World Heritage Centre

24 GA 8 UPDATING OF THE POLICY DOCUMENT ON CLIMATE ACTION FOR WORLD HERITAGE

wh-support@unesco.org — Wed, 22 Nov 2023 00:00:00 EST

The General Assembly,

Having examined Documents WHC/23/24.GA/8 and WHC/23/24.GA/INF.8,
Recalling Resolution 23 GA 11, adopted at its 23rd session (UNESCO, 2021),
Also recalling Decisions 40 COM 7, 41 COM 7, 42 COM 7, 43 COM 7.2, 44 COM 7C and 45 COM 7.1, adopted respectively at the 40th (Istanbul/UNESCO, 2016), 41st (Krakow, 2017), 42nd (Manama, 2018), 43rd (Baku, 2019), extended 44th (Fuzhou/online, 2021) and extended 45th (Riyadh, 2023) sessions of the World Heritage Committee,
Thanking H.E. Ms Yvette Sylla (Madagascar) as elected Chairperson of the Open-ended Working Group established by the General Assembly at its 23rd session (UNESCO, 2021), Ms Carolina Diaz Acosta (Colombia) for her remarkable leadership in chairing meetings of the Open-ended Working Group, Australia, Colombia, Lebanon and Poland as Vice-Chairpersons, Ms Barbara Engels (Germany) as Rapporteur, and all members of the Working Group for the work accomplished,
Also thanking the States Parties of Australia, Azerbaijan and the Kingdom of the Netherlands for their generous financial support to the updating process of the 2007 “Policy Document on the impacts of Climate Change on World Heritage properties”, and expressing its gratitude to all stakeholders of the World Heritage Convention who contributed to this process,
Noting the rich debates that took place during the eight meetings of the Open-ended Working Group established by the General Assembly at its 23rd session (UNESCO, 2021) with the mandate to review and develop its final version taking into account Decision 44 COM 7C, as well as proposals for its effective implementation,
Emphasizing that, consistent with Article 18 of the 2017 UNESCO Declaration of Ethical Principles in relation to Climate Change, nothing in this non-binding Policy Document should be understood as an interpretation of any of the principles and provisions of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and of the Paris Agreement adopted under it,
Adopts the 2023 “Policy Document on Climate Action for World Heritage”, as recommended by consensus by the Open-ended Working Group and contained in Document WHC/23/24.GA/INF.8;
Encourages the States Parties, the World Heritage Centre, the Advisory Bodies and World Heritage-related Category 2 Centres to disseminate widely the "Policy Document on Climate Action for World Heritage” through appropriate means to the World Heritage community and the broader public, including in local languages, and to promote its implementation;
Recalls the World Heritage Committee’s requests, regarding the implementation of the Policy Document, addressed to the World Heritage Centre jointly with the Advisory Bodies, and within the available resources, to:
1. Elaborate proposals for specific changes to the Operational Guidelines necessary to translate the principles of this Policy Document into actual operational procedures, and to develop education and capacity-building initiatives to enable a wide implementation of this Policy Document,
2. Consider preparing a Guidance Document to facilitate effective implementation of, and support for, the actions, goals and targets of this Policy Document, which could include indicators and benchmarking tools for measuring and reporting progress towards achieving the World Heritage Climate Action Goals,
provided the above be undertaken in consultation with States Parties;
Calls on States Parties to support the above-mentioned activities through extrabudgetary funding;
Recommends that States Parties and all stakeholders of the Convention integrate climate change mitigation and adaptation actions in risk preparedness policies and action plans, in order to protect the Outstanding Universal Value of all World Heritage properties, in line with the "Policy Document on Climate Action for World Heritage”;
Also recommends that World Heritage-related Category 2 Centres and UNESCO Chairs prioritize issues related to the implementation of the "Policy Document on Climate Action for World Heritage” within their capacity-building and research initiatives;
Requests the World Heritage Centre to present to the General Assembly, at its 26th session, a report on the progress made in the implementation of the Policy Document and the above provisions.

