The General Assembly,
- Having examined Documents WHC-09/17.GA/3A and WHC-09/17.GA/INF.3A,
- Recalling Resolutions 15 GA 9 and 16 GA 3A, adopted respectively at its 15th and 16th sessions, requesting to initiate a «process to discuss possible alternatives to the existing system of elections to the World Heritage Committee» and to establish an open-ended Working Group in order to make recommendations on this issue,
- Noting that capacity building would enhance expertise of the States Parties and would encourage the latter to present their candidature to the Committee,
- Recognizing that a greater role for State Party Observers in the work of the Committee would facilitate their potential candidature for a seat in the Committee in the future,
- Thanking H.E. Ambassador Kondo and the open-ended Working Group for the reflection on the procedures of election of World Heritage Committee members for the work accomplished,
- Decides to amend its Rules of Procedure as follows (amendments are underlined):
Rule 13 – Procedures for the presentation of candidatures to the World Heritage Committee[1]
13.1 – The Secretariat shall ask all States Parties, at least three months prior to the opening of the General Assembly, whether they intend to stand for election to the World Heritage Committee. If so, its candidature should be sent to the Secretariat at least six weeks prior to the opening of the General Assembly.
13.2 Members of the World Heritage Committee may stand again for election after a gap of 4 years after the expiry of their mandate;
Rule 14 - Election of members of the World Heritage Committee
14.1 a) The election of members of the World Heritage Committee shall be conducted by secret ballot whenever five or more delegations having the right to vote so request, or if the Chairperson so decides.
b) In case one or more electoral group(s), as defined by the UNESCO General Conference at its most recent session[2], might have no State Party in the composition of the next Committee[3], one seat per such electoral group(s) shall be reserved.
c) Notwithstanding, at each election, one seat shall be reserved for States Parties with no property on the World Heritage List.
d) Ballot(s) for reserved seat(s) shall precede the ballot(s) for the remaining seats to be filled. Unsuccessful candidates in a ballot for any reserved seat shall be eligible to stand for election in subsequent ballot(s).
Remain unchanged : 14.2; 14.3, 14.4, 14.5, 14.6, 14.7.
14.8 In all ballots, the candidate(s) obtaining in the first round, an absolute majority (more than half of the valid votes cast by States Parties present and voting) shall be declared elected in the sequential order of the number of votes obtained from the highest to the lowest, up to the number of seat(s) to be filled. If there still remain seat(s) to be filled, there shall be a second round.
14.9 In the second round, the candidate(s) obtaining the greatest number of votes, up to the number of seat(s) to be filled, shall be declared elected.
14.10 If in the second round, two or more candidates obtain the same number of votes, and, as a result, the number of these candidates is greater than the remaining number of seats to be filled, there shall be an additional round of voting restricted to those candidates who obtained the same number of votes. If in this additional round of voting, two or more candidates obtain the same number of votes, the Chairperson shall decide by drawing lots among them in order to allocate the remaining seat(s).
14.11 After each round, the Chairperson shall announce the results.
The texts of present rules 14.9, 14.10 and 14.11 are deleted
[1] Resolution 13 GA 9 (paragraph 6) invites the States Parties to the World Heritage Convention, to voluntarily reduce their term of office from six to four years.
[2] It being understood that “Group V” shall consist of two separate groups for the African and Arab States.
[3] "That is to say, that either there is no State Party in the composition of the Committee from a given electoral group at the beginning of the ordinary session of the General Conference, or that the term of office of all States Parties from a given electoral group expires at the end of the ordinary session of the General Conference.