Since January 8, 2006 Yerevan has been a member of Organization of World Heritage Cities. It was founded in 1993 in Morocco based on the UNESCO Assembly Declaration of 1972 on world cultural and nature heritage protection. The aim of the Organization is to promote implementation of the Convention for the Protection of the Cultural and Natural World Heritage and the Charter for the Protection of Historical Cities and Regions, to contribute collaboration and information exchange between the cities members of the Organization, to establish and strengthen cooperation with other international and regional institutions and organizations having the same goals.

The OWHC involves 280 cities which have objects included in the List of the World Heritage of UNESCO.

The headquarters of the organization is located in Quebec, Canada.

Since 1993, the Congress of the OWHC has been held every two years. This unique forum joins state figures, politicians and specialists engaged in preservation of historical cities, particularly those with historical and cultural monuments included in the List of the World Heritage of UNESCO.

The Mayors of the World Heritage Cities which paid their annual fees make the General Assembly-the highest administrative body of the Organization. The Board consists of 8 mayors and the President which are elected by the Assembly. The Board gathers at least once a year. The General Secretariat is governed by the Secretary General assigned by the General Assembly which monitors the implementation of the decisions made by the members, solves the problem of human resources and carries out everyday management of the Organization activity.

The Organization has 6 regional sections:

1. North-Western Europe and North America (Regensburg, Germany)
   2. Central and Eastern Europe (Budapest, Hungary)
   3. Southern Europe (Cordova, Spain)
   4. Latin America and Caribbean basin  (Valparaiso, Chile)
   5. Eurasia (Kazan, Russia)
   6. Africa and Middle East (Tunis, Tunisia)
   7. Asian-Pacific region (Gyeongiu, South Korea)

The Secretary General of the Organization of the World Heritage Cities is Denis Ricard.

The official website of the organization – www.ovpm.org