28 BUR 8.1  

The World Heritage Bureau, 

1. Decides to approve this preparatory assistance request for natural heritage for US$ 20,100 under the 2004 budget.

Tajikistan: Preparation of the nomination dossier of the Tajik National Park (TNP) and preparation of the Tentative lists of natural and mixed heritage of Central Asian States Parties through regional consultation

28 BUR 8.2
The World Heritage Bureau,

1. Decides to approve this preparatory assistance request for natural heritage for US$ 20,760 under the 2004 budget.

 The World Heritage Bureau, 

1. Noting that no funds are available in 2004 for consideration of technical cooperation requests for cultural properties;
2. Recommends that the Committee do not approve technical cooperation requests in advance on the 2005 budget; 
3. Decides to approve, in principle, the request presented by Iraq: "Equipment for training on photogrammetry techniques for Iraqi experts", for an amount of US$ 30,000, on the understanding that an earmarked donation shall be made from a State Party to the World Heritage Fund in 2004 to support its implementation and expressing its concern regarding the fact that it had been asked to approve a contribution to an on-going programme which it had not approved, requests that similar cases should be avoided in the future; 
4. Decides that the following requests:

be submitted again in 2005 for decision by the Chairperson or the Bureau, in accordance with the Operational Guidelines in force at that time, provided the relevant States Parties have paid their dues to the World Heritage Fund as at 31 December 2004.

5.   Recommends to the Committee that the following request:

- Bangladesh: "Study of the drainage problems and monitoring of the internal moisture conditions of the monuments of the Buddhist Vihara at Paharpur"

be submitted again in 2005 for decision by the Committee, provided the relevant State Party has paid its dues to the World Heritage Fund as at 31 December 2004.

The World Heritage Bureau, 

1. Considering that only US$ 54,229 are available for training activities on cultural heritage under the 2004 budget, while US$ 84,880 are available for training activities on natural heritage, 
2. Taking into account that training assistance requests amounting to US$ 175,165 have been submitted for approval, of which US$126,520 for cultural heritage and US$ 48,645 for mixed heritage, 
3. Considering further that approving any request pertaining to the Bureau (i.e. under US$ 30,000) would automatically imply that funding for other requests for higher amounts pertaining to the Committee would be exhausted, 
4. Keeping in mind paragraphs 113 and 114 of the Operational Guidelines setting the order of priorities and factors governing in principle the decisions of the Committee in granting assistance under the Convention, 
5. Having examined the merit of all training assistance requests, both under and above US$ 30,000, 
6. Recommends to the Committee to adopt the following decision:

"The World Heritage Committee,

The World Heritage Bureau, 

1. Approves the request presented by Argentina: "Ninth International Seminar of Forum UNESCO - University and Heritage: “Heritage and Management Centre and Periphery” " for the amount of US$ 25,000; 
2. Authorizes the Secretariat to make the necessary adjustments transferring from the budgets relative to Promotional and Educational International Assistance and World Heritage Education the amounts of US$10,000 and US$15,000 respectively to the pertaining item.