Decision 46 COM 10C

Report on the implementation of the Third Cycle of Periodic Reporting and general reflection on Periodic Reporting

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/24/46.COM/10C,
2. Recalling Decisions 41 COM 10A, 42 COM 10A, 43 COM 10B, 44 COM 10D, and 45 COM 10E adopted respectively at its 41st (Krakow, 2017), 42nd (Manama, 2018), 43rd (Baku, 2019), extended 44th (Fuzhou/Online, 2021), and extended 45th (Riyadh, 2023) sessions;
3. Also recalling the MONDIACULT 2022 Declaration, the 2024 IOS Evaluation of UNESCO’s periodic reporting on the Culture Sector’s Conventions and Recommendations, and the Decision 219 EX/13 of the Executive Board of UNESCO;
4. Commends the States Parties to the World Heritage Convention for actively participating in and completing the Third Cycle of Periodic Reporting and notes with satisfaction the high rate of global submission of the periodic reports at both the national and World Heritage property levels;
5. Welcomes with satisfaction the successful implementation of the overall process of the Third Cycle of Periodic Reporting and takes note of the feedback and recommendations formulated by the States Parties for the improvement of the Periodic Reporting of the Convention and the need to reinforce the technical platform to strengthen data upload for better reporting;
6. Decides to launch a one-year Periodic Reporting Reflection Period from July 2024 to June 2025 and requests the Secretariat to prepare a comprehensive report based on the overall outcomes of the Third Cycle of Periodic Reporting and to present to the Committee a proposal for the revised format of the Periodic Reporting questionnaire for the Fourth Cycle, as well as proposals for improving the process, relevance, analysis, and use of data for its examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 47th session;
7. Further requests the Secretariat to prepare a feasibility study to consider the practical modalities of enhancing the Periodic Reporting of the Convention including the practicality of reducing reporting cycles, establishing a common reporting deadline for all regions, consideration for specific questionnaires for cultural and natural properties as well as for transboundary and serial properties, and further developing synergies with other international instruments and programmes on cultural and natural heritage in a sustainable development perspective for examination at its 47th session;
8. Taking into consideration the IOS evaluation and in respect of Decision 219 EX/13, requests the Secretariat to also explore, within the above-mentioned feasibility study, the modalities of enhancing the Periodic Reporting of the Convention with the aim of facilitating a coherent analysis of global heritage trends and challenges, in preparation for their use in the UNESCO Global Reports on Cultural Policies;
9. Calls upon States Parties and other World Heritage stakeholders to provide extra-budgetary resources to ensure proper reflection, including through hosting Periodic Reporting reflection meetings with the participation of representatives of States Parties from all regions, Advisory Bodies, the Secretariat, UNESCO offices, UNESCO Institute for Statistics, Category 2 Centres, as well as experts that have been involved in the Third Cycle of Periodic Reporting to ensure representation of all regions throughout the process.