44 COM 7C Draft Updated Policy Document On The Impacts Of Climate Change On World Heritage Properties

wh-support@unesco.org — Fri, 16 Jul 2021 00:00:00 EST

The World Heritage Committee,

Having examined Document WHC/21/44.COM/7C,
Recalling Decisions 40 COM 7, 41 COM 7, 42 COM 7 and 43 COM 7.2, adopted at its 40th (Istanbul/UNESCO, 2016), 41st (Krakow, 2017), 42nd (Manama, 2018) and 43rd (Baku, 2019) sessions respectively,
Takes note with satisfaction of the wide range of climate change-related activities undertaken by the World Heritage Centre, in collaboration with the Advisory Bodies;
Thanks the State Party of the Netherlands for having funded the project to update the 2007 Policy Document on the impacts of Climate Change on World Heritage properties, and expresses its gratitude to all the experts and representatives of States Parties, of the World Heritage Centre and of the Advisory Bodies who contributed to the meetings of the Technical Advisory Group;
Takes note with appreciation that a wide diversity of stakeholders of the World Heritage Convention (States Parties, site managers, Advisory Bodies, World Heritage Centre and representatives of local communities, indigenous peoples, academics, NGOs and civil society) were able to contribute to the updating process through the online consultation launched by the World Heritage Centre;
Takes note of the new title proposed for the updated Policy Document to become “Policy Document for Climate Action for World Heritage”;
Endorses the draft "Policy Document on Climate Action for World Heritage”, as presented in Annex 1 of Document WHC/21/44.COM/7C, and requests the World Heritage Centre, in consultation with the Advisory Bodies, to revise it by incorporating views expressed and amendments submitted during the extended 44th session and, as appropriate, to consult Committee members, especially concerning the following points:
1. the fundamental principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities (CBDR-RC), which is one of the basic pillars of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC),
2. the alignment of climate change mitigation actions with the CBDR-RC and the Nationally Determined Contributions accepted under the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement, except on an entirely voluntary basis,
3. the need for support and capacity-building assistance, as well as the encouragement of technology transfer and financing from developed to developing countries;
Recalls Decision 41 COM 7 and reiterates the importance of States Parties undertaking the most ambitious implementation of the Paris Agreement of the UNFCCC, and strongly invites all States Parties to ratify the Paris Agreement at the earliest possible opportunity and to undertake actions to address Climate Change under the Paris Agreement consistent with their common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities, in light of different national circumstances, that are fully consistent with their obligations within the World Heritage Convention to protect the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of all World Heritage properties;
Decides to transmit the draft "Policy Document on Climate Action for World Heritage”, following final revisions, for review and adoption at the 23rd session of the General Assembly of States Parties to the Convention in 2021;
Also requests the World Heritage Centre, jointly with the Advisory Bodies, once the "Policy Document on Climate Action for World Heritage” is adopted by the General Assembly of the States Parties and within the available resources, to elaborate proposals for specific changes to the Operational Guidelines that would be required to translate the principles of this Policy Document into actual operational procedures, and to develop education and capacity-building initiatives that would be needed to enable wide implementation of this Policy Document, and calls on States Parties to contribute financially to this end;
Further requests the World Heritage Centre, in parallel with the processes outlined in Paragraph 10, to convene a panel of experts drawn from the ad-hoc Working Group, World Heritage Centre, the Advisory Bodies and other qualified experts in the field of climate science and heritage to meet by March 2022 and also calls on State Parties to contribute financially to this end;
Requests furthermore the World Heritage Centre, jointly with the Advisory Bodies, and subject to available resources, to consider preparing a Guidance Document to facilitate effective implementation of, and support for, the actions, goals and targets of this Policy Document, which could include indicators and benchmarking tools for measuring and reporting progress towards achieving the World Heritage Climate Action Goals, and further calls on States Parties to support this activity through extrabudgetary funding;
Encourages the States Parties, the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies to disseminate widely the "Policy Document on Climate Action for World Heritage”, once adopted, through appropriate means to the World Heritage community and the broader public, including in local languages, and to promote its implementation;
Recommends that the "Policy Document on Climate Action for World Heritage” be interpreted in the context of the UNFCCC, the Paris Agreement (2015) and the United Nations 2030 Agenda for sustainable development, and in conjunction with the Policy Document for the integration of a sustainable development perspective into the processes of the World Heritage Convention (2015);
Urges States Parties and all stakeholders of the Convention to urgently integrate climate change mitigation and adaptation actions in risk preparedness policies and action plans, in order to protect the OUV of all World Heritage properties, in line with the "Policy Document on Climate Action for World Heritage”;
Further recommends that World Heritage-related Category 2 Centres and UNESCO Chairs prioritize issues related to the implementation of the "Policy Document on Climate Action for World Heritage” within their capacity-building and research initiatives;
Finally requests the World Heritage Centre, in consultation with the Advisory Bodies, to present a progress report on the implementation status of the "Policy Document on Climate Action for World Heritage” at its 48th session, after four years of implementation.

