1. In conformity with Rule 8 (Observers) of the Rules of Procedure of the Committee,

2. Accepts the presence of the following international governmental organizations (IGOs), international non-governmental organizations (INGOs), non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and individuals, who have requested Observer participation at the session:

Mr Julian Laird, Earthwatch Institute, Europe;

Ms Maria Isabel Correa Kanan, IPHAN, Brazil;

Ms Jessica Douglas-Home and Mr Georges Zouain, The Mihai Emisecu Trust, U.K.;

Mr Haruhisa Furuta and Mrs Mami Furuta, The Setouchi Research Institute, Japan;

Mr Masanori Nagaoka, National Federation of UNESCO Associations in Japan (NFUAJ), Japan;

Mr Daniel Slater, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia;

Mr S. Jacob Scherr, Natural Resources Defense Council, United States of America;

Mr Abdel Kader Bangoura, CEGEN, Conakry, Guinée;

Dr Mzalendo Kibunjia, National Museums of Kenya, Kenya;

Mr Stefan Benediktsson, Environmental Agency of Iceland, Iceland;

Mr Tilman Zulch, International Society for Threatened Peoples, Germany;

Mme Dominique Sewane (Independent expert), France;

Mr Sergey Tsyplenkov, Mr Joost van Marrewijk and Mr Roman Pukalov, Greenpeace International, Russian Federation;

Arch. Carla Maurano, International Centre for Mediterranean Cultural Landscapes, Italy; 

Mr John O'Sullivan, BirdLife International, United Kingdom;

Mr Jon Catton, Greater Yellowstone Coalition, United States of America;

Ms Pamela de Maigret, The World Film Group, Canada;

Ms Naoko Yokote, Tokyo Broadcasting System, Inc (TBS), Japan;

Mr Naguib-Michel Sidhom and Ms Émiko Iinuma, Institut d'Orient, France;

Mr Shuichi Koi, Society for Preserving the Nara Palace Site, Japan.

3. Approves the presence of all those invited by the Director-General of UNESCO in accordance with Rule 8.4 of the Rules of Procedure and as listed in Document WHC-03/27.COM/1, as well as Ms Melinda Kimble and Mr Ray Wanner, United Nations Foundation (invited by the Director, UNESCO World Heritage Centre).

The List of Participants is included as Annex I to this document.

1. Adopts the agenda as proposed in document WHC-03/27.COM/2 Prov.2;

2. Noting that the 6th extraordinary session of the World Heritage Committee adopted a decision on item 14A (Nominations to be examined in 2004 and 2005) (see Decision 6 EXT.COM 7), 

3. Further noting that following Decision 26 COM 26, item 21 (Provisional agenda of the 28th session of the Bureau of the World Heritage Committee (April 2004)) is no longer applicable,

4. Decides to take note of the following documents: WHC-03/27.COM/15 (Ways and Means to reinforce the implementation of the World Heritage Convention), WHC-03/27.COM/16 (Progress report on the revision of UNESCO's Medium-Term Strategy (31C/4, 2002-2007) and the preparation of the UNESCO Draft Programme and Budget (32C/5, 2004-2005), WHC-03/27.COM/17 (The relationship between the World Heritage Committee and UNESCO), and WHC-03/27.COM/20A (Concept paper on the future development of an international statement or charter of conservation principles);

5. Further decides to defer the discussion on WHC-03/27.COM/9 (Global Training Strategy), WHC-03/27.COM/19 (Performance Indicators) and Section A of WHC-03/27.COM/20C (World Heritage Partnerships Initiative) until the 28th session of the World Heritage Committee in 2004.

