ANNEXES

ANNEX II
RECOMMENDATIONS ADOPTED BY THE WORLD HERITAGE COMMITTEE CONCERNING THE HERITAGE IN AFGHANISTAN
(Note: see also decisions 26 COM 22 and 26 COM 24.2.4)

1. Implementation of the World Heritage Convention and protection of cultural and natural heritage properties in Afghanistan

1.1 The Committee welcomes wholeheartedly the importance the Government of Afghanistan places on the protection of the natural and cultural heritage located in Afghanistan. Appreciating the extraordinary difficulties faced by the authorities in rehabilitating the natural and cultural heritage of Afghanistan, the Committee lends its full support to the Government of Afghanistan to increase the national capacity to conserve, present, manage and develop such heritage.

1.2 The Committee expresses it deep gratitude to the Government of Afghanistan for all its efforts to reactivate the implementation of the World Heritage Convention.

1.3 The Government of Afghanistan is thanked for inviting the UNESCO World Heritage Centre - ICOMOS Fact-Finding and Consultative Mission undertaken between 28 April and 11 May 2002. The Committee examines the findings and recommendations of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre - ICOMOS Fact-Finding and Consultative Mission and expresses its appreciation to the Director of the Centre and ICOMOS Representative for undertaking the mission under difficult conditions.

1.4 Taking note of the postponement of the participation of the Representative of IUCN in the Fact-Finding and Consultative Mission, the Committee requests the World Heritage Centre and IUCN to re-organize an World Heritage Centre - IUCN Joint Mission to elaborate a preliminary natural heritage action plan and to commence the assessment of the state of conservation of potential natural World Heritage properties in Afghanistan as soon as the security situation permits.

1.5 The Committee expresses its gratitude to the Government of Afghanistan and the Director-General of UNESCO for the co-organization of the "International Seminar for the Rehabilitation of Afghanistan's Cultural Heritage" (Kabul, 27-29 May 2002) in spite of exceptionally difficult conditions. The Committee examines with appreciation, the report of the discussions, conclusions and recommendations of the "International Seminar for the Rehabilitation of Afghanistan's Cultural Heritage" presented by the Assistant Director-General for Culture.

1.6 The Government of Afghanistan is congratulated for submitting an international assistance request for supporting its efforts to increase national capacity in the implementation of the World Heritage Convention. The Committee supports this request and requests the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies to provide support and co-operation to the authorities in implementing this activity.

2. Documentation, national inventories, Tentative List and the reactivation of deferred nominations of properties to be inscribed on the World Heritage List

