Decision 43 COM 10A.2

Progress report on the follow-up to the second cycle of the Periodic Reporting (Africa)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/19/43.COM/10A,
2. Recalling Decision 41 COM 10B.2 adopted at its 41st session (Krakow, 2017),
3. Welcomes the progress made in the follow-up of the Second Cycle of Periodic Reporting in the Africa region;
4. Thanks the Governments of China, Flanders (Belgium), the Netherlands, Hungary, Norway, the European Union and the African World Heritage Fund for their contributions towards supporting follow-up activities to the Second Cycle of Periodic Reporting in Africa;
5. Commends the States Parties of the Africa Region who have been actively implementing the Action Plan, and encourages States Parties, which have not already done so, to establish their National World Heritage Committees and to develop their National Action Plans and Budgets;
6. Calls upon States Parties to continue to support financially and technically the implementation of the Action Plan for the Africa region through follow-up activities in cooperation with the World Heritage Centre, the Advisory Bodies and the African World Heritage Fund (AWHF), including through the African World Heritage Day in fostering support for the Action Plan for the Africa region;
7. Further reminds States Parties who have not already done so, to submit their Retrospective Statements of Outstanding Universal Value by 1 February 2020 at the latest, as well as clarifications of boundaries by 1 December 2019 at the latest;
8. Notes with appreciation the follow-up activities to the Ngorongoro Declaration, and also commends the World Heritage Centre for addressing the urgent need to build African capacities in a sustainable way through the involvement of African educational institutions in the implementation of the World Heritage Convention and sustainable development as well as the AWHF, the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies and their partners, for the continued implementation of the World Heritage nomination support programme in Africa;
9. Requests the World Heritage Centre, in collaboration with the Advisory Bodies, the AWHF, and with the support of States Parties, to continue its efforts to coordinate and implement the Regional Capacity-Building Programme according to the Action Plan 2012-2017;
10. Also requests the World Heritage Centre to present a progress report on the implementation of the Action Plan for the second cycle of Periodic Reporting for the Africa region at its 45th session, in 2021.