46 COM 7 State of Conservation of World Heritage Properties

wh-support@unesco.org — Sun, 21 Jul 2024 00:00:00 EST

The World Heritage Committee,

Having examined Document WHC/24/46.COM/7,
Recalling Decisions 42 COM 7, 43 COM 7.2, 44 COM 7.2, 45 COM 7.1 and 45 COM 7.2 adopted at its 42nd (Manama, 2018) and 43rd (Baku, 2019) sessions, and its extended 44th (Fuzhou/online, 2021) and 45th (Riyadh, 2023) sessions respectively,
Also recalling that all proposed major interventions in and around World Heritage properties should be subject to rigorous impact assessments, as outlined in Paragraph 118bis of the Operational Guidelines, in line with the Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessment in a World Heritage Context, and that both the proposals and the impact assessment-related documentation be submitted, in accordance with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines, to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies, before any interventions for new construction, demolition, modification, recovery or reconstruction commences or decisions made that cannot be reversed;

Improving the perception of the List of World Heritage in Danger

4. Reaffirming that the inscription of a property on the List of World Heritage in Danger aims to mobilize international support to help States Parties to effectively address the challenges faced by the properties concerned,

5. Also reaffirming the need to promote a better understanding of the implications and benefits of properties being inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger, welcomes the Secretariat’s information material entitled “Implementing New Visions: a Guidebook for action on the List of World Heritage in Danger (2024)” and thanks the State Party of Norway for its financial support to this end;

6. Encourages the States Parties, the World Heritage Centre, the Advisory Bodies and the World Heritage-related Category 2 Centres to disseminate widely this guidebook through appropriate means, including in local languages, to the World Heritage community at large and the broader public, with a view to contributing to a more positive perception of the List of World Heritage in Danger;

Emergency situations resulting from conflicts

7. Expresses utmost concern that conflicts (including armed conflict and civil unrest) continue to represent a major threat to World Heritage properties and remain one of the major reasons for the inscription of properties on the List of World Heritage in Danger;

8. Regrets the loss of human life and the degradation of humanitarian conditions resulting from the prevailing conflict situations, including threats to the personnel and local communities in and around World Heritage properties;

9. Welcomes protection and conservation efforts being undertaken by the concerned States Parties at World Heritage properties in current and former conflict zones and that some States Parties are progressively proceeding with the development of corrective measures and the definition of the Desired state of conservation for the removal of properties from the List of World Heritage in Danger (DSOCR) for some cultural properties in collaboration with the World Heritage Centre and ICOMOS;

10. Urges again all parties associated with conflicts to ensure the protection of cultural and natural heritage, including to avoid their use for military purposes and also reiterates its utmost concern at the increase in illicit trafficking of cultural objects, resulting from armed conflicts, and appeals to all States Parties to cooperate in the fight against these threats, and for cultural heritage protection in general, including through the ratification of the 1970 Convention and the 1954 Convention and its two Protocols, as well as the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolutions 2199 (2015), 2253 (2015) and 2347 (2017), and the implementation of the UNESCO Recommendations on Museums and Collections (2015);

