Decision 39 COM 5D

World Heritage and Sustainable Development

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC-15/39.COM/5D,
2. Recalling Decisions 36 COM 5C and 38 COM 5D, adopted respectively at its 36th (Saint Petersburg, 2012) and 38th (Doha, 2014) sessions,
3. Thanks the Technical University of Brandenburg, the Government of Germany and the Government of Viet Nam for having supported the development of the policy for the integration of a sustainable development perspective into the processes of the World Heritage Convention through the organization of two workshops in Cottbus (Germany) and Ninh Binh (Viet Nam), respectively in October 2014 and January 2015;
4. Welcomes the work accomplished by the group of experts on a voluntary basis, under the coordination of the World Heritage Centre and in close consultation with the Advisory Bodies, despite the lack of resources;
5. Endorses the “Policy Document for the integration of a sustainable development perspective into the processes of the World Heritage Convention” as described in Annex to Document WHC-15/39.COM/5D;
6. Requests the World Heritage Centre to disseminate the draft Policy Document to all States Parties and collate their comments;
7. Also requests the World Heritage Centre, in consultation with the Advisory Bodies, to revise the Policy Document by incorporating views expressed at the 39th session and other comments received from States Parties, as well as by taking into account the final outcome of the negotiations for the establishment of the UN Post-2015 development agenda and other relevant processes;
8. Decides to transmit the revised Policy Document for discussion and adoption at the 20th General Assembly of States Parties in 2015;
9. Further requests the World Heritage Centre, along with the Advisory Bodies, to ensure - once the Policy Document is adopted by the General Assembly of the States Parties that the Policy Document will be taken into account in the preparation of the overall Policy Guidelines as one of the essential elements to be inserted in the text;
10. Requests furthermore the World Heritage Centre along with the Advisory Bodies, to elaborate – once the overall Policy Document is adopted by the General Assembly of the States Parties – proposals for specific changes to the Operational Guidelines that would be required to translate the principles of the Policy Document into actual operational procedures;
11. Calls on States Parties to contribute financially to this end and after adoption by the General Assembly in 2015, to strengthen the Policy by promoting a wider participation of the government, private sector and communities;
12. Encourages the World Heritage Centre to sensitize States Parties, as appropriate, to the adoption of the policy as well as to its implications, notably in terms of the need to establish the appropriate governance mechanisms to achieve the appropriate balance and integration between the protection of the Outstanding Universal Value of World Heritage properties and the pursuit of sustainable development objectives;
13. Also encourages UNESCO and the Advisory Bodies to disseminate widely the Policy Document as adopted by the General Assembly, and other related publications through appropriate means to the World Heritage community and the broader public, and promote its application and a wider fostering in multilateral scenarios, especially in those related to sustainable development;
14. Recommends to the Category 2 Centres and UNESCO Chairs related to World Heritage and to the wider network of the UNESCO Forum – Universities and Heritage, to prioritize issues related to the implementation of the policy within their capacity-building and research initiatives as well as involving in their activities other actors and sectors related to sustainable development;
15. Finally requests the World Heritage Centre to present to the Committee, at its 40th session in 2016, a report on the progress made in the implementation of the above provisions.