The World Heritage Committee,
1. Having examined Documents WHC-11/35.COM/12D and WHC-11/35.COM/9B,
2. Recalling Decision 32 COM 10 adopted at its 32nd session (Quebec City, 2008), Decision 33 COM 14A.2 adopted at its 33rd session (Seville, 2009), 34 COM 12 adopted at its 34th session (Brasilia, 2010) and Resolution 17 GA 9 adopted at the 17th General Assembly of States Parties (UNESCO Headquarters, 2009),
3. Notes that the World Heritage Convention is fast approaching a number of important milestones, including its 40th anniversary in 2012;
4. Takes note of the progress made in preparing for celebrating the 40th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention under the theme "World Heritage and Sustainable Development: the Role of Local Communities";
5. Encourages States Parties to develop, support and carry out activities to promote the anniversary and to notify the World Heritage Centre of their intention to host events to celebrate the 40th anniversary as soon as practicable, and further encourages States Parties to mobilize various UNESCO related institutions, programmes and networks to join in celebrating the anniversary and reaching out to the broader public;
6. Invites the World Heritage Centre to implement the proposed programme of activities assisted by extrabudgetary funding available or to be identified;
7. Requests the World Heritage Centre, with the support of the Advisory Bodies, to develop, for further consideration the proposal contained in Document WHC-11/35.COM/12D on the establishment of a Site Management Network to facilitate exchange and sharing of information on best practice heritage management and further to explore ways of recognising and rewarding best practice through a one-off initiative at the closing event of the 40th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention (November 2012, Japan); also requests the World Heritage Centre to seek extrabudgetary funding to secure the necessary resources and technical support;
8. Notes that the World Heritage Capacity-Building Strategy (WHC-11/35.COM/9B) includes several global activities for capacity building under the theme of World Heritage and Sustainable Development;
9. Requests the World Heritage Centre to research further the implications of and possible timing for an International World Heritage Day for raising awareness on World Heritage;
10. Acknowledges the statements made by the Representative of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) at its 34th and 35th sessions, held in Brasilia (Brazil, 2010) and Paris (UNESCO Headquarters, 2011), respectively, and notes that UNESCO is in the process of preparing a policy with regard to its programs on indigenous peoples; further notes that these considerations should be included in the theme of the 40th anniversary, "World Heritage and Sustainable Development: the Role of Local Communities";
11. Invites the World Heritage Centre to organise an exhibition paying tribute to Egyptologist Christiane Desroche-Noblecourt (1913-2011) and her role in saving the Nubian Temples in 1959, which gave rise to international cooperation for the safeguarding of monuments and the creation of the World Heritage Convention, provided extra-budgetary funds are identified for this purpose;
12. Requests the World Heritage Centre to report on the progress made to the 36th session of the World Heritage Committee (2012).