- reviewed document SC-87/CONF.004/7 on technical cooperation requests submitted by States Parties and

- made the following recommendations:

- People's Republic of China

a) The Bureau noted that the Jixian/Tianjian Area, for which US$30,000 has been requested for supporting geological research, has not been recommended for inscription on the World Heritage List.

b) In relation to the requests for training of specialists in management of natural heritage (US$80,000) and the research studies on the Imperial Palace (US$35,000) and Caves of Mogao (US$52,000), the Bureau noted that the Secretariat will be examining details with the Chinese authorities and report back to the Committee.

- Yugoslavia

The Bureau recommended that the Committee approve the allocation of US$50,000 for the purchase of field and laboratory equipment which would help in ecosystem conservation work at Durmitor National Park.

- Ecuador

The Bureau recommended that the Committee approve an allocation of US$70,000 for restoration of monuments in the Historic Centre of Quito, Ecuador, which were damaged by the recent earthquake.

The Bureau approved the release of US$30,000 immediately, under emergency assistance.

- Honduras

In considering the request for US$114,576 for improving the protection of the Rio Platano Biosphere Reserve, the Bureau decided to approve an initial amount of US$30,000.

As for the remaining amount (US$84,576), the Bureau asked the Secretariat to contact the Honduran authorities to assess priorities for international assistance projects for this natural property which had already received considerable support from the World Heritage Fund.

- Madagascar

The Bureau approved US$25,000 for the organization of a workshop on the conservation of tropical forests. In this connection, the Bureau expressed the wish that the meeting would result in the drawing up of nominations to the World Heritage List.

In this connection, the Bureau recalled that States Parties could ask for preparatory assistance to draw up such requests.

In addition, the Bureau asked the Secretariat to make every effort, including missions to States Parties, to advise on the availability of international assistance under the Fund and to assist in the preparation of receivable requests. Particular attention should be given to designing technical cooperation projects in which the contribution from the World Heritage Fund acted as a catalyst for funding from other sources such as UNDP, the World Bank, WWF, etc.

The Bureau recommended that the Secretariat in future present the following elements for each technical cooperation request:

- international assistance already provided for the property in question and results obtained;

- a brief description of the different components requested, for example, laboratory equipment, vehicles, expert services, etc. and the respective amounts requested under the Fund;

- the national counterpart contribution and the sources of other funding;

- additional information of relevance, for example whether the property in question had been subject of a monitoring report, had been suggested for inscription on the List of World Heritage in Danger, etc.

The Bureau therefore recommended that the Secretariat prepare an easily understood brochure on how to obtain international assistance under the World Heritage Fund which would be widely distributed to all States Parties.

Furthermore, considering the budgetary allocations set aside for promotional activities, such assistance could only be of modest proportions, complementing national investments. However, the Bureau noted that the Secretariat should be flexible in judging each case accordingly.

In particular, the Bureau recommended to the Committee a detailed study, in collaboration with the authorities of the People's Republic of China, on the request for the production of a film on World Heritage properties, within and outside of China, to improve the understanding of the Convention among the Chinese public.