2. Noting that in view of the above, the transitional provisions relating to the election of the Bureau found in Decision 6 EXT.COM 3, can no longer be applied,

3. Decides to elect, on an exceptional basis, a Bureau with the following composition:

a) Ms Vera Lacoeuilhe (Saint Lucia) as Chairperson of the World Heritage Committee for the duration of the 27th session of the Committee. After the end of this session Saint Lucia will become a Vice-Chairperson, until the end of the 28th session in 2004;

b) Mr Zhang Xinsheng (China) as Chairperson of the World Heritage Committee, whose mandate will begin at the end of the 27th session of the Committee until the end of the 28th session of the Committee in 2004 in China will be a Vice-Chairperson during the 27th session of the Committee;

c) Ms Louise Graham (South Africa) as the Rapporteur of the World Heritage Committee for the duration of both the 27th and 28th sessions of the World Heritage Committee;

d) Argentina, Nigeria, Oman and the United Kingdom as Vice-Chairpersons for the duration of both the 27th and 28th sessions of the World Heritage Committee;

4. Further decides that the Bureau of the 29th session of the World Heritage Committee (June 2005) will be elected at the end of the 28th session of the World Heritage Committee (Suzhou, China, June-July 2004) in accordance with Rule 13.1 of the Rules of Procedure of the World Heritage Committee.

1. Notes with appreciation the Report of the Rapporteur on the 6th extraordinary session of the World Heritage Committee in 2003;

2. Requests the World Heritage Centre, in order to facilitate the implementation of its decisions and to better plan and manage its workload during future sessions, to prepare a "Directory of Decisions by deadline" according to the model as proposed by the Rapporteur attached as an aAnnexx XX in to the Summary Record (WHC-03/27.COM/INF.24);

3. Further requests the World Heritage Centre in order to ensure an institutional memory of the World Heritage Committee decisions, to prepare "A General index of decisions of the Committee", by theme and property according to the model as proposed by the Rapporteur attached as an aAnnex  XX to the Summary Record (WHC-03/27.COM/INF.24);

4. Also requests the World Heritage Centre to update these Directories before every session of the World Heritage Committee.

1. Taking note of the Report of the Secretariat as presented in document WHC-03/27.COM/5,

2. Recalling the need for the Committee to be kept informed on the implementation of its decisions, 

3. Invites the Secretariat to present to the Committee, at each of its ordinary ordinary sessions, a "Report on the Implementation of the Decisions taken by the World Heritage Committee". This Report will replace the Secretariat Report.

2. Requests the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies to carry out a mission to the property to examine its state of conservation at the earliest possible time, within the scope of Decision 26 COM 6.1 concerning the protection of the cultural heritage in the Palestinian Territories, and submit a report to the World Heritage Committee at its 28th session in 2004;

3. Appeals to all concerned parties to ensure that the cultural and natural heritage of the region is preserved, and that destruction or irreversible damage be avoided.

1. Expresses its sincere appreciation to the Asia-Pacific States Parties, the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies for their collaboration over the past 6 years that led to the successful preparation of the comprehensive "Synthesis Regional Periodic Report for the Asia-Pacific Region 2003";

2. Takes note of the sub-regional and regional recommendations and action plans proposed in the "Synthesis Regional Periodic Report for the Asia-Pacific Region 2003", which were elaborated by the States Parties together with the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies, based upon the conclusions of the Periodic Reporting Exercise and the national, sub-regional and regional Consultative Meetings;

3. Requests the World Heritage Centre to produce a publication within three months if possible, to be funded from extrabudgetary funds, on "The State of World Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region", and to make the Report and the information contained in the Asia-Pacific States Parties' national periodic reports available through electronic or other appropriate means (CD-ROM and/or on the UNESCO World Heritage Centre's web site);

4. Recommends to the Director-General of UNESCO that he reviews operations and staffing in the regional offices in Asia and the Pacific by 2005 to ensure that improved services are provided in a co-ordinated manner with the World Heritage Centre to assist the Asia-Pacific States Parties in the implementation of the World Heritage Convention;

5. Decides to favourably consider and support the proposed Programmes "ActionAsia 2003-2009" and "World Heritage-Pacific 2009", which directly respond to the conclusions, recommendations, and action plans resulting from this Periodic Reporting Exercise (Document WHC-03/27.COM/20B);

6. Strongly encourages the Asia-Pacific States Parties to take the necessary actions to follow up in a concerted and concrete manner, the recommendations and action plans proposed at national levels to address effectively and in a timely manner the conservation challenges to World Heritage in the Asia-Pacific Region.

