Decision : 33 COM 5B
Report on World Heritage and the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) programme
The World Heritage Committee,
1. Having examined Document WHC-09/33.COM/5B,
2. Recalling Decision 29 COM 5B adopted at its 29th session (Durban, 2005),
3. Noting with satisfaction the progress achieved in the implementation of the World Heritage Programme for Small Island Developing States (SIDS), and noting that in practice the World Heritage Centre will continue addressing specific issues under regional programmes,
4. Thanks Andorra, Australia, France, Italy, the Netherlands, and New Zealand for having provided extra-budgetary funding for World Heritage-related activities in SIDS, as well as other international partners, such as the Shell Foundation, for generating capacity building activities in SIDS;
5. Requests the World Heritage Centre to report at the next session of the Committee on capacity building activities relating to SIDS;
6. Also requests the World Heritage Centre to encourage exchange among SIDS;
7. Further requests the World Heritage Centre to organize, similar to the Pacific World Heritage meeting of 2008 organised by Australia and New Zealand with input from the World Heritage Centre, a regional meeting to review progress in the implementation of the 2004-2014 Action Plan for the Caribbean and to submit a report for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 34th session in 2010;
8. Requests furthermore the Director of the World Heritage Centre to identify extra budgetary funding for World Heritage activities in SIDS, in particular to further develop the Caribbean Capacity-Building Programme and to introduce a similar regional capacity-building programme for SIDS in the Africa and Pacific regions and the execution of more thematic studies particularly of the cultural land and seascapes, routes (trade of enslaved people) and environmental features of the Caribbean, African and Pacific Regions.
Original Decision Document