Policy Compendium
a) Incorporate well-designed buffer zones based on a holistic understanding of natural as well as human induced factors affecting the property, supported by reinforcing relevant legal, policy, awareness and incentive mechanisms, into new nominations and where appropriate into existing properties to ensure enhanced protection of World Heritage properties,
b) Place particular emphasis on strategic environmental assessment and impact assessments for potential projects within buffer zones to avoid, negative impacts on OUV from developments and activities in these zones,
c) Develop buffer zone protection and management regimes that optimize the capture and sharing of benefits to communities to support the aspirations of the 2015 Policy for the integration of a Sustainable Development Perspective into the processes of the World Heritage Convention,
d) Ensure buffer zones are supported by appropriate protection and management regimes in line with the property’s OUV, that build connectivity with the wider setting in cultural, environmental and landscape terms."
Theme: | 2.2.6.2 - Buffer Zones |
Decision: | 44 COM 7.2 |
Paragraph 103
“Wherever necessary for the proper protection of the property, an adequate buffer zone should be provided.”
Theme: | 2.2.6.2 - Buffer Zones |
Source: | OG Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention (WHC.19/01 - 10 July 2019) |
Paragraph 104
“For the purposes of effective protection of the nominated property, a buffer zone is an area surrounding the nominated property which has complementary legal and/or customary restrictions placed on its use and development to give an added layer of protection to the property. This should include the immediate setting of the nominated property, important views and other areas or attributes that are functionally important as a support to the property and its protection. The area constituting the buffer zone should be determined in each case through appropriate mechanisms. Details on the size, characteristics and authorized uses of a buffer zone, as well as a map indicating the precise boundaries of the property and its buffer zone, should be provided in the nomination.”
Theme: | 2.2.6.2 - Buffer Zones |
Source: | OG Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention (WHC.19/01 - 10 July 2019) |
Paragraph 105
“A clear explanation of how the buffer zone protects the property should also be provided.”
Theme: | 2.2.6.2 - Buffer Zones |
Source: | OG Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention (WHC.19/01 - 10 July 2019) |
Paragraph 106
“Where no buffer zone is proposed, the nomination should include a statement as to why a buffer zone is not required.”
Theme: | 2.2.6.2 - Buffer Zones |
Source: | OG Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention (WHC.19/01 - 10 July 2019) |
Paragraph 107
“Although buffer zones are not part of the nominated property, any modifications to or creation of buffer zones subsequent to inscription of a property on the World Heritage List should be approved by the World Heritage Committee using the procedure for a minor boundary modification (see paragraph 164 and Annex 11). The creation of buffer zones subsequent to inscription is normally considered to be a minor boundary modification.”
Theme: | 2.2.6.2 - Buffer Zones |
Source: | OG Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention (WHC.19/01 - 10 July 2019) |
Paragraph 165
“If a State Party wishes to significantly modify the boundary of a property already on the World Heritage List, the State Party shall submit this proposal as if it were a new nomination (including the requirement to be previously included on the Tentative List – see paragraph 63 and 65). This re-nomination shall be presented by 1 February and will be evaluated in the full year and a half cycle of evaluation according to the procedures and timetable outlined in paragraph 168. This provision applies to extensions, as well as reductions.”Theme: | 2.2.6.4 - Significant modifications to the boundaries |
Source: | OG Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention (WHC.19/01 - 10 July 2019) |
Theme: | 2.4 - Upstream Process |
Decision: | 41 COM 9A |
Paragraph 134
“A nominated property may occur:
a) on the territory of a single State Party, or
b) on the territory of all concerned States Parties having adjacent borders (transboundary property).”
Theme: | 2.7.2 - Transboundary and transnational properties |
Source: | OG Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention (WHC.19/01 - 10 July 2019) |
Paragraph 135
“Wherever possible, transboundary nominations should be prepared and submitted by States Parties jointly in conformity with Article 11.3 of the Convention. It is highly recommended that the States Parties concerned establish a joint management committee or similar body to oversee the management of the whole of a transboundary property.”
Theme: | 2.7.2 - Transboundary and transnational properties |
Source: | OG Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention (WHC.19/01 - 10 July 2019) |
Paragraph 136
“Extensions to an existing World Heritage property located in one State Party may be proposed to become transboundary properties.”
Theme: | 2.7.2 - Transboundary and transnational properties |
Source: | OG Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention (WHC.19/01 - 10 July 2019) |
“II. TRANSBOUNDARY AND TRANSNATIONAL NOMINATIONS
6) [The World Heritage Committee] decides to consider as:(a) transboundary nomination, only a property jointly nominated as such, in conformity with Article 11.3 of the Convention, by all concerned States Parties having adjacent borders;
(b) transnational nomination, a serial nomination of properties located in the territory of different States Parties, which need not be contiguous and which are nominated with the consent of all States Parties concerned”.
