The World Heritage Committee,
1. Having examined Document WHC-05/29.COM/9, WHC-05/29.COM/INF.9A and WHC-05/29.COM/INF.9B,
2. Recalling Decisions 28 COM. 13.1 and 7 EXT.COM 4B.2, respectively adopted at its 28th session (Suzhou, 2004) and at its 7th extraordinary session (UNESCO, 2004), which requested the World Heritage Centre to convene a Special Meeting of Experts of all regions on the concept of outstanding universal value, and invited that meeting to make specific proposals for better identification of properties of potential outstanding universal value, for enabling less-represented and non-represented states to improve the quality of their nominations and thereby the success rate of inscriptions on the World Heritage List, and for enabling States Parties to indemnify sufficient funding sources for the sustainable conservation of World Heritage properties;
3. Thanks the Russian Federation and, in particular, the Kazan authorities for having generously hosted the Special Meeting, which took place from 6 to 9 April 2005;
4. Also thanks the experts for their active contribution to the meeting;
5. Takes note of the Recommendations resulting from the meeting, included in Annex I of Document WHC-05/29.COM/9;
6. Requests the Director of the World Heritage Centre to start implementing paragraphs 11 to 25 of the above-mentioned recommendations, by making best use of resources from the UNESCO Regular Budget, extra-budgetary resources and the specific amount approved under the World Heritage Fund in Decision 20 COM 16, and taking particularly into account:
a) the need to draw out references or obvious omissions concerning the values assigned by local communities and indigenous peoples, as related to World Heritage; and
b) the relevance of assigning an adequate priority to both sustainable conservation and to the involvement of all stakeholders in the management of World Heritage properties;
7. Decides to further explore the concept of outstanding universal value at its 30th session (Vilnius, 2006), using as a guide paragraphs 6 to 10 of the above mentioned Recommendations.