely ratified international legal instruments with 186 States Parties, also encourages international cooperation to safeguard the common heritage of humanity.

The World Heritage Committee, responsible for the implementation of the 1972 Convention, comprises representatives of 21 countries who are elected by the States Parties for up to six years.

Each year, the committee adds new sites to the list.

Source: Xinhua