Decision 38 COM 13

Other business

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined documents WHC-14/38.COM/8B, WHC-14/38.COM/INF.8B1, WHC-14/38.COM/INF.8B2, WHC-14/38.COM/INF.8B3 and WHC-14/38.COM/INF.8B4.Rev;
2. Appreciative of the high level of expertise and work carried out by Advisory Bodies to meet World Heritage Committee’s expanding needs;
3. Realising that the growing number of nominations and inscriptions to the World Heritage List has increased not only the workload but also the financial burdens faced by Advisory Bodies;
4. Conscious of the ample need by a significant number of States Parties for technical assistance and support in the preparation of nominations as well as during the inscription process;
5. Taking into account the present state of the evaluation and consultation process between the Advisory Bodies and States Parties;
6. Taking also into account the factual errors in evaluations by the Advisory Bodies as was observed during the 38th session of the World Heritage Committee (Doha, 2014);
7. Underlines that a consistent application of the Operational Guidelines and the Convention is essential;
8. Calls upon the Advisory Bodies to consult and have a dialogue with all concerned States Parties during the course of the evaluation of nominations, in order to enhance overall transparency and to optimise future decision-making by the World Heritage Committee;
9. Also establishes an ad-hoc working group composed of, in principle, two members from each regional group, at the invitation of Germany, that would meet inter-sessionally to examine the issues related to working methods of the evaluation and decision-making process of nomination and to formulate its recommendations thereon, and to report to the 39th session of the World Heritage Committee.