In times of economic hardship, the support given by specialized civil society organisations to public institutions in the protection of cultural heritage has often proved very useful, and there is evidence that their contribution is essential in times of conflicts and natural disasters, if well-designed plans and measures are organized efficiently, thoroughly tested and properly implemented. <br><br> The 1954 <i>Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict (HC)</i>, its two Protocols and other international juridical instruments address these situations since decades, however, they remained widely not-applied in absence of proper regulatory instruments. In 2004, the Second Protocol of the Hague Convention (1999HP) entered into force and the Committee of the State Parties was formed. It became clear that a new trend started when, in 2009, draft Guidelines for the implementation of the 1999HP were issued. Meanwhile, <i>WATCH</i>, in partnership with the <i>Council of the United Municipalitities of Jbail</i> (Lebanon) and the <i>Head of the Municipality of Mtskheta</i> (Georgia) prepared a project proposal aimed to set a precedent in the governance of urban sites that are registered in the World Heritage List which are at risk of armed conflict. <br><br> The project <i>War Free World Heritage Listed Cities</i> <a href="http://www.warfreeheritage.net/"_target="blank">http://www.warfreeheritage.net/</a> was co-financed in 2010 with a grant within the framework of the EC CIUDAD programme and it is currently at an advanced level of implementation. This presentation will focus on achievements and contingencies faced during implementation as well as lessons learned that could be surely useful for pers pective applicants.