From 24 June to 6 July 2012, the year of the 40th anniversary of the 1972 Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, the 36th session of the World Heritage Committee took place in St Petersburg.
Participating in the meeting were members of governmental delegations to UNESCO, experts and representatives of non-governmental organizations. They discussed topical issues related to the conservation of the World Heritage sites. Special attention was paid to World Heritage sites of religious interest. The status and management of such sites were discussed earlier at the international seminar held in Kiev on 2-5 November 2010, under the auspices of the Ukrainian President and under the aegis of UNESCO.
Among the guests of the 36th session of the World Heritage Committee was Vakhtang Kipshidze, a DECR staff member.