The member states of the Intergovernmental Committee in cooperation with the Secretariat of UNESCO are aiming to define more specifically the ways of implementation of the Convention through the definition of operationalguidelines(Operational Guidelines).
With its programmatic approach, based on a listing system and the use of revisable operationalguidelines for its implementation, the 1972 Convention strengthened heritage conservation policies, and became the standard reference for including conservation policies as a means of development, largely through tourism.