Follow-up to the first cycle and preparation of the second cycle

CL/WHC-10/1

Madam/Sir,

Further to our Circular Letter of 18 May 2009 and the Informal Meeting of European and North American States Parties on 27 June 2009 (Seville, Spain), I have the pleasure to inform you that the web-page on European and North American Periodic Reporting has been updated:

https://whc.unesco.org/pg.cfm?cid=153

The information contained in the new page is displayed in chronological order (first cycle 2001-2011 and second cycle 2012-2014) and by region (Europe and North America) and is structured in four sections being:

• Periodic report Europe and North America: second cycle (2012-2014)
• Periodic report North America: first cycle (2001-2005)
• Periodic report Europe follow up: first cycle (2006-2011)
• Periodic report Europe: first cycle (2001-2006)

The new web page has a direct link to the new questionnaire (access is restricted to States Parties focal points and site mangers). It also contains the results of all sub-regional meetings related to Periodic Reporting. Further meetings are in the preparation and planning stages. In case you wish to offer hosting a sub-regional meeting, kindly inform Ms. Rossler, Chief of Europe and North America, UNESCO World Heritage Centre (m.rossler@unesco.org) in advance.

We hereby request the Permanent Delegations to inform us, by official letter, about the current focal point of your country for Periodic Reporting, including his/her name, title and organization, postal address, telephone, fax and email. This shall enable the World Heritage Centre to invite national focal points to sub-regional meetings and other events.
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Furthermore, I would like to recall that the World Heritage Committee, at its 32nd session in 2008 (see Decision 32 COM 11C), encouraged the European States Parties to submit any changes to names, criteria, boundaries and Statements of Outstanding Universal Value in a timely fashion. Please note that draft retrospective Statements of Outstanding Universal Value should be submitted to the World Heritage Centre in two hardcopies and an electronic version. Furthermore, the preparation of management plans was identified as a critical issue in the follow-up to the European Periodic Reporting.

As you know, the Second Cycle of Periodic Reporting in the Europe and North America Region will be launched at the 36th session of the World Heritage Committee in 2012. Further information will be provided in the working document on Periodic Reporting which shall be prepared for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 36th session.

I would like to thank you for your ongoing cooperation in the implementation of the World Heritage Convention.

Please accept, Madam/Sir, the assurances of my highest consideration.

Francesco Bandarin
Director
World Heritage Centre

Annex I: Decision 32 COM 11C

Cc: Chairperson of the World Heritage Committee
ICOMOS, ICCROM, IUCN
UNESCO Field Offices in Moscow and Venice
Nordic World Heritage Foundation, NWHF
Chair of the Working Group on Periodic Reporting
Rapporteur of the Working Group on Periodic Reporting