1. Requests the World Heritage Centre to produce a publication within three months, if possible, to be funded from extrabudgetary funds, on the Arab States Periodic Report carried out in the year 2000 and information on the follow-up actions.  This publication is also to be made available through electronic or other appropriate means (CD-Rom and/or on the UNESCO World Heritage Centre's web site);

2. Notes the progress made to date in the preparation for the Periodic Reporting in Latin America and the Caribbean and in Europe and North America.

2. Requests that the State Party take all necessary measures to halt mining along the Manovo River in order to minimize negative impacts of mining on the integrity of the Park and confirm in writing the outcome of the measures taken;

3. Recommends that IUCN and the World Heritage Centre, in co-operation with the State Party, urgently undertake a mission to the property to evaluate the status of the outstanding universal value for which it was inscribed on the World Heritage List and the extent to which that value may have been irreversibly compromised by prevailing threats to the property and submit the findings and recommendations of that mission, if possible to the World Heritage Centre by 1 February 2004 for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 28th session in 2004;

4. Requests the World Heritage Centre and the State Party to adapt the Emergency Rehabilitation plan to the changed situation in the field;

5. Invites the State Party to provide an up-to-date report on the status of implementation of the revised plan by 1 February 2004 for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 28th session in 2004;

6. Decides to retain the Manovo-Gounda St Floris National Park in the List of World Heritage in Danger.

1. Expresses its serious concerns about the continuing threats of poaching in all properties and encroachments and cattle farming in Virunga; 

2. Commends international conservation NGOs, the UNESCO/DRC/UNF (United Nations Foundation) Project and the Governments of Germany and Belgium for their commitment to support staff of the properties and to mobilize necessary financial and human resources needed to mitigate threats to the integrity of the five properties;

3. Invites the new National Unity Government of the State Party to commit itself to protecting the integrity of the five World Heritage properties and co-operate with United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) and all other concerned UN, international and national authorities to ensure the complete removal of all armed groups from the territories of the five World Heritage properties;

4. Urges the new National Unity Government of the State Party to call upon all sections of society, including the military forces, local communities residing near the World Heritage properties and the broader public to commit to supporting the work of the Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN) at the national, regional and property levels and provide the necessary human, material and financial resources for the conservation of the five World Heritage properties and biodiversity resources of the DRC;

5. Requests the new National Unity Government of the State Party to enforce the legislation prohibiting mining and other resource extraction activities within the five World Heritage properties and to give careful consideration to the environmental impact of such activities, whenever they are planned for implementation outside the World Heritage properties;

6. Reiterates its call for urgent and high-level diplomatic initiatives to halt illegal encroachment and settlements threatening the Virunga National Park and to ensure that all authorities respect the international significance and neutrality of World Heritage properties and assist property staff and other conservation authorities to effectively protect those properties;

7. Expresses its appreciation to the United States Government, the European Union and other donor countries and international organizations for the launching of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership and invites them to work with the State Party and the Secretariat to develop a programme to consolidate the achievements of the UNESCO/DRC/UNF project;

8. Recommends that the Director-General of UNESCO consider, in co-operation with the Government of Belgium, IUCN, UNF, NGO partners and other appropriate States Parties, institutions and organizations, to launch an international campaign for supporting World Heritage and biodiversity conservation in the DRC and to ensure the full recovery of the World Heritage value of the five properties;

9. Decides to retain the Garamba, Salonga, Kahuzi-Biega and Virunga National Parks and the Okapi Wildife Reserve of the DRC on the List of World Heritage in Danger, and to examine their state of conservation at its 28th session in 2004.

