Decision : 31 COM 11D.1
Periodic Reporting
The World Heritage Committee,
1. Having examined Document WHC-07/31.COM/11D.1,
2. Recalling Decisions 25 COM VII.25-27 adopted at its 25th session (Helsinki, 2001), 7 EXT.COM 5 and 7 EXT.COM 5A.1 adopted at its 7th extraordinary session (UNESCO, 2004), 29 COM 11.A adopted at its 29th session (Durban, 2005), 30 COM 11G adopted at its 30th session (Vilnius, 2006);
3. Recognizing the range of benefits for the World Heritage community of the new approach for Section II of the Periodic Reporting questionnaire proposed by the "Working Group on the simplification of the Periodic Reporting questionnaire and setting up of indicators" (the Working Group);
4. Welcomes the new format for Section II as presented in Document WHC-07/31.COM/INF.11D.1;
5. Requests the World Heritage Centre and the Working Group to develop a new format for Section I, incorporating the lessons learnt from the revision of the Section II questionnaire and to finalize both Sections I and II of the revised questionnaire and decides to allocate USD 75,000 from the World Heritage Fund for these activities;
6. Requests the World Heritage Centre to develop a Web-based application of the revised questionnaire as found in WHC-07/31.COM/INF.11D.1 and decides to allocate USD 50,000 from the World Heritage Fund for this task;
7. Recognizing the pivotal importance of Statements of Outstanding Universal Value in all World Heritage processes, urges States Parties, in cooperation with the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies, to prepare all missing Statements of Outstanding Universal Value for properties in their territory before the launching of the second cycle of Periodic Reporting in their Region and decides to allocate USD 10,000 from the World Heritage Fund to the Advisory Bodies to participate in the revision of the Statements of Outstanding Universal Value for the Arab States Region;
8. Requests the World Heritage Centre to ensure it has adequate capacity and resources to continue the Retrospective Inventory as the basis to prefill the questionnaire at the outset of the Second cycle of periodic reporting in each region;
9. Acknowledges the importance and complexity of adopting a consistent approach for indicators for World Heritage properties and requests the World Heritage Centre to prepare a working document on this issue to be presented at its 32nd session in 2008;
10. Invites States Parties wishing to participate in the Field Testing of the revised questionnaire to contact the World Heritage Centre before 30 September 2007.
Original Decision Document