2.1 The Committee takes note with grave concern, the lack of basic requirements to re-compile surviving documentation and archival resources of Afghanistan's cultural and natural heritage. The Committee underscores the importance of compiling databases for cultural and natural heritage in Afghanistan to re-establish the national inventories with a view to elaborate Tentative Lists of properties to be eventually nominated for inscription on the World Heritage List. The Committee requests the World Heritage Centre to mobilize international technical and financial support for providing basic equipment and tools for the monitoring, conservation, and management of natural and cultural heritage in Afghanistan.
2.2 To this end, the Committee calls upon States Parties to the World Heritage Convention with institutional capacity and technical resources to provide assistance to the authorities of Afghanistan in their efforts to re-compile their scientific documentation and to re-establish their national inventories of cultural and natural heritage properties.
2.3 The Committee expresses its appreciation to the World Heritage Centre, IUCN, ICCROM and ICOMOS for their immediate actions to commence the recompilation of scientific documentation for the reconstruction of the Afghan national inventories. However, while appreciating the preliminary assessment work undertaken by the Advisory Bodies and the World Heritage Centre to collate scientific documentation to elaborate national inventories of natural and cultural heritage, the Committee recognizes the need to continue assisting the authorities in view of the scope of the task. The Committee encourages the Government of Afghanistan to elaborate a Tentative List of properties which the authorities intend to nominate for inscription to the World Heritage List in the coming five to ten years, utilizing the scientific documentation collated together with the Advisory Bodies.
2.4 The Committee congratulates the Government of Afghanistan for submitting a reformulated nomination dossier of the Minaret and Archaeological Remains of Jam for inscription on the World Heritage List and the List of World Heritage in Danger. The Committee also expresses its appreciation to the World Heritage Centre and international experts for their efforts to assist the authorities in preparing the draft reformulated nomination dossier of Jam. Noting the need for establishing local monitoring and conservation mechanisms for the Minaret and Archaeological Remains of Jam, the Committee requests the World Heritage Centre to support the Afghan authorities with the Division of Cultural Heritage to ensure that the ICOMOS recommendations (Information Document WHC-02/CONF.202/INF.4.Add.2) for enhanced protection of the site are implemented.
2.5 The Committee encourages the Government of Afghanistan to further proceed in the reformulation of the deferred nominations of the Historic City of Herat and the Monuments and Archaeological Sites of Bamiyan Valley for possible examination by the Committee in 2004 or 2005. To assist the authorities in compiling necessary documentation and management plan for these two properties, the Committee requests the World Heritage Centre to provide technical support to the Afghan authorities.
2.6 The Committee encourages the Government of Afghanistan to prepare a nomination dossier for the Lakes of Bandi-e-Amir, with the assistance of the World Heritage Centre and IUCN, for possible submission in February 2004.
3. Deliberate destruction, plundering and illicit traffic of heritage assets of Afghanistan
3.1 The Committee expresses grave concern over the continued and systematic illegal plundering and looting of cultural and natural heritage properties located in Afghanistan, constituting an irreversible impoverishment of the common heritage of all the people in the world.
3.2 The Committee urges the Government of Afghanistan to become signatory to the UNESCO 1954 Hague Convention on the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, its two Protocols, the UNESCO 1970 Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property, the UNIDROIT Convention and other international legal instruments protecting cultural and natural heritage.
3.3 The Committee notes with regret that of the 172 States Parties to the World Heritage Convention, only 91 are signatory to the UNESCO 1970 Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property.
3.4 The Committee reiterates the appeal made by the General Assembly of States Parties to the World Heritage Convention to all States Parties to become signatories to the UNESCO 1970 Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property and the UNIDROIT Convention to prevent further illicit traffic of Afghan cultural heritage.
3.5 While recognizing that the Government of Afghanistan has the first and foremost duty to ban all illegal excavations within its territory and to strictly control its borders to prevent smuggling of illicitly acquired movable heritage resources, the Committee calls upon the neighboring countries of Afghanistan to co-operate in strengthening control of their national borders to prevent further illicit traffic of Afghan heritage.
3.6 Moreover, fully noting the significant constraints faced by the Afghan authorities in controlling illegal plundering and excavations within the country and transport of heritage, the Committee appeals urgently to those countries where Afghan heritage material is sold to provide co-operation to prevent further illicit traffic of such property.
3.7 Underscoring the importance for effective co-operation with NGOs such as the International Council on Archives (ICA) and the International Council of Museums (ICOM) amongst others, the Committee calls upon the Assistant Director-General for Culture to organize actions similar to those taken in Angkor (Cambodia) with ICOM to increase the Afghan national capacity to prevent illicit trafficking of heritage.
4. Appeal to the international community to assist the Government of Afghanistan in its efforts to rehabilitate the country's endangered heritage
4.1 Upon examination of the state of conservation of the principal monuments and sites, the deplorable and continuing looting of major archaeological properties throughout the country, and the conditions of the surviving inventories, documentation and archives of Afghan heritage, the Committee fully recognizes the overwhelming challenge to rehabilitate Afghanistan's cultural and natural heritage.
4.2 The Committee affirmed the need for significant mobilization of international and national support for the Afghan authorities and people to conserve and rehabilitate the country's endangered heritage.
4.3 The Committee notes with appreciation, all efforts made by the Director-General of UNESCO, the World Heritage Centre, the Division of Cultural Heritage and the Advisory Bodies in assisting the Afghan authorities in reactivating the World Heritage Convention and to conserve Afghan heritage. The Committee also expresses its appreciation to the various Governments and NGOs which have commenced or have plans to support the Afghan authorities in their efforts to rehabilitate their heritage. In particular, the Committee pays special tribute to all Afghan specialists and citizens who have made, and continue to make, extraordinary efforts to protect Afghanistan's irreplaceable heritage assets during the past two decades of difficult periods.
4.4 Convinced of the important role that cultural and natural heritage can play in the rehabilitation of Afghanistan, the Committee reiterates its appeal to the States Parties to the World Heritage Convention, IGOs and NGOs active in the field of heritage conservation, to continue to publicize the great challenges facing Afghan heritage and to support the national efforts to enhance the protection and revitalization of this heritage.

