Decision 40 COM 17

Election of the Chairperson, Vice-Chairpersons and Rapporteur of the 41st session of the World Heritage Committee (2017)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Decides, in view of the circumstances, to continue the work of its 40th session at UNESCO’s Headquarters, in the course of October 2016 - at a date to be fixed as soon as possible - to examine the following remaining items on the Agenda of the 40th session, namely: 7, 7A, 8A, 8B, 8C, 8D, 8E, 9A, 10A, 10B, 11, 12, 13A, 13B, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19, and also decides to extend the mandate of its Bureau until the 40th session has completed its work at the end of the above mentioned meeting;
2. Further decides that its 41st session will take place in Cracow, at the invitation of Poland, in July 2017;
3. Elects Jacek Purchla (Poland) as Chairperson of the 41st session;
4. Decides furthermore that the remaining members of the Bureau of the 41st session will be elected at the October meeting of the Committee at UNESCO’s Headquarters and that the mandate of the Bureau will run from the end of the above mentioned meeting until the end of its 41st session;
5. Recalls that the hosting of a World Heritage Committee session by a Committee member is subject to the host country signing a host country agreement in conformity with UNESCO’s rules and regulations and that host country agreements for category II meetings must be signed eight months in advance of the meeting;
6. Also recalls that, pursuant to Rule 44.3 of the Rules of Procedure of the Committee, arrangements by the host country to provide interpretation in another language than the working languages of the Committee (English and French), or another official working languages recognized by the United Nations, should be in compliance with UNESCO’s rules, regulations and procedures.