Theme: | 2.7.2 - Transboundary and transnational properties |
Decision: | 7 EXT.COM 4A |
3. "[The World Heritage Committee] aware of the need to specify the submission modalities for the nomination of transboundary or transnational serial properties on the World Heritage List,
4. (…):
a) The States Parties co-authors of a transboundary or transnational serial nomination can choose, amongst themselves and with a common understanding, the State Party which will be bearing this nomination; and
b) This nomination can be registered exclusively within the ceiling of the bearing State Party."
Theme: | 2.7.2 - Transboundary and transnational properties |
Decision: | 29 COM 18A |
Synthesis based on relevant Committee decisions
The World Heritage Committee requests to ensure the management of a serial property as a unified whole, with an effective and explicit operational coordination between management plans existing for individual component parts of the site and the overall management plan for the property (based on case law on decisions on Nomination).
Theme: |
2.2.5.3 - Management systems 2.7.3 - Serial properties |
See for examples Decisions: | 40 COM 8B.16 43 COM 8B.38 44 COM 8B.25 44 COM 8B.15 |
Paragraph 137
“Serial properties will include two or more component parts related by clearly defined links:
a) Component parts should reflect cultural, social or functional links over time that provide, where relevant, landscape, ecological, evolutionary or habitat connectivity.
b) Each component part should contribute to the Outstanding Universal Value of the property as a whole in a substantial, scientific, readily defined and discernible way, and may include, inter alia, intangible attributes. The resulting Outstanding Universal Value should be easily understood and communicated.
c) Consistently, and in order to avoid an excessive fragmentation of component parts, the process of nomination of the property, including the selection of the component parts, should take fully into account the overall manageability and coherence of the property (see paragraph 114).
and provided it is the series as a whole – and not necessarily the individual parts of it – which are of Outstanding Universal Value.”
Theme: | 2.7.3 - Serial properties |
Source: | OG Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention (WHC.19/01 - 10 July 2019) |
Paragraph 138
“A serial nominated property may occur:
a) on the territory of a single State Party (serial national property); or
b) within the territory of different States Parties, which need not be contiguous and is nominated with the consent of all States Parties concerned (serial transnational property).”
Theme: | 2.7.3 - Serial properties |
Source: | OG Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention (WHC.19/01 - 10 July 2019) |
Paragraph 139
“Serial nominations, whether from one State Party or multiple States, may be submitted for evaluation over several nomination cycles, provided that the first property nominated is of Outstanding Universal Value in its own right. States Parties planning serial nominations phased over several nomination cycles are encouraged to inform the Committee of their intention in order to ensure better planning.”
Theme: | 2.7.3 - Serial properties |
Source: | OG Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention (WHC.19/01 - 10 July 2019) |
35. (i) “States Parties may propose in one single nomination several individual cultural properties, which may be in different geographical locations but which should:
- be linked because they belong to the same historic-cultural group, or
- be the subject of a single safeguarding project, or
- belong to the same type of property characteristic of the zone
(…)
Each State Party submits only the cultural properties situated on its territory (even if these properties belong to an ensemble which goes beyond its borders) but it may come to an agreement with another State Party in order to make a joint submission”.
Theme: | 2.7.3 - Serial properties |
Decision: | 3 COM XI.35 |
19. "(...)
(e) States Parties may propose in a single nomination a series of cultural properties in different geographical locations, provided that they are related because they belong : (i) to the same historico-cultural group or (ii) to the same type of property which is characteristic of the geographical zone and provided that it is the series as such and not its components taken individually, which is of outstanding universal value."
Theme: | 2.7.3 - Serial properties |
Decision: | 4 COM VI.18-20 |
2. "[The World Heritage Committee notes] that some large complex serial transnational nominations may benefit from an agreed nomination strategy before their official submission, (…);
5. [The World Heritage Committee] emphasizes that, if and when, it takes note of a nomination strategy, this is not prejudicial and does not imply that the complex serial transnational nominations proposed would necessarily lead to an inscription on the World Heritage List."
Theme: | 2.7.3 - Serial properties |
Decision: | 41 COM 8B.50 |
2.2.1 - Outstanding Universal Value: definition and ...
2.2.2.2 - Specific considerations related to criterion ...
2.2.3 - Authenticity
2.2.5.3 - Management systems
2.2.6.1 - Boundaries
2.2.6.2 - Buffer Zones
2.2.6.4 - Significant modifications to the boundaries
2.4 - Upstream Process
2.7.2 - Transboundary and transnational properties
2.7.3 - Serial properties
2.7.4.2 - Historic Urban Landscapes
The World Heritage Policy Compendium was elaborated thanks to the generous contribution of the Government of Australia.
The World Heritage Policy Compendium On-line tool was developed thanks to the generous contribution of the Government of Korea.