Annex III

PROVISIONAL AGENDA FOR THE EXTRAORDINARY SESSION OF THE WORLD HERITAGE COMMITTEE (UNESCO HEADQUARTERS, PARIS, MARCH 2003)

Opening of the session by the Director-General of UNESCO or his representative

Adoption of the agenda

Revision of the Rules of Procedure

Policy and legal issues concerning inscription of properties on the List of World Heritage in Danger and the potential deletion of properties from the World Heritage List

Revision of the Operational Guidelines

Revised structure of the budget of the World Heritage Fund

Nominations to be examined in 2004

Adoption of the report of the session

Closure of the session

Annex IV

PROVISIONAL AGENDA FOR THE 27TH SESSION OF THE WORLD HERITAGE COMMITTEE (SUZHOU, CHINA, 30 JUNE - 5 JULY 2003)

OPENING OF THE SESSION

Opening of the session by the Director-General of UNESCO or his representative

Adoption of the agenda

Election of the Chairperson, Rapporteur and the Vice- Chairpersons

Report of the Rapporteur on the 27th session of the Bureau of theWorld Heritage Committee

Report of the Secretariat on activities undertaken since the 25th session of the World Heritage Committee
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE WORLD HERITAGE CONVENTION
Periodic Reporting:

State of the World Heritage in Asia and the Pacific, 2003

Follow-up to Periodic Reporting in Arab States and Africa

State of conservation of:

Properties inscribed on List of World Heritage in Danger

Properties inscribed on the World Heritage List

Establishment of the World Heritage List and the List of World Heritage in Danger:

Tentative lists

Nominations of cultural and natural properties to the List of World Heritage in Danger
Nominations of properties to the World Heritage List

Implementation of the World Heritage Global Training Strategy
BUDGET OF THE WORLD HERITAGE FUND AND INTERNATIONAL ASSSISTANCE

Examination of the World Heritage Fund and approval of the World Heritage Fund budget for 2004-2005

International Assistance
GLOBAL STRATEGY FOR A CREDIBLE, REPRESENTATIVE AND BALANCED WORLD HERITAGE LIST

Implementation of the Global Strategy

Nominations to be examined at the forthcoming sessions
Nominations to be examined in 2004 and 2005
Evaluation of the Cairns decision
PREPARATIONS FOR THE 14th GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF STATES PARTIES AND THE 32nd GENERAL CONFERENCE

Ways and means to reinforce the implementation of the World Heritage Convention

Progress report on the revision of UNESCO's Medium-Term Plan (31C/4, 2002-2007) and the preparation of the Draft UNESCO Programme and Budget (32C/5, 2004-2005)

The relationship between the World Heritage Committee and UNESCO

Preparations for the 14th General Assembly of States Parties to the World Heritage Convention

New voting mechanism and revision to the procedures for the election of the members of the World Heritage Committee
Report of the activities of the World Heritage Committee to be presented to the 32nd General Conference of UNESCO (November 2003)
2002 WORLD HERITAGE STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES

Performance Indicators to assess the implementation of the 2002 World Heritage Strategic Objectives (Credibility, Conservation, Capacity-Building and Communication)

Tools for the implementation of the 2002 World Heritage Strategic Objectives

Principles/Guidelines for World Heritage
World Heritage Programmes
World Heritage Partnerships Initiative: performance indicators and progress report
CLOSING
Provisional agenda of the 28th session of the Bureau of the World Heritage Committee (April 2004)

Provisional agenda of the 28th session of the World Heritage Committee (June 2004)

Other business

Adoption of the report of the session

Closure of the session

Decision Record of the 26 Session
Annex I - List of Participants
Index of Properties

