The World Heritage Committee,
1. Having examined Document WHC-09/33.COM/7.1,
2. Recalling Decision 32 COM 7.2, adopted at its 32nd session (Quebec City, 2008),
3. Taking note with satisfaction of Decision 181 EX/29 adopted by the Executive Board at its 181st session (April 2009) on the preliminary study on the technical and legal aspects relating to the desirability of a standard-setting instrument on the Conservation of the Historic Urban Landscape,
4. Encourages the General Conference to take action at its 35th session (October 2009) aimed at drawing up a new standard-setting instrument in the form of a Recommendation on the Conservation of the Historic Urban Landscape;
5. Requests the Director of the World Heritage Centre to report on this matter at its 34th session in 2010;
6. Welcomes the principle of adopting the concept of Historic Urban Landscape in the text of the Operational Guidelines but requests that further reflection be given before any final decision is made;
7. Also requests the Director of the World Heritage Centre to seek extra-budgetary funds with the aim to convene an Expert Meeting with the mandate to prepare in cooperation with the Advisory Bodies and other professional and academic institutions a draft text for the possible inclusion of the Historic Urban Landscape in the relevant sections of the Operational Guidelines and identify significant case-studies for continuing evaluation and possible inclusion as best practice in an appendix, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 34th session in 2010;
8. Takes note with gratitude of the offer of Brazil to host this meeting in Rio de Janeiro;
9. Further requests the Director of the World Heritage Centre in cooperation with the Advisory Bodies to further identify methods and processes towards the establishment of guidelines on the assessment of the impact of contemporary architectural insertions on the Outstanding Universal Value of World Heritage properties for discussion by the 34th session of the World Heritage Committee in 2010.