11. Welcomes the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies’ continued actions in responding to emergencies and conflicts threatening cultural and natural heritage, including the Outstanding Universal Value, including through the Heritage Emergency Fund (HEF) and the Rapid Response Facility (RRF), UNESCO’s actions and emergency assistance programme and the First Aid and Resilience for Cultural Heritage of ICCROM;

12. Reiterates its call upon the international community to further support the safeguarding of the cultural and natural heritage of countries affected by conflict, through earmarked funds or through contributions to the UNESCO World Heritage Fund, HEF and RRF;

Recovery and Reconstruction

13. Recalls that reconstruction is justifiable only in exceptional circumstances, and should be based on thorough documentation, guided by conservation plans and policies that support the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV), and as outlined in Paragraph 86 of the Operational Guidelines;

14. Takes note of the programmes initiated and implemented by the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies and other international partners to respond to the destruction of heritage through documentation, emergency response, recovery and reconstruction;

15. Welcomes the continued efforts by States Parties in responding to post-conflict and post-disaster recovery and reconstruction, as well as their positive social and community interlinkages and thanks UNESCO, the Advisory Bodies, and all the partners for their generous support of the initiatives and efforts;

16. Reiterates its previous encouragement to all State Parties to prepare comprehensive risk preparedness strategies and emergency response plans for World Heritage properties that are exposed to risk from natural disasters;

17. Reminds State Parties that Recovery Plans and on major reconstruction projects, which extend beyond emergency repair and stabilisation works should be subject to Heritage Impact Assessments (HIAs) prepared in accordance with the Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessments in the World Heritage Context and that detailed project documentation including HIAs should be submitted to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies before making any decision that would be difficult to reverse, in conformity with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines.

Development pressures and the need for management effectiveness

18. Notes with concern the continued and increasing pressures on World Heritage arising from a wide range of development pressures from small scale housing projects to large scale infrastructure development, including for transport and energy, urban development and expansion, mining and extraction, and the building of border barriers, to the development of tourism infrastructure within World Heritage properties or in their wider setting, resulting in significant potential and ascertained threats to the OUV of these properties;

19. Notes the importance of clearly established governance and legislation protecting the OUV of the property and that effective management systems for World Heritage properties must be integrated into urban, local and regional development plans and processes so that the coherent and coordinated protection of OUV is implemented by all levels of government;

20. Welcomes the launch of the UNESCO Urban Heritage Atlas digital tool that also supports the implementation of the 2011 Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape and encourages States Parties to implement the Atlas for managing World Heritage properties in urban contexts;

21. Invites States Parties to regularly evaluate their World Heritage management systems to ensure that management is effective, and to inform adaptive management approaches by utilizing the 2023 Enhancing Our Heritage Toolkit 2.0 to ensure that the OUV is conserved and management objectives are achieved;

22. Reminds States Parties that in order to effectively plan, manage and inform decision-making, that they ensure that the potential impacts of developments on the OUV are appropriately assessed, in line with Paragraph 3 above and that no developments proceed that would negatively impact the OUV;

23. Notes furthermore the support of sound information systems for effective management systems, such as the World Heritage Online Map Platform and the UNESCO Urban Heritage Atlas, as well as the importance of sharing management practices through the UNESCO World Heritage Canopy platform and the IUCN-ICCROM-ICOMOS Nature-Culture Community of PANORAMA and invites States Parties to continue to contribute to their information and practices;

24. Also welcomes the agreement signed between UNESCO, IUCN and the Kingdom of the Netherlands Commission for Environmental Assessment (NCEA) to reinforce capacity building and quality assurance for Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEAs) and Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIAs) for World Heritage properties;

Local Communities, Indigenous Peoples, and Human-Rights

25. Recalling Article 5 of the Convention that each State Party shall adopt for their territory a general policy which aims to give the cultural and natural heritage a function in the life of the community, and the integration of the protection of that heritage into comprehensive planning programmes as a means of ensuring effective protection, conservation and presentation of cultural and natural heritage;

