Arab States meeting held to define regional programme

From 2008 to 2010, the Arab States Parties to the World Heritage Convention undertook the Periodic Reporting exercise, consisting in assessing the implementation of the Convention in their countries and in each of their sites inscribed on the World Heritage List. The Periodic Report was presented to the 34th session of the World Heritage Committee in Brasilia, in July 2010, and was warmly welcomed. The next step is now to elaborate a Regional Programme, on the basis of the results of the exercise, aiming at improving the protection and conservation of World Heritage sites in the Arab States.

To this end, a Regional Meeting took place in Rabat, Morocco, from 7-9 March 2011, in the presence of the Chairperson of the World Heritage Committee, 12 national focal points, experts in natural heritage from 7 countries, and the Advisory Bodies to the Convention. The Programme defined during the meeting will further be presented to the Committee at its 35th session in Bahrain in June 2011 and applied in the coming years.