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Reflection year after the First Cycle of Periodic Reporting

The completion of the first Cycle of Periodic Reporting has generated important information regarding the state of implementation of the World Heritage Convention, as well as about the state of conservation of properties inscribed on the World Heritage List.

Many States Parties found the Periodic Reporting exercise a useful activity with numerous positive outcomes. For example, many World Heritage site managers met each other for the first time and started developing a professional network.

In line with the Committee’s Decision 7 EXT.COM 5, “to study and reflect on the first cycle of Periodic Reporting”, some general conclusions were drawn from the completion of the first cycle and some issues and lessons were identified. The first Cycle exposed some flaws in the process and a need to revise the Questionnaire and the type of information that can realistically be expected from States Parties.

Two preparatory meetings to pave the way for the Periodic Reporting Reflection Year 2007 were organized by the World Heritage Centre (10-11 November 2005, Berlin, Germany, and 2-3 March 2006 at UNESCO Headquarters, Paris, France). These preparatory meetings offered a good opportunity to make an overall assessment of the process of the first cycle of Periodic Reporting in all regions and to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the format adopted by the World Heritage Committee and Questionnaire developed by the World Heritage Centre. The results of these two meetings were presented to the World Heritage Committee at its 30th session (Vilnius, 2006), which decided to create (Decision 30 COM 11G) a small Working Group to simplify the Periodic Reporting Questionnaire and elaborate indicators. 

First Cycle Regional Periodic Reports

Arab States

whc.unesco.org/en/series/11/

Africa

whc.unesco.org/en/series/3/

Asia and Pacific

whc.unesco.org/en/series/12/

Latin America and the Caribbean

whc.unesco.org/en/series/18/

Europe and North America

whc.unesco.org/en/series/20/

Dates
Date Start: Friday, 11 November 2005
Date end: Wednesday, 8 October 2008
Decisions / Resolutions (3)
Code: 30COM 11G

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC-06/30.COM/11G,

2. Recalling Decisions 25 COM VII.25-27 adopted at its 25th session (Helsinki, 2001), 7 EXT.COM 5 and 7 EXT.COM 5A.1 adopted at its 7th extraordinary session (UNESCO, 2004), and 29 COM 11.A adopted at its 29th session (Durban, 2006),

3. Recognises the importance of Periodic Reporting to ensure the implementaion of the Strategic Objectives and the credibility of the Convention and strongly encourages all State Parties to continue to support the exercise;

4. Adopts the Terms of Reference of the Periodic Reporting Reflection Year as proposed in the Document WHC-06/30.COM/11G;

5. Decides to suspend for two years the commencement of the next cycle of Periodic Reporting in order to ensure that necessary time is allocated to study and reflect on the first cycle and develop strategic direction, clear objectives and benchmarks for the next cycle;

6. Requests the Director of the World Heritage Centre to prepare a policy document on Periodic Reporting to be discussed at the 31st Session of the World Heritage Committee in 2007, prior to the General Assembly of State Parties to the Convention in 2007;

7. Decides that significant modifications to boundaries and changes to the criteria (renominations) and revisions of the statements of Significance/Outstanding Universal Value requested by States Parties as a follow up to the first Cycle of the Periodic Reporting exercise do not enter into the limit imposed by the Suzhou-Cairns Decision (Decision 28 COM 13.1); recognizing that these modifications, changes and revisions create an additional workload for, and additional resource pressures, on the World Heritage Centre, the Advisory Bodies, and the Committee, and that there may be a need to prioritise this work in the future;

8. Decides to entrust to a small Working Group composed of the UNESCO Institute of Statistics/international experts/Committee Members/ Advisory Bodies and the World Heritage Centre,

a) The simplification of the Periodic Reporting questionnaire;

b) The elaboration of indicators; and the development of a format for progress reports on Periodic Reporting with clear objectives, benchmarks, and results that facilitate global comparison and evaluation;

9. Decides to allocate US$ 40,000 for the functionning of this Working Group whose works will be submitted to the Committee at its 32nd session in 2008;

10. Decides to allocate additional support (US$ 30,000) to the Retrospective Inventory project to prepare for the next cycle of Periodic Reporting in cooperation with the Regional Units of the World Heritage Centre;

11. Requests the Director of the World Heritage Centre to prepare a project proposal for the re-organization of the data management at the World Heritage Centre, including how this system will facilitate the work with the Retrospective Inventory, State of Conservation and Periodic Reporting, and to submit it to the Committee at its 31st session in 2007;

12. Requests the Director of the World Heritage Centre to prepare a final report on the Periodic Reporting Reflection Year including all the above-mentioned elements to be examined by the World Heritage Committee at its 32nd session in 2008.

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Code: 29COM 11A

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC-05/29.COM/11A,

2. Recalling Decisions 25 COM VII.25-27 adopted at its 25th (Helsinki, 2001) session and 7 EXT.COM 5 and 7 EXT.COM 5A.1 adopted at its 7th extraordinary session (UNESCO, 2004),

3. Welcomes with appreciation the synthesis report of the North American region illustrating very effective cooperation between the States Parties of Canada and the United States of America;

4. Takes note of the Periodic Report and its specific recommendations for revised statements of significance, name changes, revisions of criteria and other clarifications regarding inscriptions of World Heritage properties in the region;

5. Acknowledges the recommendations for reviewing the importance of local populations in or adjacent to natural World Heritage properties; guidelines for management plans and principles for evaluating visual impacts for activities in and adjacent World Heritage properties;

6. Requests that the meeting concerning the "reflection year" referred to in Decision 7 EXT.COM 5 include:

a) forms and format of the Report;

b) training priorities arising from all reports;

c) international cooperation issues; and

d) a reflection on a new regional grouping;

7. Requests the Director of the World Heritage Centre, in consultation with the Advisory Bodies and the States Parties concerned, to report at its 30th session (Vilnius, 2006) on the proposed structure, time-schedule and resources needed for the implementation of the measures outlined in paragraph 6;

8. Strongly encourages the States Parties of Canada and the United States of America to continue the existing level of excellent cooperation.

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Code: 07EXTCOM 5

  1. Having examined Documents WHC-04/7EXT.COM/5A, WHC-04/7 EXT.COM/5B, WHC-04/7 EXT.COM/5C, WHC-04/7 EXT.COM/5D, and WHC-04/7 EXT.COM/5E,
  2. Aware of the need to:
    1. study and reflect on the first cycle of Periodic Reporting;
    2. develop strategic direction on the forms and the format of the Periodic Reports, training priorities and international cooperation priorities; and
    3. to streamline the Committee's consideration of matters raised through Periodic Reporting relating to inscribed properties;
  3. Decides to suspend for one year the commencement of the next cycle of Periodic Reporting.

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