Decision 43 COM 9A

Upstream Process

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/19/43.COM/9A.Rev,
2. Recalling Decisions 34 COM 13.III, 35 COM 12C, 36 COM 12C, 37 COM 9, 38 COM 9A, 39 COM 11, 40 COM 9A, 41 COM 9A and 42 COM 9A, adopted at its 34th (Brasilia, 2010), 35th (UNESCO, 2011), 36th (Saint-Petersburg, 2012), 37th (Phnom Penh, 2013), 38th (Doha, 2014), 39th (Bonn, 2015), 40th (Istanbul/UNESCO, 2016), 41st (Krakow, 2017) and 42nd (Manama, 2018) sessions respectively,
3. Also recalling the integration of the Upstream Process in Paragraphs 71 and 122 of the Operational Guidelines,
4. Reiterates that, in order to be most effective, upstream support should take place at an early stage, preferably at the moment of preparation or revision of States Parties’ Tentative Lists;
5. Welcomes the advice, consultation and analysis undertaken to improve processes and practices prior to the development of nominations for consideration by the World Heritage Committee, commends the States Parties, the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies for the pilot projects that registered progress and takes note of the conclusion of the pilot project on the Natural and Cultural Heritage of the Ohrid Region, Albania and North Macedonia;
6. Also takes note of the progress made regarding the 2018 Upstream Process requests;
7. Further takes note of the Upstream Process requests received by the 31 March 2019 deadline and also commends the States Parties for having submitted these requests;
8. Recognizing the limited available capacity, including time and resources, of the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies, and on the basis of the experience acquired so far in providing upstream support, takes note furthermore of the willingness of the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies to process all requests received in the best timely manner possible and, given that the number of requests received exceeds the set up cap of ten new Upstream Process requests per year, and decides to set the next deadline for receiving Upstream Process requests and to review and prioritize them at 31 March 2020;
9. Bearing in mind that the Upstream Process is an activity which is not fully budgeted, invites States Parties to consider financially contributing to the implementation of requests received from Least Developed Countries, Low-Income and Lower-Middle Income Countries and Small Island Developing States;
10. Requests the World Heritage Centre, in collaboration with the Advisory Bodies, to present a progress report on the remaining pilot projects as well as on the support offered to Upstream Process requests received, for consideration by the World Heritage Committee at its 44th session in 2020.