26. Also recalling the obligations of States Parties to ensure that the management of their World Heritage properties should follow a human rights-based approach in line with international human rights standards and norms, including the expectations set out in the 2015 Policy on the Integration of a Sustainable Development Perspective in World Heritage Processes, and the UNESCO Policy on Engaging with Indigenous Peoples in order to ensure the full participation of all right-holders and stakeholders and in particular Indigenous peoples including through the provision of free, prior and informed consent on issues related to World Heritage properties that affect Indigenous Peoples;

27. Further recalling the provisions of the Operational Guidelines that call upon States Parties to adopt a human rights-based approach and to ensure the participation of local communities and/or Indigenous Peoples in the implementation of the Convention;

28. Acknowledges that historically for some World Heritage properties, OUV has been defined without the meaningful or sufficient participation of the Indigenous Peoples concerned and may not have taken into account their perspectives, including their relationship with the land and the interconnectedness of nature and culture and that this may have significant negative impacts on the rights, practices, traditions, livelihoods and heritage of concerned Indigenous Peoples;

29. Expresses its utmost concern and strongly condemns all forms of human rights violations against Indigenous Peoples and local communities, including forced evictions, and reiterates that such violations are unacceptable within the framework of the World Heritage Convention, urges the States Parties concerned to urgently investigate allegations where such violations have been reported, and calls upon States Parties to ensure equitable, inclusive and participatory governance mechanisms ensuring full respect of human rights, including the rights of Indigenous Peoples, as an integral part of the management of World Heritage properties;

30. Takes note that an international expert workshop on ‘Recognising and Respecting Indigenous Peoples’ Heritage Values in World Heritage Sites’ was organised by the International Indigenous Peoples Forum on World Heritage (IIPFWH) in January 2024 with the participation of the Advisory Bodies and the World Heritage Centre, and invites the IIPFWH to make available the outcome document at the earliest opportunity;

31. Also takes note that the 21st General Assembly and Scientific Symposium of ICOMOS addressed the question of human rights-based approach to heritage management;

Climate Change

32. Notes with concern the increasing impacts of Climate Change on cultural and natural World Heritage properties;

33. Welcomes the adoption of the Policy Document on Climate Action for World Heritage (Policy Document) by the General Assembly of States Parties to the World Heritage Convention at its 24th session (UNESCO, 2023), urges States Parties to implement it and encourages States Parties, the World Heritage Centre, the Advisory Bodies and World Heritage-related Category 2 Centres to disseminate it widely through appropriate means;

34. Takes note of the initiatives taken by the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies to advance work to support implementation of the Policy Document, including on the development of a draft climate action for World Heritage toolkit and through the ongoing revision of the Resource Manual on Managing Disaster Risks for World Heritage, as well as the upcoming activities for a Guidance Document and encourages States Parties to support these initiatives through extrabudgetary contributions;

35. Also takes note of the ICOMOS Climate Change Adaptation Guide, proposed online and the pro-active engagement with the threats posed by climate change to Indigenous heritage;

World Heritage contribution to Biodiversity Conventions

36. Reiterates its request to States Parties to fully harness the World Heritage Convention in supporting the goals and targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, including through effective collaboration among convention focal points, and by integrating World Heritage-related objectives within their updated National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs), to ensure synergies between World Heritage and other biodiversity-related Conventions, and that World Heritage properties fully benefit from international biodiversity financing such as the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund;

37. Thanks the States Parties of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Germany for their offer to support the expert meeting on World Heritage and the Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, with a view to elaborating specific guidance on how the World Heritage Convention could be better harnessed to contribute to the Global Biodiversity Framework and the aims of the Joint Programme of Work on the Links between Biological and Cultural Diversity, and requests that the outcomes and recommendations of the expert meeting be reported to the Committee at its 47th session;

38. Noting the growing concern over the impacts of avian influenza on wildlife in World Heritage properties, encourages management authorities to develop appropriate management strategies in line with international standards and good practice.