1.	Implementation of the World Heritage Convention and protection of cultural and natural heritage properties in Afghanistan
1.1	The Committee welcomes wholeheartedly the importance the Government of Afghanistan places on the protection of the natural and cultural heritage located in Afghanistan. Appreciating the extraordinary difficulties faced by the authorities in rehabilitating the natural and cultural heritage of Afghanistan, the Committee lends its full support to the Government of Afghanistan to increase the national capacity to conserve, present, manage and develop such heritage.
1.2	The Committee expresses it deep gratitude to the Government of Afghanistan for all its efforts to reactivate the implementation of the World Heritage Convention.
1.3	The Government of Afghanistan is thanked for inviting the UNESCO World Heritage Centre - ICOMOS Fact-Finding and Consultative Mission undertaken between 28 April and 11 May 2002. The Committee examines the findings and recommendations of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre - ICOMOS Fact-Finding and Consultative Mission and expresses its appreciation to the Director of the Centre and ICOMOS Representative for undertaking the mission under difficult conditions.
1.4	Taking note of the postponement of the participation of the Representative of IUCN in the Fact-Finding and Consultative Mission, the Committee requests the World Heritage Centre and IUCN to re-organize an World Heritage Centre - IUCN Joint Mission to elaborate a preliminary natural heritage action plan and to commence the assessment of the state of conservation of potential natural World Heritage properties in Afghanistan as soon as the security situation permits.
1.5	The Committee expresses its gratitude to the Government of Afghanistan and the Director-General of UNESCO for the co-organization of the "International Seminar for the Rehabilitation of Afghanistan's Cultural Heritage" (Kabul, 27-29 May 2002) in spite of exceptionally difficult conditions. The Committee examines with appreciation, the report of the discussions, conclusions and recommendations of the "International Seminar for the Rehabilitation of Afghanistan's Cultural Heritage" presented by the Assistant Director-General for Culture.
1.6	The Government of Afghanistan is congratulated for submitting an international assistance request for supporting its efforts to increase national capacity in the implementation of the World Heritage Convention. The Committee supports this request and requests the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies to provide support and co-operation to the authorities in implementing this activity.
2.	Documentation, national inventories, Tentative List and the reactivation of deferred nominations of properties to be inscribed on the World Heritage List
2.1	The Committee takes note with grave concern, the lack of basic requirements to re-compile surviving documentation and archival resources of Afghanistan's cultural and natural heritage. The Committee underscores the importance of compiling databases for cultural and natural heritage in Afghanistan to re-establish the national inventories with a view to elaborate Tentative Lists of properties to be eventually nominated for inscription on the World Heritage List. The Committee requests the World Heritage Centre to mobilize international technical and financial support for providing basic equipment and tools for the monitoring, conservation, and management of natural and cultural heritage in Afghanistan.
2.2	To this end, the Committee calls upon States Parties to the World Heritage Convention with institutional capacity and technical resources to provide assistance to the authorities of Afghanistan in their efforts to re-compile their scientific documentation and to re-establish their national inventories of cultural and natural heritage properties.
2.3	The Committee expresses its appreciation to the World Heritage Centre, IUCN, ICCROM and ICOMOS for their immediate actions to commence the recompilation of scientific documentation for the reconstruction of the Afghan national inventories. However, while appreciating the preliminary assessment work undertaken by the Advisory Bodies and the World Heritage Centre to collate scientific documentation to elaborate national inventories of natural and cultural heritage, the Committee recognizes the need to continue assisting the authorities in view of the scope of the task. The Committee encourages the Government of Afghanistan to elaborate a Tentative List of properties which the authorities intend to nominate for inscription to the World Heritage List in the coming five to ten years, utilizing the scientific documentation collated together with the Advisory Bodies.
2.4	The Committee congratulates the Government of Afghanistan for submitting a reformulated nomination dossier of the Minaret and Archaeological Remains of Jam for inscription on the World Heritage List and the List of World Heritage in Danger. The Committee also expresses its appreciation to the World Heritage Centre and international experts for their efforts to assist the authorities in preparing the draft reformulated nomination dossier of Jam. Noting the need for establishing local monitoring and conservation mechanisms for the Minaret and Archaeological Remains of Jam, the Committee requests the World Heritage Centre to support the Afghan authorities with the Division of Cultural Heritage to ensure that the ICOMOS recommendations (Information Document WHC-02/CONF.202/INF.4.Add.2) for enhanced protection of the site are implemented.
