International expert meeting on World Heritage and serial properties and nominations

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC-10/34.COM/9B,

2. Recalling Decisions 32 COM 10B and 33 COM 10A adopted at its 32nd (Quebec City, 2008) and 33rd (Seville, 2009) sessions respectively and thanking the State Party of Switzerland for having hosted the International Expert Meeting on serial nominations and properties (Ittingen, Switzerland, 25 -27 February 2010) in cooperation with the World Heritage Centre,

3. Notes the detailed report provided by the expert meeting which reflects on a wide range of issues relevant to serial and transnational World Heritage properties and nominations and also notes that an publication is under preparation;

4. Approves the conclusions and recommendations aimed at promoting and implementing the concept of transnational serial nominations as a tool for international cooperation, shared approaches and better management and conservation practice;

5. Further notes that draft changes to Annex 2 and Annex 5 of the Operational Guidelines have been included in Document WHC-10/34.COM/13 for consideration of the World Heritage Committee.

6. Takes note of the discussions of the working group on the Operational Guidelines established during the 34th session of the World Heritage Committee and requests the World Heritage Centre, in cooperation with the Advisory Bodies, to prepare proposals for amendments, in particular for annex 2 and 5, for discussion by the working group and for examination by the Committee at its 35th session in 2011.

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC-09/33.COM/10A,

2. Recalling Decision 32 COM 10B adopted at its 32nd session (Quebec City, 2008),

3. Thanking the Government of Germany for having hosted the Workshop on natural serial properties in Vilm, (Germany, 26 - 30 November 2008) as well as all the experts who contributed to it,

4. Takes note of the outcomes and conclusions of the Workshop published in the BfN-Skripten series, as well as the analysis of the present situation of "Serial natural World Heritage Properties" prepared for publication by IUCN and the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation as Number 6 in IUCN's series of World Heritage Studies;

5. Welcomes the offer of the government of Switzerland to host an expert meeting on natural and cultural serial World Heritage properties in the first half of 2010, which will take into account the results of the 2008 workshop on natural serial properties in Vilm (Germany);

6. Requests the World Heritage Centre to present the conclusions and recommendations of the above-mentioned expert meeting at its 34th session in 2010.

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC-08/32.COM/10B;

2. Recalling Decision 29 COM 18A adopted at its 29th session (Durban, 2005),

3. Notes the developing range of discussions on the nomination of serial transnational properties as a positive expression of international cooperation in line with the aims and objectives of the World Heritage Convention;

4. Acknowledges the need to enhance the guidance to States Parties, Advisory Bodies and the World Heritage Centre on the policies and procedures linked to the nomination and management of serial national and transnational properties;

5. Requests the Director of the World Heritage Centre to consult States Parties further on the issues raised in Document WHC-08/32.COM/10B, particularly the need to revise paragraph 137 of the Operational Guidelines and the challenges and benefits of serial national and transnational nominations, through a Circular Letter;

6. Requests the World Heritage Centre, in cooperation with the Advisory Bodies, to organize an expert meeting to reflect on current and future practice and strategies for serial national and transnational nominations, taking account of the debate at the 32nd session and the input received through the Circular Letter. The meeting that takes place should address the following subjects, among others:

a) revision of paragraph 137 of the Operational Guidelines, which states that "the series as a whole - and not necessarily the individual parts of it - [must be] of Outstanding Universal Value"

b) the risk of damaging the credibility of the World Heritage List by including properties on it, within serial national and transnational nominations, that would not merit inscription by themselves;

c) the role of the World Heritage Centre in promoting and coordinating serial national and transnational nominations, and potential conflict of interest;

d) clarification of the ultimate objectives of promoting serial national and transnational nominations as an approach under the Convention;

e) strategies for funding the evaluation of complex serial national and transnational nominations.

f) issues associated with losing the identity of individual World Heritage properties when they are subsumed by a larger, serial national or transnational nomination.

7. Requests the World Heritage Centre in consultation with the Advisory Bodies, to prepare an information document for consideration at the 33rd session of the Committee in 2009, providing a list of all existing serial properties on the World Heritage List and of all the known potential future serial nominations;

8. Requests the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies to propose amendments to the Operational Guidelines and more detailed guidelines, if necessary, for the nomination of serial national and transnational properties, for consideration at the 33rd session of the Committee in 2009.

9. Takes note that an expert workshop is proposed for November 2008 in Vilm (Germany), which will reflect on current and future practice and strategies for nomination and management of serial transnational natural World Heritage properties, and will update the Committee on progress with this discussion at its 33rd Session in 2009.

10. Requests the World Heritage Centre to seek extrabudgetary funding to support the expert meeting referred in paragraph 6 above.