1. Commends the State Party on actions undertaken during the past year to improve the conservation of the Simien National Park World Heritage property;

2. Recommends that the State Party continue implementing the positive measures mentioned in its report until significant on-the-ground conservation improvements are evident;

3. Recommends that IUCN, using expertise from its Species Survival Commission and in co-operation with the State Party, takes measures to verify the increase in the population estimates of Walia Ibex and Simien Fox reported by the State Party;

4. Invites the State Party to provide to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2004, additional information on progress made on the state of conservation of the property, particularly in relation to the benchmarks for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger and other recommendations outlined in the IUCN/UNESCO mission report (April 2001) for noting or review as appropriate by the World Heritage Committee at its 28th session in 2004;

5. Decides to retain the Simien National Park on the List of World Heritage in Danger.

1. Expresses concern that the political turmoil in Côte d'Ivoire has led to the suspension of operations of the Mount Nimba ecosystem conservation project in Côte d'Ivoire and has compelled some of the NGO partners to withdraw staff from the area;

2. Commends Fauna and Flora International on its commitment to continue co-operation with the Guinean State Party in addressing the refugee crisis and developing a long-term management project;

3. Commends the Centre de Gestion de l'Environnement des Monts Nimba (CEGEN) for its important role in promoting and managing international co-operation with relevant partners under the prevailing difficult circumstances to protect the natural values of the Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve; 

4. Invites the Liberian Government, the Côte d'Ivoire and the Guinean authorities including CEGEN to co-operate with the World Heritage Centre, IUCN, NGO partners, UNDP, humanitarian agencies and others concerned to explore ways and means of minimizing impacts, particularly those caused by uncontrolled movement of refugees due to the conflict in Cote d'Ivoire and the worsening security conditions in Liberia;

5. Decides to retain Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve on the List of World Heritage in Danger, and to examine its state of conservation at its 28th session in 2004.

1. Expresses its serious concerns regarding the lack of clarity on the information received on the vehicles provided with financial assistance from the World Heritage Fund and reported stolen, and reiterates its request from the 26th session of the Committee in 2002, that the State Party report on the above issue and on progress made in the implementation of the rehabilitation plan;

2. Requests IUCN and the World Heritage Centre, in co-operation with the State Party, to undertake a mission to the property and carry out a systematic assessment and to submit a report by 1 February 2004 for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 28th session in 2004;

3. Decides to retain the Air and Ténéré Nature Reserves on the List of World Heritage in Danger.

1. Congratulates the State Party and associated partners for their efforts to control Salvinia molesta in a cost effective manner;

2. Notes that savings made in the project funds are being used for strengthening State Party capacity to protect the property and implement measures benefiting the conservation of waterfowl;

3. Requests the State Party to continue co-operating with IUCN, the World Heritage Centre, the Ramsar Convention Secretariat and other relevant partners in carrying out an urgent assessment of the scale and threat of Typha australis and Eichhornia crassipes to the property and in finding successful control measures to reduce the spread of these species to an acceptable level. The IUCN Invasive Species Specialist Group, which already assisted in the case of Salvinia molesta, would be willing to provide technical support for this work at the request of the State Party;

4. Recommends that the State Party, the World Heritage Centre, IUCN, and the Ramsar Convention Secretariat provide advice by 1 February 2004 for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 28th session in 2004 on possible benchmarks and timeframes that could facilitate the Committee deliberations on the possible removal of the Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary from the List of World Heritage in Danger;

5. Decides to retain the Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary on the List of World Heritage in Danger.

1. Noting that IUCN believes that the property's conditions have improved substantially since it was inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger in 1999 and that the State Party is showing increased commitment to the conservation of the property,

2. Commends the Uganda Wildlife Authority for the improvements to the management of the property and their efforts to protect the property in times of instability;

3. Invites the State Party to consider according a greater level of financial support to ensure the minimum level of effective property management, while also working with partners to seek further financial and technical support from external sources, especially for the development and implementation of a management plan for the property;

4. Recommends that the State Party establish co-operation between property staff and security forces to map out landmine-free zones for tourism in the Park; if necessary, the State Party may request the Chairperson of the Committee to approve modest financial assistance from the World Heritage Fund;

5. Recommends the State Party submit a report to the World Heritage Centre by 1 February 2004 addressing the UNESCO/IUCN mission recommendations and describing benchmarks and timeframes for monitoring progress in implementation of mission recommendations for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 28th session in 2004 to enable it to consider removing the Rwenzori Mountain National Park from the List of World Heritage in Danger;