2.5	The Committee encourages the Government of Afghanistan to further proceed in the reformulation of the deferred nominations of the Historic City of Herat and the Monuments and Archaeological Sites of Bamiyan Valley for possible examination by the Committee in 2004 or 2005. To assist the authorities in compiling necessary documentation and management plan for these two properties, the Committee requests the World Heritage Centre to provide technical support to the Afghan authorities.
2.6	The Committee encourages the Government of Afghanistan to prepare a nomination dossier for the Lakes of Bandi-e-Amir, with the assistance of the World Heritage Centre and IUCN, for possible submission in February 2004.
3.	Deliberate destruction, plundering and illicit traffic of heritage assets of Afghanistan
3.1	The Committee expresses grave concern over the continued and systematic illegal plundering and looting of cultural and natural heritage properties located in Afghanistan, constituting an irreversible impoverishment of the common heritage of all the people in the world.
3.2	The Committee urges the Government of Afghanistan to become signatory to the UNESCO 1954 Hague Convention on the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, its two Protocols, the UNESCO 1970 Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property, the UNIDROIT Convention and other international legal instruments protecting cultural and natural heritage.
3.3	The Committee notes with regret that of the 172 States Parties to the World Heritage Convention, only 91 are signatory to the UNESCO 1970 Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property.
3.4	The Committee reiterates the appeal made by the General Assembly of States Parties to the World Heritage Convention to all States Parties to become signatories to the UNESCO 1970 Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property and the UNIDROIT Convention to prevent further illicit traffic of Afghan cultural heritage.
3.5	While recognizing that the Government of Afghanistan has the first and foremost duty to ban all illegal excavations within its territory and to strictly control its borders to prevent smuggling of illicitly acquired movable heritage resources, the Committee calls upon the neighboring countries of Afghanistan to co-operate in strengthening control of their national borders to prevent further illicit traffic of Afghan heritage.
3.6	Moreover, fully noting the significant constraints faced by the Afghan authorities in controlling illegal plundering and excavations within the country and transport of heritage, the Committee appeals urgently to those countries where Afghan heritage material is sold to provide co-operation to prevent further illicit traffic of such property.
3.7	Underscoring the importance for effective co-operation with NGOs such as the International Council on Archives (ICA) and the International Council of Museums (ICOM) amongst others, the Committee calls upon the Assistant Director-General for Culture to organize actions similar to those taken in Angkor (Cambodia) with ICOM to increase the Afghan national capacity to prevent illicit trafficking of heritage.
4.	Appeal to the international community to assist the Government of Afghanistan in its efforts to rehabilitate the country's endangered heritage
4.1	Upon examination of the state of conservation of the principal monuments and sites, the deplorable and continuing looting of major archaeological properties throughout the country, and the conditions of the surviving inventories, documentation and archives of Afghan heritage, the Committee fully recognizes the overwhelming challenge to rehabilitate Afghanistan's cultural and natural heritage.
4.2	The Committee affirmed the need for significant mobilization of international and national support for the Afghan authorities and people to conserve and rehabilitate the country's endangered heritage.
4.3	The Committee notes with appreciation, all efforts made by the Director-General of UNESCO, the World Heritage Centre, the Division of Cultural Heritage and the Advisory Bodies in assisting the Afghan authorities in reactivating the World Heritage Convention and to conserve Afghan heritage. The Committee also expresses its appreciation to the various Governments and NGOs which have commenced or have plans to support the Afghan authorities in their efforts to rehabilitate their heritage. In particular, the Committee pays special tribute to all Afghan specialists and citizens who have made, and continue to make, extraordinary efforts to protect Afghanistan's irreplaceable heritage assets during the past two decades of difficult periods.
4.4	Convinced of the important role that cultural and natural heritage can play in the rehabilitation of Afghanistan, the Committee reiterates its appeal to the States Parties to the World Heritage Convention, IGOs and NGOs active in the field of heritage conservation, to continue to publicize the great challenges facing Afghan heritage and to support the national efforts to enhance the protection and revitalization of this heritage.