In my many missions abroad, I have often had to explain that it is not the role of Unesco to act as some form of policeman to make sure that cultural heritage gets the attention and protection it needs. This is the role of each and every country.

The best possible heritage protection is... imposed... by the will of the people themselves...- Ray Bondin

Unesco receives a lot of information about what is happening all over the world and everyone thinks that Unesco should do something to stop some particular destruction taking place. Of course, Unesco can only voice its concern on the cultural property that is protected by the World Heritage List or if one of the various conventions are not adhered to.

Under Francesco Bandarin, who was director of the World Heritage Centre for 10 years and is now the assistant director general for culture, Unesco’s voice has become stronger indeed. Yet, it is still the responsibility of governments to make sure that their heritage is well protected and preserved.

Mr Bandarin starts an official visit to Malta today. His visit is not an evaluation or monitoring mission. He will visit some of the most important heritage sites on the island including ones that are already on the World Heritage List or on Malta’s Tentative List for listing. Yet, he will not be making any judgements on what he sees. There are procedures as to how complaints or information are dealt with.

I have no doubt that in his meetings with the Prime Minister, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism, the Environment, Culture and Heritage he will be emphasising the need for a more active role for Malta and for further protection of our heritage sites. He will be told that Malta is investing a lot in heritage protection and conservation projects, that we will be ratifying more Unesco conventions and that we will actively seek to get more sites on the World Heritage List. In his meetings with the Malta National Commission of Unesco and the Committee of Guarantee he can discuss practical problems that need to be dealt with.

In his 10 years as head of the World Heritage Centre, Mr Bandarin has had to face growing concerns about new developments and changes in major heritage sites. As the List grew longer (even though the process has become much more strict and professional), the number of heritage “sites” that faced serious problems also grew. In particular, historic cities are facing tremendous pressure due to change, new developments and new iconic buildings.

A lot of time was allocated to the discussion of new ways to deal with this change, leading to the approval of a Recommendation On Historic Urban Landscapes, a new concept that envelops much more than the old idea of historic city, emphasising, for instance, the importance of vistas of the historic core and the importance of better protected buffer zones around historic cities. Cities are not museums; they have to face changes. On the other hand, too many cities have gone ahead with projects that have seriously affected their “outstanding universal values” that made them candidates to be recognised as World Heritage Sites.

Heritage faces enormous challenges, most strongly from tourism. There is no doubt that tourism everywhere is an extremely important source of income and job creation. Tourism can and should be positive, a sustainable way to exploit heritage. But tourism, like everything related to heritage, must be well managed. A good management plan, as Unesco insists, is the basis for the best protection of heritage.

The best possible heritage protection is not imposed by law or by international bodies but by the will of the people themselves and that means a better understanding of the importance of our tourism.

Mr Bandarin will, I am sure, see both the positive and the negative but he will also learn that heritage for these islands is the only available resource that can give us a sustainable economy. This fits in very well with a concept that he is pushing a lot, culture and development, and which I am sure he will emphasise during his public lecture at the Italian Cultural Institute, in Valletta at 7 p.m. today.

The author is Malta’s Ambassador and Permanent Delegate to Unesco.