6. Decides to retain the Rwenzori Mountains National Park on the List of World Heritage in Danger.

1. Congratulates the State Party for successfully convening a workshop, held in January 2003 to identify indicators and benchmarks in order to monitor the recovery of the property, and for demonstrating strong commitment to the rehabilitation of the Ichkeul National Park;

2. Urges the State Party to write to the Chairperson of the World Heritage Committee confirming that it will consider the Ichkeul National Park as a water "consumer" and commit to an annual water inflow into the lake of an average of 80 to 120 million cubic metres from the upstream dams through water releases or overflow, as requested in point 2 of the recommendations of the workshop and indicating the expected date of completion of the construction of necessary infrastructure of dams and canals to enable such releases as and when needed;

3. Invites the State Party to create an autonomous and permanent management structure, that takes into consideration the specificities of Ichkeul and the sustainability of its values, with appropriate decision-making powers, and the establishment of a "Committee 21" for elaborating a local Agenda 21 as requested in the recommendations;

4. Recommends that IUCN and the World Heritage Centre co-operate with the Ramsar Convention Secretariat and other partners to ensure timely and effective implementation of the Global Environment Facility/World Bank Project to prepare a participatory management plan for the Park;

5. Urges the State Party to continue implementing the restoration programmes for Ichkeul Lake and co-operate with IUCN, the World Heritage Centre and the Ramsar Convention Secretariat to review annually the progress;

6. Requests the State Party to submit a report by 1 February 2004 to the World Heritage Centre and IUCN on the outcome of Ichkeul National Park rehabilitation, clearly highlighting the scientific and technical improvements put in place, as well as on threats and limitations to the effective rehabilitation of Ichkeul Lake against the benchmarks and indicators that were identified in the above-mentioned workshop;

7. Requests the World Heritage Centre and IUCN to review these reports and to inform the Committee of major achievements, or difficulties encountered in the effective rehabilitation of Ichkeul, as appropriate;

8. Decides to retain the Ichkeul National Park on the List of World Heritage in Danger.

1. Commends the Indian Government and partner institutes and research bodies for their efforts in preparing a World Heritage Biodiversity Programme for India with support for project preparation from the United Nations Foundation (UNF);

2. Invites the State Party to submit a report to the World Heritage Centre by 1 February 2004 on the possible financing and execution of the Programme, including the implementation measures recommended by the 26th session of the Committee and the IUCN mission of early 2002 for the conservation of Manas, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 28th session in 2004;

3. Decides to retain Manas Wildlife Sanctuary on the List of World Heritage in Danger.

1. Notes that the management plan was submitted by the State Party on 25 June 2003;

2. Encourages the State Party to request, if necessary, technical assistance from the World Heritage Fund to urgently purchase a portable electric generator to enable rapid closure of the sluice gates in a potential emergency situation;

3. Urges the State Party to submit a calendar of activities for preparing a proposal for a transborder World Heritage area in the Danube Delta in co-operation with other concerned States Parties;

4. Decides to remove Srebarna Nature Reserve from the List of World Heritage in Danger;

5. Requests the State Party, IUCN and the World Heritage Centre to collaborate and discuss issues related to the implementation of the management plan and to provide a report by 1 February 2004 on the key management issues and in particular the results of the monitoring programme, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 28th session in 2004.

1. Notes the detailed report by the State Party provided on 17 April 2003 and acknowledges the effort and commitment by the State Party in addressing key management problems;

2. Invites the State Party to co-operate with the World Heritage Centre and IUCN to prepare a report by 1 February 2004 for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 28th session in 2004, describing the steps the State Party intends to take to develop and implement action plans and define parameters and conditions to monitor progress in the restoration of the property, with a view to facilitating the Committee's future considerations for removing this property from the List of World Heritage in Danger;

3. Decides to retain the Everglades National Park on the List of World Heritage in Danger, as requested by the State Party.