Decision 45 COM 5A

Report of the World Heritage Centre on its activities and the implementation of the World Heritage Committee’s decisions

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC2345.COM5A,
2. Recalling Decisions 43 COM 5A and 44 COM 5A adopted at its 43rd (Baku, 2019) and extended 44th (Fuzhouonline, 2021) sessions respectively,
3. Takes note with appreciation of the activities undertaken by the World Heritage Centre over the past year in pursuit of the Expected Result to ensure that “Tangible heritage identified, protected, monitored and sustainably managed by Member States, in particular through the effective implementation of the 1972 Convention”;
4. Takes note with concern of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on World Heritage and commends the Secretariat for the responses to this extreme situation;
5. Welcomes the continued efforts of the World Heritage Centre to collaborate and enhance synergies among UNESCO’s Culture conventions and the Biodiversity-related conventions and programmes; and reiterates its requests to further strengthen this collaboration, such as done with the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), including on the most critical issues of our times such as climate change and the loss of natural and cultural diversity;
6. Takes note with appreciation of the activities undertaken by the World Heritage Centre on the assessment of climate change impacts on World Heritage and invites States Parties to support the Secretariat through additional voluntary contributions and technical expertise for the implementation of climate mitigation and adaptation actions within World Heritage properties;
7. Thanks all the States Parties that generously supported financially and/or in kind both the activities towards the implementation of the Convention, as well as the reinforcement of the human resources of the World Heritage Centre, and invites other States Parties to continue providing such support and increase it where possible;
8. Requests the World Heritage Centre to present a report on its activities based on the five Strategic Objectives set by the World Heritage Committee (‘5Cs’) under Item 5A, for examination at its 46th session, and a result-based report on the Thematic Programmes under Item 5A, for examination at its 47th session;
9. Takes note with satisfaction of the activities carried out around the 2011 Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape and encourages the Secretariat to regularly share updates on its implementation in support of the World Heritage Convention.